Chapter 1

Back in my hometown, the women would brew wine at a young age for their future husbands.

Since college, Jake Sanders and I had left our hometown for a brighter future in a city far away, and we finally returned in glory.

I was finally able to open my vat of wine, which had been kept for 28 years. I knew that Jake was quite particular about hygiene, so I changed my wine to store-bought wine during the town celebration, even though I knew it was taboo.

When I was about to share this secret with him, I heard his conversation with his buddies.

"Are you sure you're going to drink Erica's wine? You'll have to marry her according to tradition if you do that. Won't Cassie be mad?"

"Yeah. Cassie has already opened her vat of wine. If no one drinks from it, she can't marry."

Jake laughed with indifference. "She won't be able to leave me. She's even willing to change that vat of wine for me. Besides, her wine has been left for 28 years. Who would want to drink that? Erica's wine is only 20-years-old, and I heard wine is sweetest at this stage.

"Even though I've chosen Erica, I'll still make sure to treat Cassie well. I'll marry her if no one will."

It felt like my heart had been cored out and a cold wind was gusting through it, but I decided to let this go because I was not an unwanted woman, and Jake was not the only man in this world.

I replied to the text that was sent to me every year: [Will you marry me?]

He replied right away: [Wait for me.]

Chapter 1

The wine vat with my name on it was placed in the family home.

Nina Coleson squeezed her way through the crowd, looking happy for me, as she held my hand and pulled me forward. "Hurry up! It's time! Your vat of wine has been waiting for years for its owner. You know how envious everyone in this town is of your relationship."

She was sincerely happy for me, but Jake Sanders did not come to me. Instead, he turned and walked straight toward Erica Jones.

I stood where I was, clenching my fingers.

Erica was also dressed in the town's festive costume, and she was hugging a wine vat in her arms. Her head was lowered, but she could not hide the smile on her face. "Jake, are you willing to drink my wine?"

There was silence all around. Jake took the wine from her hand without glancing at me, then drank it in front of everyone without hesitating.

Everyone was stunned.

The first few people to be shocked were several elders of the town. In this town, marriage wines should not be consumed so blatantly. According to town customs, once a man accepted a woman's marriage wine, he had to ask for her hand in marriage, and the town would bear witness to this.

Jake grew up in this town, and he was aware of its customs, but he still chose to accept Erica's wine.

Nina was the first to explode in anger. "Are you crazy, Jake?! How can you drink her wine? What about Cassie?"

Jake frowned and swept a glance across everyone, acting as if she had just blown this out of proportion. "It's nothing. All I had was one mouthful of wine."

I suddenly wanted to laugh at his reply. It had been 28 years, and I had been waiting for him for as long as I could remember, but to him, none of what I did meant anything.

Erica stood at the side with her head lowered, and she spoke very softly, "Don't be mad at Jake, Nina. I was just playing around and wanted to try offering my wine. I never expected him to drink it…"

Nina's eyes turned red with anger. "You knew exactly what wine you offered him. Haven't you had enough the past few years? You always tag along when Jake meets clients. Whenever there's a celebration or when Jake comes back here, he brings you along. Even when he bought gifts for Cassie, he made sure you had one too.

"Now, you want to take him for yourself?"

Everyone started whispering amongst themselves when they heard Nina's words.

Nina was right. Erica was never an ordinary colleague of Jake's. She had taken too many things that belonged to me since she started showing up by Jake's side.

Whenever Jake and I wanted to celebrate a holiday together, she would always appear. Every time he brought me a present, she would have one too. Even when we were visiting our hometown, he had personally brought Erica along with him.

Now, even at the most important marriage wine ceremony, Jake had chosen to take her side in front of the entire town.

Nina turned to look at me as she choked back a sob, "Say something, Cassie."

I held my hand up to pat her gently. "Don't be mad. It's not worth it."

Nina was taken aback. She probably did not expect me to remain so calm. It was not long before the ceremony ended abruptly. Erica chose to approach me at this time, looking timid. "Cassie, please don't take it the wrong way. I was just playing around…"

I was about to say something when Jake came over and stood between us. He reached out to hold my shoulders as he did many times before to remind me to be a good girl and to know my place. "That's enough, Cassie."

