For six years, Taylor White and I, Caleb Clark, had been together, talking marriage. Then, suddenly, she asked me to wait. She said she had to have a grand wedding with her first love, Leo Hayes, before she could marry me. It was the dying wish of Leo’s mother, who was battling a terminal illness. Taylor couldn’t bear to see the old woman pass with regret, and tearfully promised at her bedside that she would give Leo a home. But she forgot my own mother had also long awaited my wedding. Stunned, I asked her what about me. She impatiently snapped: "Can't you have some empathy? It's just two more months. Are you that desperate to get married, like some weak woman?" I told her my mother had a heart condition and couldn’t handle stress. But right in front of me, she booked a marriage registration appointment: "Regardless, the groom for this wedding can only be Leo. Even if your mother can’t wait and actually dies, she’ll have to wait in line for me to marry you!" Watching her resolute back, I dialed home: “Sis, for the wedding in ten days, help me find a different bride!” 1. My sister, Chloe Clark, was shocked to hear I wanted a new bride. “What’s going on with you and Taylor, Caleb? Marriage isn’t a game, and Mom can’t handle that kind of stress!” It was precisely because I knew Mom couldn’t handle the stress that I turned to my sister for help. Fortunately, Taylor and I had dated for six years, and she had consistently refused to meet my parents. Mom only knew I had a girlfriend but never knew who she was. “Sis, I’m serious. Taylor and I can’t get married anymore!” I certainly didn’t want to commit bigamy. I expected my sister to scold me for being thoughtless, but she only paused for a moment before comforting me: “Back when she started seeing you behind my back, I warned you to be careful. If I hadn’t seen how much you liked her, I wouldn’t have even called her my honorary sister! This works out perfectly!” “Actually, before Mom and Dad knew you were dating, they’d already picked out someone for an arranged marriage for you—that girl you mentioned, the one who looks completely enchanted every time she sees you. She’s been waiting for you to break up, and just a few days ago, she even joked that if your wife wasn't as good as her, she'd crash the wedding…” As soon as my sister mentioned it, I remembered who she meant. My parents had indeed brought it up, but at that time, Taylor and I had already been secretly dating for two years. My heart and mind were completely consumed by Taylor; how could I be willing to marry someone I barely knew? After I hung up the phone, Taylor, consumed by jealousy, kissed me fiercely to assert her claim: “Caleb Clark, you’ll never marry another woman besides me in this lifetime!” With tear-filled eyes, she begged me to grow old with her, finally admitting to my sister that we had secretly pledged ourselves to each other. She let my sister scold her for being a bad woman who had betrayed her trust without a single word of protest. At the time, my sister asked if she had truly moved on from him. Taylor immediately knelt and swore to heaven that she would only love me in this life. Her “lifetime” turned out to be terribly short. The wedding was in ten days; time was pressing. I cut my sister off directly: “Then let her be my bride. No need for a dramatic wedding crash.” The moment I finished speaking, Taylor, who had returned to retrieve her ID, pushed the door open and froze: “Wedding crash? You’re going to crash a wedding?” She glared at me as if I were the enemy: “Caleb Clark, I told you I would marry you, and I will. If you still want to marry me, don’t cause trouble! If you dare to crash and ruin Leo’s and my wedding, don’t blame me if I disown you!” I hadn’t even uttered a word, and she had already imagined me as the villain. 2. Hadn’t she already disowned me when she told me to wait for her wedding with Leo Hayes? For six years, every birthday, she would say we'd marry next year. But every "next year," she had various reasons to avoid meeting my parents and postpone the wedding. For example, she said I was too young and shouldn't be constrained by marriage. Or that she wanted her career to be more stable so she could assist my family’s business after marriage. Every reason, she claimed, was for my good. I loved her, so I truly believed she had my best interests at heart, and I constantly tried to placate my sister, who had long wanted to punch Taylor. After six years of waiting, even friends joked that we'd hit the "seven-year itch" before getting married. Only then did she accept my tenth proposal. The date was set, the wedding was being prepared, yet she still refused to meet my parents, saying she wanted to give them a big surprise at the wedding. But then, Leo Hayes returned to the country with his gravely ill mother. That’s when I realized I was a joke. I gave a