Groom Swap at the Wedding

"Thank you, Rose," Zachary replied.

A chorus of mutual praise, exactly as I expected.

I felt nauseated, but I was used to it by now.

Rose had always coddled Zachary endlessly. In the office, everyone had to call her Ms. Lane—only Zachary could call her by her first name. Anyone else who made a small mistake would get chewed out mercilessly, but Zachary? No matter what chaos he caused, she'd turn a blind eye.

A month ago, Zachary had blown a deal worth tens of millions of dollars. Everyone in the company was furious. And yet, to calm the uproar, Rose didn't even consult me—just shoved the blame on my shoulders and docked a year of my pay.

I stormed at her, furious. She just shrugged and said, "After all these years together, you're still hung up on trivial matters? This money is nothing to you, but Zachary's in a different position. If we docked his salary, how would he get by? If you want, I can make it up to you."

So, this wedding was her idea of "making it up to me".

When I stayed silent, Rose sighed and said on the phone, "Marcus, can't you take a page from Zachary's book? He's younger than you, but he's more sensible. When something goes wrong, he's proactive. He even flew his parents in just to make sure the wedding went smoothly.

"You don't have parents—fine. But when problems arise, you can't just throw a tantrum, refuse to talk, and run away, leaving a mess."

I snorted when she mentioned my parents.

Rose's house caught fire when she was a child, and she was alone at that time. My father had rushed in to save her and was fatally burned. My mother, crushed by grief, died soon after.

The night my mother died, Rose held me as I cried, promising over and over that she'd never leave me.

And now, barely eight years later, in her eyes, my parents' deaths were just another reason I didn't measure up to Zachary.

In the past, I would've lost it and yelled at her. But by now, after witnessing Rose do countless absurd things for Zachary, I was mentally prepared. Surprisingly, I felt calm.

"You're right. I was wrong," I said softly.

Perhaps sensing my calm, Rose softened her tone. "It's okay to make mistakes. As long as you acknowledge it and improve… Just apologize to Zachary, and this matter will—"

"You misunderstand," I said, cutting her off flatly. "What I mean is, I shouldn't have gone to you, shouldn't have registered the marriage first, and I definitely shouldn't have had my dad save an ungrateful person like you."

Rose froze, anger flaring. "Marcus, what are you saying?" she fumed.

Hearing her rage, I didn't grovel like before. I stayed calm. "Rose, let's get a divorce."

Rose was stunned. "What did you just say? Marcus, you've become so petty. Over this? You want a divorce?"

I expected her to blow up and agree to it right after. After all, a few nights ago, I heard her calling Zachary's name in her sleep.

She liked him that much—if I divorced her to clear the path, she'd probably be delighted.