However, I moved to the side and dodged his touch. "Stop. You're Erica's fiancé in name now. We should keep our distance."

Jake grabbed me by the shoulders and said through clenched teeth, "What did you just say?"

Chapter 2

"Don't be mad at Jake, Cassie." Erica quickly came forward in a childlike manner to hold my hand, and she stuck her tongue out in a cutesy way to apologize.

"He lost to me in a game of rock, paper, scissors, which was why he promised to drink my wine. Why don't you have a round with me, and I'll let Jake drink your wine if you win?"

Jake's expression softened as he looked at Erica dotingly. "That sounds great. You should play a round with Erica, and I'll drink your wine if you win."

His voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone around to hear what he said. I closed my eyes, feeling a little frustrated. "I quit."

A look of delight flashed in Erica's eyes. She cleared her throat and said, "Then that counts as my victory. That means I should be given a prize, right? My mom told me that after drinking the wine, we have to pray for a child at the church."

Many people present inhaled sharply. This was a tradition of the town. After drinking the marriage wine, any new couple who visited the church in the mountains that very night or the next morning would get a child if they were truly in love. They would also be blessed to grow old together.

This had been my plan as I thought what I had with Jake was true love.

I looked up to meet Jake's eyes. He knew of this tradition, and he was aware of how much I wanted to live the rest of my life with him in happiness, which made me wonder about the choice he would make.

"All right."

It felt like something died inside me, and the last of my pain felt numbed.

Jake only thought about me after he agreed to Erica's request. He quickly held my hand to cajole me. "You admitted defeat, didn't you? That means you lost me to Erica. Be good, and stop crying. Go home and wait for me."

Nina wanted to yell at them, but I stopped her with a look. After that, I said calmly, "All right. You should go."

Everyone was taken aback by my reply.

Erica's eyes lit up as she said, "Let's go to the church tonight. The lights are up, and it would count for even more blessings if we prayed for love and a baby."

Everyone around started hooting.

Jake looked at me worriedly, but he could not help smiling when he saw the smile on Erica's face. "All right. I'll do anything you want."

Halfway through the celebration that night, a group of people escorted Jake and Erica up the mountains with flashlights. I did not follow them, but stood next to the fire pit as I watched them walk into the distance.

It got later at night, and my friends kept sharing photos online, which consisted of Jake and Erica praying sincerely in the church. They had red strings tied around their wrists by the town leaders, symbolizing having children and growing old together.

Every picture felt like a knife to my heart.

Nina wanted to call Jake several times, but I stopped her. Once most people had left and there were not many by the fire pit, Nina started to sigh. "Did he forget that it's your birthday today?"

I stopped in my tracks. She was right. Today was my birthday. Jake would always take time to spend it with me every year, no matter how busy he was. He told me that I was born during the peach blossom season, which made it easy for him to remember my birthday.

Jake had told me this seriously, and I believed him, but this year, he drank someone else's marriage wine during the day and went with another woman to pray at the church for a baby. He had completely forgotten about my birthday.

…

When Jake pushed the door open and entered the house, he was reeking of alcohol and holding a box in his hand. He looked relieved to see me sitting by the window, and he came toward me. "Why haven't you gone to sleep? I almost forgot about this. This is for you."

Jake placed the box on the table as he spoke. Every time something similar to this happened, he would make it up by buying me a present, thinking that we could return to how we were, but I did not open the box.

It was because I caught a scent on him. Besides reeking of alcohol, there was the sweet smell of lotion. It was a brand I did not use. I looked up at him and, under the light, caught sight of a red mark under his collar that he did not manage to hide well.

Jake followed my gaze and lowered his eyes to look before casually explaining, "Those people who came up with us to the mountains were pretty wild. I scratched myself during one of their crazy antics. It's not what you think."

He explained very quickly, but I said nothing. Jake frowned. "Are you still feeling mad about what happened during the day and tonight? I didn't want to cause a fuss when so many people were watching us during the celebration.

"Birthdays can be celebrated every year, and it's the same if we celebrate it a little later."

