Chapter 3

3.

"Liam, I'm in room 601. I'm waiting for you."

At that moment, Liam's reply synced to the computer.

"Jade, I'm going to give you the most perfect, unforgettable night. I won't let you leave this world with any regrets."

Jade replied almost instantly, clearly excited.

"Liam, I can't wait. I need you here right now."

The blood rushed to my head. It took every ounce of my willpower not to drive to that hotel and scream.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed Liam could say things like that.

In my memory, he was always shy, even when we were just kissing.

With Jade, he was a completely different man.

He had just lectured me about trust, yet he was hiding this.

The cancer story was probably just an excuse to get out of the house.

They weren't just "visiting." They were rekindling an old flame.

My brain told me to go to the hotel and catch them in the act. I should humiliate him in front of everyone and then call off the wedding.

But five years of love left a tiny, pathetic shred of hope in my heart.

I sat in the dark, watching the clock tick away.

My heart grew colder by the second. Even though it was a hot summer night, I felt like I was freezing.

By 1:00 AM, the house was still silent. The only light came from the screen, reflecting my bloodshot eyes.

I knew then that Liam wasn't coming home tonight.

I looked around at the wedding decorations. They were meant to represent our future happiness.

Liam had set it all on fire.

Suddenly, my phone screen lit up the room.

It was a photo. A woman, flushed and glowing, was resting her head on Liam's bare chest. She had a satisfied smirk on her face.

Then, several messages followed.

"Thanks, old classmate. Thanks for letting Liam spend the night with me. You're such a generous woman."

"Liam is as sweet as he's always been. As soon as he heard about my wish, he said yes."

"I heard you're getting married tomorrow. Happy wedding day. I probably won't see him again, so you don't mind if he stays the night, right?"

Looking at that photo felt like being slapped twice in the face.

Jade's words were like needles being driven into my heart.

My groom was with another woman the night before our wedding.

What a pathetic joke.

I saved the photo as evidence.

I typed a reply with a cold smile: "I don't want such a 'devoted' man anymore. He's all yours."

Then, I immediately called a friend who was a tech whiz. I asked him to pull all the synced messages from the computer.

I expected to see that they had been cheating for months.

But when the records came through, I felt even more pathetic.

Today was actually the first time they had spoken in five years.

Jade told him she had cancer and didn't have much time left. Her only wish was to experience "perfect love" one last time.

Liam seemed to forget all the pain she had caused him. As soon as she mentioned the "C-word," he lost his mind.

He showed her more concern in those texts than he ever showed me.

He didn't even stop to check if she was telling the truth. A few sweet words were all it took to break him.

Even though I had decided to cancel the wedding, my chest still ached.

It turned out five years of partnership meant nothing compared to a few texts from his first love.

They say that in a relationship, everyone else is just a placeholder for "the one."

I guess in Liam's eyes, I was just the runner-up.

For five years, I had dreamed of building a home with him.

Now, I didn't love him anymore. A man like him didn't deserve my heart.