George Sunther doesn't show up on the day we're supposed to get engaged. His family is nowhere to be seen either.

Mom's and Dad's faces become increasingly darker as our relatives whisper disapprovingly. I'm about to contact George when I see a social media update from Winona Sunther, the Sunther family's adopted daughter.

"From today onward, we're siblings and also spouses."

A photo of her and George decked out in wedding attire while holding each other close is attached.

Later, I find George, and he says guiltily, "Winnie is pregnant out of wedlock, and her boyfriend has made a run for it. I have to marry her first so that her reputation remains untainted. It's all so she can have the baby without any hitches."

I'm stunned. The invitations for our wedding have already been sent out!

George wraps an arm around my waist, his tone as gentle as always. "I'll marry you once the baby is born, okay? You're the only woman I'll call my wife, Mary. You have to trust me."

I look into his eyes, which I had once loved with all my heart. My heart twists painfully.

He's always like this. He always tells me I have to be more tolerant and magnanimous when it comes to Winona because she's his sister.

I watch as he leaves in a hurry after answering a call from Winona. Then, I stop hesitating and call my parents. "Mom, is the Zowski family still up for a wedding?"

"Mary, are you really sure about this?" my mother worriedly asked me.

I stared at the plaza where George Sunther had proposed to me. As I recalled the confident promises he had made to me, poised on one knee, all I felt was cold disappointment.

Tightening my grip on my phone, I bit my lip and nodded. However, upon remembering that she couldn't see me, I hurriedly said, "Mom, I'm sure. Please help me arrange things with the Zowski family."

My mother's voice was gentle on the other end of the line. "No matter who you choose, you have to be happy, okay, Mary?"

I blinked, allowing the tears to fall as I nodded seriously. "Don't worry, Mom."

I would stay away from those who were unworthy of my time.

It was all over between me and George.

After hanging up the phone, I rushed back home to pack my things.

Only one thought was on my mind right now—I had to leave this house.

The quicker the better, and as far away as I could go.

Just as I headed to the living room to grab the vacuum bags, George returned. Like he usually did, he hugged me from behind before lowering his head to murmur in my ear, "Mary, I know this must be tough on you. Once we get married, I'll throw you the grandest wedding possible and make you the most beautiful bride in the world!"

Then, he dug out a brochure for wedding locations and flipped to a page. "Would you like a castle-style wedding or a rustic one? How about we do one of each—"

I struggled free of his embrace and interrupted him. "What happened to the wedding plan we already discussed?"

George looked away, unable to meet my gaze. "Winnie really likes that plan, so we're using that for my wedding with her."

An indescribable wave of helplessness assaulted me as bitterness filled me from within. I forced back the urge to cry.

Once again, I had to give everything away to Winona Sunther, the Sunther family's adopted daughter and George's adopted sister.

George and I had personally designed that wedding plan for us, every little detail showcasing tiny glimpses into our seven-year-long relationship.

I distinctly remembered him saying that on the day of our wedding, he would share our blissful past with the whole world.

Now, it seemed he had forgotten all about that.

I shoved away the arm he attempted to wrap around me, causing him to briefly look surprised.

After a moment of hesitation, he said, "If you're willing, you could also use the same plan as Winnie."

In an instant, my body stiffened. A wry smile tugged on my lips as I once again had to fight back the bitterness and nausea rising in me.

How could he do this to me? How could he trample all over our past like that?

My phone lit up with a notification.

It was a post from Winona on her social media.

In the photo, a man's large hands were clasping a woman's smaller ones as they rested on a visibly pregnant belly. The caption of the photo was: "Be good, baby. Mommy and Daddy are waiting for you to enter this world!"

Below the posts, her friends were offering their congratulations, with one even commenting, "Congratulations! I always thought there was something off between you siblings since you two aren't blood-related. At last, you're making it official!"

My vision blurred, and I blinked vigorously in hopes of clearing it.

I was all too familiar with the man's large hands. Every time I suffered from period cramps, it was those exact hands that would cradle my stomach the whole night.

Sharp pin pricks of pain jabbed at my heart like needles, but I forced myself to endure it by constantly reminding myself it was over between us.

Despite that, why was I still feeling so upset? It was almost suffocating.

I grabbed the vacuum bags, planning on returning to the room, but George was relentless. He called out, "Mary, think about what theme you want for the wedding. I can have preparations made beforehand!"