The last of my hopes for him vanished at that last sentence. I pushed the box back to him. "You don't need to make anything up to me."

Jake was taken aback. "What?"

I looked up at him. "You don't need to make anything up to me with presents. You don't need to celebrate my birthday anymore, and you don't need to drink my marriage wine. I'm tired, Jake."

Jake was initially surprised, but he laughed after that. "Are you doing this again, Cassie? We have another gathering tomorrow. You shouldn't be throwing a tantrum at a time like this."

I shook my head. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. I just don't want to be doing this any longer."

Jake looked at me, and the smile on his face slowly vanished. He immediately turned his back on me and said, "Everything will blow over once you stop being angry. Come home with me tomorrow. My parents want to see you."

Chapter 3

The next morning, I still made my way to the Sanders' family home to return all the betrothal gifts to them. The door of the house was wide open, and it was filled with relatives. There were tea trays, snacks, and wedding lists on the table, and it did not look like a normal family gathering.

When I stepped into the house, I spotted Erica seated in the living room. She was dressed decently and sat obediently while Jake's mother introduced her to all their relatives. I stood where I was as I listened to everyone laugh and tease her.

"Jake has been doing well out there, and it's only right that we should be generous with the betrothal gifts. If their wedding has been confirmed, we'll pay 80,000 dollars for their wedding."

Eight thousand dollars.

I was stunned to hear the number because I was reminded of last year when Jake mentioned that he wanted a wedding reception in our hometown. Back then, his mother had casually told us that 8,000 dollars was enough for our wedding, and I accepted it.

Their relatives continued chatting as Jake's mother sat at the side without interrupting. She smiled and nodded at their conversation.

"It's only right that we show our sincerity when Jake would be marrying such a young and beautiful lady."

I clenched my fists as I felt bitterness in my throat.

For years, I had stayed by Jake's side as we left our hometown for a better future. We lived in the basement in the beginning, and we got through the toughest moments together. When his projects fell through, I stood by his side, and when he ran out of money, I used my savings to help him out financially.

Yet, in the end, I was nothing to his family.

When Jake saw me, he turned pale. He quickly came toward me and whispered, "Don't misunderstand any of this. The older generation just enjoys a little bit of idle chat."

I looked at him and smiled with tears in my eyes. "Your family is already discussing betrothal gifts with her. Is that considered a little bit of idle chat? Why didn't you tell me that you planned to marry two women?"

Jake frowned. "I just said that this is my mom's own doing. You shouldn't be so petty about everything. It's because of this that my mom isn't entirely happy about you."

He was still insisting that I was being petty at a moment like this. I had nothing else to say to him.

Erica stood up right away when she saw us, and she put on an innocent look. "Don't take this the wrong way, Cassie. I'm just accompanying Jake's mother. I didn't expect everyone to get so enthusiastic about this topic.

"Besides, if I really liked someone, it wouldn't bother me that he is poor. I would still want to be with him."

The more she acted this way, the more it made me look unreasonable.

Just as I expected, Jake's mother took the bait. "Erica's right. Some people are just greedy enough to want everything."

Everyone around us started to laugh tauntingly.

I walked over to the table slowly and picked up the wedding list. It was filled with things to buy and plans for the wedding. Everything was stated clearly, much unlike what I had years ago. All I had was one sentence, "Let's make everything as simple as possible. It's not easy for my son to make money."

This reminded me of how many stupid things I had done in the past years. The last tinge of unhappiness within me suddenly vanished because at this moment, I no longer wanted to feel like the victim.

Jake reached out to pull my hand and whispered, "Don't make a fuss here. I'll make it up to you later, all right?"

Make it up to me? He talked about making it up to me again, but I would not leave with him. I took out an old silver bracelet from my bag and placed it gently on the table. It was the betrothal gift his family had given to me years ago.

I looked at the silver bracelet on the table and said calmly. "I'm returning this to you."

Jake turned pale. "What do you mean by this, Cassie?"

I looked at him. "I meant exactly what I just said."

Erica's eyes turned red again as she spoke up anxiously. "Did Cassie misunderstand something because I'm here? I think it's best that I leave…"

She was about to walk out the door when Jake immediately reached out to stop her. "It's not what you think."

