With just a month left until our wedding, Olivia and I found ourselves trapped in endless arguments.
The reason for every dispute was always the same—she wanted to have a child with her mentor’s son.
It’s just IVF, I won’t have any physical relationship with him, Olivia explained. Professor Wilson is critically ill, and his greatest wish is to see Adam happy with a child of his own. He has no one else to turn to, so he asked me.
I had long since moved past the initial shock and anger upon hearing this absurd request. Now, all I felt was helplessness.
“We’re getting married in a month, and you want to have a child with someone else. Don’t you find that ridiculous?” I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer, letting them silently roll down my cheeks.
Olivia was stunned. This was the first time she had ever seen me cry.
Just as she was about to say something, her phone chimed. She glanced at it, and when she looked back at me, all the complex emotions in her eyes had vanished.
“I need to leave for a while. Take some time to calm down,” she said.
As I watched her walk away, it suddenly dawned on me that in all the years we’d been together, I had always been the one watching her back.
In college, Olivia was known as the ice queen, the most sought-after girl on campus. No matter how many guys pursued her, she rejected them all. She even publicly declared that she wasn’t interested in dating during college.
Her cold and distant demeanor deterred many suitors, but I persisted relentlessly. Eventually, I won her over and became her boyfriend.
Even after years together, she remained aloof, but I never gave up. I was always like a warm sun, trying to melt her icy exterior. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine she would disregard my feelings so completely and make such a request.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed. It was a message from Adam with a screenshot attached.
The screenshot showed a conversation between Olivia and Adam.
Adam: [Olivia, Dad’s not going to make it. Can we go ahead with the IVF without telling James? Please!]
Olivia’s reply was: [Okay, I’m on my way.]
I felt as if I’d been struck by lightning.
Now I understood why Olivia had left in such a hurry.
I couldn’t describe how I felt at that moment. All my emotions seemed to be compressed inside my chest, making it hard to breathe. I wanted to scream, to cry uncontrollably, but I had no strength left. I couldn’t release any of it.
I looked up at the mirror in front of me and barely recognized myself.
I used to be different. Everyone who knew me said I was sunny and spirited. But now, the worry between my brows was as dark as an indelible ink stain. How could anyone see my former self in this reflection?
For the sake of loving Olivia, I had become unrecognizable. It hadn’t earned me her companionship or understanding, but instead led to her planning to have a child with another man just before our wedding.
A reckless thought crossed my mind. If she held our relationship and marriage in such low regard, why bother with any of it?
With this in mind, I took a deep breath, picked up my phone, and typed out a social media post. After blocking Olivia, I hit send.
“Getting married in a month. Looking for a new bride. Any takers?”
Perhaps thinking I was joking, most people just left playful comments under the post. No one took it seriously. Just as I was feeling dejected, a call came in.
Sophia Thompson!
Seeing those three words, I froze for a moment.
Sophia and I were childhood friends. In school, she was the beauty queen, and I was the heartthrob. Ironically, we were sworn enemies, constantly bickering from kindergarten all the way through high school. It only stopped when we went to different colleges in different cities.
Later in college, I fell for Olivia at first sight and spent almost every holiday pursuing her instead of going home.
After graduation, I settled in Bay City for Olivia and never saw Sophia again. Our only contact was when I recently posted about finally marrying the woman I loved, and she unexpectedly commented, “Can you not get married?”
I thought she was just stirring up trouble and ignored her. I never expected her to be the first one to contact me now.
When I answered the phone, I had already prepared myself for her mockery. But as soon as the call connected, she got straight to the point without asking anything, “If you’re looking for a new bride, how about me?”
Her words were followed by dead silence.
I wasn’t sure of her intentions, but I knew she was indeed the most suitable candidate for a sudden change of bride. We were from similar backgrounds and knew each other well.
After a long silence, I finally spoke, “Alright. What are your conditions?”
“Nothing much. Since we’re getting married, just change my contact name in your phone from ‘Pain in the Ass’ to ‘Wife’.”
