I’m Done With Being His Backup

Perhaps it was because I loved him so much at the time, my affection for him created a halo around him, hiding all his flawed, counterfeit qualities.

“On the eve of our wedding, you pledge your loyalty to another woman and pour out your feelings to her. Do you really think that makes you seem incredibly devoted?”

“I asked you before if you had truly let go of your past. You told me you had. It was because of that very answer that I made up my mind to be with you. Marriage is a two-person commitment. Is it only you who has to face questions from your parents? And after all this, you still think you're blameless, and I’m just making a fuss, am I?”

I questioned him word by word, my gaze fixed firmly on Julian. Yet, I couldn't find a single trace of regret or guilt on his face.

I had never looked through his phone before. But one day, while he was in the shower, his phone was carelessly left by my side. I don’t know what came over me, but I impulsively picked it up and took a quick glance. That was when I saw the message.

Maybe it was fate, helping me out. Perhaps the universe felt sorry for me, being kept in the dark for so long, so it arranged for me to find out the truth about the man I thought I knew.

"Right now, I'm just relieved I didn't find this message after we were married. Since you want to find someone else, go ahead. I’ll tell everyone the truth about our broken engagement. Wasting three years of my life on you is better than wasting my whole life."

I didn’t know which of my words hit Julian the hardest, but his previously emotionless face suddenly changed.

He stood up, visibly irritated, his eyes locking onto mine before they shifted to the suitcase in my hand. His voice was impatient as he spoke.

"I’ve been with you for all these years, and I’ve never once cheated on you. I’d say I’ve been more than decent, maybe even perfect. Even if you wanted roasted pig’s feet at 2 AM, I’d go downstairs, get in my car, and buy them for you. And yet, over something so trivial, you're calling off the engagement? You think you’ll find a better man than me once you leave?"

I shot back, not holding back my words: “I don’t know what my next boyfriend will be like, but he’ll definitely never be someone like you, someone who’s always eyeing other options while enjoying what’s right in front of him.”

"I’ve told you a thousand times—I’ve never done anything to betray you. For years, we’ve had no contact, not even a meeting. I’m getting married tomorrow, and I just want to tell her and completely close the chapter on my past. Is that wrong?"

Julian took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Don’t you have a past of your own? I know that from tomorrow, we’re supposed to live as husband and wife, which is why I wanted to say goodbye. If there’s any fault, it’s that I didn’t delete this message immediately after sending it. You wouldn't have seen it if I had."

The more Julian spoke, the more irritated he became. He even lit a cigarette, pacing back and forth in the living room, his eyes locked on me, as if I were some unsatisfactory prey.

At this point, he still believed he was in the right.

He stood by his position, thinking that all of this was just me making a scene, nitpicking, and blowing things out of proportion.

I crossed my arms, watching him coldly.