My Bride's Groom was Her High School Sweetheart

I didn't usually wear leather shoes because my ankle's messed up from an old injury, so walking in them felt like a punishment.

It took me forever to limp my way over to Chloe. She was glowing, laughing at something Jaxson said; her whole face lit up with that soft smile she never had for me.

The jacket I gave her to keep warm? She just tossed it on the ground like she didn't need anything from me anymore.

As soon as she saw me approaching, her smile dropped fast. Her brows knitted together like she was accusing me that I'd open my mouth, tell Jaxson about our relationship, and ruin her perfect little act.

"What?" she quickly said before I could open my mouth. "I'm just catching up with an old classmate."

For a second, I just stood there, frozen. Then I forced a smile, playing along.

"'Forgot I had something urgent to do at work. I gotta head back. I didn't bring my phone for the photoshoot, so I just wanted to let you know."

She blinked, looking surprised. Maybe she thought I'd make a scene out of jealousy like I used to, but I wasn't interested in that anymore. There was no point. And I didn't want to humiliate myself any more than I already had.

Her expression softened as she nodded without a word, almost relieved.

I turned around and hobbled away, my ankle killing me with every step.

Behind me, I overheard her laugh again, brushing everything off.

"Don't worry about it, seriously. It's just some stupid bridal shop thing. They needed models, and we were available…"

I wasn't lying—I really did go back to work. I spent the rest of the day tying up loose ends, though I wasn't exactly focused.

The sky had already darkened when I got home.

For the time time, dinner was set on the table.

As far as I could remember, she had never cooked for me.

As soon as I walked in, she quickly put down her phone, her expression a little off. "You're back. Why so late this time? I made dinner. Oh, by the way, you looked like you've lost some weight in that suit this morning…"

I paused halfway across the room. Lost weight?

I hadn't noticed, but then again, I hadn't really been eating since those photos showed up on her laptop.

Still, as I glanced at the dishes at the table—heavy, greasy, drowning in cheese and carbs—I felt my stomach twist. Lasagna, mac and cheese, pizza… She didn't care. She'd never bothered to learn what I liked.

"You go ahead," I said, my voice flat. "I'm not hungry. I'm heading to bed."

As I walked away, my ankle throbbed again, the blister from those damn leather shoes stinging like fire.

She must've noticed because the next thing I knew, she was standing in the bedroom doorway with a first-aid kit

For a split second, I almost laughed. After all these years, she suddenly tried to take care of me.

It was too little, too late. The wound had already scabbed over.

And I didn't need her anymore.

"Thanks, but I'm fine," I said, brushing her off.

She stood there for a moment and stared at me, her face darkening a little. She left without another word, only to return with a slice of pizza and place it on the nightstand.

"I didn't know Jaxson would be there," she began, her voice small. "He's an old friend. We hadn't seen each other in years, so I couldn't just ignore him. Please, don't take it the wrong way. I—"

I glanced at the food on the nightstand and cut her off mid-sentence. "I don't eat stuff like that, Chloe, remember?"

She always knew I needed a protein-rich meal to feel full. I'd never been one to settle for a quick bite, especially not something like a slice of pizza.

But she obviously didn't care. She never had.

After all these years, she finally tried, and I didn't feel a thing. I was done craving for her affection.

Her face hardened, and with the typical cold expression on her face, she walked out of the room.

That time, she didn't come back.

By midnight, my stomach started growling. I tiptoed to the kitchen for some water and saw the faint glow of Chloe's phone screen from the living room.

She was chatting with someone, her fingers flying across the screen, her face lit up in a smile.

I remembered how she used to tell me she never stayed up late—it was bad for her skin, she said, which was why she never stayed up with me on New Year's Eve.

The coldness in my chest spread, and I turned away without even bothering to get that drink.

Just turned around and went back to bed.

The next day, we were supposed to get a marriage license.

But when I stepped out of the room, the house was empty. She was already gone. No text message, no note.

Out of habit, I checked Jaxson's socials, and sure enough, I saw he'd posted he's posted an update. It was a pic of him lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip, looking as pitiful as ever.

It came with a caption.

[How can someone live away from home for so long and still not know how to take care of themselves? Barely back home and already landed myself in the hospital.]

I couldn't help but wonder how a grown man could be so careless about something as serious as his own health.

But I didn't care enough to think anymore about him.

I spent the rest of the day packing my stuff. By the time the night fell, Chloe still wasn't home.

She only sent a half-hearted message:[Working late.]

I stared at those two words on the screen for a long time. I let out a bitter laugh. She didn't even bother to come up with a good lie.

I'd spoken to her supervisor earlier that week, and he mentioned they'd cleared her schedule to give her time for the wedding.

So I figured she was probably 'working' at the hospital.

Midnight came, and the countdown on my phone hit zero.

The wedding was supposed to be the next morning, but for me, it marked my flight out of her life.

I spent the night on the couch and left for the airport first thing.

On the way there, I couldn't help but feel relieved.

At least the wedding thing had been fake.

At least I hadn't told my family.

Otherwise, I'd have no idea how to explain ditching my bride to my parents.

When I reached the airport, I called Chloe to break up with her officially. But the phone barely rang before she hung up on me.

A second later, I got a series of voice messages from her. Her tone was beyond impatient.

"I'm almost there! What are you so worked up about? We're getting married. Do you think I'm just gonna ditch you? Jeez!"

"Jaxson got discharged early just to attend the wedding, but he got into a car accident on the way! God, Desmond, can't you be a li'l more understanding?"

"Just keep my friends entertained. I'll explain everything to them when I get there."

When the voice messages ended, I stared blankly at the screen of my phone.

After a moment, I typed back a short message.

[We're done. The wedding's all yours.]