The day I got married, my childhood sweetheart, Blaze, crashed the wedding. He and his pack of friends kicked open the chapel doors, declaring he was here to take me away, to run away with me. But not far from the chapel doors, he let go of my hand and a lazy, triumphant smile spread across his face. “Boys, I won the bet. Again. The hundredth time. Pay up.” Then he turned back to me. “It was just a joke, Eliza. You didn’t actually take it seriously, did you? You can go back in and finish getting married.” They all laughed, mocking me for the ten years I’d spent chasing after Blaze, for being willing to do anything for him. But what they didn't know, what Blaze didn't know, was that this little wedding crashing scene was just another scheduled event on my wedding day program. 1. By the time Blaze explained it was all just a bet, the hall was already echoing with raucous laughter. The taunts were so sharp they felt like they were piercing my eardrums. “Damn, Blaze, I’ve lost so much money betting on her. Can’t you just get her to use that dumb brain of hers for once?” “This is hilarious. Did you really think Blaze would ever actually marry you?” The humiliation was a familiar, bitter taste in my mouth. My fingers tightened on the fabric of my wedding dress, my nails digging painfully into my palms. Blaze lit a cigarette, a flicker of disgust in his eyes. “Eliza, if you’re thinking about how to cling to me right now, I’d advise you to drop it.” The jeers grew louder, a chorus of mockery. Normally, this would have been the moment I broke down, sobbing, asking him why he would do this to me. But this time was different. The moment he finished speaking, I turned to leave. A strong hand clamped down on my arm. “Where do you think you’re going?” “Back to my wedding.” Blaze froze, stunned. A moment later, a cruel, mocking smile twisted his lips. “You know, Eliza, when it comes to debasing yourself, you really are in a league of your own.” I closed my eyes. His words still sent a tremor through my heart, an involuntary flinch. Yes, that’s what I was in his eyes. No matter what I did, I was always debasing myself. Three days before the wedding, I had sent him an invitation. Somehow, his friend had pocket-dialed me, and I’d overheard their entire conversation. “Interesting. She’s really going all out this time, actually marrying someone.” Someone asked Blaze, “You think she’s for real?” Another voice cut in before he could answer. “No way. Everyone knows she won’t marry anyone but Blaze. She’s just jealous because he has a new girlfriend, probably trying to get his attention.” Blaze’s new girlfriend was named Sienna. He was completely smitten with her, had pursued her for ages. I heard the rustle of paper as she picked up my invitation, then a soft thud as she tossed it to the floor. She giggled. “This is the kind of trash he was dealing with? If I were a man, I wouldn’t be interested either.” After another round of laughter, Blaze’s voice cut through, low and cool. “Wanna make a bet?” “Another bet? Fine. If we win, you have to break up with Sienna.” Blaze’s voice turned to ice. “Don’t you dare use Sienna’s name in a bet.” And right there, over the phone, I heard him set the terms of the wager, so easily, so carelessly. The bet was whether or not I would abandon my own wedding for him. Sienna was too precious to be used as a gambling chip. But me? He’d used me as the centerpiece of his games for a hundred bets. 2. Almost everyone in the room got in on the action. “Damn! That’s a huge bet. No way she’d actually run out on her own wedding. Count me in!” “Yeah, Eliza’s obsessed, but even she’s not that pathetic. I’m betting against it.” My hand holding the phone trembled. I fumbled with the screen, my fingers too clumsy to hit the end-call button. A tear I didn’t know I was shedding dripped from my chin and landed on the speakerphone icon. I panicked and just shut the phone off completely. I stared blankly into the space in front of me and then, I started to laugh. It was absurd. Pathetic. This was my relationship with Blaze. Everyone knew I loved him. But no one knew that we had once been together for a very long time. Before he went abroad to study, he’d asked me to wait for him. Three years, he’d said. Once he made a name for himself, he would come back and marry me. But when I saw him again, he was surrounded by a revolving door of beautiful women. He had made a name for himself, just like he’d promised. I asked him if he remembered what he’d told me. The look in his eyes was that of a stranger. “We all do stupid things when we’re young. Are you trying to use that to blackmail me?” After that, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t close the distance between us. So I gave up. But why? I was already getting married. I had already willingly admitted defeat. Why couldn’t he just let me go? “Eliza, you’re so damn stupid.” “If I were the guy you’re marrying, I’d walk back in there and slap you across the face. Don’t you know how cheap you look right now?” Blaze’s voice was a torrent of insults. But all I felt was a profound sense of exhaustion. I wrenched my arm from his grasp. “Is that so? Well then, watch and see.” As I walked away, Blaze’s voice followed me, laced with irritation. “Fine. But don’t come crying to me when you’ve made a fool of yourself.” I didn’t look back. As I re-entered the chapel, confetti cannons exploded at the entrance, a celebratory bang showering down on me. Inside, everyone was applauding. “I didn’t believe it when the program said there would be a ‘wedding crashing’ segment, but I guess it’s real!” “A little dramatic, isn’t it?” “I think it’s supposed to symbolize something, right? Like true love conquering all obstacles?” 