In the Name of Love: A Bride's Desperation

I was pregnant, and he planned to hold a grand wedding for me.

But on the day of the wedding, his first love went back.

To keep him with me, I got down on my knees in front of everyone.

Later, he brought his first love to me and said he would kill her to seek my forgiveness.

1

During my four years in college, I pursued him for three.

On graduation day, he asked me, "What gift do you want?"

I looked at him with burning eyes and said, "I want you. I want you to belong to me forever."

He smiled and gently patted my head. His eyes were deep and tender like a pool of water. He said, "Okay. I will belong to you forever."

...

One's memory could be restructured and selectively forgotten.

Psychologically speaking, it was a defense mechanism.

When my father passed away unexpectedly, when the family attended the funeral, and...

It was my wedding that day.

I only clearly remembered Nicholas Brooks helping me up from the floor before anyone, including myself, could react.

He said, "Emily, if you do this, I will look down upon you."

He dragged me, who was dazed, into the elevator. Perhaps it was my illusion, but I saw sorrow in him, which was the same in me.

It was bustling with people at the hotel entrance. I stood there in a wedding dress and shivered, feeling extremely cold, maybe because of the frequent glances from passersby or the slight chill of the November wind.

"How could it be him?" I thought, looking at Nicholas's profile.

Nicholas was Kolton Cobbett's friend since they were kids. The former was the biggest obstacle in my pursuit of Kolton. How could Nicholas help me out?

"What are you thinking about?" He tapped my head and looked at me with disappointment. "Are you Emily I know? She is fearless and always claims to be the best in the world."

I had nothing to say, and my hand was unconsciously resting on my belly.

It was said that God would protect the unborn baby and that it couldn't be told to others about the pregnancy if a woman got pregnant less than three months. Otherwise, she would easily have a miscarriage.

I cherished and expected the baby so much that I hadn't even told my mom about it.

Only Kolton knew the secret.

He knew I was pregnant, but he still... Thinking of that, my vision blurred, and I almost couldn't stand.

My family found me, and they left the hotel angrily and were about to confront Kolton.

My cousin, who was usually the closest to me, stood protectively in front of me and glared fiercely at Nicholas. "What are you doing? I know you. You're siding with that bastard!"

My best friends, Hattie Kemp and Camille Guzman, walked forward and held my hands.

Hattie said, "Emily, dump him, okay?"

She knew how deeply I was obsessed with Kolton.

Camille said, "That's right. Divorce him and find another guy! There are plenty of men in the world."

I turned my head and saw my mother standing not far away. She was covering her mouth and crying.

How could it be like this? I couldn't accept it!

Perhaps seeing my unwillingness, Nicholas spoke guiltily before he left. But his words were like daggers stabbing into me.

He said, "You can't defeat Jeffrey Clayton. They're a perfect match, a pair of scumbags."

2

I didn't sleep all night and only sat on the couch in the living room.

I was thinking about when I discovered that Kolton had an unforgettable first love.

It was last September.

We bought a new house. When we were moving in, I found several boxes in his attic filled with letters and photos.

The most shocking were the words written on the back of each photo. "I miss you so much! I miss you so much! Where are you?"

I seemed to see his broken heart as he wrote those words.

Through the photos and the letters, I pieced together their story.

They grew up together since they were kids and fell in love with each other. But Jeffrey's father, a company executive, was involved in illegal activities and only had time to send his wife and his daughter abroad before being arrested.

So Jeffrey and Kolton were separated and lost contact since then.

After finishing reading the letters, I put the boxes back as they were.

I thought their feelings wouldn't be unforgettable forever, though they were deeply etched.

The morning came, and the door was opened.

Kolton entered in a suit and looked dejected and disheveled.

He stepped forward slowly and finally got down on his knees before me.

With trembling fingers, he touched my belly and said, "Get rid of the baby, Emily."

I looked at him, whom I had loved for eight years.

"You chose her?"

"I'm sorry."

"Do you love her that much?"

He buried his head in my lap and choked. He said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

I saw his suit covered in marks left by another woman.

