Chapter 1
The night before my wedding, I scrolled through posts on an app and stumbled across a note.
[After my husband passed away, his best friend took me into his house to wait for my baby. Love never truly fades—it only lingers in another form.]
In the attached photo, she sat on the sofa with one hand resting over her pregnant belly.
The background was blurred, yet I instantly recognized the wedding photo of Simon Reed and me hanging on the wall behind her.
The comment section was full of people saying how lucky she was.
[Her late husband's friend takes such good care of her and the baby.]
[This is genuine friendship , far more touching than romance.]
I took my phone to find Simon and confronted him.
He stayed silent for a long while before speaking. "Claire, she is carrying Brian Carter's child. I cannot leave her stuck in a rental apartment."
"We brought the house together, you know?" I asked.
His eyes darted away awkwardly. "We will have a home of our own someday, but right now that baby is all she has."
On the day of our wedding, Maya Young posted another picture of her pregnancy test.
[The baby has been kicking constantly today, it must miss its father.]
Simon's friend showed him the picture. Simon's fingers tightened around the wedding ring, and his face paled instantly.
All the guests waited for him to say I do.
Instead, he turned around and rushed down from the stage.
I stood facing the whole crowd and called out to his retreating back. "Simon, if you walk away right now, you might as well become the father of her child!"
His footsteps paused for a second.
In the end, he left without looking back.
*****
The wedding hall fell silent for a heartbeat, then erupted in chaos.
My mother sat among the guests, her face drained of all color.
My father gripped his chair and stood, chest heaving. He bit back his anger, fearing a worse spectacle.
Alice rushed to the stage edge, trembling as she reached to soothe me.
"Claire, do not fret. I will send men to bring him back at once," she said.
I set the wedding ring back on its silver tray.
"There is no need, Mrs. Reed."
Tears welled in her eyes. "How could this happen? He left you for another woman on your wedding day?"
I offered no reply. Her words cut deep. Yet they held unvarnished truth.
The emcee lingered off to one side, clutching his microphone in awkward silence.
The large screen still displayed a photograph of Simon and me side by side.
We had shared seven years together. Our bond stretched from college to full-time careers.
It spanned his first introduction of me to his parents, and every furniture piece we picked for our own residence.
In the frame, I leaned against his shoulder, radiating pure joy.
As I was gazing at it now, the whole memory read like a bitter joke.
I stepped down from the stage and steadied my mother's arm.
"Let's go," I said.
Tears streamed down my mother's cheeks. "Claire, why must you endure such hardship?"
I bowed my head and lifted her handbag for her. "It is fine. Let us head home."
Simon's friend hurried toward me. "Claire, Simon had no other choice. Maya's labor contractions hit suddenly. We feared harm might come to the baby," he said.
I lifted my gaze to meet his eyes.
He swallowed the rest of his unspoken words.
"I won't need the explain anymore," I said coldly.
His features turned rigid.
I gathered the hem of my wedding gown and stepped out of the hall.
Wind brushed my cheeks. I then realized I was drenched in cold sweat.
My mobile phone buzzed nonstop.
Simon's contact flashed across the screen.
I ignored every incoming call.
After the twelfth missed call, he sent text messages.
[Claire, Maya is alright now.
[I am truly sorry. I acted disgracefully today.
[Wait for me. I will return right away.]
I stared at those messages and let out a bitter, quiet laugh.
This pattern defined every conflict between us.
When conflict arose, he always chose Maya.
Yet once the crisis faded, he would rush back to my side.
It felt as though I never got to move forward at all.
I would always stay waiting for him.