To My Former Lover, A Happy Wedding

The night before our engagement, my boyfriend went behind my back to find his precious childhood sweetheart.

When I finally tracked him down at the dive bar, he was sobbing in her arms. In our next life, let's make sure we don't miss each other again, he whimpered.

I stood there, my heart cold. And what about me? I asked quietly.

Bennett turned around, his face flickering with a moment of sheer panic. "Lyra, it's just a joke. Don't take it so seriously."

I let out a soft, sharp laugh. "Oh, don't mind me. I wouldn't want to break up such a tragic love story. Don't worry, I'll give you two my full blessing."

...

As I stepped out of the bar, the biting winter wind slapped my face.

Bennett didn't chase after me to explain. No phone call, not even a single text followed.

It made sense. I was always the one chasing him. When had he ever actually cared about how I felt?

I walked back into our apartment with a heavy heart, only to find a bouquet and a beautifully wrapped box on the table.

A pink card sat next to them. "To my former lover, I wish you a happy wedding."

It was signed by Jada Collins.

I laughed at the irony of it all.

Last year, for Bennett's birthday, I spent a fortune on a carefully selected gift for him. He didn't even bother to look at it.

"Lyra, do you really have nothing better to do than buy this flashy junk?" he had snapped.

"If you have this much free time, why don't you figure out how to get that promotion and raise this year?"

He had lectured me so harshly that I spent days reflecting on my own supposed failures.

But now I realized the truth. Who on earth doesn't like receiving gifts?

It was just that I wasn't Jada. I would never be enough to satisfy him.

He wasn't always like this. We used to be sweet, truly in love.

But ever since Jada returned from abroad six months ago, he became a different person. He grew colder and more distant by the day.

Jada claimed she had nowhere to stay. Bennett lied to me, taking two days off work just to run around and find her the perfect apartment.

Two months ago, Jada was rushed to the ER for a sudden stomach issue in the middle of the night. She called Bennett. I was worried about his safety, so I offered to drive him there myself.

But when I walked into that hospital room, I saw them. Their hands were tightly locked together.

Bennett claimed she didn't mean to grab him. He said she was just delirious from the pain.

If I hadn't seen the smirk of pure provocation in Jada's eyes, I might have actually believed his lies.

I reminded Bennett more than once to keep his distance from her.

At first, he would agree and try to explain himself.

But as time went on, he started losing his patience.

"I've explained this a thousand times. Why can't you just trust me?" he would yell.

"When did you become so incredibly petty?"

"If you're going to suspect me like this, we might as well just break up!"

When the fights got intense, he would slam the door and stay out all night.

But tonight, I didn't want to fight anymore.

I was just so tired.

My heart had finally given up.

After a quick shower, I went into the study to focus on work.

Around one in the morning, I heard the front door open.

A stumbling, drunk Bennett was being helped into the living room by Jada. She practically dropped him onto the sofa.

The moment she saw me, she started lecturing. "Lyra, what kind of girlfriend are you? You left him alone at the bar. Weren't you worried something would happen to him?"

I looked at her with a sneer, wondering who the hell she thought she was.

"He had you, didn't he? You're his precious bestie, his soulmate. With you by his side, I felt perfectly safe."

Jada's face instantly froze.

Maybe the sarcasm in my voice was a little too sharp.

Bennett frowned, looking at me with pure annoyance. "Lyra, can you stop with the attitude? If Jada hadn't driven me home, I wouldn't have even made it back tonight."

I let my lips curl into a cold smile. "Oh? Should I thank her then? Should I thank her for taking my fianc out to get wasted the night before our engagement?"

Before the words even left my mouth, Jada chimed in. "Please, don't fight because of me. I'll feel so guilty."

"Lyra, drop the act, okay? If you have time to argue, go make me some hangover soup instead."

Bennett sat heavily on the sofa, rubbing his temples as he barked orders at me.

In the past, I would have rushed to the kitchen without a second thought.

But tonight, I didn't move an inch.

The air in the room turned thick and suffocating.

Bennett looked up, his eyes flashing with irritation. "What do you want now? Yeah, I went to the bar with Jada, but nothing happened. If you don't believe me, go check the cameras yourself."

Jada added her two cents from the side. "Lyra, you're being a bit much. You're about to marry this man, yet you don't trust him at all."

I snapped. "Who the hell are you to tell me anything?"

Before Jada could speak, Bennett exploded. "Lyra! Jada is my friend. If you don't respect her, you don't respect me!"

I laughed in his face. "Why should I respect a home-wrecking slut?"

"Lyra! What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're accusing me now? Fine! If you don't trust me, then we're done. Let's just call it quits!"

He glared at me, his tone full of arrogance.

He was certain I would do what I always did. He expected me to bow my head and apologize the moment he mentioned breaking up.

But this time, he was dead wrong.

I looked him straight in the eye and spoke clearly. "You said it, Bennett. Since you want to break up, then we're done."

The living room fell into a deafening silence.

Bennett's expression shifted from shock to burning rage. "Lyra, don't you dare! We're getting engaged tomorrow. You're breaking up now? Are you playing some kind of sick game?"

I watched his pupils tremble with disbelief, and a strange sense of satisfaction bloomed in my chest. "Bennett, weren't you the one screaming about calling it quits just a second ago?"

Bennett choked on his words, unable to respond.

"Bennett was just angry, Lyra. He didn't mean it. How can you take it so seriously?"

Jada was stoking the fire again. "Please don't break up because of me. I couldn't live with the guilt."

"This has nothing to do with you," Bennett snapped, glaring at me. "She's just mad. She's looking for any excuse to dump me."

I turned my head away, done with the back and forth.

