My Groom is In Love with Another Addie

I couldn’t shake the memory of his proposal. Six months ago, while we were traveling, a landslide hit unexpectedly. In a desperate attempt to save him, I fell down the mountainside. He came out unharmed, but I was left badly injured and unconscious.

Fortunately, the medical team arrived just in time, and I survived. On the day I was discharged, Glenn came with a bouquet of flowers. He got down on one knee, looking deeply sincere.

“Addie,” he said with heartfelt emotion, “you saved my life, and I want to take care of you for the rest of mine.”

Overwhelmed by surprise and joy, I covered my mouth in disbelief. As our friends cheered, I put the ring on my finger, thinking this was the start of our forever together.

Throughout our years together, Glenn had always been steady, kind, and considerate. If it weren’t for what happened today, I’d be certain of his love for me. But now, as he sat in the car with a distant look in his eyes, that certainty was gone.

I drove in silence, already thinking about the possibility of ending our relationship. Five years may seem like a long time, but a lifetime is much longer. The idea of marrying someone who had betrayed me emotionally was both upsetting and disturbing.

Then, Glenn’s phone started vibrating nonstop. I hesitated, unsure whether to answer it, but the vibration didn’t stop. Reluctantly, I decided to pick it up and unlock it—it wasn’t password-protected.

In all the years we’d been together, I had never checked his phone, always respecting his privacy. But now, curiosity and the need for answers drove me to see what was on the screen.

What I found was a message from Adalynn:

“Text me when you get home. If Glenn gets drunk, he’ll have a headache tomorrow. Make him a bowl of hangover soup and let it cool before giving it to him. Don’t forget to wipe his body; otherwise, he’ll be uncomfortable while he sleeps.”

I realized she was using Glenn’s phone to send these instructions. It was absurd—here I was, supposed to be preparing for our wedding tomorrow, and instead, I was getting care instructions from another woman.

I parked the car and took a deep breath before scrolling through the chat history. There were many messages between Glenn and Adalynn. As I went through them, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of conversations and couldn’t reach the end.

The screen was filled with Glenn’s complaints and a few replies from Adalynn. One message stood out:

“Honestly, I don’t really want to get married, but how can I not appreciate her for saving my life?”

“She has a name similar to yours, but she’s nowhere near your level. She just doesn’t get me at all.”

The impact of what I was reading hit me hard.

“If I proposed to you, would you say yes?”

Glenn didn’t get an immediate reply from Adalynn. He followed up with a self-deprecating comment, “Just kidding. Don’t ignore me. I won’t say it.”

Their conversation went quiet for a while. This morning, Glenn had sent her an electronic wedding invitation. In response, Adalynn messaged, “If I asked you to marry me, would you come?”

Glenn quickly replied, “Are you serious?”

“I’m just joking,” Adalynn answered.

I could almost picture it—if Adalynn had been serious, it seemed like Glenn might have left me without a second thought.

As I read the messages, tears filled my eyes. A painful mix of hate and anger bubbled up inside me. I realized that this empty relationship was one I was better off leaving.

While Glenn was still asleep, I booked a flight to Hudson City for the same day as our wedding. Everything was arranged. I lay down on the bed, ignoring Glenn’s unconscious form on the floor.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of his voice. Even though he was trying to speak softly, my door was slightly open, and I could hear him clearly.

“Don’t cry, Addie,” he said, his voice full of regret. “The person I love will always be you. If you say you love me, I’d do anything for you.”

“But... the wedding guests are already invited. Even if I wanted to back out, there’s no turning back now.”

I wasn’t sure what he heard on the other end of the line, but suddenly he burst into laughter. “You clever little ghost. Fine, I’ll do as you say. When the time comes, I’ll put our wedding photos behind Adriana’s. To me, those belong to us.”

Even though I had decided to end things, I was momentarily stunned. The thought of Glenn planning to take wedding photos with Adalynn and then hide them behind my own wedding photos felt like a cruel twist.

It was as if I had been slapped twice, with each blow hurting even more. A surge of anger made it hard to breathe. At that moment, Glenn ended the call, peeked into the room cautiously, and looked at me with a startled expression.

“Addie, why did you get up?” Glenn asked, his confusion mixed with a touch of guilt.

I took a deep breath, kept a cold expression, and got out of bed.

Seeing my mood, Glenn seemed relieved that I hadn’t overheard his conversation. But then his face grew tense. “Why are you looking at me like that? I just had too much to drink last night.”

