That Wedding Ring's Not for Me

I never thought I’d see Regina again in this lifetime.

At a high-society gala in Rivendell, she stood in the center of the crowd with her arm linked with Tyler’s. Her smile was elegant and refined, nothing like the girl I once knew.

The people surrounding them all wore flattering smiles, their voices full of praise.

“Ms. Peterson, you’re incredible. Landing a state-level project at such a young age, your future is limitless!”

“And this must be your partner, right? What a perfect couple! You two are made for each other.”

Tyler glanced at Regina with tenderness in his eyes and said softly, “We’re planning to get married by the end of the year. If you’re free, we’d love for you all to join us at the wedding.”

Congratulations echoed all around. Then someone asked curiously, “I heard you’ve been together for ten years. Why wait until now to get married?”

That question caught my attention, too.

In her last life, Regina loved Tyler so much that she was willing to die for him. After she was reborn, she broke up with me right away.

I always thought they would have married soon after graduation. Yet here they were, still without a marriage certificate.

For a brief moment, Regina’s smile stiffened. Then she quickly covered it up with a graceful laugh.

“Career first, then family. I just want to give Tyler the best life possible.”

She gazed at him with such affection that it nearly overflowed.

Back when we were together in our previous life, I proposed to her several times. Only after her family pressured her into it did she say yes.

It turned out that love and indifference were worlds apart.

I was about to leave when I caught sight of a small figure from the corner of my eye. Instinctively, I followed.

“Crash!”

Champagne spilled across the floor. A waiter holding a tray glared at me in annoyance.

“Where did you come running from? Don’t you watch where you’re going?!”

His voice was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.

Seeing my face, Regina was stunned.

“Daniel, what are you doing here?”

I lowered my head and apologized to the waiter. “I’m here looking for someone.”

Someone nearby asked curiously, “Ms. Peterson, you know him?”

Her hand tightened slightly around her glass, her expression darkening.

“Yes, he’s my ex.”

A whisper broke out from the crowd. “Wait, you two dated? But you and Tyler have been together for ten years. I thought you were each other’s first love.”

Tyler’s smile faltered slightly. Still holding Regina’s hand, he said lightly, “That was years ago. We took a break after a nasty fight. Who hasn’t made mistakes when they were young?”

Regina said nothing. Her gaze flicked past me and landed on the waiter.

“Put the damages on my tab. Let him go.”

Her tone was calm and distant. Aside from that brief moment of surprise, she didn’t spare me a single unnecessary glance.

It was clear she wanted to draw a line between us in front of Tyler.

The waiter quickly shoved me toward the exit.

“Ms. Peterson’s doing you a favor, but don’t count on it happening again.”

His eyes raked over my wrinkled sleepwear with disdain. “You don’t belong here. Get out.”

I shook off his hand and said nicely, “I’m just here to find someone. Once I do, I’ll leave on my own.”

The waiter rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen plenty like you who try to climb the social ladder. People like you don’t belong at this kind of event. Keep this up, and I’ll get security right now!”

“Wait.”

Regina’s voice came from behind him. Holding the hem of her gown, she sighed and looked helplessly at me.

“He came here for me. Let me speak with him.”

Tyler slipped his arm around her shoulders, making his claim loud and clear.

“Daniel,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain, “Regina and I are getting married soon. Anyone with a shred of dignity wouldn’t show up to bother their ex by now.”

Regina frowned, her tone turning sharp as she tried to persuade me.

“Why are you still obsessed with me? Even if you’ve waited ten years, I’ll never love you. Being with you was a mistake. Now that I finally have a chance to correct that mistake, I hope you can let the past go.”

Tyler looked me up and down with mockery in his eyes.

“I get why you came crawling back. Regina’s a well-known businesswoman now. People like you always want a piece of the pie.”

He made an assumption based on my wrinkled clothes and said condescendingly, “You went to a top school, didn’t you? How’d you end up like this? If I were you, I wouldn’t even dare to show my face.”

Regina frowned deeper, pulling out her phone with a touch of impatience.

“If you think breaking up was unfair to you, I can make it up to you now. How about fifty grand?”

She tapped on her phone, then suddenly froze.

“You deleted me from your contacts?”