When we were intimate, my boyfriend loved to take off my glasses. He said he adored the way my eyes half-closed, heavy with passion. Until the day I overheard him bragging to his friends. "She can’t see a damn thing without them. By the time she realizes what’s happening, it's too late to stop me. She just takes it. "Trust me, it’s non-stop action, start to finish." One of them asked, laughing, how he’d finally managed to lock her down. Caleb just gave a mysterious smirk. "Conservative girls are all the same. They only give themselves to a guy they think is serious about marrying them. "I bought a huge, beat-up fixer-upper entirely in cash. I put only Maya’s name on the deed. "She was so incredibly moved. She thinks I bet my entire net worth on her. How could she possibly say no to me after that?" 01 I was working a side gig as a wedding planner at my best friend’s agency, trying to save up money for my own wedding. Today, I was at a hotel downtown to meet a VIP client. While waiting in the lobby bar, I heard a man ask in a flippant tone: "Hey Caleb, aren't you done with your 'Cinderella charity project' yet? "Your merger with the Sterling family is set. The wedding date is practically here." Instinctively, I turned my head slightly. Caleb. That was my boyfriend’s name. But my Caleb was just a sales rep for a medical device company, not some rich heir talking about corporate mergers. But the next moment, a terrifyingly familiar voice came drifting over. "What’s the rush? I still have a month. "Besides, I’m having a hard time letting Maya go." In an instant, it felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. I went entirely numb. Maya. That was me. The other man snorted. "Don't tell me you actually fell for her?" Caleb took a slow, indifferent sip of his drink. "Let's not get crazy. It’s just a strictly physical arrangement. A contract. "And besides..." Caleb lowered his voice, thick with locker-room bravado. "She’s blind as a bat. Can’t see a thing without her glasses... I can pull moves on her she can’t stop in time. She just takes it. "Trust me, it’s non-stop action, start to finish." His friend burst out laughing. "That girl was hunted hard by Liam Miller back in the day. He sent her a Maserati, a couple of Birkins, and he still couldn't get her to lay a glove on her. "I heard she was pure as snow. How the hell did you pull off a grand slam right out of the gate?" Caleb smirked, looking insufferably proud. "Conservative girls only give themselves to a guy they think is serious about marrying them. "I bought a huge, beat-up fixer-upper entirely in cash. I put only Maya’s name on the deed. "She was so incredibly moved. She thinks I bet my entire net worth on her. How could she possibly say no to me after that? "It’s like leadin’ a donkey... you just need a really big, shiny carrot dangling right in front of its nose. "Giving her a car or a bag doesn't prove you want to marry her. But paying cash for a house? That's the carrot." Saying this, Caleb checked his watch, looking annoyed. He turned to a man who looked like his assistant. "Where is Ms. Sterling? Didn't we say we were meeting the wedding planner together?" I froze. The VIP client I was supposed to meet today... her last name was Sterling. Within seconds, Caleb was grabbing his jacket, swinging it over his shoulder. "I’m busy. I have to run. Tell Chloe Sterling to do whatever she wants, it’s all on her." As he walked away, he barked an order to his driver. "Go to that bakery on the South side. The one trending on TikTok." One of the friends with him teased: "Don't have time to plan your wedding with your fiancée, but you have time to go out of your way to buy Cinderella a cheap little gourmet cupcake." Caleb shoved him playfully. "Shut up." Then he sighed, a note of genuine regret in his voice. "Honestly, if she didn't have that bad eyesight... I don't want a son inheriting those nearsighted genes. "Otherwise, even if my parents hated it, I might have fought for her. "What a waste..." 02 I sat there, stunned, rooted to the spot. My mind raced back to this morning when we woke up. The kiss Caleb had pressed to my forehead before he got out of bed. At the time, I had blushed and pushed him away. "I didn't like what you did last night... Don't do it again." Caleb had stroked my hair, smiling. "Okay. Never again." "You said that last time!" Caleb wasn't angry. He just chuckled. "Well, what can I do? Maybe I should just redo it the way my Maya likes it, one more time?" My face was so hot I felt like my neck was turning red. "Shut up! Don't you have to go into work early? Go!" Caleb dramatically checked his watch. "Yeah, I really gotta go, or I’ll lose my attendance bonus this month. "I have to keep saving up to get my Maya a real house. One with high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows." For the hundredth time, I had told him that I loved our current house. Even though it was old and a total fixer-upper, it felt like home. "Honestly, you didn't have to put only my name on the deed. It was your money. "If your parents ever find out, they’re going to be so upset with you." Caleb, fully dressed now, gave me a perfect "goodbye kiss." "Why shouldn't I? "If, God forbid, I’m ever not around, at