I chose to ignore him. After a moment, he suddenly smiled and said gently, “Addie, I have some things to do today, so I might not be able to stay with you. Adalynn wants to be your bridesmaid, and we still need to choose the bridesmaid dresses. To make sure everything goes smoothly for the wedding, I need to go with her to pick out the dresses.”

He seemed to sense that I might refuse and quickly added, “Come by this afternoon, and we’ll pick out the wedding dress together. Don’t worry, you’ll be the most beautiful bride. Adalynn won’t outshine you.”

I responded with a noncommittal hum. He looked surprised by my unexpected agreement. With a look of eagerness, he hurried to gather his things, grabbed the car keys, and left.

Even though I hadn’t planned to go, my curiosity about Adalynn’s dress choice made me decide to go. Later that afternoon, I took a taxi to the wedding dress shop, eager to see what would happen.

When I arrived, I saw that Adalynn and Glenn seemed to be in a close moment. From where I stood, Adalynn was wearing a short white gauze skirt that showed off her slim waist and a lot of her pale skin. I noticed several kiss marks on the back of her neck.

My sudden entrance surprised them. Adalynn quickly hid behind Glenn, as if I were a threat. Glenn stepped in front of her, acting casual as he spoke to me.

“You’re late,” he said. “Adalynn has already picked out a wedding dress for you. Go ahead and try it on.”

The dress he showed me was just a plain white dress with a simple flower accessory—nothing compared to the elegant gown Adalynn was wearing. The difference was obvious. It seemed clear that I should be wearing the more elaborate dress.

Glenn didn’t seem to notice anything wrong. Seeing my hesitation, he added, “Wedding preparations can be a lot. Adalynn wanted to make things easier for you and help you relax.”

I couldn’t help but sneer at his words. “Simplify,” he called it.

“There’s no need to try it on. Just use this one,” I said firmly.

Adalynn tugged on Glenn’s sleeve and said in a pitiful voice, “Adriana doesn’t want to try it on. Do you think she doesn’t like the dress I picked for her?”

Glenn’s frustration was obvious as he looked at me. “I’m doing this for your own good. How can you not understand? We need a proper wedding dress for the photos.”

His comments only made me angrier. “Then just use AI to create the photos,” I snapped. “Why is trying on a dress so important?”

I had had enough. Without saying another word, I turned and walked away.

Glenn’s frustration boiled over. “You’re just ignoring this,” he shouted after me. “You can’t match Adalynn’s looks. Maybe it’s better if we don’t take any photos at all, so we don’t spoil anyone’s mood.”

Adalynn then gently nudged him and said in a sweet tone, “Don’t be too hard on Adriana. She’s your fiancée, after all.”

Her emphasis on “fiancée” only seemed to annoy Glenn more. He muttered, “Who cares if she’s my fiancée?”

I chose to ignore his comments. Instead, I focused on packing my things and moving to the hotel. Glenn hadn’t reached out in the past few days. I wasn’t sure if he was angry or if he just hadn’t noticed I was gone.

While I was out of sight, Glenn was very active on social media. He posted a photo of himself with Adalynn, saying, “After all the twists and turns, it’s still you.”

Our mutual friends, not knowing the real story, commented with excitement: “Glenn is so loving! He must have been after her for years. Congratulations to him for winning the heart of such a beauty!”

The support for Glenn and Adalynn kept pouring in. One comment said, “I’ve been cheering for you both for so long. You’re a perfect match!”

Glenn responded with a smiling emoji to every congratulatory message, reinforcing the idea that they were the perfect couple. It seemed like his goal was to let everyone believe they were a great match, even if he couldn’t actually marry Adalynn.

The day before the wedding, Glenn sent me a message. He had used AI to make a wedding photo for us and included a sarcastic comment: “People, stop being so stubborn. If you were even half as thoughtful as Adalynn, we’d have had our wedding photos done a long time ago. Instead, we’re stuck with this rough AI creation.”

The photo he attached was a badly made digital mockup, with awkward mismatches between the neck and body. I didn’t reply. I just deleted the photo without a second thought.

On the wedding day, I left a brief breakup message, packed my things, and headed to the airport. As I watched the scenery change from the window, I felt surprisingly calm. Ending things with Glenn wasn’t as painful as I’d feared.

But right after landing, I got an unexpected call.