Marriage by Betrayal

My grandmother didn't have much time left. Before she passed away, she entrusted me to my boyfriend, Hunter Jones.

As we held hands with our fingers interlaced, he promised to register our marriage in front of my grandmother's sickbed.

However, the day after we registered our marriage, Sarah Moore, Hunter's female colleague, posted a picture of a marriage certificate with her and Hunter's names on it.

There was a caption, stating, 'I know you have no choice but to agree to marry her. But as long as I'm the person you love most, I'm satisfied with only one month.'

I went to find Hunter, intending to question him about what was going on. Instead, I overheard him chatting with his friend.

"I'm indebted to Audrey's grandmother. I promised her that I would take care of Audrey for the rest of my life, so I have to take responsibility for her. As for Sarah, I can die without regrets if I can be her husband for a month in this life."

His friend laughed and said, "Poor Audrey White. Aren't you afraid she'll get angry and run away when she finds out that the marriage certificate you got her was fake?"

Hunter fell silent for a moment. "She will never find out. I'll just tell her that there was an error in the registration system and that we need to re-register. Audrey trusts me so much. She won't suspect anything," he added.

However, his plans shattered when he tried to contact me to re-register our marriage. That was because he received my wedding gift for him, along with a wish that he and Sarah would have a long and happy life instead.

One Last Goodbye

Audrey's POV

"I'm so fed up with her using her grandmother to force me to stay with her every day!"

Hunter Jones's words pinned me firmly in place as I stood outside the door listening to him.

Hunter and I grew up together, and he confessed his feelings to me in college. We had been friends for 18 years and lovers for eight. Yet, never had I imagined that it would all be a lie.

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the doorknob. Suddenly, I felt dizzy. It wasn't until my phone vibrated that I snapped back from my blanked-out state.

"Ms. White, your Grandma is undergoing emergency treatment. Please come as soon as possible."

When I rushed to the hospital, my grandmother had already been wheeled out of the emergency room.

I calmed down as my eyes landed on her loving face. However, what the doctor said next came like a bolt from the blue.

"The patient is dying, so please say what you need to say quickly."

My footsteps felt unsteady like stepping on cotton as I walked toward the door to my grandmother's ward. After I pushed the door open, I saw my grandmother smile at me. "Audrey, you're here. Where's Hunter? Why didn't he come with you?"

Although my grandmother looked much better, I knew it was just an illusion.

"Grandma, he's busy with work. I'll call him right now."

I made more than a dozen phone calls that day. The disappointment in my grandmother's eyes only intensified when all the calls went straight to voicemail.

I called again and again, refusing to give up. Finally, Hunter answered the phone.

However, he snapped at me before I could even speak, "Audrey, didn't I tell you I was busy? Why do you keep calling me?"

My voice trembled as I choked with sobs, "Hunter, Grandma's dying. Can you—"

Before I could finish speaking, Hunter interjected, "Stop it, Audrey! How dare you lie about something like this! I'm very busy today, so let's talk about it tomorrow."

Before the call ended, I heard Sarah Moore's voice. She was calling Hunter, "Honey," intimately.

My grandmother immediately noticed that I was upset. She gently stroked my hair, just like she did when I was a child and said softly, "Audrey, my greatest wish in this life is to ensure your happiness. I'll always be with you no matter what."

I lay down next to my grandmother, just like I did when I was a child. I stayed like that until the ECG machine emitted a piercing sound.

I couldn't speak. My throat was tight with sorrow. My vision blurred as tears streamed down my face like broken pearls.

"Deepest condolences to you, Ms. White."

I sat blankly outside the morgue, wanting to call Hunter over to say goodbye to my grandmother.

Only after I called did I find that I had been blocked.

Hence, I tried reaching him through other ways, but none of my methods succeeded.

Eventually, I saw Sarah update her social media.

In her post, she was walking on the beach. Hunter was holding her hand and smiling gently.

'I was just feeling down, but my husband came with me to the beach overnight to get some fresh air.' She wrote.

I immediately unlocked my phone and bought a flight ticket for three days from now.

Since they both were so in love, I supposed I need not make a fool of myself.

Farewell, Hunter.