Not the Wedding I Need

It was finally the day of what was supposed to be my wedding. Harold and I had agreed to start preparing for the big day at 6:00 am, but he only returned at 9:00 am, when the sky was completely bright.

He was furious when he looked up and saw me sitting in the living room. "Are you trying to scare the daylights out of me? Why are you sitting there without saying a word?"

I didn't speak as I looked at him. He'd had a night of fun and reeked of alcohol. His hair was a mess, and his clothes were unkempt. There was also a lipstick stain on his collar. He didn't seem to be aware of it, though.

I would've been enraged in the past, but now, I merely looked away without saying a word.

Harold started berating me as he took his clothes off. "Do you have to be so excited over a dumb wedding? Look at your dark eye circles—they make you uglier than you already are. Don't blame me for this when you don't look like a blushing bride. I'm not going to go through this hassle with you again."

He threw his dirty clothes at me. "Go and wash my clothes."

Then, he slinked into the bathroom. His clothes reeked of a mixture of alcohol, perfume, and cigarette smoke. It was so pungent that it almost made me pass out.

I pushed the clothes away and moved to another spot. Soon, I heard Harold laugh inside the bathroom. "Really? I won't believe you unless you take a photo for me."

Ivory was the only one who could make him sound that happy. It couldn't be anyone else. He turned on the tap, seemingly wanting to use the sound of running water to prevent me from hearing him.

He overestimated how loud it could be, though. Or rather, he didn't realize he was always so excited that he couldn't control his volume whenever speaking to Ivory.

Harold spent two hours in the bathroom before finally coming out. He asked, "Where's the suit you prepared for me?"

"It's still at the store. I haven't picked it up," I answered.

He spat, "Look at you—you act like you're so busy with the wedding, yet you can't even do something as simple as preparing my outfit. Am I the one who wants this, or is it you? You look like you don't even care!"

Just then, his phone rang. He answered it, and Ivory's sobs rang out. "There's a bug at my place, Harry! It's huge! I'm so scared!"

"Don't be scared; I'll be right there!" He turned to leave before he was even fully dressed. He caught sight of me as he headed to the door. Surprisingly, he stopped and looked at me diffidently.

He made an excuse for himself. "There are six hours to the wedding—that's more than enough. I'll go pick up my suit on my way back from Ivory's."

I nodded calmly, which made him smile. He came over to me and caressed my head. "The necklace I got for you is in my pants pocket, so remember to take it. Don't worry, alright? I'll definitely be in time for the wedding."

For some reason, he said one last thing before leaving. "Wait for me."

I nodded again. As soon as the door shut behind him, I went to my room to retrieve my luggage. I'd wanted to have a proper farewell with him, but it looked like that wasn't necessary.

He would've seen his suit in the closet if he'd bothered to open it. My wedding gown was rented, and I'd already canceled the reservation.

As I pushed my luggage out of this cage that had trapped me for a decade, my phone rang. I answered it to hear Bob say, "The farewell party is ready, Minnie. Hurry up and get here."

…

I waited at the departure lounge for my hall, which was taking off in an hour. Harold had already called me countless times—he'd probably discovered the wedding had been canceled.

I didn't answer any of his calls. I sat there and gathered myself—I was ready to head to Cordon City to help with the establishment of my company's branch there.

As for Harold, he was probably overjoyed now that I was no longer around to restrain him. Nothing and no one could stop him from being with Ivory.

Soon, it was time to board. I was about to walk past the gates when an incredulous voice rang out. "Where are you going, Minerva?"