His Brides Never Survive

The day before the wedding, I took time off to prepare everything at home.

After I finished, I sank onto the couch and picked up the wedding invitation to check it one last time.

A picture of my fiance, Ivan Campbell, and me was printed on the pink card.

Being with him completed me. He was rich, handsome, and thoughtful.

He did all the housework and cooked the meals. Moreover, he gave me pocket money every few days as though afraid that I would settle for less. He even remarked that he did it to please me, not out of obligation.

Even my best friend, who had complaints about my ex-boyfriends, agreed that Ivan was a perfect man.

And now, we were getting married tomorrow.

Blushing, I puckered my lips and leaned in to kiss the perfect man in the photo. Just then, a loud knock interrupted me.

It was louder than before. Worried that a friend had come over with something urgent, I slipped on my slippers and hurried to the door.

A stranger stood outside. The woman was wearing designer outfits, but her tears had ruined her makeup.

Seeing me took her aback. Then, she punched the wall in a rage. "Damn it! Jack was telling the truth! That guy really came here with another woman!"

Her words made me alarmed. 'What can she possibly mean? Did Ivan cheat on me?'

Before I could speak, she shoved me out of her way and was about to rush inside.

I could not let her do that, so I instinctively stopped her in her tracks.

She let out a high-pitched cry before breaking into wails. "Where's Theodore Brown? I want to talk to him! How could he hide and let his woman bear his mistakes when he's the one who cheated? Coward!

"Miss, no need to cover for him. I know everything!"

I sighed in relief when I heard an unfamiliar name.

Fortunately, I believed that Ivan was faithful to me. Otherwise, she would have convinced me that he cheated on me.

It turned out she made a mistake.

I offered her a consoling smile and explained, "Miss, I don't know any Theodore. My boyfriend's name is Ivan, and we are getting married tomorrow."

Her wails stopped abruptly, and she blinked away her tears in disbelief. "No way! Jack said—"

I didn't argue with her. Since I was still holding a wedding invitation, I presented it to her.

The picture of Ivan and me had faded, leaving only the wording on the card, but at least our names were still there.

The woman realized she had made a mistake when she saw the name, and it was reflected in her flushed cheeks.

She roughly wiped her tears and apologized profusely, "I-I'm sorry! It's a misunderstanding all along. I didn't mean to make a scene. God, it's so embarrassing! H-How about beating me up for wasting your time?"

I would never do that, even though her accusations earlier stung. After all, her anger made sense.

I bent down to pick up her phone, which had slipped from her hand earlier. "It's fine. It's a good thing it didn't turn into a conflict. Next time, think before you—"

I did not finish my sentence.

The phone screen was still lit. My eyes were drawn to the lock screen wallpaper, which was of the woman and her boyfriend.

….

A few seconds later, I straightened calmly and returned her phone.

After taking a slow breath, I said, "By the way, since fate brought us together, why don't we exchange numbers?"

She nodded eagerly.

I watched as she added her contact information to my phone, but I could not stop thinking about her lock screen.

The man standing next to her was none other than Ivan.