self-deprecating smile, retrieved Taylor’s ID from the drawer for her: “Don’t worry, I have no interest in other men’s wives.” This statement seemed to sting Taylor. She frowned: “How many times do I have to explain for you to understand? This is just a fleeting, symbolic wedding. Afterward, I’m entirely yours. What more could you want?” “I understand. Go ahead and get your marriage certificate. It’s best to commit fully to the act.” The sincerity on my face made Taylor’s hand, reaching for her ID, tremble. She seemed a little guilty and explained: “I won’t actually register with Leo; it’s just a formality at the civil registry…” A formality also requires an ID? I casually hummed in response. Taylor seemed momentarily lost, taken aback by my unusual behavior. She stepped forward, intending to console me with a kiss. Then, Leo Hayes, who had apparently been listening outside the door for an unknown period, suddenly entered, squeezing between us. His movements were too forceful, and he subtly exerted pressure, pushing me backward. I stumbled, losing my balance, and fell to the ground. He, meanwhile, pulled Taylor, who had almost been knocked over, into his arms. Taylor clung to him tightly, frightened, and the two, pressed close together, uncontrollably tumbled to the floor. I watched coldly as Taylor sat atop Leo, while Leo, his face flushed with embarrassment, said in a voice just loud enough for me to hear: “Taylor, you… you’re hurting me…” Taylor cleared her throat, her cheeks crimson, but her hand remained on Leo’s abs, refusing to move. Leo looked at Taylor, his eyes full of yearning, then feigned helplessness and apologized to me: “Caleb Clark, I’m so sorry. You can hit me or yell at me, just don’t hurt Taylor! If she gets injured…” Not wanting to see the sickening pair still clinging together, I stood up on my own and walked out: “Whether she’s hurt or not, you can check for yourself. Do you need me to close the door for you?” This made Taylor’s passion-flushed face instantly turn a dark shade, whether from holding her breath or anger, I couldn’t tell: “Caleb Clark! How could you be so crude?” Me, crude? She was sitting on Leo, flushed with shyness, refusing to get up. Who was truly crude? I thoughtfully closed the door for them. While waiting for the elevator, Leo, with suspicious moisture on his face, came out and stopped me: “Caleb Clark, I’m sorry, don’t misunderstand Taylor and me. It was truly a misunderstanding! If it weren’t for my mother needing to see the marriage certificate to feel at ease, I wouldn’t trouble Taylor! Please, for my filial piety, don’t cause trouble at the wedding!” 3. “Once the time is up, Taylor and I will divorce, and I’ll give her back to you!” Saying this, he actually tried to kneel before me. Taylor, her face now back to its normal color, immediately rushed over, pulled him up, and glared at me: “Caleb Clark, I’m warning you, don’t overplay your hand and make it irreversible!” “From today until the end of the wedding, you are to stay put at home. I’ll assign a bodyguard to watch you!” With that, she called her assistant, requesting someone be sent to monitor me, to prevent me from causing trouble. Then, she checked the time and, without delay, took Leo to the civil registry. As the elevator doors closed, I didn’t miss the triumph and provocation in Leo’s eyes. Nor did I miss Taylor’s question: “Leo, did you bring your ID?” This wasn’t merely an act for Leo’s mother; it was clearly an act for me. Before her assigned bodyguards arrived, I quickly drove to the bridal shop to pick up the wedding dress. It was a handmade gown I had specially ordered from Italy to marry Taylor. But because she had recently lost a little weight, some parts needed to be altered to be smaller. There was no reason for her to marry someone else while keeping the wedding dress I ordered; it was illogical. To my surprise, when I arrived at the bridal shop, the owner looked puzzled: “Mr. Clark, your fiancée picked up the wedding dress a few days ago! She even brought a man with her to try it on. I wasn’t in the shop at the time…” The owner, seeing my troubled expression, immediately checked the security footage. On the monitor, Taylor, wearing the wedding dress I had ordered, slowly walked towards Leo, who was stunned and captivated: “Leo, do I look beautiful?” Taylor’s face radiated a smile I had never seen before. Leo’s eyes, meanwhile, gleamed with an almost green light: “Beautiful, even more beautiful than you were in my dreams! Taylor, pinch me, let me see if this is a dream. All these years, I could only marry you in my dreams…” With that, he actually choked up. Taylor, her heart aching for him, stood on tiptoes and kissed away every tear from Leo’s face: “Silly, it’s a good thing you came back in time, otherwise I would have married someone else…” The owner, watching the two passionately