The Day My Wedding Ring Outshone His Empty Promises

I am well aware of how much Skyler Jackson once loved me. Our families have been close for generations, so we grew up together like childhood sweethearts. Ever since we were little, he dedicated everything he did to me. As a child, I adored the spiced honey cake from a bakery in the north of town, and he went above and beyond to hire the pastry chef just to make it for me.

When we moved to London during middle school, Skyler, who was accustomed to a life of luxury, left his comfort behind to live alone in London, just so he could attend the same school and be with me every day. Later, when it was time for university, he didn’t hesitate to turn down an offer from a Swiss institution and followed me to the Netherlands for my studies.

I remember feeling a pang of guilt and telling him he didn’t have to always stay by my side, that his kindness was something I would never forget. But he would simply say, "Caroline, don’t worry about me. Just go ahead and live your life to the fullest. I'll always be there, right behind you—that's my purpose."

It was during Thanksgiving, with fireworks lighting up the sky, that I gazed upon him, my heart full of gratitude. I whispered a wish, "Caroline and Skyler, forever and always." That was the day I decided to pause and build a joyful life with Skyler Jackson.

The day I accepted his proposal, he was so thrilled he couldn’t sleep all night. He raced around the entire city of London, ensuring every billboard screamed, "Skyler Jackson is marrying the love of his life, CE." His elite friends in London playfully teased him about it, saying that in love, Skyler was like a child in a candy store. They joked that I, Caroline, was the very heartbeat of Skyler Jackson.

When I decided to settle down with him in New York, my dad was strongly opposed. Although he thought Skyler would make a great son-in-law, he didn’t want me to move so far away. Back then, I reassured my parents with conviction, saying, "I'm Skyler's whole world—he can't live without me. I believe he won't let me down."

Looking back now, it all seems rather laughable. Who in this world can’t live without someone? How could it be that Skyler truly couldn’t live without me?