Chapter 2
Sophia was startled awake by a call from the bridal shop after a night without sleep.
Joshua and I had registered our marriage years ago, but we never got around to having the wedding ceremony. His family finally accepted me when I became pregnant. We planned to hold the wedding in two weeks, but before we could even take wedding photos, Joshua “died.”
The bridal shop was calling to schedule the photo shoot. “My husband is dead,” I responded, feeling the irony. Sensing the silence on the other end, I added, “I’ll come by this afternoon to cancel.”
I arrived at the bridal shop at the agreed time. Behind the glass case was the wedding dress Joshua and I had chosen together.
“Mrs. King, if you’d like to postpone, we can arrange that...” the manager began.
“My husband is dead. Who would I take photos with?” I interrupted. The manager’s face stiffened with an awkward smile.
“This wedding dress is beautiful; I’ll take it.” A voice came from behind, clear and close now. Turning, I recognized the woman—it was Lily Frost.
Lily smiled at me, pointing at the dress I had chosen, feigning regret. “Sophia, since you won’t be able to wear this dress, I’ll wear it.” She paused, her words laced with malicious delight. “Oh, I forgot to tell you, I’m getting married. Sophia, can you guess who my fiancé is?”
Ignoring her attempt to boast, I turned to leave, but Lily blocked my path.
With satisfaction, she said, “Sophia, my fiancé is someone you know; he’s in the fitting room now. Don’t you want to see him?”
“Sure, take me to see him,” I replied, following her toward the fitting room, each step feeling like walking on the edge of a knife. My fists clenched as I inwardly hoped it wasn’t him. Yet, the hope was so fragile, it felt pathetic.
How could I end up wishing someone else’s fiancé wasn’t my husband?
Lily laughed softly and drew back the curtain, peeking inside.
“Darling, a friend wants to see you.”
Inside, Joshua’s eyes were fixed on Lily. He had heard my voice from the start but hadn’t expected me at the bridal shop today. Knowing only a curtain separated us, he didn’t dare speak, but his eyes warned Lily.
Emboldened by Joshua’s indulgence, Lily deliberately provoked him, “Darling, don’t be so distant. Meet my friend; you might know...” Her words dissolved into laughter.
Suddenly, Joshua pulled Lily into the fitting room, wrapping his arm around her waist. The curtain swayed, and breathless sounds emerged from inside.
“Let her go!” Joshua whispered urgently into Lily’s ear.
Lily was preoccupied with his wandering hands, forgetting her earlier intent to taunt me. Her voice, filled with desire, floated out of the fitting room, “Sophia, you should leave. I’m busy with my fiancé now.”
The sounds of kissing reached me from within.
At that moment, I felt unbearable pain, as if pierced by a thousand arrows, my vision blurring with tears. I saw the wrist that pulled Lily into the fitting room—a wrist wearing the watch I’d given Joshua on his birthday last year. It was a watch I had bought with my first bonus from my design job.
Joshua cherished it dearly, despite being worth billions, he wore a watch under ten thousand dollars, valuing it beyond measure because it came from me. Yet now, the watch adorned the wrist that embraced another woman. He had given the wedding meant for me to someone else.
As I mourned in black for him, he was trying on wedding attire with someone else. It was beyond ridiculous.
When I left the bridal shop, the manager looked at me with sympathy, suddenly understanding why he’d suggested postponing. He had seen Joshua with Lily. Even he knew Joshua was still alive. Joshua’s lie had only fooled me.
Inside the fitting room, after hearing my departing footsteps, Joshua’s face darkened as he harshly pushed Lily away, his expression cold and menacing. “Lily, I warned you not to provoke Sophia. She must not find out about this lie. Have I treated you too well lately, so you’ve forgotten my boundaries? Remember, I agreed to this wedding out of sympathy for you.”
Lily, shoved against the wall, looked up at Joshua’s piercing gaze, shivering slightly before her eyes welled with tears. Reaching for Joshua’s sleeve, she pleaded, “Joshua, I know my mistake. I won’t do it again. I just... I felt jealous seeing Sophia. Jealous that she could have you forever.”
Her tears flowed like pearls. “Even though, in the end, I can have you, I can’t help but wish for a little more time together. Joshua, I’m grateful you’re mine for a month. Even if my life will be short, it’s a blessing.”
“Joshua, I’m dying, so can you not be so harsh with me anymore? Let me have pleasant memories at the end?” Lily’s eyes were red and swollen, her voice full of emotions and regret.
Joshua’s anger slowly dissipated. He sighed deeply, pulling Lily back into his arms, gently patting her back, soothing her with promises. “Don’t cry, I won’t be harsh anymore. But you mustn’t provoke Sophia again.”
“I won’t, I promise, I’ll cherish our time together without envying her,” Lily responded softly, agreeing repeatedly.
Joshua, feeling assured, believed he must preserve this lie. He couldn’t lose Sophia. After this month, he would belong solely to Sophia again. He imagined her shock, joy, and relief when he reappeared before her.
At home, I gathered all the wedding-related items I could find. Tears streaming, I recalled the moments we chose the wedding dress, venue, and cake—happy memories now stabbing at my heart with irony. Clutching these things, I found an old metal barrel.
Lighting a fire, I threw everything into the flames. The flames consumed not only wedding memories but also my love for Joshua.
As the flames died down, I forced a faint smile. In another month, I could leave, freeing Joshua from the charade.
In the following days, I busied myself with clearing out anything personal from the house. I didn’t want to leave any trace of myself for Joshua.
Joshua’s parents continued to visit daily. Observing the emptier room, they asked with confusion, “Why does it feel like there’s less stuff? Sophia, did you throw things away?”