3. My face was a blank mask as I walked back onto the dais to continue the ceremony. Someone closed the heavy chapel doors, leaving Blaze frozen in place outside, his eyes wide with shock. We exchanged rings. We said our vows. During the reception, I finally got my phone back. There were several frantic messages from Blaze. “What was that all about?” “Eliza, did you set me up?!” He wasn't wrong. I had done it on purpose. I was just so tired. I didn’t want to be the girl at his beck and call anymore. I just wanted him to have some decency, to know when to stop. I ignored the messages and was about to block his number when his call came through. I declined. It rang again. Finally, I sighed and answered. Blaze’s voice was thick with fury. “Eliza, you have three minutes. Get out here and explain yourself.” I answered casually, “Blaze, your bet is over, isn’t it? I thought you were happy with the result.” I could hear him take a deep, shuddering breath, trying to control his temper. Just as I was about to hang up, his tone shifted. “You really went all out just to piss me off once, didn’t you? Was the fake wedding fun?” “Fake wedding?” “Let me make this clear, Eliza. After today, you can forget about ever seeing me again.” Blaze had always been arrogant, but I no longer cared whether he believed me or not. I was just so done with this endless drama. I pressed my fingers to my temples. “That would be for the best,” I said, and hung up. As I turned, a tall shadow fell over me. I looked up and met the strikingly handsome face of Liam. He was leaning against the wall, a little taller than Blaze, his black suit radiating a quiet, powerful presence. “On the phone?” he asked. I paused. There was an undercurrent of annoyance in his voice that I couldn't quite place. But Liam and I hadn’t known each other for long; our marriage had been a sudden decision. Before I could answer, he leaned in. His breath was warm against my skin, and I instinctively held my own. The thought, isn’t this a little too fast? hadn’t even fully formed in my mind. He reached past me, grabbing a glass from the table. He saw my reddening ears and smiled. “A toast to celebrate?” 4. Liam had chosen fruit juice. We stood there quietly by the stage for a moment before he asked, “You still haven’t told me why you were at City Hall that day.” I’m a lightweight, and even with juice, I could feel a warmth spreading across my face. I squinted, trying to remember. “Just a coincidence, I guess.” But the truth was, it had been my birthday. I hadn’t spoken to Blaze in a while, but he’d suddenly contacted me, saying he had a birthday surprise. Even though I didn’t believe him, even though he’d played cruel tricks on me so many times before, a pathetic part of me still wanted to see. As I approached the City Hall building, I heard a thunderous roar from above. It was a helicopter, scattering flower petals. And Blaze was inside. My heart gave a violent lurch. The petals were specially made, large enough to have words printed on them. My hand trembled as I picked one up and unfolded it. “Be with me—” At the same time, my phone rang. It was Blaze. “Told you it was a surprise.” But I was frozen solid, because as I flattened the petal, I saw the name written after the proposal: Sienna. Blaze’s laughter echoed through the deafening noise of the helicopter. “Eliza, she said yes! Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” In that moment, a chill washed over me, so cold it felt like ice was forming in my veins. I couldn’t hear anything he said after that. I remembered back in college, when Blaze had “confessed” his feelings for me. It was after he’d lost a game of Truth or Dare, and he’d picked me out of a group of girls. It was a joke, something to be laughed off. But at the time, I thought maybe he just needed an excuse, a bit of courage. So I said yes. We were together for four years after that, just like any other ordinary couple. Staring up at the shower of petals meant for another woman, I had a sudden, devastating realization. In all our time together, Blaze had never once said a sincere “I love you” to me. I was so, so tired. No matter how much I followed him, there would never be a future for us. That’s when Liam had walked up to me, emerging from a crowd of people near the entrance to City Hall. His face was breathtakingly handsome, and he was being completely swarmed. He looked at me with pleading eyes. “Please, I was just passing through. Can you help me out? Just pretend to be my girlfriend for a minute.” An afternoon later, we had a marriage certificate. It felt completely surreal. He said his family was pressuring him to get married. And me? I was 28, and I’d wasted enough time chasing Blaze. It was a perfect match. 5. Liam finished his juice and helped me into the car. My head was spinning a little. Halfway home, the car screeched to a halt. I opened my eyes to see a black SUV parked sideways, blocking our path. I recognized it instantly. It was Blaze’s. Through the window, I could see Sienna in the passenger seat. Blaze got out and strode over, rapping on my window. Liam only rolled it down a crack. He was wearing sunglasses, and his gaze collided with Blaze’s in the space between the cars. “Need something with my wife?” Blaze’s eyes swept over him, and a condescending smile played on his lips. “Eliza, the actor you hired is really committed to the role, isn’t he?” “Must have cost a bit to keep a fake wedding going for that long, huh?” I bit back a sarcastic remark. If I’d had our marriage certificate with me, I would have thrown it in his face. But I didn’t even have the patience to prove myself to him anymore. “Get out of the way,” I said, my voice cold. Blaze’s expression flickered, then quickly returned to his usual arrogant mask. “Sienna forgot her jacket. It’s cold out. Give her yours.” Sienna glanced over at me, then turned her head away with a disdainful sniff. I was speechless. “Blaze, are you really that broke?” He used to do this all the time. He loved seeing me jealous and upset for his sake. Then, when I was truly angry, he’d coax me with a few sweet words. I always fell for it, always clung to the sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, I was different to him. But now, I just calmly reached into the backseat, grabbed my jacket, and tossed it at him. “It’s fine. Consider it a gift.” It was part of a matching set we’d bought in college. It was about time I threw it out anyway. He recognized it. He froze, his expression hardening into anger. “Eliza, that’s enough. Don’t take it too far.” Liam had already hit the gas, expertly maneuvering around the SUV. A few moments later, the car stopped. I realized we weren’t at Liam’s place. We were in front of a high-end designer boutique. Liam got out and opened my door. “Let’s go.” “Huh? Today? I don’t really need any clothes.” He deftly changed the subject. “Is that so? Well, I do.” “And I’m particularly in need of something that matches.” He strode into the store, leaving me frozen on the sidewalk for a moment. How did Liam know that jacket was part of a matching set?
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