My response was swift, "No need."

Shutting the room door, I slumped against it. Tears slid down my cheeks silently before soaking the front of my shirt.

I couldn't understand. I was the girlfriend George was in a relationship with for years, yet why did I have to let Winona have the wedding plan I'd painstakingly worked on?

Why did I have to let Winona have the wedding dress I'd personally designed?

Last but not least, why did I have to let Winona have George?

I couldn't stop myself from crying, but I did bite the back of my hand to muffle any sounds I made.

After a while, I took several deep breaths to calm down.

I kept telling myself that the quicker I finished packing, the sooner I could leave.

That night, I was already asleep when cold fingers reached out to touch my waist. When I opened my eyes, George's eyes were staring right into mine.

He spoke in a low voice, sounding rather pitiful. "Mary, I can't sleep alone."

When I remained silent, he moved his head closer.

At that moment, his phone, which he had placed beside his pillow, lit up. The light coincidentally illuminated the love bite on his neck, making it appear glaringly obvious.

I hurriedly turned my face away to avoid his approaching lips. Bile rose in my throat at the sight, and I felt like vomiting.

Noting my discomfort, George quickly asked, "Mary, what's wrong?"

I pointed at the door. "Get out. I just want to sleep by myself."

In the hazy darkness of the room, I vaguely saw a surprised expression on George's face, although I didn't know if I had imagined it.

After what happened, I lost all semblance of drowsiness.

Unbidden, a memory came to me.

One evening, I'd decided to take a shortcut by going through an alleyway behind the school. Unfortunately, I had run into a thug with malicious intentions toward me.

Just as I was panicking, George had appeared out of nowhere and charged at the thug, who was wielding a knife. Despite the danger, George had risked his life to protect me.

At the time, we'd actually been giving each other the cold shoulder due to an argument, so I was surprised at his sudden appearance. Worried he would be hurt by the thug, I'd shakily taken out my phone to call the police.

After the thug had run away, he'd wrapped me up in a tight hug. "Don't be scared, Mary, I'm here. No one can hurt you with me around."

Still trembling from the fear, I'd asked worriedly, "George, are you okay? Are you injured?"

George had been clutching his arm, but he still shook his head at me. In the dim light of the alleyway, all I could see was the love and concern shining in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter what happens to me, as long as you're fine."

The sincere and youthful George of the past slowly changed into the current George.

In an instant, I felt an emptiness yawning inside me, as well as an overwhelming sense of loss.

Just how did George and I end up like this?

Before I'd realized it, it was already morning. My phone calendar reminded me to pick up the wedding ring from the jewelry store today.

The ring had been carved with jasmine designs—the flowers George used when he proposed to me.

Since I wouldn't get to use it, I would destroy it.

After checking my receipt, the jeweler raised his head and said, "Someone has already come to retrieve this. Let me check the surveillance for you."

In the surveillance footage, George entered the shop with Winona, who was hugging his arm. George then took out the ring and slipped it onto her finger.

Winona seized the opportunity when George lowered his head to stand on her tiptoes and kiss him.

George froze in surprise, but he didn't move away.

Waving the hand with the ring on it, Winona was smiling dazzlingly as she asked, "George, does it look good on me?"

Noticing how pale I had gone, the jeweler asked if I needed any help. However, I forced myself to smile and told him I would handle the matter myself.

Following that, I called Winona.

"Mary, do you need something?"

"The ring with the jasmine design is with you, isn't it? Return it to me."

I had barely finished speaking when George's voice came over the line.

"Mary, I know what the ring means to you, but since Winnie likes it, just give it to her. She's younger than us, so we should indulge her."

I could vaguely hear Winona in the background, saying in an aggrieved tone, "George, Mary is upset, isn't she? Maybe I should return the ring to her."

"Winnie, keep it if you like it. As your sister-in-law, she won't mind."

As I listened silently to the conversation between the two, a familiar ache burned in my heart.

I couldn't help but scoff at myself for not learning my lesson despite being burned so many times before.

No matter what, when it came to Winona and me, I would always be the one thrown aside.

Wiping the tears leaking from the corners of my eyes, I took in a deep breath before saying, "You can keep the ring. I don't like it anymore, nor do I want it."

