The next morning, I drew the curtains open—only to find Soren kneeling at my doorstep. It was pouring outside, but he made no effort to shield himself. He just knelt there, unmoving, letting the rain drench him completely. His face was haggard and drawn. At this rate, he looked nothing like the confident, composed man I saw yesterday. It seemed as if he'd aged overnight. I stared at him, not the least bit shaken. At first, I didn't intend to acknowledge him. But he seemed determined to stay there, no matter what. He didn't budge an inch; even when night fell, he remained at the same spot.I let out a sigh of resignation and stepped outside. The moment Soren saw me, a flicker of hope lit up in his eyes. He looked at me, his gaze full of affection. "Lyra, I knew you still cared. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come out to see me."I frowned and tried to shake off his hand, but he only tightened his grip. Pulling out the album I'd thrown away yesterday, he started flipping
I stared at him, feeling momentarily fazed. I had no idea why he was here, or why he was saying such things. "Soren, what nonsense are you talking about?" Dad was the first to react. He swerved toward the security guards and barked, "Get him out of here!"But Soren pushed the guards aside and rushed straight toward me. "Lyra, you can't do this to me!" he pleaded, his eyes filled with despair. "How could you leave me and marry someone else? You're mine… You've always been mine!"I stared at him coldly, completely unfazed. Theodore immediately stepped in front of me, trying to shield me. I gently patted his shoulder, signalling that I could handle this myself. "Soren, have you forgotten that we've already broken up?" I asked icily. He froze, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Why?" he blurted out, looking somewhat frantic. "Was it because of Thea? But I already got rid of her! I'll never see her again. Please forgive me, okay?"I stared at him, realizing ho
I didn't know what he was up to—and honestly, I couldn't care less. The ceremony was about to begin. Mom ushered me to the dressing room to get ready. As I was getting my makeup done, she rambled on about the details of the ceremony. "It's simple," she said. "Head to the church first, then Theodore will walk you down the aisle. Then finally, the two of you will exchange rings…"It wasn't until she mentioned the groom's name that I realized I didn't even know his full name. "Mom, what's Theodore's full name?" I couldn't help but ask. Mom was stunned for a while, then she chuckled. "Silly you! How could you not know your fiance's name?"I scratched my head sheepishly. "I just… never got around to asking.""He's Theodore Vasiliev," Mom said with a smile. "The youngest son of the Vasiliev family. In fact, you actually met when you were kids.""We did?" I was surprised. Nodding with a smile, Mom said, "Yeah. You were both really young back then. You probably don't remember,
The day after I returned home, Mom arranged for a top designer to come over and tailor a wedding dress just for me. As I slipped into the pristine white gown and looked at myself in the mirror, a wave of emotions suddenly swept over me. Six years ago, I used to imagine how I'd look in a wedding dress on my big day. But now, Soren was no longer the groom. Mom looked at me, her eyes teary as she whispered, "Sweetheart, you look amazing."I smiled and said nothing. She pulled out her phone and snapped countless photos of me. Then she sent them all to her close friends. Not long after, those pictures made it onto social media as well. Meanwhile, I changed out of the gown and went back to my room to rest. I had just laid down when I came across a new post from Thea. In the photo, she was lying in a hospital bed, a bright smile lighting up her pale face. Soren sat by her side, one hand cupping her face, the other holding up his phone for a selfie."Thank you for Soren's excep
Three hours later, I touched down in Velimor. Stepping out of the plane, I took a deep breath, savoring the familiar air of my homeland. I pulled out my phone and turned it on. The moment it powered up, countless missed calls flooded in. They were all from Soren. Staring at the call log with a blank expression, I was just about to delete his contact when I noticed he'd changed his profile picture. It used to be a photo of me, but now, it was a picture of him and Thea. They were locked in a tight embrace, the bright smiles on their faces blinding my eyes. A dull ache bloomed in my chest, but soon after, I felt at ease. We were once smitten with each other too, but that was a long time ago. Inhaling sharply, I deleted his contact, erasing every trace of him from my phone and my life. As I walked out of the airport, I immediately spotted my parents waiting at the exit. They were holding a bouquet of flowers, their faces full of joy and excitement. "Sweetheart, you're f
After hanging up, I went back home. My phone suddenly buzzed with a new notification. I glanced at it, realizing it was a new post from Soren's company's official account.I clicked on it and saw a photo of Soren fixing the wiring and plumbing at Thea's place. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up, and he was focused on his work. Thea stood beside him, gazing at him with pure gratitude as she held a glass of water. The caption read, "Our boss Soren is truly a man of many talents. Being amazing at work is one thing, but being able to fix wiring and plumbing too? Incredible!"Soren's employees all flocked to the comment section, leaving messages full of admiration."Boss, you're amazing! I wish I had such a thoughtful boyfriend!""Thea, I can't believe our boss is fixing your house himself. You should totally marry him!"My chest tightened. I scrolled through the comments quickly, an indescribable surge of emotions rising in me. I thought back to when I had just join