Semua Bab He Spoke for Me, Then Took My Place: Bab 1 - Bab 8

Anton's POVThe video abruptly ended. I looked up and stared at myself in the mirror. The suit didn't fit. The sleeves were too short, making it look terribly awkward on me. It was the style Julian liked, and it was his size. I took the suit off. It took me a long time to finally pull it off. Suddenly, I found it all absurd. I was the groom, yet I hadn't been involved in my own wedding.My phone screen lit up. A message suddenly appeared in the family group chat. "Congratulations, Vivian…"I hadn't even finished reading the rest when the message was immediately deleted.The next moment, Vivian tagged me in the group chat. "Anton, I've suddenly got a stomachache. Harper and the others are taking me to the hospital, so the wedding is on hold. You've had a long day too. What do you want to eat? We'll bring something back for you."Before I could reply, Julian answered for me. "Anton likes the ravioli shop near the school."Vivian replied instantly. "Okay."But I had long since fo

Anton's POVThe next morning, I went to the station to complete my work. When I returned home, Julian and Vivian were there. Their marriage certificate was sitting on the table. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin in the crook of her neck. "Vivian, am I being too selfish? If it weren't for the baby, we would never have been able to get married… Anton is supposed to be your husband…"She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "We'll just treat him a little better from now on."I walked in with my hands clenched, my expression twisted with anger. When they saw me, they quickly pulled apart.Julian stood up and quickly explained, "Anton, it's not what you think. I—"I ignored him and simply went back to my room to get my luggage.Vivian pushed the door open. When she saw my luggage, she immediately grabbed my hand. "Anton, where are you going? I'll leave right away. Please, don't do this—"I avoided her and dragged my suitcase toward the door. But she chased

Third-Person POVAnton didn't give Vivian a chance to explain. He simply hung up the phone.The hand Vivian was holding the phone with slowly dropped, and she sank into the couch. She suddenly recalled that afternoon back in her second year of high school.Julian had shoved Anton in front of her and read the love letter aloud on his behalf.Anton turned his head away, his face flushed as he didn't dare look at her. All the students in their class gathered around, everyone waiting for her answer. No one knew how much she had struggled inside. In the end, she finally said quietly, "I like you too."Her words had been a lie from the very beginning. Julian was her first love. Since their first year of high school, they had secretly been together. Later, Julian learned that Anton liked her, so he wanted to break up with her.At the time, Anton was often bullied by his classmates because of his aphasia, and he was already in a poor mental state. Julian said Anton needed her more and as

Anton's POVVivian was stunned. She was about to say something, but I cut her off. "Vivian, ever since we were children, you've all been the ones making decisions for me. I never even had the chance to speak for myself. You never once stopped to think about whether I wanted any of it. You never asked if I was okay with it. I only have aphasia. I'm not mute!"I practically shouted that last sentence. These were words I had kept to myself for far too long. When I finally said them out loud, every one of them still carried the pain they had left behind.Her face instantly turned pale. "Anton, I'm sorry. I—""Vivian, go home. This isn't the place for you." I turned around and walked away. "When you get back, pass a message on to them for me. From now on, I don't want any of you coming to find me."Just like that, Vivian left.A few days later, Mom called me. On the other end of the line, she was sobbing uncontrollably. "Anton, do you really not want me as your mother anymore? You d