His Engagement Partner is Not Me

I quietly cleaned the table, washed the dishes and returned to my room to pack my things. None in Parker’s house belonged to me anymore—not the house or life I had here. The only thing I took was the dress I wore when I first came to the Parker Family.

Richard had once told me that this dress was special. He had even ordered it framed and displayed prominently. But after Winnie arrived, the dress—like my secret love—was discarded, left in a dusty corner no one cared to see again.

After packing, I lay on the bed, checking flight schedules on my phone. Soft, intimate sounds drifted through the walls from the room next door. I pulled the blanket over my head, but the screen’s glow stung my eyes.

I know that the Parker Family had treated me well and Richard had given me ten of the best years of my life. I owed him that much—leaving quietly without making things more complicated for him. It was only fair.

Still... I just greedily want to take a look at Richard as a groom. To know if the version in my mind—the one I had cherished all these years—matched reality. If I could have that, it would feel like closure for my unspoken love. Afterward, I would wish him happiness and fade from his world forever.

The next morning, Winnie came to my room holding a red dress.

"I’m really sorry about what happened," she said sweetly. "Your birthday is the day after tomorrow. I convinced Richard to throw a party for you to make it up to you. Make sure you look your best. Richard doesn’t like seeing you all gloomy."

I glanced at the dress. The material and design were far cheaper than what I used to wear. My birthdays were a big deal in the past—no matter how busy Richard was, he would set everything aside to plan my party himself.

Now… I knew I had no right to expect the same.

“Thank you, Winnie… I mean, thank you, Aunt Winnie.”

She smiled, satisfied and left.

On the day of the party, I forced myself to get ready, putting on the earrings my mother had designed before she passed away. There had been a matching brooch, but it was lost when my family went bankrupt.

Richard had once promised, “I’ll search the world to find it for you.”

Downstairs, the guests had already arrived. I gathered my dress and hurried down the stairs, only to stop halfway. It wasn’t my birthday party. It was Richard and Winnie’s engagement party.

Winnie wore the same red dress as me. Only hers was paired with that dazzling, long-lost brooch. My brooch.

The guests’ eyes sharpened, their whispers cutting through the air like knives.

“Look, isn’t that the ungrateful girl the Parker Family adopted?”

“Parker always treated her so well and now she’s shamelessly trying to steal him! And wearing the same dress to provoke his fiancée? She has no shame.”

“She probably stole those earrings from Mrs. Parker too. Honestly, the only reason she’s been tolerated this long is because the Parker Family is too kind.”

The same people who once flattered me now turned against me without hesitation.

Humiliated, I tried to explain, but my foot caught on the hem of my dress and I fell awkwardly in front of everyone. Laughter erupted around me.

Richard approached quickly and for a brief moment, I thought he would help me.

Instead, he shrugged off his jacket and threw it over my head.

“Take that dress off. Get out.”

I tried to stand, but my ankle throbbed painfully, making moving hard. He extended a hand toward me—then withdrew it just as fast, his voice cold.

“Lily, don’t test my patience.”

He chose her. Just like everyone else.

There was no point in arguing anymore. Swallowing my pride, I limped back upstairs to my room.

The music floated up from below. I glanced back one last time and saw Richard dancing with Winnie. He moved gracefully now, a far cry from the clumsy boy I had once taught to dance.

Tears welled in my eyes, but I forced them down and slammed the door shut, cutting off the sound of the celebration.

Oddly, I felt calm—not the kind of calm that came from peace, but the type that followed complete emptiness.

I couldn't sleep well when I first came to the Parker Family. Richard had planted lavender behind my window, hoping its scent under the moonlight would comfort me.

The moon still shone outside my window tonight, but my heart and lavender garden had withered beyond repair. No breeze, scent, or memory could stir anything in me now.

The next morning, I went to the hospital alone.

The same doctor treated my ankle and ran a few final tests before scheduling the procedure for the afternoon.

As I waited outside the operating room, my phone buzzed. It was Richard.

“I heard from Mrs. Parker that you’re at the hospital. Are you still injured?” he asked, his voice soft but distant.

“Last night... It was Winnie’s fault—”

“I know,” he interrupted. “But she’s going to be Mrs. Parker. She’s your elder. I have to stand by her.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

The Richard who once swore to stand by me against the world was gone. In his place stood a man I no longer recognized.

Suddenly, I realized that I didn’t owe him anything besides money anymore. At least, not when it came to love.

I smiled bitterly, resting a hand on my stomach.

“Can you come to the hospital?” I asked quietly.

No matter what, he was still the child’s father. It felt right to say goodbye, if only this once.

Richard hesitated. “I have a meeting. I’ll come as soon as it’s over.”

After he hung up, I leaned back in my chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Time passed slowly. When the nurse came to fetch me, I opened my phone one last time to check if he had arrived.

Instead, I saw a new post from Winnie.

“Shopping all day with him! And the diamond ring wasn’t big enough—he wants to give me the best of everything,” the caption read.

I felt a strange sense of relief. Smiling faintly, I liked the post and followed the nurse into the operating room.

The procedure went smoothly.

In a few days, I, too, would disappear quietly from Richard’s world—just like this child.

The Parker Family was abuzz with wedding preparations, bustling from dawn to dusk. Everyone was too busy to notice me; frankly, I didn’t want to be noticed. I stayed tucked away in my room, nursing my body and gathering my thoughts.

On the wedding day, the entire house glimmered with festivity. A whirlwind of activity, laughter and music surrounded the estate. In the midst of it all, Richard found a brief moment to stand outside my door.

He clicked the lock shut.

“This is for your own good, Lily,” he said softly. “This way, Winnie can feel at ease.”

We stared at each other through the thin sliver of the door. His face, framed by the crack, seemed distant—dressed sharply in a grey suit, he looked every bit the perfect groom. But it wasn’t the image I had imagined all these years.

I forced a smile, my voice steady. “Richard, I wish you happiness. Truly. No matter who you’re with, I hope you’re happy.”

Everyone in the Parker Family was invited to witness the grand wedding except me. I remained behind that locked door, discarded like an inconvenient secret. As the household noise dwindled and silence crept in, I shattered the window glass, climbed through it and left without a backward glance.

I boarded the plane, my heart as light as my carry-on. I had nothing left to hold on to. But just as the aircraft engines roared to life, the passenger beside me made a casual comment that shook me.

“Did you hear? Richard Parker ran out on his wedding!”