I asked, "Do you think you can treat me like this because my father cannot protect me?"

Hearing that, he let out a beast-like whimper. "Please, don't say that. What do you want? Do you want my life? I'll give you my life, okay?"

I slapped him hard. "Get out!"

Watching his leaving figure, I couldn't control my emotions anymore and cried out loud.

After crying for a while, I hurriedly got up to chase after him.

I caught up with him by the roadside and saw him hugging Jeffrey there.

I felt utterly hopeless with the unborn baby in my belly.

Jeffrey saw me too, and she smiled silently.

She was laughing at me, the loser.

3

Loving someone could humble oneself completely.

I admitted that Jeffrey was beautiful.

She looked like a proud peacock.

So when I first saw her in the hotel room, I felt boundless unease.

I asked her, "Why are you here? What do you want?"

Jeffrey dismissed the dresser, closed the door, and looked at me with a casual and arrogant gaze.

"Do you know me?" Before I could have time to answer her, she continued, "Did Kolton mention me to you? Tsk, I didn't expect he would hold a wedding with you." But he would have divorced you as soon as he received my call and meekly waited for my return."

I laughed in anger and said, "So you're not so important to Kolton after all."

"Really?" She twirled her hair around her finger, leaned against the dressing table, and looked at me with a mocking and sympathetic expression. "But he completely lost his composure as soon as he heard my voice. What do you think will happen when he sees me?"

I remembered Kolton indeed lost his composure after he received a call half a month ago.

But he told me that it was a problem with the company's accounts. Then he went to the balcony to talk on the phone for almost half an hour.

At that time, I foolishly thought, "It is a bit troublesome if there is a problem with the company's accounts."

So I added an extra dish for dinner.

I even suggested postponing the wedding.

Hearing me say that, he looked extremely sad.

He said, "Emily, don't be so good."

"You're really interesting." Jeffrey interrupted my thoughts.

I asked her, "What exactly do you want?"

"Of course I want to take back what's mine and, by the way, ruin your wedding."

I stood up abruptly and said angrily, "You're dreaming!"

"Hahh! I think you are dreaming. You don't actually think you can win him over from me, do you? You don't think Kolton will choose you, do you? He has always loved only me." Her smile made me angry.

Jeffrey turned around and smoothed her hair in front of the mirror.

The reflection showed both of us. She was radiant, and I was pale and pitiful.

She said, "As soon as I appear, you'll lose completely. Do you believe it?"

I said, "I don't. That won't happen. We're married, and I even got..."

"You have gotten married. So what?" Jeffrey interrupted me harshly and said, "You took my place first!"

"What do you want then?" I shouted at her, almost losing my mind. "You disappeared for years, and you didn't contact him. You left him first! How can you do this now? How can you steal my happiness? You are his ex-girlfriend!"

Jeffrey grabbed my bathrobe, and her eyes were blazing with anger. "You know what? Do you know my life abroad all these years? I wanted to contact him, but I dared not! I love him, and he loves me. Who are you?" She shook off my hand. "You're not even fit to be a stand-in for me!"

I sat back in the chair and took a deep breath to calm my emotions. "What... what do you want? What do I have to do for you not to take him away?"

She listened to me and assumed a victorious stance. "I'm too kind-hearted. If you kneel before me in public, maybe I'll let you have Kolton."

4

Kolton hadn't come home for over a week.

I never realized before that he was so good at avoidance.

I touched my belly and gave my mom a phone call.

She dropped everything and rushed over. As soon as she entered, she gave me a hug. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Why do you need me to go to the hospital with you?"

"Mom!" My eyes instantly welled up with tears as I leaned on her shoulder. "I'm pregnant."

I couldn't see my mom's expression, but I felt her hand gently comforting me. "It's okay. It's okay. How long have you been pregnant?"

"Three months."

"Do you want to terminate it?"

My body shook uncontrollably. It was killing me to just think about it. "I... I used to talk to it every day. I love it so much. But... Mom..."

"I see. I've learned everything." Mom cupped my face and said, "If you want to keep it, then keep it. Don't worry about anyone else. It is your baby and my precious grandchild. Don't be afraid. Don't worry. I raised you alone, and I can help you raise your baby, too."