least I know you’ll always have a sanctuary." I chided him for talking about such bad luck. But I never imagined he was telling the truth. The prince was eventually going back to his castle to marry the princess. And Cinderella was still here, working a stupid side gig, trying to save enough money to buy furniture for a home that was nothing but a lie. 03 A cold, composed female voice snapped me out of my memories. "My apologies. I’m late. "I’m Chloe Sterling." The woman in front of me wore a crisp white pantsuit. Her hair was perfectly styled, cascading over her shoulder. Her features were elegant and gentle, and her face held a sincere expression of regret. Chloe took a beautifully packaged bottle of perfume out of her bag and handed it to me. "A small token of appreciation for being willing to wait for me." I looked down at the perfume. It was a luxury designer brand. This tiny 30ml bottle cost over three hundred dollars. I was about to refuse when Chloe’s friend arrived, fuming. "That damn Caleb just left. Left a message saying the wedding budget is three million, but you can go over if you need to. "Said you should do whatever you like. "He can’t even find the time to meet with his own wedding planner. How much could he possibly love you?" Chloe forced the perfume into my hand, her tone casual, almost bored. "What does love have to do with anything? This is a merger. "I don't care about his pre-wedding life. As long as he behaves after the vows. "Worst case scenario, even if he cheats after we’re married, I’ll be popping champagne to celebrate. "I lose one useless husband, and the Sterling family gains at least a thirty percent share in the Sterling-Vance partnership. It’s a hell of a deal." Initially, I was hesitating, wondering if I should tell her the truth. But after hearing that, I silently swallowed it down. So, this was the world of the ultra-rich? Love didn't matter at all. Only profit was eternal. Chloe called over a waiter and ordered some light lunch and desserts. Then she finally turned her focus back to me. "Maya Price, correct? I’ve seen your portfolio. It has a lot of soul. "It’s exactly the style I’m looking for. "This file lists my basic requirements for the wedding. Please take a look." Her demands were explicit. Venue: The Bulgari Hotel. Full buyout of the premises on the wedding day. Dinner service at $2,000 per person, with an expected guest count of 500. The wedding theme was "Calla Lilies." I studied the details closely, offering a professional suggestion: "Moving in a full week early for setup will incur a massive fee from the hotel. Honestly, it’s not strictly necessary. "Three days should be enough. My team can work in shifts to get the setup finished on time. "From a cost-effective perspective..." When I looked up, Chloe was smiling at me. Suddenly, I realized what I was doing. "Cost-effective" was a phrase that simply didn't exist in her vocabulary. I said in a small voice: "My apologies. A week early it is." At that moment, the waiter brought our lunch. Instinctively, I moved my files from the table to my chair so I wouldn't interfere with her eating. But Chloe pushed a plate towards me. "Eat." I looked up, surprised. Chloe tilted her chin, gesturing for me to accept it without ceremony. "You look terribly pale. Is it low blood sugar? Eat something first." 04 After finishing our meeting, I walked alone down a sun-dappled, tree-lined avenue, clutching my phone. I dialed my best friend, Mia. The emotions I’d been suppressing finally broke through. My voice was thick with tears. "Caleb is marrying someone else." Mia seemed to be busy with something and said casually, "Then dump him. Onto the next." "But Caleb and I... we’ve already been... intimate." By the end, my voice was barely a whisper. I could practically feel Mia rolling her eyes on the other end. "And? So! What! "You are so archaic sometimes, Maya. "Okay, look." After I finished telling her the whole story, Mia was silent for a long time. Finally, she said tentatively, "Maya... how about... we finish this contract first? "I’m not just trying to make a buck, okay? I’m thinking about you. "Why should you let him make a fool out of you and get nothing? "Ms. Sterling explicitly said that if she’s happy with the final result, she’s willing to pay an additional $30,000 bonus on top of the standard agency fee. "This deal... after subtracting the agency’s operating costs, I’m giving you the rest of the profit. "Don't be stupid, Maya. Besides love, you still need to pay your bills." Ultimately, I agreed. Caleb, I will plan an absolute masterpiece of a wedding for you. 05 When I got home that night, Caleb was in the kitchen making soup. When he saw me come in, he was all smiles. "Hey babe! The pork ribs were thirty percent off at the store today, so I bought some to make that soup you like. "Just relax for a second, it’s almost ready." I couldn't help but let a mocking curl twist the corner of my mouth. How can a person be so mentally fractured? A man spending three million on a wedding, getting excited over discounted pork ribs? Caleb carefully brought the soup out. "Drink it while it’s hot." I wasn't in the mood and just took one listless spoonful. "Too salty. And it tastes gamey." Caleb