Feeling heartbroken, Madison sat on the couch and opened the chat of an online friend she had spoken with for three years without ever meeting face-to-face, searching for somewhere to pour out the ache in her chest. Instead, a digital wedding invitation appeared on her screen.
The photo showed a pretty woman and the side face of a man. That vivid crimson mole beside his nose was something Madison could identify instantly, even in a crowd of thousands.
Her entire body went numb.
Completely unaware of the devastation on the other side of the screen, Lily Hayes continued sending cheerful messages one after another in rapid succession.
"Amanda, I'm finally marrying the man I've loved all this time!"
"If you hadn't been there lending an ear to my troubles these past few years, I honestly don't know how I would've carried on. You absolutely have to come overseas for the ceremony, alright? I'll arrange your plane ticket and hotel personally. Come a few days early-you can even stand beside me as my maid of honor!"
Madison's grip tightened around her phone until her knuckles stiffened, all warmth draining from her trembling fingers. Amanda was her online alias; she hadn't told Lily her real name.
She wanted desperately to believe she had mistaken him for someone else, yet how could she possibly fail to recognize that mark beside his nose?
What shattered her even further was the glimpse of the cufflinks adorning his sleeves in the photograph-an expensive custom-made pair she had saved for years to buy him for his birthday only two months earlier. His initials gleamed unmistakably across the polished metal.
A crushing ache twisted violently through her chest, finally snapping her out of her daze. Fighting the tremor in her hands, she slowly typed a message to Lily.
"Didn't you once tell me the man you loved already had a wife? Did he finally end his marriage?"
The tiny word "Typing..." flickered across the screen. After an agonizing stretch of silence, Lily's messages finally came through.
"No, he still hasn't divorced her. But the country where we're holding the wedding doesn't verify marital records from back home. I never expected a proposal either, but I'm carrying his child now. He said our baby needed the company of both parents, so he's flying here tonight to marry me."
"Honestly, I sometimes pity his wife. Even after being married for years, he never once touched her. And you know what's unbelievable? The wedding date we picked actually falls on their anniversary."
"I think I mentioned this to you before, didn't I? If his family hadn't forced us apart back then, I never would've left the country. He only married that woman because she saved his grandfather and the old man forced him. That's why he deliberately chose the anniversary of our relationship for the ceremony."
Every line appearing on the screen felt like a blade carving straight through Madison's heart.
Her friendship with Lily had begun entirely by coincidence. Not long after marrying Declan, she learned he enjoyed collecting fountain pens and wanted to surprise him with one he would truly treasure. While browsing online, she happened across a post where Lily enthusiastically displayed her own collection.
Lily had patiently walked her through countless brands and designs, carefully explaining every advantage and flaw. When Lily discovered the model she wanted couldn't be purchased locally, she even went out of her way to locate an overseas seller. From there, their conversations gradually deepened until they became close friends who shared nearly everything with each other.
She knew Lily was hopelessly in love with a man she could never publicly claim. She knew they had grown up side by side, only to be torn apart by family arrangements, and she knew they had secretly remained devoted to each other all these years.
Because Lily was someone she considered a friend, she didn't feel it was her place to judge. She merely listened quietly and comforted Lily when needed. Sometimes, she even confided in Lily about the cold emptiness of her own marriage and her husband's constant emotional distance.
She was aware that Declan carried another woman in his heart-a childhood love he had never truly released. She also knew that woman had fled abroad in despair before he got married. But never had she suspected that Lily's secret lover and her own husband were the very same man.
An icy wave swept through Madison's body, leaving her shuddering uncontrollably. Her thoughts were in complete chaos, and words utterly failed her.
Should she expose Lily for destroying her marriage? Should she curse Lily for shamelessly becoming someone else's mistress? Or should she board a plane immediately, storm into that wedding, and demand an explanation from the two people who had humiliated her so cruelly?
She was the lawful wife in every sense, yet at that moment, she felt like the greatest fool alive, unable to even muster the strength to retaliate against the glowing messages before her eyes.
Apparently oblivious to the strange silence on the other end, Lily continued texting excitedly. "Amanda, send me your passport information and your full name. My fiance is so happy you're willing to be part of our wedding. I'll reserve you a first-class seat."
"He's rented an entire beachfront resort for the ceremony, and it's absolutely breathtaking. Once you arrive, I promise I'll make sure you enjoy every second here."
Madison stared at the messages for what felt like forever, her fingers suspended motionlessly above the keyboard. At last, she forced herself to type a reply. "I'm sorry, but something important came up recently, so I won't be able to attend your wedding. Still, I hope the two of you find happiness together. Perhaps soon you'll finally become a legitimate husband and wife."
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