Clara Wilton.

I'm getting married, but my boyfriend of ten years still doesn't know.

Lately he's been busy with his new secretary. And I've been reassigned to administration by my boss. We share the same office but work in different departments.

They hit it off right away and chatted non-stop. To celebrate his secretary's birthday, he even ordered a ten-layer cream cake. At the party, they smeared cream everywhere, forgetting that I was highly allergic to it. He was so happy to be with this woman.

After being taken to the hospital, I woke up and agreed to the arranged marriage my family had proposed.

--- ...

Father wasted no time. As soon as I returned from the hospital and was about to swipe the key card to enter, he sent me some wedding plans for me to choose from. Even though I was only twenty-five years old, my parents wanted a wedding for me. They wanted to see me walk down the aisle with a man who loved me. Their dream was simple: to see their son happy. Knowing that, I immediately agreed to the wedding plan without thinking. "I really want to make them happy and smile with relief.

Scrolling through the options, I stopped at her last message.

[I knew from the beginning that your relationship with Fedrict

was not going to last. If he really wanted to marry you, why did he put it off for ten years? It's not too late to realize this. I've already prepared a wedding plan for you.]

[The wedding is in seven days. No rush.]

So all this is so obvious to everyone. However, I was trapped by Fedrict's empty promises, unable to let go, until over time my feelings for Fedrict began to erode bit by bit.

Sighing, I sent him a voice message. "Dad, just pick the one you like best. I like everything. Let's keep the wedding simple." I left everything up to my parents. I knew they would pick the best of the best. Their choice will always be right for me.

I didn't notice when Fedrict came up behind me. The twenty-eight-year-old man was startled when he heard the word "wedding," he said in surprise, "Wedding? What wedding?"

Just as he was about to look at my phone screen, I quickly put my phone away. She reached out to take it, but a second later her phone started ringing.

The night was so quiet that I could clearly hear the frantic female voice on the other end.

"Fedrict, I just went downstairs to get something and I think someone is following me! I'm so scared. I ran around the block, but I still can't shake them!”

Fedrict's expression changed instantly, filled with concern.

"Amora, don't worry. Go to a well-lit place, there should be someone on duty at the security post. Stay there and I'll be right there!"

She hung up, completely forgetting about the wedding. Without hesitation, she left me standing there and hurried away in the middle of the night.

I kept my expression calm.

After he left, I called my uncle to say goodbye.

My parents moved to the village to take care of my ailing grandmother, my father started a cattle farm there, and I've been living with my uncle ever since.

Fedrict lived next door, and that's how we met. Later, when my uncle got married and sold his villa to live with his wife, I didn't want to interfere with his new life, so I stayed with Fedrict temporarily. I never expected that the "temporary stay" would last for ten years.

.

When Uncle Jhon heard that I was getting married, he was surprised. "Getting married? To Fedrict? Well, that's great-it's been ten years, so I guess it's time to settle down."

I pursed my lips and corrected his assumption. "No, it's an arranged marriage by my family. I don't know the person."

He paused for a moment, then asked slowly, "Have you thought this through? I think Fedrict really cares about you; I just don't know why he hasn't proposed yet. Maybe I should talk to him?"

I smiled a small, indifferent smile.

"No need. It's not a real relationship anyway. We were never officially dating. It was just a vague, ambiguous thing for ten years. If I don't end it now, all my youth will be lost."

"Fine, if that's your decision!" Uncle Jhon smiled despite his doubts.

He was actually surprised that we had lived together for ten years without further explaining our relationship. He still hoped that Fedrict and I would get married. But reality doesn't match expectations without any certainty. I didn't want to ask for clarity first. I don't like to ask for people's pity, especially when it comes to feelings.

So he stopped trying to talk me out of it and said he would support my decision.

Before I went to bed, I installed a seven-day countdown widget on my phone. I wanted to watch it until the time came. Although I don't know what will happen in the future, I hope it will be for the best.

"What will happen when Fedrict finds out I'm married to someone else? Will he be angry or will he leave me alone? Won't he have feelings for me?" I touched my tight chest, ten years together is not a short time for us. Doesn't he have the slightest heart for me? That's been my biggest question all along. He was so ignorant and self-centered. I'm tired of loving him alone. Maybe if I let go of them, the feelings in my heart will disappear a little. "That is why I accepted the matchmaking offer, I wanted to get rid of my long pent up feelings and I was tired of loving someone without any reciprocation.

The next day, I asked my mother to send some local gifts as a way of saying thank you to Uncle for taking care of me for the past ten years and as a way of saying goodbye before I started a new chapter of my life by getting married.

That evening, the truck full of packages finally arrived. I gave the driver directions to my uncle's house, but I didn't expect to meet Fedrict downstairs.

"What an unexpected meeting to see him here!”

Amora's slender figure followed behind her, both carrying bags of household items from the supermarket. They looked like a young couple living together.