froze for a second. Usually when he cooked, I’d be full of guilty love, chiding him for working all day and then coming home to cook, and I’d devour every last drop. I had never, not once, said it wasn't good. This was the first time. Caleb, good-tempered as always, took the bowl away. "Then don't drink it. What do you want? I’ll order Uber Eats." "Not hungry. Eat it yourself." He tentatively asked me, "Bad day at work?" I lowered my eyes. "I’m just... tired." Caleb immediately started massaging my shoulders. "Why does your company make you work on weekends? Quit. Don't go back." He had no idea I was moonlighting as a wedding planner. As he massaged, his hands began to wander. I firmly grabbed his hand and shoved a doctor’s note into it. "I have a ovarian cyst that ruptured. The doctor said no physical intimacy for at least a month." The note was a fake, of course. I just didn't want to give him a "breakup lay." Part of me was even hoping this would force his hand, make him come clean and end this charade. But Caleb just frowned, looking genuinely concerned. "I really hurt you? "I’m so sorry... "Don't worry, I’ll take care of you." Me: "???" This was not going the way I had planned. 06 Caleb really did start taking care of me. He researched instructions online, reminding me every day to take my meds and rest, and he took over all the household chores. He even wanted to go with me to the hospital for my follow-up appointment. I refused, using embarrassment as an excuse. Are you kidding?! He’d find out the truth in five minutes. At the same time, Chloe Sterling’s wedding planning was moving along perfectly. She was thrilled with my concept. "Maya, your concept is even more stunning than I anticipated." I just smiled and didn't say a word. I had used a few of my favorite, personal design ideas for this. I had originally wanted to use them for my wedding with Caleb. They were useless to me now, so I might as well throw them into this "wedding of the century" without a shred of sentiment. While Chloe’s friend was marveling at the designs, she was also getting increasingly furious. "Caleb is out of control. Is he really just a ghost groom? "He hasn't shown his face once." Chloe didn't seem to care. "He’s a man. He doesn't want to waste time on trivialities. Let him be." I suddenly, for no reason at all, thought back to when we had just bought our fixer-upper house. Caleb had been so excited. We used to spend every weekend wandering through Ikea and antique shops. Everything from the wallpaper and tiles down to a single lamp or tissue box was something we had personally chosen together. At the time, I really thought I had dug up a treasure of a man. Now that I thought about it, it was just a rich boy playing "house" for a few months. 07 Seven days until the wedding. The setup crew arrived at the Bulgari. Six days until the wedding. The officiant arrived. It was a celebrity host from a major network. I heard he was an old family friend of the Sterlings and was officiating as a personal favor. I listened to his walkthrough. He was excellent. Not overly sappy, yet intimate and heartwarming. Five days until the wedding. I personally "built" a rainbow in the center of the hall. It was made from over sixty miles of custom-ordered colored silk threads from Belgium. In the twenty-five-foot-high hall space, I was putting them up one by one, right there on site. From the color matching to the gradient fading, I didn't let anyone else touch it. It took me two full days and nights to finish. A "shimmer" of light that wasn't a rainbow, but something better, cascaded down from the skylight into the hall, creating a dazzling array of colors. Chloe stood there staring at it for a long, long time. There seemed to be tears shimmering in her eyes. "What do you call this design?" I stared blankly for a long moment before answering in a low voice, " The Rainbow Connection. " Chloe forced a smile and looked at me. "On the wedding day, I’m going to throw the bouquet to you." I was about to gracefully refuse when I heard Caleb’s voice from across the hall: "That rainbow is incredible. Who did that?" Chloe went to meet him. "What are you doing here today?" Caleb pulled out his phone to take a picture of the rainbow, muttered a couple of dismissive pleasantries to his fiancée, and then immediately started typing on his phone. A second later, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Caleb, with a picture attached: [Babe, check out the venue setup for my company’s anniversary event. Isn't it gorgeous?] At almost the exact same moment, Caleb heard the notification sound from behind the screen and frowned, walking towards me. "Is someone behind there?" 