Chapter 1

1.

This was the 100th engagement party, and Sebastian Brooks left me without a second thought.

Over our seven years together, he had sabotaged the previous 99 ceremonies. He always claimed that because his childhood best friend wasn't married yet, he couldn't betray their pact.

I gripped the ring in my hand, unable to stay silent for the first time in nearly a decade.

"If Josie Miller stays single her whole life, are you going to stay by her side forever?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"What about me, Sebastian? What exactly am I to you?"

Sebastian's expression darkened instantly. He snatched the ring from my hand and hurled it out the window.

"Josie and I made a pact when we were kids to get married at the same time. I can't just leave her behind!"

"Besides, Nora, why are you so obsessed with a piece of paper? We've been together for seven years. Does that paper really change anything?"

I stood in the center of the ballroom, my hand still frozen in the position to slide the ring onto his finger. The jewelry was gone, lost somewhere in the dark grass outside.

His blatant disregard for our marriage felt like a serrated blade twisting in my chest.

I felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over me. The chill went straight to my marrow.

The worst part was that I had lived through this scene 99 times before.

From age 23 to 30, I gave Sebastian the best years of my life. We had planned 100 engagement parties, and today was the grand milestone.

For every single one, he used Josie Miller as his excuse to bail.

And Josie, like clockwork, would call at the most critical moment. She would claim she was having an attack and needed Sebastian by her side.

Sure enough, Sebastian's phone began to vibrate.

The moment he saw Josie's name on the screen, he answered it immediately.

He didn't even bother to move away. Josie's sobbing voice echoed through the quiet hall for everyone to hear.

"Sebastian, it's happening again. Please, I need you. I can't breathe unless you're here."

Hearing her forced, high-pitched whimpering made me want to gag.

Ever since Sebastian and I started dating, Josie claimed she developed severe separation anxiety. She insisted that only Sebastian's presence could cure her symptoms.

What kind of bizarre medical condition only responds to one specific man?

Yet, Sebastian believed every word of it.

Because of this, Josie could whistle and he would run, even if we were standing at the altar.

Sebastian's voice softened as he comforted her. "Josie, hang on. Just hold on for a little longer. I'm coming right now."

The speakers in the hall carried his promise to every guest. He turned to leave, but I grabbed his wrist.

The whispers from our relatives and friends felt like needles pinning me to a post of shame.

Today wasn't just our 100th attempt at an engagement. It was also my 30th birthday.

They say 30 is a turning point for a woman― a threshold into a new stage of life.

I had specifically chosen this date, hoping to start this new decade as Sebastian's wife.

I truly thought he would finally follow through this time.

But he rejected me again, showing no mercy as he prepared to abandon me in front of everyone I knew.

My nails dug into my palms. I looked at his face, which was twisted with impatience, and asked one last time. I needed to know if there was any hope left.

"Sebastian, it's been seven years. This is the 100th time. Tell me you're joking."

Sebastian let out a sharp, mocking scoff.

"So what? Josie and I have twenty years of history. Do you really think seven years with you can top that?"

"I've told you 99 times, and this is the 100th, so listen carefully. If Josie doesn't marry, I don't marry. That was our childhood promise."

"She has separation anxiety now. She literally cannot function without me. I won't abandon her when she's vulnerable."

"And honestly, does our relationship really need a thin marriage certificate to prove anything?"

Before I could even try to change his mind, he violently shook off my hand. He marched out of the hotel with long, decisive strides.

His silhouette was just as cold and final as the previous 99 times. He didn't even look back.

I watched him go, and finally, my eyes burned with hot, bitter tears.

Sebastian, you say Josie can't live without you. But did you ever once think about me?

You've left me to face the mockery of the world 100 times. Am I the only one who is always meant to be discarded?