Chapter 1

On the day of my ninth wedding with Julian, his childhood friend, Clara, had another manic episode and trashed the venue.

Seeing my furrowed brows, he shielded Clara protectively and said apologetically:

"Amber, Clara's condition is serious. I have to take her to the hospital. I promise I'll give you a grand wedding next time."

I had heard this exact line eight times before.

The first eight times, Clara went as far as slitting her wrists to stop the wedding.

This time, the wedding I spent six months planning was reduced to ruins once again.

Years of endless compromise had left me completely exhausted.

I stared at his retreating back and said quietly, "Julian, let's call off the wedding."

He paused for a second, his voice coaxing. "Amber, stop throwing a tantrum. Just be good and wait for me to come back."

My heart turned completely cold. I touched my belly and booked a one-way flight out of the city.

When I got home, Clara was lying on the couch, wearing the silk pajamas I had just bought. Julian was gently patting her back, comforting her like a child.

Seeing me enter, she stood up in a panic, not even putting on her slippers.

My gaze fell on her. She hurriedly explained, "Julian just grabbed something for me to wear. Amber, I hope you don't mind."

I just stared at her and said nothing.

Julian gently slipped the shoes onto Clara's feet. "It's just a pair of pajamas. Amber has plenty of others."

Then, he casually explained to me, "Clara's mental state has been unstable lately. I'm going to stay with her for a while."

Clara’s eyes turned red, her face full of guilt. "I'm so sorry, Amber. It's all my fault that your wedding was ruined today."

"But don't worry, I've already asked Julian to plan another wedding for you. Next time, I will do my absolute best to control my emotions."

Julian chimed in from the side. "It's just a wedding ceremony. Stop holding onto it forever."

The two of them played off each other so perfectly, making it seem like I was the one being unreasonable.

Eight promises, eight broken vows.

He had cried wolf too many times. I didn't want to believe him anymore.

I walked past them and went upstairs to pack my bags.

A moment later, Julian pushed the door open in anger. He slammed my suitcase shut with a loud bang.

"Amber, what was that supposed to mean?"

"You know Clara is extremely sensitive right now. She already feels terrible about the wedding. Stop being so passive-aggressive."

Hearing his accusatory tone, I suddenly wanted to laugh.

"Julian, my wedding was ruined, and you expect me to smile at the person who caused it?"

Julian sighed in frustration. He took out his phone and sent me ten thousand dollars through PayPal. "Clara is sick. As my fiancée, you should show her some understanding."

"Take this money and buy yourself a nice bag. Consider it my apology."

"I promise you, this won't happen again next time."

I clicked refund and looked straight into his eyes. "Julian, let's break up."

He froze. Then, he shook his head with a sigh, as if he had just heard a joke. "Amber, we've been together for so many years. Do you really think you can just walk away?"

Just as I was about to speak, there was a knock at the door.

Clara stood there, tears clinging to her eyelashes. "Julian, if Amber doesn't want me here, I shouldn't bother you guys."

With that, she dragged her massive suitcase and started walking out of the house.

At the door, the heavy suitcase caused her to trip and fall to the ground.

Her knee was scraped and bleeding. Julian rushed to scoop her up in his arms, carefully applying medicine to her wound.

He shot me a look full of blame. "Clara just wanted to stay here for a while. She already apologized for the wedding."

"If you hadn't made such a big deal out of it, she wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Apologize to her!"

His harsh demand echoed in my ears. In the past, I would have argued with him. But now, I just felt bone-deep exhaustion.

"I'm sorry. She can stay here as long as she wants."

"Are you satisfied now?"