08 Chloe smiled and answered: "That’s our wedding planner. That rainbow is actually her masterpiece. "Want me to introduce you?" Caleb stared intently at the screen, walking closer, step by step. Chloe was looking at him with confusion. The next moment, Caleb yanked the screen away, but there was no one behind it. Mia poked her head around the other side. "If you have any requests, you can talk to me, Mr. Vance. I’m the agency owner. "The planner had an emergency and had to leave." Caleb snapped back to reality. "Nothing. I just remembered I have a meeting. I gotta go." With that, he turned and ran out of there, practically sprinting. Once we knew he was gone, Mia looked at her phone. "He’s gone." I said gratefully, "Thanks." That night, Caleb came home. As soon as he closed the door, he cuddled up to me. "I got you a present." He tied a rainbow-colored bracelet around my wrist. As Caleb tied it, he carefully studied my expression. My face was a mask of polite gratitude. "It’s pretty." Caleb stared at my face. "Babe, is there anything you want to say to me?" I lowered my eyes for a long moment, then smiled and raised an eyebrow. "What? I have to say thank you twice for one bracelet?" Caleb, seeing my reaction was normal, let out a massive sigh of relief. "This isn't just any bracelet. "It’s for The Rainbow Connection. " I shoved him away. "Could you be any cheesier?" Caleb laughed and grabbed my hand. "Maya, I swear I’m going to marry you. "Just wait for me for three years, okay? I’m already working on it." I didn't answer. For some strange reason, I thought back to a past life regression session I’d done years ago. At the end of the session, the hypnotist had softly said in my ear, "I am going to count backwards from 5 to 0. With every number, you will feel more and more awake. "When I reach 1, you will open your eyes. "When I reach 0, you will be completely awake, feeling refreshed and better than before... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... "0." This wedding countdown, for me, was the countdown to finally waking up. 09 The day before the wedding, Caleb told me, with complete composure, that he had to go out of town on business for a few days. His eyes looked at me with tender affection. "When I get back, I have something I want to talk to you about." I hid the mocking sarcasm in my eyes. "Okay. Can’t wait." On the morning of the wedding, Mia came to pick me up. "Are you sure you want to go to the wedding venue? "You’re not planning on objectin’ or somethin’ crazy, are you?" I was busy double-checking the wedding timeline, coordinating with the stylists, lighting crew, and sound team, multi-tasking like a pro. I said casually, "What are you thinking? This is my job. "I’m the planner. I’m the only one who knows the whole flow. "If I don't go, who’s going to manage the chaos?" Mia grabbed my hand. "Are you okay?" I thought about it seriously. "I was hurting." But the intense 30-day preparation period had buried the worst of that pain. When I was in the thick of it, I realized I was never just an outsider watching. Caleb, I have to accept that I loved the wrong man. But I will never accept you making a fool out of me. So, it’s over. 10 The wedding was more perfect than anyone could have anticipated. Calla lilies filled the entire Bulgari hall. Crystal elements were placed just right, creating a look that was elegant without being sparse, and rich without being chaotic. The guests were full of nothing but praise. "This is the most stunning wedding I’ve ever been to." "I have to find out which agency did this. When I get married, I want exactly this." "That rainbow is unbelievable. For a second, it looked real." Mia was handing out business cards until her hand was sore, adding dozens of potential clients on LinkedIn, smiling so hard her face probably hurt. As the groom, Caleb maintained a perfectly composed smile throughout the entire event. Standing next to Chloe Sterling, they truly looked like a picture-perfect power couple. During the appreciation speech, Chloe stood on stage and waved at me. "For this wedding, I want to offer a special thank you to my amazing wedding planner—Maya Price." "They say every girl dreams of her perfect wedding, and Maya... she was the one who made my dream a reality." I froze. This was definitely not on the timeline. Before I could react, the spotlight found me. In an instant, Caleb’s face went entirely pale. He tried to stop Chloe from handing me the microphone, lowering his voice so only I could hear. "Maya, don't you dare ruin this. "You have no idea who is in this room! "I promised you I would marry you! Couldn't you have just waited for three years?!" I studied Caleb closely. His face was entirely pale, and his forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. His makeup was starting to streak. I smiled. Even now, Caleb still thought I was there to ruin his wedding. It was as if fighting over this incredible catch was the only logical choice I could possibly make. I ignored him and gracefully accepted the microphone from Chloe. "I would also like to thank Ms. Sterling for trusting me and entrusting me with such a significant event. "On that note, I want to offer my sincerest congratulations to the newlyweds. "To the both of you: may your love be a deep ocean, may your journey together be as vast as the sky, may your thoughts always be with one another, and may you grow old together in perfect harmony." The second I handed the microphone back to Chloe, I felt Caleb’s entire body relax. He looked like he had just been pulled out of a river. A lot of guests in the audience had noticed his strange behavior and were whispering. "What’s wrong with the groom? He’s acting bizarre." "Is he sick or something?"
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