I didn't want George anymore either.

George attempted to use his usual methods to comfort me. "Mary, I'll gift you an even bigger—"

I decisively hung up, cutting off George's voice.

It was time to let the past stay in the past, be it human or object. That was the best decision I could make for myself.

At the thought of how I still needed a few packing bags, I decided to walk to the next street, as there was a store there that sold them.

Unexpectedly, I had only just crossed two intersections when George's car stopped right in front of me.

He lowered the window and ordered, "Get in!"

When I ignored him, he directly climbed out of the car and forcefully dragged me inside.

His expression was dark as he stared at me with pursed lips. Several seconds later, he spoke in a low tone. "Mary, you've never hung up on me before."

I turned to look out the window, completely disregarding him.

Sighing softly, he lowered his voice and said, "Mary, Winnie is pregnant, so let's be more understanding and let her have her way, okay?"

Upon hearing this, I still couldn't hold back from exploding, all my accumulated grievances spilling over. I stared at him with red-rimmed eyes, yelling, "Am I at fault for her getting pregnant? Why should I always let her have her way and give her everything?"

The next second, I spotted an official-looking piece of paper by the gear stick.

It was a marriage certificate.

George followed my gaze and instantly panicked. He tried to explain, "Mary, this is just a formality. It's not real. You have to believe me!"

Forcing myself not to cry, I simply turned away and resumed looking outside the window in silence.

An indescribable exhaustion swept over me, both physically and mentally. At this point, arguing any further seemed pointless.

George stubbornly stared at me for quite a while. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words never left his lips.

The car ride progressed in silence. After returning home, I avoided George and sprinted straight for the bedroom.

Throwing myself onto the bed, I soon drifted off into much-needed sleep.

When I next woke up and opened the door, I was greeted by the sight of a candlelit dinner.

With a smile on his face, George gestured at the table in a gentlemanly manner. "Lady Mary, please enjoy your meal."

I was indeed hungry, and a meal wasn't a big deal, so I decided to take a seat. Before George could say anything more, I had already begun digging in.

After standing there awkwardly for a few seconds, George pulled out the chair next to mine and sat down.

He was rather diligent, purposely picking my favorite foods to put onto my plate.

"I've been rather busy preparing for the wedding recently, but I'll try to set aside more time to spend with you."

Then, not waiting for a response from me, he added, "Mary, Winnie wants you to be her bridesmaid. I agreed on your behalf."

The fork I had been bringing to my mouth halted in mid-air. Suddenly, all these favorite dishes of mine seemed to taste like ash.

Setting down my cutlery, I gazed right at George and ignored the stabbing pain in my heart. Then, I said in an icy tone that I had never used before, "George Sunther, who gave you the right to make that decision for me?"

With that, I no longer had any appetite and left for my room. I decided I was moving out tomorrow.

Through the door, I could hear the sound of George's phone ringing.

"Don't worry, Winnie, I'll get Mary to agree. You just need to focus on becoming the most beautiful bride in the world. I believe in Mary's feelings for me. She's just throwing a tantrum now, so I simply need to mollify her a bit more."

I laughed silently, though I wasn't sure if it was more in bitterness or relief.

Catching sight of the packing bags strewn all over the floor, I called the moving company.

The next morning, just as the moving company called to inform me that they were half an hour away, I saw George rushing outside.

I vaguely heard him say something about a wedding rehearsal.

This was perfect, as I wouldn't need to explain anything to him.

Looking around at the bare room, I felt as though my heart had been emptied of my feelings for him as well.

I had only just finished moving when I received a message from an unknown number.

In the message, the person claimed to be my fiancé and even attached the address of the largest hotel in the city.

There wasn't much information, but at the sight of the word "fiancé", my heart still quickened its pace.

When I arrived at the hotel, a couple happened to be there.

The woman was dressed in a pure white wedding dress, while the man was in a tailored black suit. From their silhouettes alone, they seemed like a perfect pair.

The man reached out a hand to gently tuck an errant lock of hair behind the woman's ear. Then, he kissed her forehead with a smile.

Curiosity had me glancing at them a few more times. As the man turned around, I realized it was someone familiar.

George and I locked gazes, causing him to pause in surprise for several seconds. Winona, sensing something off, turned and caught sight of me as well.

I could only laugh wryly. What amazing luck I had!