Betraying Lady Fortune

My smile froze as I stood there dumbly on the stage, and the guests who were there to celebrate our wedding were deathly silent as well.

The only one who seemed to be completely unaffected by this was Lucius, who was on a video call with another woman.

After he hung up, he apologized, "Penelope, let's cancel our wedding for today."

Lucius and I had known each other for twelve years and been in a relationship for four.

Yet, he was willing to abandon me on our wedding day for the sake of Selena Lockwood.

He took his sweet time, arriving late to our wedding ceremony, and after all the time he took to even show up, he called Selena in front of everyone.

Moments later, he even announced to cancel our wedding.

I could feel the gazes of our guests, ranging from mocking to empathetic, and it felt as if I was being stabbed by a million knives all at once.

Pushing down my humiliation that was bubbling to the surface, I grabbed his hand. "Please, can't you leave after the wedding?"

Without any hesitation, he answered, "Don't be unreasonable, Penelope. Selena is on death's door because of cancer, so she needs me. She's a completely different person now, so she won't steal me from you. Can't you understand?"

Hearing this, my heart was plunged into icy cold depths, freezing cold as it shattered into pieces. Seeing my eyes well up with tears, Lucius' expression softened, and he leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"Don't worry, I will marry you," he comforted, as if I were a pet throwing a tantrum.

The pain in my chest only worsened, and I cried out, "Did you forget how she bullied you in the past?"

"Enough." His expression turned cold once more. "I never realized you were someone who was so petty, Penelope. Selena was just young and foolish, and she's already changed. I've already forgiven her, so why are you still bringing it up?

"Can't you be a little kinder?"

I staggered, tripping on my veil and falling down on the ground as I did, scraping my palm and causing it to bleed. Even then, it didn't compare in the slightest to the pain of heartbreak.

Lucius reached for my hand and blew at it gently, his voice tender.

"Selena's family has gone bankrupt, and she only did what she did in the past because she had a crush on me. After loving me for twelve years, this shouldn't be her fate."

What about me, then?

Were my twelve years nothing to you?

-

When I was eight years old, my mother told me that our family was blessed by a goddess, who gifted every man whom the women of our family loved with unrivalled luck.

In exchange, however, we were also cursed with short lives, not being able to live past the age of thirty.

The goddess, ever merciful, left us with a solution. As long as our husbands were willing to share their lives with us on the day of our wedding with a true and sincere heart, both husband and wife would be able to live long, youthful lives.

In a sense, it seemed more like a test from the goddess instead, not wanting her servants to be used by those who were not faithful.

In the past, I asked my mother if we would be able to live longer if we didn't fall in love in the first place, and she told me that some of our ancestors had tried to do so, yet they still passed away at the age of thirty.

I didn't want to die young, so I started looking for a husband ever since I was a child.

Soon enough, I noticed Lucius, who had just moved in next door. He was the handsomest boy I had ever seen in my life, yet he was cold and aloof, rejecting all my advances no matter how much I tried.

It was only until I was beaten bloodied and bruised to protect him from Selena, who bullied him back then, that his attitude changed.

Ever since then, his coldness was only directed at outsiders, leaving his kindness and warmth only for me.

And so, I stood there by his side as he went from rags to riches, becoming one of the rising stars of the business world.

I always thought we were in love, but everything changed three months ago. I found out that he had bought a villa while I was filing through our shared assets, and alarm bells rang in my head.

I snuck to that villa in secret, just in time to see Selena pounce into his arms. He made a show of being annoyed, yet his actions betrayed his true intentions.

He gently held her so that she wouldn't fall, and leaned down to listen to what she said with an expression so gentle it was painful to watch.

That moment, I felt as if the ground had cracked open from beneath my feet, swallowing me whole, and I didn't even feel the slightest bit of pain when I bit my lip to the point of drawing blood.