Chapter 1

When Derek Hubbard left with Lessie Davenport, staff members at the city hall huddled together. Their mocking glances seemed to cut into me like needles.

"Has he left again? That's the 18th time."

"Honestly, I don't think the man forgot his ID card. He just doesn't want to marry her."

"The lady has the patience of a saint. If that were me, I would've caused a massive scene ages ago."

As the words died away, a few short, clipped chuckles rang out around me. I tightened my grip on the marriage registration forms, and my knuckles slowly turned pale.

No names were mentioned, but I still felt like I had been stripped completely naked, standing in the middle of a bustling lobby. It was humiliating, embarrassing, and pathetic.

I had caused a scene the last time Derek forgot his ID card. Back then, I had been so frantic that I burst into tears.

Grandma had been unconscious in the hospital for three days, and the doctors said she probably wouldn't survive the weekend. Every time she woke up, she would hold my hand and repeat the same sentence over and over again.

"I just want to see you in a wedding gown, Celine. I want to see you have a family of your own."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that while we could throw a wedding ceremony, we had never registered our marriage. I was afraid she wouldn't rest in peace.

So that day, for the first time, I grabbed Derek outside the city hall and cried so hard that I could barely stand on my feet.

"Please don't leave, Derek. I'm begging you. Let's just sign the papers and get legally married today. Grandma really doesn't have much time left."

Derek had hesitated back then. A flicker of genuine emotion flashed in his eyes as he looked at me.

He even took out his phone, ready to have his assistant deliver the documents.

That was when Lessie's call came through. She was sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe.

"Derek, a stranger just knocked on my door. I'm all alone and scared. Could you please come over and stay with me?"

While Derek frowned, I clung to his sleeve so tightly that my knuckles paled.

"Don't go. Please, I'm begging you!"

Derek stayed silent for a very long time, long enough that I thought he would finally choose me this once.

But a second later, he pried my fingers away, one after the other.

"Lessie is timid and easily scared, Celine. We can always get married another day."

He walked away so fast that he never saw me crouched outside the city hall, crying until I could barely even breathe.

That night, Grandma woke up again and asked, "Did you get the papers signed?"

As I held her frail, withered hand, my throat hurt like it was slashed by knives. Still, I forced a smile and lied to her. "Yes, we did."

Only then did she close her eyes in peace.

Grandma passed away early the next morning. By the time Derek finally arrived at the hospital, he still smelled of the gardenia perfume Lessie always wore.

From that moment on, I finally understood that some people weren't running late. They were never coming at all.

So this time, watching Derek hold Lessie close as they walked away, I didn't even shed a tear.

The clerk shot me an awkward look, and her voice was full of pity as she asked, "Are you still going to wait, child?"

I supposed the last time I had waited at the city hall from dawn until midnight left quite a deep impression on the staff members.

I shook my head. "No, I'm not waiting for him anymore."

Then, I texted a different number. "Where are you?"

The reply came almost instantly. "In the parking lot. Give me three minutes."

I sat on the bench and quietly waited. During those three minutes, I tapped on my social media feed and saw a post Lessie had just uploaded.

In the photo, she sat in Derek's passenger seat, holding his ID card.

The caption read, "Some people can be standing right outside the city hall, and he'll still run to me first."

Comments were already pouring in.

"You won at life, Lessie."

"That's some serious favoritism."

I stared at the photo for a long time.

In the past, I probably would have screenshotted it, sent it to Derek, and hysterically demanded answers.

"What does she mean by that? What even am I to you?"

He would reply in the same impatient tone. "Are you seriously that desperate to get married, Celine Coleman? Can you stop obsessing over Lessie?"

But now, all I did was calmly hit the like button.

The glass doors of the city hall swung open before Reuben Alderson walked in with an aloof expression. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, and he was holding his ID card and a marriage registration form.

He walked up to me and apologized in a steady voice. "Sorry. Traffic was bad."

I calmly handed him my ID card. "It's fine."

Reuben slipped his ID card alongside my marriage registration form over to the counter window. While the clerk processed the paperwork, I found myself in a daze.

I had waited seven years and visited the city hall 18 times for Derek, yet the actual marriage registration process only took three minutes to complete.

He wasn't even willing to spare three minutes of his time for me, and it just took me three minutes to leave him forever.

When it was time to take the wedding photo, the clerk reminded me to smile.

Looking into the camera, I curved my lips into a smile as told.

After waiting in vain 18 times, I no longer had to continue waiting.