"Alright, everyone just calm down. Stop fighting."

Jada reached out and patted my shoulder. "Look, no matter what, you should try to be more understanding of him."

Her touch made my skin crawl. It was an instinctive reactionDI shoved her hand away.

"Ah!" she cried out, stumbling back.

Bennett's brows shot up in fury. "Lyra, have you lost your mind? Why are you getting physical?"

He rushed over to Jada, tenderly grabbing her hand to check for injuries.

I was actually amused by the theatrical performance.

Jada was a master at playing the victim. I hadn't even used any strength.

I dropped a cold sentence. "This is my house. If you two want to put on a romantic show, go do it somewhere else."

"Lyra!" Bennett's eyes were turning red. "You're being cruel. Do you really want to end this?"

"Yes," I said, my voice flat. "Pack your things and get out as soon as possible. I'll explain things to our parents."

"Slap!"

A hard palm slammed into my face. My cheek went numb instantly, and I tasted copper in my mouth.

"Who do you think you are to just dump me?! I don't agree!" Bennett's tears finally spilled over. "What did our years together even mean to you?"

Seeing his tears fall made my heart ache in spite of myself.

After all these years, loving him had become a habit.

I took a deep breath, deciding to give us one last chance to save what was left.

"Bennett, if you can promise me right now that you will never see Jada againDif you cut her out of your life completelyDI won't leave."

"Bennett," Jada whimpered, acting weak. "Don't let me ruin your relationship. She's your girlfriend. She's the woman you're supposed to spend your life with."

"As for me," she let out a bitter laugh, "I couldn't give you happiness back then, and I guess I don't have the chance now."

I let out a cold snort.

Only an idiot like Bennett wouldn't see through such a low-level act.

Sure enough, after Jada finished her little speech, Bennett's brief hesitation vanished. "Lyra, are you threatening me now?"

His eyes were bloodshot, and he reeked of alcohol. He stepped forward and shoved me hard. "You want to break up? Fine! You think I'm afraid of that?"

"We're done! Don't you ever come crawling back to me!"

My heart throbbed with a sharp, suffocating pain.

So this was what it felt like to have your world ripped apart.

I looked into his eyes and saw anger, resentment, and mockery. But there wasn't a single shred of love.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me.

I slowly turned my back on him. "Fine. We're done."

I didn't sleep at all that night. I listened to the sounds outside my door fade from chaos to a chilling silence.

When the sun finally came up, I walked out to find the living room in shambles.

The coffee table and chairs were overturned. The expensive vases and clocks were gone.

Those were all things Bennett used to love.

But now... they were just trash.

I took a deep breath and pulled out my phone to call my parents and his.

My parents stayed silent for a long time on the other end, but eventually, they didn't say much.

Bennett's parents, however, tore into me.

They called me an irresponsible bitch, accused me of treating marriage like a game, and said Bennett was cursed to have ever met me.

I didn't argue. I simply sent them the video I had recorded at the bar the night before.

I wondered what kind of look they would have on their faces when they saw their son cuddling another woman the night before his engagement.

I spent the day cleaning the apartment and packing up the rest of Bennett's junk.

I picked up my phone to text him to come get his stuff.

But the call wouldn't go through, and the text failed to send.

I realized then that Bennett had blocked me on everything.

I stared at the red exclamation mark and sighed deeply.

Suddenly, a friend called me, her voice frantic. "Lyra, what happened between you and Bennett? Look at his Facebook right now!"

I gave a weary laugh. "I can't. We broke up, and he blocked me."

"You guys..." My friend was speechless. "When did this happen?"

"Last night."

"What?! That's insane! You broke up yesterday, and today he's making it official with another woman!" she hissed. "You threw away years of your life on that dog!"

She sent me a screenshot.

I clicked on it. It was a photo of Bennett and Jada, their heads pressed together, grinning like idiots.

The caption read: "After all these years of twisting and turning, I'm just glad I didn't miss you."

Those few words felt like a knife to my eyes.

Seven years of pining, three years of total devotion, and in the end, I was nothing but a punchline to a joke.

My friend sensed my silence. "Lyra, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

I tilted my head back to keep the tears from falling. "It's in the past now."

I asked my friend to send Bennett a message for me, telling him to come get his things.

Two days later, surprisingly, Bennett sent me a friend request.

He didn't message me, but his feed started blowing up every single day.

It was a non-stop highlight reel of his "perfect" life with Jada.

I scrolled through them like a masochist, my heart tightening with every post.

When we were together, I'd beg him to go shopping or take a trip with me. He always claimed he was too busy with work.

Now, he was flying all over the country with Jada. They were running through meadows, kissing in front of fountains, and dancing under the northern lights...

Finally, I had to admit it. Bennett never loved me.

In his eyes, I was just a placeholder, someone who wasn't even worthy of his time.

Even though Jada had hurt him and abandoned him when he was at his lowest, he was still obsessed with her.

At least I had finally decided to pull myself out of this mess.

If he wanted to go, why should I keep hurting myself?

A few weeks went by.

I was slowly getting used to life without him.

I didn't have to worry about what he wanted for breakfast, or if he was stressed at work, or live in a constant state of anxiety.

Without Bennett, my life was surprisingly peaceful.

Until one day at the start of the month.

He actually sent me a text.

"Lyra, it's been two weeks. I assume you've reflected on what you did wrong?"

I frowned. "?"

"If you hadn't started that drama and lied about my relationship with Jada that night, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Whatever. If you apologize now, I'm willing to give you another chance."

"But you need to send my parents a nice gift. How else are they supposed to explain the delayed engagement to our relatives? Some expensive scotch and cigars should do it, or else..."