"Okay. Mom, I want to keep it."

...

"Look at this bear outfit, Emily. It's so cute! When the baby is born, I'll buy ten of them! No! A hundred!"

"Please don't go crazy."

"What do you know? This is the love from its godmother."

"Am I not?"

I laughed as I watched Camille and Hattie chatting in the group chat.

Just as my smile reached my eyes, Kolton returned.

Seeing me in a good mood, he seemed surprised and hesitated at the door. Then he said, "Emily, are you free now? Let's... get a divorce, okay?"

I stared at him and wished I could bore a hole into his face.

I asked him, "Is Jeffrey outside?"

Kolton was stunned and said, "No. Why is she outside?"

I laughed at myself.

He was right. Why would Jeffrey follow us when we divorced?

5

Once in the car, Kolton couldn't stop talking. "The house is yours, Emily. I bought it for 3.5 million. It was in a great location with a lot of potential for appreciation. Of course, if you don't want to stay there, you can sell it. I heard it's already worth 6 million now. You keep the bank card. You know how much money I have. Just leave me 200, 000 dollars, as the company needs cash flow. The company... You don't understand finance, so I'll give you 20% of the shares, okay?"

"Enough, Kolton." I coldly interrupted him.

He continued, "Okay. Do you want the car?"

I let out a cold laugh.

He didn't dare look at me, and his gaze was fixed straight ahead. "Emily, I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

There were more people getting divorced than married at Civil Hall. I watched the various expressions of others, each with their own sorrow.

Kolton might be afraid that I'd change my mind. He pushed through the crowd and spoke a few words to the staff. They let us skip the line to handle our divorce first.

"Divorce is so simple. Moving on must be simple too," I thought.

After the process was over, Kolton was about to drive me home.

I said, "Not necessary."

He looked at me and wanted to say something but hesitated. "Don't worry. I've already terminated the pregnancy. From now on, we have no ties." After walking a few steps, I turned back. "If you had told me back then that you couldn't forget your first love, I would never have clung to you."

I knew that the first love or the deep-seated memory was like barnacles on a whale. Even if they eventually separated, they left marks that could never be erased.

I couldn't compare or compete with his first love.

As I walked away, I seemed to hear the wind carrying his voice.

It was not pleading, just a murmur.

After crossing a street, I stopped in front of a bakery.

Through the glass window, I saw Kolton's silver car following closely behind me.

"What do you want?" My heart was tormented, and I seemed to step into an isolated land or fall into an icy lake.

6

After the wedding, many people directly or indirectly inquired about the aftermath as they were driven by various motives.

After all, Kolton had always been seen as the perfect boyfriend, the ideal husband.

The sudden appearance of the stunning first love was like a celebrity.

And I was just a pitiful woman whose luck had run out.

They delighted in rubbing salt into my wounds.

Camille and Hattie dressed me up like a vengeful queen as my best friends knew what others were up to.

They booked seats in the most expensive restaurant, opened a bottle of wine worth tens of thousands of dollars, and placed a ten-inch cake on the table with "Happy Divorce, Long Live To Be Single" written on it.

They told me to sit there casually while they took many photos of me.

Camille took my phone and posted a collage on my social media. "A millionaire's feast, simple and extravagant."

I thought, "They really know how to cheer me up. Wait. I can't drink the wine. Why did you open such expensive wine? Who's paying for it?"

Hattie drank like a fish and said, "You, the millionaire."

I was speechless.

Under the influence of alcohol, Hattie was not a gentle belle but a fearless master who could curse anyone. "Damn! I've long been annoyed by that jerk. He was always putting on airs! What's so great about being the popular guy at college? He's rotten to the core! Not even worthy of Emily at all!" Don't you agree?" Hattie repeatedly asked while grabbing Camille's neck.

Camille rolled her eyes and said, "You are right. Whatever you say is right now!"

Hattie let go of Camille and turned to me. "I told you long ago that a cute guy cannot be reliable. You must think about his character. That counts!"