Just then, Uncle Jhon came down to greet me and saw the scene. He was about to speak when I interrupted him. "Mom's gift for you has arrived. Check the expiration date; don't let anything get damaged."

I didn't even look at Fedrict, although this time he surprisingly took the initiative to explain.

"Clara, don't misunderstand. The neighborhood Amora lived in before wasn't safe, so I found her a new place to live. I didn't know that your uncle also lived here. By the way, why did you buy so many things?" Fedrict asked, paying attention.

When I asked the driver to bring the delivery, I replied indifferently, "You don't have to tell me about your work. My mom bought this stuff, we don't know when we'll be back, so she got a lot to give to uncle." I explained in detail even though I didn't look at her face. I was just concentrating on getting the few things I wanted to give to Uncle Jhon.

He turned to me and seemed to notice me. When he saw that I hadn't misunderstood, Fedrict looked relieved.

"No problem. The southern suburbs are not far from here. I even visited Borneo Village once when I had a job from my office. So I know the place well. Just let me know whenever you want to come.”

She still doesn't know I'm moving back for good, and I have no plans to tell her.

Uncle Jhon was about to speak, but when he saw how carefully Fedrict looked after Amora, his expression turned grim. He seemed to dislike Amora for getting too close to Fedrict, but he couldn't do anything to stop their closeness.

The four of us stood awkwardly until Amora, looking tired, finally broke the silence.

"I am tired. It would be best if the delivery of the ordered goods continues tomorrow, how about it?" Amora asked Fedrict for his opinion. The two seemed compact and even exchanged opinions. "Of course, we can postpone it until tomorrow, no problem!" He said.

Clara looked at him sarcastically, her disgust rising when Amora was so eager to be noticed by Fedrict, and he responded skillfully. She neither refused nor apologized for him.

Fedrict immediately ordered the driver to stop the delivery, saying that the heavy deliveries would continue tomorrow and the small items would be taken by elevator first. I looked at the bag of household goods he was carrying and stepped aside to let him go. I tried to remain calm and nonchalant as I looked at him.

Fedrict looked surprised for a moment, then hurriedly stepped into the elevator. The look on his face was full of questions for me. But I tried to ignore what Fedrict was doing at that moment.

As the doors closed, I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of my old self in Amora. Back when my uncle first moved in, Fedrict was just as considerate, running errands and taking care of me, moving all my things into his house with a smile, saying he was welcoming "my future wife".

While watching the elevator, Uncle Jhon sighed with some regret.

"Are you sure you don't want me to ask her? You have known each other for a long time. It would be a shame to part because of a misunderstanding." Pama Jhon reassured me.

I shook my head. "There is no need. There is no misunderstanding between us. She never lets anyone stay over. If she hasn't explained it yet, she hasn't."

Fedrict and Amora didn't actually bring that much stuff; they could do everything in one trip and have the big stuff delivered the next day. But even after I delivered the goods to my uncle and said goodbye, he was still nowhere to be seen downstairs.

Out of respect for an old friend, I took out my cell phone and sent him a text message asking when he would be back.

She immediately responded with a voicemail. I clicked on it and Amora's sweet voice came through.

"Clara, Fedrict helped me fix the electrical wiring here. This place has never been lived in, so there's a lot to take care of. You should go home first; don't let us get in your way!"

Just as I was about to close the app and hail a cab, he sent another message.

"By the way, Clara, don't worry too much. Fedrict is just doing me a favor. He just feels sorry for me because I live alone in this big city."

Remembering my parents who had moved away many years ago, I swallowed my words and ended the conversation.

After getting into the taxi and staring absentmindedly out the window, Fedrict called.

"Clara, why were you so rude to Amora? She's my subordinate and I'm just helping her find an apartment. The company hasn't given her a place yet; isn't it only fair that I help her?"

"Since when have you been acting like this, huh? At the birthday party, you sulked and said you weren't feeling well and wanted to leave. I didn't even react, and now you're making trouble again?"

I could hear Claran sobbing on the phone.

His behavior before me was nothing like the sweet, innocent Junior Fedrict had described.

"This woman is so weird, I didn't even say anything to her, why is she acting like I said something rude to her? It's so weird!" I grumbled in annoyance, even though I didn't know her very well, but I knew that if a woman was overthinking and acting like she wanted to be noticed, then it was obvious that she had other intentions.

As I took a deep breath, I finally understood her intentions, but I was too tired to defend myself. "I don't want to waste my time on a woman like that, this woman is so petty, hiding behind her pretty face. I admit she's prettier than me, it's only fitting that Fedrict pays so much attention to her." I grumbled to myself.

Then I made a quick phone call to explain to her. I was tired of this petty woman's theatrics.

"Yeah, you're right. My fault. I just asked. Don't worry, I'm home. I wasn't waiting for you.