I finally saw things clearly. Every time Erica and I stood before him, Jake would always choose to protect her, not me. I was never his choice. Hence, I nodded. "It's just as well. We wouldn't want any trouble down the road."

With that, I turned to leave.

Jake could not hold back his anger as he shouted behind me, "When will you stop making such a fuss, Cassie?"

I did not look back.

When I returned home, my phone lit up with a text from my mother: [Take a look. Everything you see is from him. I think this boy isn't bad. He has manners and thinks of everything.]

She had shared a photo of a car trunk filled with presents. Every present was carefully picked out, and I even saw a design that was the same purse I had kept saved in an online shopping cart.

My mother had always been a good judge of character, and I trusted her.

Chapter 4

After leaving the Sanders' family home, I headed straight to my house. This time, I packed my luggage faster than I did last night and threw out anything I did not plan to take with me. I did not have many clothes. All I had were a few sets of working clothes.

I did not hesitate to get rid of the items on the table that were associated with Jake. I took down our picture from the wall and slammed it face down on the table. There were even trinkets in the drawer that he had brought home while on a business trip, and a few notes he had written.

My heart remained calm as I looked at everything. That was when I realized it was difficult to pull yourself out of a long-term relationship when both parties had gone through so much together. Even so, throwing materialistic objects away was an easy thing to do.

The sky slowly turned dark. I was halfway through my stuff when Nina texted me: [Have you gone home, Cassie? They're having another rowdy night on the mountains. I can't believe that Jake is actually going to spend the night with that woman.]

I read the text slowly.

According to old customs, after a man drank the marriage wine and prayed at the church, the relationship between him and the woman would be set in stone after sleeping with the woman on the same night. However, it was a custom that few would bring up nowadays.

Yet, Jake was being coerced by his group of friends to go ahead with it. They kept convincing him by saying that Jake had drunk the wine and prayed at the church. It would make sense if he completed the entire course.

Nina started cursing in her texts, and she asked if I wanted to head up the mountains to stop this from continuing. I stared at her text for a long time before replying: [Got it.]

I placed my phone by the side, surprised that I was not angered by what was about to happen. I suddenly felt lucky that I did not place all my hopes on Jake coming back to me.

Even as the night got longer, there was still no knock on the door. All I could hear outside the house was the wind and rain. I packed up the last of my things and zipped up my luggage. After that, I informed my family about where I was going.

While I was waiting for the taxi, I turned back to give the house a last glance. I was reminded of how Jake and I lived in a basement years ago, not long after we left town. The corner of the basement was damp, and in winter, I could not sleep because of the freezing weather.

Jake would hold me in his arms and tell me that there would come a day when he would bring me back to our hometown in glory. He wanted everyone to know that I was his pride and joy, and I believed him then.

Now that I thought about it, he might not have been lying back then. He had just changed along the way, and nothing was the same as it had been. As for me, I was too busy getting drunk in my own dreams of the future, and it took me a long time to finally sober up.

I took out the wine vat from my luggage.

It was drizzling outside the window. I opened up the vat slowly. The scent of the wine filled the air, mingling with the smell of rain and hitting me right in the face.

This was supposed to be the moment I had been waiting for all my life, but the scent of the wine only seemed to make my situation even more ironic. I did not hesitate as I turned the wine vat over and poured everything onto the ground.

That was when a strong pair of hands reached out to stop me.

…

Meanwhile, inside a private room, a group of people started coercing Jake by pushing Erica and him into the room, claiming that Jake should accept Erica for drinking her wine.

Jake berated them at the beginning for taking the joke too far, but Erica quickly used the excuse of being drunk and pretending to be scared to convince him to stay with her in the room for a while. They could hear laughter and teasing outside the room.

The lights were dim, and the scent of wine and a nice fragrance mingled in the air. The atmosphere started becoming steamy, and under such circumstances, the lines of morality started to blur.

Jake was supposed to keep his distance, but he did not push Erica away in the end. That was also how he missed the text from his friend, reading: [Hurry over, Jake! Someone is proposing to Cassie at her house!]