Twice Betrayed

"Alright, Dylan, stop provoking him. See you tonight. I'll take Anthony home first."Emily's voice dragged me out of the nightmare of my memories.She hung up the call, and the car was instantly swallowed by silence, broken only by the sound of our breathing.A moment later, she spoke first."You must be hungry. I'll take you to a restaurant for something to eat before I drive you home."Her tone was gentle, as though nothing had happened at all.It only made me look even more pathetic—eyes bloodshot, body trembling uncontrollably."Emily, why are you doing this? You said you'd cherish me for the rest of your life."The words tore from my throat in a ragged scream. My tears fell uselessly after them.But this time, Emily didn't wipe them away with heartbroken tenderness like she used to. She leaned lazily against her seat, a faint smile tugging at her lips."Anthony, if you'd chosen me the first time around, I probably really would have cherished you forever. But now? You're

I had no strength left to answer. All I felt was exhaustion—bone-deep and absolute.But my reaction wounded Emily. She grabbed my collar with both hands, fury twisting into laughter."Anthony, you forced me into this. I originally planned to let things end after tonight, but now, I'm going to make sure you suffer every bit of pain I went through."She abruptly released me and waved toward Dylan."At my wedding with Anthony, you'll be the groom."Dylan's eyes widened in delight. Right in front of me, he pulled Emily into a deep French kiss."Really? Then I want Anthony to be my best man. Five years ago, I was his best man once. Now, it's his turn to be mine. That's only fair.""Sure. Then he can stand beside you and hand us the rings."Emily stared directly at me.Each word fell slowly, carving into my heart like a dull blade.I looked up at her in disbelief.I wanted to refuse, but my throat hurt too much to force out a single sound. All I could do was shake my head in despa

But Emily was still a step too late.The moment she opened the window, my sleeve slipped through her fingers, falling like a broken butterfly onto the ground below. All that was left on her hands was mud—the same mud that had clung to me when she pushed me out of the car.The impact left her dazed.She stood there frozen for several seconds before the reality of what she'd just done sank in. Then she screamed my name and went stumbling down the stairs in a frantic rush, half-running, half-falling.That short distance from the third floor to the garden below felt like an entire century to her.By the time she reached me, she grabbed me immediately, her fingers shaking as she pressed them under my nose.I was still breathing."Why are you just standing there?! Call an ambulance!"Emily screamed at Dylan, who had come running up behind her.While we waited for the ambulance, she held me tight in her arms, tears falling hard onto my pale face.She confessed. She apologized.Her

Emily's jealousy had completely consumed her.From that moment on, every single minute, every move I made, every word I said—it all felt like a provocation to her.The more she loved me, the more it hurt. The more it hurt, the more it turned into hatred.And Dylan kept feeding that fire, constantly whispering to her about my past with Jessica, baiting her with lines like:"Don't you think this is unfair?"You've loved Anthony for so long, but he only picked you as his second choice."If I were you, I'd definitely get even."The next message Dylan sent her was an address to a hotel.And unbelievably, Emily went.On her way home afterward, she still didn't forget to buy me my favorite dessert. She remembered my psychologist once saying that a moderate amount of sweets could help improve someone's mood.Watching me eat that cake with such a soft smile, Emily suddenly felt nothing but emptiness.Why? Why was she the only one suffering so deeply over me, while I stayed completely

A marriage certificate in that condition naturally didn't sit well with me.After "losing my memory", my temper got worse. I smashed everything I could get my hands on, my eyes red as I lashed out at her."You can't even keep our marriage certificate safe. You don't love me at all. I want a divorce."The word "divorce" sent Emily into a full panic.She dropped to her knees right there and started begging."It's my fault. We can get new ones. I'll take care of the replacements properly this time. Just trust me, okay?"In the end, after she got down on her knees more times than I could count and transferred me an eight-figure sum without a second thought, I finally agreed—on the day I was discharged—to go with her to reapply for the marriage certificate.When we got in the car, I chose the back seat.Remembering that I got motion sickness, Emily smiled and said, "Babe, did you forget you get carsick in the back?"I kept staring out the window without turning my head."I don't w