She Married His Rival After He Chose Her

Evening.

A storm broke loose, rain hammering down in sheets.

I called Stewart Stephens for the nineteenth time.

When he finally picked up, the question tumbled out before I could stop it.

「Stewart, where are you?」

He'd promised to pick me up from work and spend my thirtieth birthday with me.

I stared at the rain lashing the window, listening to the noise on his end, and then a familiar female voice, whining.

「Stewie, my feet are getting all wet!」

「I hate feeling sticky. You know that!」

The girl was throwing a fit. Stewart forgot about me and turned his attention to coaxing her.

「Don't be mad, princess! How about I take you to get some cute new shoes, hm?」

The girl let out a cold little huff, and only then did Stewart remember I was on the line.

「Babe, did you need something?」

I listened to his voice, and a laugh slipped out of me.

「No.」

「Go take care of your little princess.」

——

「Mia Payne——」

Before Stewart could blow up, I hung up first.

His texts came through immediately.

「Mia, what the hell is your problem now!」

「Chloe Abbott said she wanted to celebrate YOUR birthday. She insisted on going all the way across town to that bakery to get you a lychee cake, just to make you happy, and you can't even be grateful? Who exactly are you giving attitude to!」

「Do you even get it!」

「Chloe's CRYING because of your little tantrum!」

I read through the barrage. Chloe was crying. Chloe did it all for me. Chloe went across town to buy a lychee cake, just to make me happy.

I almost wanted to laugh.

Stewart and I had been together five years.

Five years.

And he still hadn't bothered to remember that I don't eat lychee.

I don't eat longan.

I don't eat rambutan.

But every single time he bought fruit, every time he picked up a little cake, it was always lychee, always longan and rambutan. Because those were Chloe's favorites.

Because she was Chloe.

With Stewart, she always came first.

Even though I'd spent five years trying to get him to tip the scales my way, just once.

Just once.

Now.

Standing in the middle of this downpour, I was suddenly too tired to fight anymore. Life was exhausting enough. What was the point?

I stood on the subway, watching a boy across the aisle wrap his arms around his girlfriend, shifting to carve out space for her, and I heard the girl murmur.

「I'm so lucky to have you.」

The boy smiled.

It was the kind of scene that made your chest ache.

I'd never had that.

I scrolled through the birthday messages from friends, relatives, and coworkers, half-listening as my mom sighed on the other end of the phone.

「Mia, you're thirty now.」

「If you keep dragging this out, you'll really miss your window. I'm not trying to push you, it's just——」

My mother's voice was swallowed by my father's sobbing. He choked out the words：「It's your grandmother. They found pancreatic cancer.」

「Late stage.」

「All she wants is to see her favorite granddaughter settled down.」

「Mia,」 my father managed through tears：「are you still refusing to set a date with Stewart?」

「You two have been together five years.」

「How many five years does a person get, Mia?」

His crying tore through every nerve I had, shook something loose at the core of me. I opened my mouth to ask about Grandma Payne, but my mother spoke first.

「If Stewart really won't commit.」

「Mia, could you——」

What she meant was: if Stewart won't do it, can you consider someone else?

If Stewart won't say yes, can you move on?

Before, I would have dug in. I would have fought for a future with Stewart no matter what.

Before, I would have stood my ground and told my parents: Stewart is the only one I want.