Someone Else’s Groom

Fiona froze. She clearly knew what I meant. There was a long pause.

Then a man’s voice came through the line. "Fiona, hurry up. Everyone’s waiting for you."

It was Gavin Rhodes. His voice moved from far to near. As if he realized something, Gavin let out a scoffing laugh.

"You’re not even married yet, and you’re already checking up on her. Once you’re married, won’t you be even more annoying?"

Fiona didn’t say anything.

Gavin urged her again, "Come on. Truth or dare. Everyone’s waiting."

Only then did Fiona speak. Her tone softened, carrying a hint of pleading. "Caleb…"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and pulled my thoughts back under control. "You don’t need to come back anymore."

Fiona seemed startled. Right after that, she complained with obvious dissatisfaction, "Caleb, this is my last night as an unmarried lady."

She was blaming me. Blaming me for forcing her.

Everyone who knew us knew that during the three years we’d been together, I had spoiled her excessively. I would have done anything for her, even plucked stars from the sky if she wanted them.

At a friend’s wedding a week ago, someone had joked with me, "So when are you getting married?"

Fiona replied, "Let’s wait a bit. No rush."

I said, "Soon."

Fiona and I had spoken almost at the same time.

Fiona had shot me a resentful look, her expression full of reluctance. That attitude made everyone there uncomfortable.

Seeing my friend’s frown, I had added calmly, "Probably the second half of the year. Weddings are a hassle to prepare for."

Maybe to save my face, Fiona fell silent and didn’t argue further.

After we got home, though, she had exploded at me, "Caleb! Why are you forcing me? I’m only twenty-five!"

So what?

I looked at her and felt like laughing.

We’d been together for three years. In the beginning, she loved clinging to my arm, eyes full of longing, saying she wanted to marry me as soon as possible. Even the birthday wishes she made two years in a row were about marrying me.

Had she forgotten all of that in just one year?

That argument ended without any conclusion because it was never a discussion. It was her venting alone.

I was just tired.

Looking at her stubborn expression, I didn’t have the energy to argue about whether I was forcing her or not.

Fiona stormed out, furious, and didn’t come home all night.

I thought that must have been the day Gavin reached out to her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have told me the very next day that she was going to another bachelorette party.

Today, she was still going to a bachelorette party.

On the other end of the call, Gavin kept urging her. Before I could say anything, Fiona hurriedly hung up.

It wasn’t until late at night that her message finally came through.

"Caleb, I love you the most. I’ll come home tomorrow night."

I had once seen a saying online. When a woman who doesn’t come home suddenly declares her loyalty to you late at night, it means the man beside her is finished.

Sure enough, I soon received photos from another number.

In the pictures, Fiona’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes hazy.

"You should thank me for taking such good care of her for you."

Those repeated provocations struck me as nothing more than ridiculous.

I turned off my phone and didn’t reply to Fiona right away.

It was less than six months until the wedding date I had set. If I didn’t make my position clear, she would absolutely use these so-called bachelorette parties to get through that time to satisfy her own desires and to express her dissatisfaction with me.

Three years together had convinced her that I couldn’t live without her.

She was wrong.

I had always been clear-headed.

No one dies just because they lose someone else.

Marriage is marriage, no matter who it’s with. The only reason it had been her was that she suited me, so I kept her by my side.

If she behaved, I spoiled her.

If she cheated, I replaced her.

I would pick someone clean, obedient, and easy.

It was that simple.

Fiona didn’t cling to me this time, the way she used to when she didn’t get a reply.

I checked the time. It was three in the morning.

I picked up my phone and replied to her message, "When I said you didn’t need to come back, I meant we’re breaking up."

A relationship should have a proper beginning and a proper end.

I was the one who had asked to be together. It was only right that I was the one to say the words when it ended.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t given her chances. She just didn’t cherish them. I felt I had done more than enough.

My grandmother’s health was getting worse by the day. I had to get married according to the original plan. If she wouldn’t do, then I would switch to someone else.

I sent a message in the group chat, asking the guys to introduce some new people to me.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

One knock after another, it seemed unhurried, standing out sharply in the quiet of the night.

I got up and opened the door.

A girl stood there, shoulders drawn in, clearly trying to stay calm. She was holding a cake in one hand. When she saw me, happiness flashed across her face.

"Caleb."

Her voice trembled, yet her tone was firm.

Before I could speak, she continued, serious and resolute, "I’m here to steal my sister’s boyfriend."