The Runaway Groom and His Eleventh-Time Bride

The day after I was discharged from the hospital, I handed in my resignation to the orchestra director.I'd only joined the orchestra in the first place to be closer to Tom.He was the associate director—brilliant, magnetic—and I had been drawn in by his talent. I gave up my job teaching at a university just to stand beside him.For a while, I followed him everywhere, from domestic performances to international competitions.In the beginning, he never tired of being with me. Work or downtime, we were always together.Colleagues would joke that we were a match made in heaven—two souls perfectly in sync.But ever since he took in a student named Laura, his time stopped belonging to me.Now that someone else had taken my place, there was no reason for me to keep holding on.The director looked regretful and tried to convince me to stay.But my tone was firm, and after a long sigh, he signed off on the resignation.Then he asked me what I planned to do next.I didn't hide anyt

Tom looked at me in disbelief, then turned to Laura.From the expression on his face, it was clear—he hadn't checked his email, and he had no idea Laura had answered his phone last night.Laura, looking guilty, quickly explained to him, "You were in the bathroom when Liz called last night. I picked up for you… I forgot to tell you. I didn't mean to."Tom brushed it off. "It's just an email. Doesn't matter."But Laura suddenly screamed and burst into tears. "You didn't hear her? Liz said she sent you divorce papers in that email! I'm sorry! This is all my fault! I took up too much of your time, and made Liz misunderstand!""I'll hand in my resignation to the orchestra tomorrow," she sobbed.Panic hit Tom. He reached out, stroking the top of her head gently, trying to calm her down. "This isn't your fault. You don't need to explain anything, and you definitely don't need to quit."But Laura only cried harder.I let out a quiet, bitter laugh.I mentioned divorce—Tom didn't flinch

Tom stood there, his expression dark. "You really want a divorce?"I nodded. "I've already contacted a lawyer. The lawsuit's in motion."I was sure he'd received the legal notice by now.He looked like someone who'd just been slapped. "Is it really just because I canceled the wedding banquet? We've been married five years. Why are you so obsessed with ceremony?"My voice stayed even. "I told you from the very beginning—I wanted a wedding banquet. If you couldn't do it, you should've said so. There was no need to agree, only to cancel ten times and humiliate me each time."He knew, of course. Knew exactly what had happened each of those times. Even if he never showed up, someone always filled him in on the details.His sister, Gina, was the most diligent informant. But her reports always came with a twist—always with an extra layer of blame directed at me.Still, Tom wasn't stupid. Even if someone tried to flip the truth, the hotel surveillance tapes were always there. He knew wh

Gina's expression soured."I just didn't think you and Tom would last," she said. "But I never imagined he'd give up his claim to the family business for you. And let you walk away with half of our family's assets."That last part—that was what really mattered to her.If I agreed to return to the family, that money would naturally flow back to them. No loss. No real consequence.Unfortunately for her, I had no intention of playing along."I took that money legally," I said flatly. "I'm not giving it back. If you want someone to blame, blame your brother for betting on the wrong thing. He thought I couldn't live without him. But I could."I left her standing there.After that, Tom's parents, his brother-in-law, and various other relatives all tried to reach out to me.Suddenly full of sincerity, eager to persuade me to reconcile.Whenever I saw them, I changed direction without a word.When I saw Tom again, I couldn't help myself."I didn't think you were the clingy type," I

Tom went live, kneeling in front of the camera."Liz," he said, "I wronged you. It was my fault. Now, I'm formally proposing. If you say yes, we'll hold the wedding right here, right now. And if you don't, I'll propose once a month and host a wedding banquet every time. I won't stop until you agree to marry me."In the livestream, I saw his face—earnest, repentant. Behind him, a lavish wedding setup: pink roses carpeting the aisle, an artificial sky full of stars glowing overhead. Even international celebrities had shown up for the spectacle.It was extravagant, romantic, and meticulously staged.But I felt nothing.I thought of the ten weddings I had planned for him back then—each one chipping away at my savings. With the income I had, I could only afford modest hotels, average banquets. But I'd believed that as long as there was love, even the simplest ceremony would feel like joy.And yet, for a ceremony that would last half a day at most, he couldn't bring himself to show up.