Fedrict's questioning tone was silenced by my cold and indifferent reply, which seemed to catch in his throat. "Let it go!"

I ended the call just as the car arrived at my apartment complex. "Leave it, why should he explain it to me, it's all so obvious to me, there's no need to explain."

After I left, I saw a lot of notifications from Fedrict's work group chat. When I opened it, the number of unread messages was 99+. At the top was a photo Amora had uploaded of Fedrict repairing his electrical wiring and plumbing. "As I suspected, this petty woman had other intentions, she wanted Fedrict's attention and the reason behind it all. Behind her innocent-looking face, she seemed to pounce on me from behind, daring to stab me in the heart when I was off guard. "She's such a petty and clever woman, I didn't expect that!" I muttered.

Some of my work press chats started popping up, commenting on a photo in the app group.

[Who else has such a caring boss? [I would love to dedicate my life to this company! Can I sign a lifetime contract?"]

Below her post were comments from other employees filled with envy and admiration.

[I have never seen a boss behave like that. Didn't the janitor say he was a very neat person? It doesn't look that way here!"]

[Oh my, he looks so handsome without his suit! From now on, I dream of being Mrs. Haskins! Don't touch him!]

[This photo was uploaded by future Mrs. Haskins. Wake up, work is your only purpose in life].

Before he hired Amora, I used to help Fedrict with all these tasks without expecting anything in return. However, after he joined and took over my role, I forgot to leave the group chat. After reading all the replies in the group, I deleted the recording and logged out of the application. Now that I've decided to move on, watching footage of their life together isn't as painful as I thought it would be. Maybe it's because that pain has been repeated many times, and my feelings have faded day by day.

I remember the early days when I just started working at the company after graduation. Fedrict was always sharing snippets of my work in the group chat, sneaking photos of me making coffee or updating the schedule. Everyone in the office knew he liked me. His love made the daily grind feel a little sweeter, and his affection brought a spark to boring work chats. But everything changed when Amora arrived. She took over all my duties, and Fedrict forbade anyone from mentioning me in the group. He seemed interested in her, openly and subtly. This woman had truly succeeded in eliminating me from both work and Fedrict's heart.

One of my former colleagues, who was close to me, once made the innocuous remark that Amora wasn't as good as me. Fedrict immediately cut off her bonus for a year. Then I secretly transferred ten thousand dollars to him, hoping to prevent him from quitting impulsively.

Returning to the place I'd called home for the past ten years, but which had never really been mine, I began to pack my things. My eyes fell on a thick photo album filled with memories from the past decade. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I opened it and flipped through each page.

Each photo was a gift from Fedrict. Ten years ago, he told me he would give me a thousand surprises before we got married. He wanted to win my heart sincerely, so I willingly became his wife. The album that was made to hold those 1000 photos now has only

Each photo is a gift from Fedrict to me. Ten years ago, he told me that he would give me 1000 surprises before we got married. He wanted to win my heart sincerely, so I willingly became his wife. The album that was made to hold those 1000 photos now has only one blank page. But in the end, it was all for nothing.

I looked at him with a bitter smile, "Fedrict, why did you change so quickly after Amora came? You even forgot our memories after ten years together." I muttered to myself. Unnoticed, my tears fell down my cheeks, even though I tried to forget and be calm, still when I remember those memories it makes my heart sad, it's too hard to forget if in a moment.

"Fedrict, don't you remember me now? Do you still like me or have you given your heart to Amora?" My crying intensified. I let out my sadness at that moment. I wanted to throw it away and make it my last cry for her, to remember all the memories with Fedrict.

"There's no other way, I can't see these memories always breaking my heart, what can I do for myself!" I said firmly and confidently.

I stood up and went to the balcony, carrying the album to a quiet and open place, I lit a match and burned it instantly. "I'm sorry Fedrict, I had to do this, I couldn't let my heart break anymore, hoping for someone like you. You've given me happiness all these years, but now you've given me a painful wound that's hard for me to get up and move on from. This is my way of forgetting all our memories because I don't want to see you again. I said bitterly between sobs.

I watched each photo burn, slowly turning to ash, burying the last ten years of my life with him. I wiped away my tears and tried to be strong. I was determined not to cry over them and make myself sad. "Goodbye to my sweet memories that burned in the fire." I said, closing my eyes after the fire burned the pieces of the photo album.

Not long after, Fedrict arrived and saw me standing over the fire, his face deathly pale.

Soon Fedrict arrived and saw me standing over the flames, his face deathly pale. He rushed over and pushed me aside, trying to save what he could. "No! Fedrict frantically tried to put out the fire.

But the heat was too intense for him to reach. Within seconds, his hands were red from the heat. Furious, he stomped on the burning album, trying to extinguish the flames that were devouring each photo.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy? All these memories are lost because of you!" he shouted.