embracing in the video, apologized to me with extreme embarrassment: “Mr. Clark, I’m so sorry, this was my employee’s oversight… I’ll find an excuse to get the dress back for you right away!” Anyone could tell I had been cheated on, and my wedding dress stolen. The owner, furious, quickly called Taylor. The moment the owner spoke, Taylor erupted in anger: “Did Caleb Clark tell you to demand the wedding dress back? Tell him I’ll wear this dress to marry him; don’t go looking for trouble! If he causes any problems at my wedding to Leo, he’ll regret it!” I never expected Taylor to be so shameless. Why would she think I would still marry her? The owner looked at the beeping phone, embarrassed, and offered me compensation. I believed in dealing with people justly, so I immediately sent a screenshot of the original wedding dress order to Taylor. Taylor’s phone rang immediately: “Caleb Clark, what is the meaning of this? You’re asking for money because I wore the custom dress early? Shouldn’t you feel it’s worth more, having been worn an extra time?” But then, Leo said he wanted to keep the wedding dress as a treasured memory, and Taylor promptly hung up and transferred the money to me. “You quickly find the owner to custom-make another handmade wedding dress for me. It has to be even more beautiful than this one, otherwise, I won’t marry you!” 4. Six years of love, and for the first time, I realized I never truly knew Taylor White. Watching her location marker stop at the civil registry, I expected to feel heartache, but in reality, I felt nothing. I had just turned off the shared location on our couples app when Mr. Jenkins, her assistant, arrived with two bodyguards. “Mr. Clark, as long as you don’t cause trouble, we won’t interfere with your movements!” Mr. Jenkins, who had once been incredibly warm towards me, spoke polite words, but his gaze was full of disdain. I couldn’t be bothered to speak with such a fickle person. After handling my resignation at the company, I drove home. However, the automatic gate to the underground parking couldn’t recognize my car. The security guard checked the system and told me the parking space was now registered to another vehicle. After scanning my way back into the garage, I saw a new car parked in my spot. It was a birthday gift Taylor had said she would give me two months ago. But now, the person getting out of the car was Leo Hayes. He saw me at once but pretended not to, deliberately waving a bright red marriage certificate as he asked Taylor: “Taylor, as soon as the civil registry opens tomorrow, I’ll go with you to file for divorce, so it won’t delay your marriage to Caleb.” Even redder than the marriage certificate were Leo’s eyes. Taylor squeezed his cheek, coaxing him: “Silly, why are you in such a hurry? Caleb won’t marry anyone but me anyway. Even if he has to wait another ten or eight years, he’d be happy to.” I stared at their backs as they walked into the house together, and booked a hotel for myself. Feeling annoyed, I went for my usual run at a nearby park. After completing one lap, I encountered Taylor and Leo, who never liked night runs, strolling hand-in-hand, exchanging sweet nothings. Taylor leaned against Leo, appearing utterly devoted. I had no interest in their romantic words, so I put on my headphones and headed in the opposite direction, unaware that I was being followed. As I was injected with a sedative, my mouth and nose covered, and dragged into a car, I struggled with all my might. But the person choked my neck, refusing to let go. In the reflection of the car window, I saw a face that bore a strong resemblance to Leo. “You dare to steal my son’s woman? You deserve to die!” I waved desperately at Mr. Jenkins in the distance, but he seemed not to see me. He answered a phone call, then drove off with the two bodyguards. The woman behind me possessed incredible strength, not at all like someone terminally ill with only days to live. When I woke again, utterly weak, Leo’s mother lay pale in a pool of blood. Before I could understand what was happening, Taylor and her people kicked open the door. Leo, seeing his mother like this, shrieked: “Mom, what happened? Don’t scare me…” He clutched his mother tightly, roaring at me: “Caleb Clark, what did I ever do to you that you would so cruelly harm my mother? She has only a few days left to live…” Taylor, who suffered from hemophobia, barely dared to look at the pool of blood. But that didn’t stop her from calling an ambulance while simultaneously kicking me hard in the chest: “Caleb Clark, you’ve truly disappointed me!” As she reached for her phone to call the police, Leo stopped her: “Taylor, forget it. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you for help. Now I just want Mom to be safe…” Taylor, enraged, turned her fury on Mr. Jenkins:
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