All Chapters of Five Years Together, Three Years Married… to Him: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

When I saw the name on that marriage certificate, my first thought was whether it was just someone with the same name.However, the face in the picture shown in the video was the same one I'd woken up to for the past five years.I couldn't lie to myself anymore.My girlfriend of five years, Tessa Cross, was already married to someone else. Her legal husband was none other than her childhood friend, Kevin Miller.What really knocked the air out of my lungs was the date they registered their marriage, February 14th, three years ago.So she had lied to me for three whole years.In those three years, she had wrapped her arms around my neck every morning before giving me a good-morning kiss.Then, she would help me straighten my tie, smiling gently as she sent me out the door.That was why I never suspected her, even though she couldn't make any of the last seventeen marriage registration appointments.I had been so confident in what we had that I thought tying the knot was inevita

Chapter 2

Now that the harsh reality was right in front of me, I felt light-headed. I could barely think.All around me were couples with bright, happy smiles. I was the only one sitting there alone.On my phone, Kevin's video about their beautiful love story kept looping over and over.The background music was Tessa's favorite song. She used to wrap her arms around my neck and say she wanted this song to be played at our wedding.She even told me with a smile to learn it so I could sing it to her someday. As such, it became a song I listened to all the time.However, now the song I'd heard countless times suddenly sounded unbearably harsh.The staff called my number three times, but I didn't hear anything at all.A staff member walked over and tapped my shoulder."Sir, is your fiancee still not here?"I nodded mechanically.Pointing at the ticket in my hand, she kindly said, "You've already missed your turn. You'll need to take a new number if you still want to get married."Looking

Chapter 3

Tessa and I met in college.Back then, I was waking up at dawn every day to prepare for an interview.I'd show up at the track before sunrise and practice my interview lines out loud.One day, I heard a chuckle. Tessa stepped out from behind the bleachers with a playful, teasing look."I've heard you introduce yourself a few times over the past few days. Why don't you treat me as the interviewer and practice with me? It'll feel more real that way."Her eyes were incredibly clear. There wasn't a hint of ridicule in sight, only genuine kindness.Blushing, I stammered in agreement.From then on, the track became an unspoken meeting place for us in the morning.We got closer over time, and after graduation, we naturally got together.On our second anniversary, I proposed to her.She tearfully said yes, hugging me like she never wanted to let go.We agreed to register our marriage on Valentine's Day that year, and after waiting for her at City Hall for the entire day, she never s

Chapter 4

When Tessa heard me say that, her eyes widened, and a flash of panic crossed her face. She even started trembling.Her reaction made me feel like a huge weight was pressing on my chest, leaving me breathless.Considering that I had loved her for five years, I still harbored a sliver of hope that she would deny it.I entertained the possibility that Kevin had staged it all and photoshopped the pictures, but Tessa's reaction proved their marriage was real.Tessa's lips twitched stiffly. She sounded flustered when she said, "Honey, hear me out. I—""You probably don't know this yourself, but you always touch your earlobe whenever you lie," I cut her off.Tessa's hand froze for a moment before she quickly dropped it."It isn't like that, honey. Let me explain…"Just as she tried to wrap her arms around my waist and explain herself, I held Kevin's video up in front of her.The same face that was smiling so brightly on the marriage certificate turned pale immediately upon seeing the

Chapter 5

Tessa immediately panicked."But why? I'm only doing this out of concern for Kev's health. Besides, is that piece of paper really that important? As long as you love me, isn't it the same with or without it?"By the end, she even sounded a little resentful, like I was the one being unreasonable.How laughably ridiculous.My girlfriend of five years had been secretly married to another guy for three years. She had been lying to me the whole time. And yet, she still had the nerve to ask for my understanding."So you want me to be the other man between you and Kevin?"Tessa's face darkened. "Luke Middleton, I already told you that I only married Kev to fulfill his dying wish. Do you really have to be so stubborn?"In the five years I'd been with Tessa, I had never seen her look this cross.She once proudly claimed she was the sweetest, most understanding girlfriend in the world, and at the time, I nodded along in agreement.And now? She was glaring at me, red in the face because

Chapter 6

Tessa called me just as I arrived at a bed and breakfast.Last year, I had mentioned to her that I wanted to go somewhere scenic, just to get away.Back then, she had brushed me off, claiming she didn't have the time.Since I couldn't bring myself to leave her alone at home and go by myself, the plan was put on hold indefinitely. Now that it was over between us, I didn't hesitate to book a room at a bed and breakfast. Then, I got on a plane.The scenery there was exactly what I had imagined. Seeing the flowers in full bloom soothed my weary soul.I had just put down my bags and was about to go explore when Tessa called. "Luke, where are you? Why is all your stuff gone? And what happened to our photos?"Tessa sounded like she was on the verge of crying. She also sounded panicked."Tessa, you and I are done."Outside the window, a young couple walked by.The woman chattered away happily as the man held up a camera. He was snapping pictures of her radiant smile.I couldn't hel

Chapter 7

Ever since that phone call, Tessa had been trying every imaginable way to reach me, including using different numbers to call me.I got so fed up that I simply set my phone to block all calls from unknown numbers.From then on, my world finally became peaceful.It just so happened that the bed and breakfast was recruiting volunteers, and since I wanted something to do to take my mind off everything, I signed up.For months, aside from checking in with my parents and a few close friends, I barely contacted anyone.It wasn't until I got a wedding invitation from an old friend that I finally boarded a plane home.That friend of mine had invited quite a few of our former classmates to the wedding. Everyone gathered around, chatting about the old days.Then someone suddenly brought up Tessa."You and Tessa were so close back then. You two must be thinking about marriage soon, right?""I guess once we're done celebrating Jackson's big day today, we'll probably be celebrating yours n

Chapter 8

To be honest, even if Tessa owned up to her mistakes and wanted to win me back by divorcing Kevin, I would never get back together with her.And besides, I knew with certainty that Tessa wouldn't even entertain that thought.Sure enough, the moment she heard Kevin's name, she looked conflicted."Luke, I—""Enough," I interrupted. "There's no need for you to explain yourself to me. I don't want to hear it, and I won't get back together with you."When she heard me, Tessa got flustered and seized my hand. Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears."But I really love you! Believe me. Ever since we got together, I only saw Kev as a childhood friend and nothing more.""Is that so? Then, why did you kiss him? Do you honestly believe friends can kiss like that?"I finally asked the question I hadn't asked before.Tessa kept insisting she only saw Kevin as a friend, but the videos told a very different story.They took close-up photos, kissed under the aurora, and went on romantic d

Chapter 9

Tessa froze on the spot, whereas I walked back into the banquet hall without giving her another glance.Since I hadn't been home for months, I decided to stay a little longer and spend time with my parents.Over the next week, I didn't see Tessa again.However, after I set the record straight about Tessa at Jackson's wedding, some of my friends naturally started gossiping about her.From them, I learned what had happened with Tessa.After I left that day, she and Kevin had a huge fight.Apparently, she had realized that the person she truly loved was me, and she wanted to divorce Kevin.She even blamed him, saying that if it weren't for him, she would have married me long ago, which caused Kevin to lose his temper.Perhaps in a fit of rage, he admitted he never had cancer and that it was all a lie to get Tessa to be with him.It turned out that after he had gone abroad and later learned that Tessa and I had gotten together, he had been unwilling to accept it.Since he knew th

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