The simplicity of her request surprised me. I double-checked, “That’s it?”
“Oh, and I want everything other married couples have.”
This request caught me off guard even more. I had thought she might be agreeing because her family was pressuring her to get married.
All these years, I had been chasing after Olivia. Seeing that she had no intention of getting married, I didn’t push it either. Having won over this aloof beauty, I didn’t dare ask for too much.
But in recent years, my grandfather’s health had been declining, and he had been waiting for me to get married. So I had no choice but to propose to Olivia. Now, with the wedding date approaching, she had come up with this absurd request.
I gripped my phone tightly, “I never intended for this to be a fake marriage. If we’re getting married, it’s for real.”
She chuckled lightly on the other end, “In that case, I’ll come to Bay City to pick you up now. Shall we discuss when to get the marriage license and have the wedding?”
I was silent for a moment, “Give me two weeks to sort things out properly.”
She didn’t ask what things, but we both knew. She meant Olivia.
Since this was going to be a real marriage, naturally, everything from the past had to be cut off completely. So Sophia didn’t say anything more.
After hanging up, the first thing I did was change her contact name.
Looking at the phone number now labeled “Wife,” I couldn’t help but smile sardonically.
Olivia, since you’re secretly going to have a child with someone else, fine. I’ll secretly change brides.
##
For the next few days, Olivia didn’t come home, and I didn’t ask about her whereabouts. I quietly contacted my friends to retrieve the wedding invitations I had sent out earlier.
When we first planned the wedding, she said she didn’t like fuss, so we hadn’t prepared for a big ceremony. We had only invited a few close friends.
My friends were surprised when I suddenly told them the wedding was canceled and asked for the invitations back. “Why the sudden cancellation? Wasn’t your relationship always stable?”
Hearing their questions, I felt only bitterness.
Stable relationship? Was it stable that I chased after Olivia while she remained cold towards me?
I suppose that was indeed stable.
In this relationship, the only stable thing was my love, never hers.
She was always like a distant goddess, coldly watching as I fell hopelessly in love with her. But now, I no longer wanted to love her.
In the end, I decided to be honest: “The bride has changed.”
This statement didn’t elicit much shock, mostly just playful banter among friends. Clearly, no one took my words seriously.
But thinking about it, it made sense. I had loved Olivia so deeply before, never minding her cold demeanor. If someone else who had done all this suddenly said they didn’t want to get married, I wouldn’t believe it either.
It didn’t matter. I would prove to everyone with actions that this time, I had truly given up.
After retrieving all the invitations, I returned home. Not long after, Olivia finally came back. Her usually pristine white shirt was wrinkled, her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked exhausted. I could tell at a glance that she wasn’t in a good state.
When she saw me, her first words echoed my thoughts: “Cancel all the wedding invitations we sent out. My mentor has passed away, and I need at least six months to mourn. We can’t have the wedding during this time.”
As she spoke, Olivia expected me to argue or fight with her. After all, I had been the one pushing for marriage, and she knew my grandfather had been waiting for me to get married. So she thought I would be anxious too.
She had even prepared her arguments, but I just remained calm.
“I understand. My condolences.”
Olivia felt a slight shock, vaguely realizing that ever since that night, I seemed to have become a different person.
Although my attitude towards her was strange, she didn’t have the energy to dwell on it now. She rubbed her tired brow and spoke again.
“The professor’s memorial service is today. He mentioned you in his last moments. I’d like you to come with me to pay your respects.”
I didn’t like Adam, but I had no issues with the kind Professor Wilson. Moreover, he probably never imagined that his son would do something like asking someone to have a child just to fulfill his wish.
Out of respect for the deceased, I nodded and agreed.
After Olivia freshened up and changed clothes, she took me to attend Professor Wilson’s funeral.
As soon as we arrived, we heard a tearful voice, “Olivia…”
I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Adam, dressed in black, collapsing to the ground with tears streaming down his face.
“Adam!” Olivia exclaimed in shock, rushing over in three quick strides.
She gently cradled him in her arms and, without looking up, said to me, “You go pay your respects first. I’ll stay here with him.”
Watching her tender, caring, and worried expression, anyone who didn’t know better might think Adam was her boyfriend.
In the past, seeing them so intimate would have made me cause a scene. But now, I just glanced at them once, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the main hall.
##
Olivia seemed surprised by my quick acquiescence. She looked up at me briefly, that strange feeling washing over her again.
But the man in her arms softly called her name, drawing her attention back. She helped him to a nearby seat and comforted him carefully.
I paid my respects to Professor Wilson solemnly, bowing three times before approaching the pale-faced woman nearby.
“Mrs. Wilson, my condolences,” I said.
Mrs. Wilson looked up at my words and nodded in acknowledgment. She took my hand and said, “You must be Olivia’s boyfriend. Thank you for coming to see the professor. I heard you were about to get married. Olivia is a loyal girl; she volunteered to observe a six-month mourning period for her mentor. I’m sorry for the trouble this has caused you.”
I listened quietly without commenting, nor did I mention the outrageous thing Olivia and her son were planning to do. Mrs. Wilson seemed to sense my inner turmoil and sighed deeply.
“Olivia is like our own child. The professor was her mentor from undergrad through her Ph.D. She’s a sentimental person, which is why she made this decision. Please don’t blame her.”
Now that I had changed brides, I naturally wouldn’t blame Olivia. “I understand,” I said.
Seeing my understanding demeanor, Mrs. Wilson spoke again, unable to hold back certain things, “Please don’t mind Adam either. Although he’s always clinging to Olivia, I can tell she doesn’t have those feelings for him. She… she really likes you.”
Hearing this, my body tensed slightly.
Likes me? I hadn’t noticed.
Seeing my disbelieving expression, Mrs. Wilson couldn’t help but elaborate, “I’m not lying to you, son. The professor and I always thought she was too focused on her medical research to have anyone she liked. But then you appeared. Although she didn’t show it much, she often mentioned you to us casually. She’d say things like how she bumped into you somewhere yesterday, or how you made her something delicious, or what silly thing you did to pursue her that day… Although it sounded like she was complaining, we knew she was just in love without realizing it herself.”
As Mrs. Wilson recounted instance after instance of Olivia’s unspoken care that she had never shown me, I felt only irony.
Perhaps in the past, hearing these words would have made me happy. But now, I truly felt nothing but sarcasm.
If Olivia really loved me, why couldn’t I feel it at all? Why was it always me chasing after her, while she never once stopped to wait for me? If she loved me, how could she agree to have a child with another man? The moment she agreed to have a child with Adam, everything became irreparable.
Between us, it was already completely over!
Throughout the entire memorial service, Olivia stayed by Adam’s side. It wasn’t until the service ended and rain started falling outside, with guests gradually leaving, that she finally appeared in front of me in her car, tossing out two emotionless words,
“Get in.”
I was about to step forward when the window slowly lowered, and I realized Adam was already sitting in her passenger seat, with Mrs. Wilson in the back.
Before I could say anything, Adam’s choked voice came out, “Olivia, I want to visit Dad’s grave, just the three of us—you, me, and Mom. Is that okay?”
At these words, Mrs. Wilson was the first to frown, “Adam, don’t be like this.”
But those six words seemed to hit a sore spot for Adam, who immediately burst into loud sobs, “It’s Dad’s funeral today. Can’t he just take a cab?”
Mrs. Wilson was about to persuade him further, but Olivia had already made her decision.
“I’ll come back for you later,” she turned to me, her voice brooking no argument. Then she started the car and drove away.
Left alone, I had anticipated the outcome from the moment Adam spoke. Now, standing there, I showed no sign of hurt at being left behind. I just waited silently for several hours.
But she never came.
As the rain grew heavier, I knew she wouldn’t be coming.
The funeral home was in a remote location with no taxis nearby. I had no umbrella, so I had to walk in the rain. The downpour intensified, blurring my vision. After two hours of walking in the rain, I finally reached a place where I could hail a cab and return home.
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