The Tenth Time She Rejected My Proposal

At our tenth engagement party, my girlfriend crushed my heart again, leaving my proposal ring dangling in the air.

She had been chasing the ghost of her first love, and I was done being her fallback guy. When I finally opened my heart to someone new, she realized what she'd lost.

Ten years together, ten engagement parties, and still, she wouldn't take my ring. Every time we reached the moment to exchange vows, she'd stare at the door, waiting for that man to swoop in and rescue her.

She swore she'd only marry me if he crashed the party, claiming it would prove she'd truly chosen me.

This time, I couldn't hold back. "If he never shows, are you just gonna keep stringing me along forever?"

She shot back, "He still loves me. He'll show up to stop this. Besides, we've been together a decade. Does a ring even matter at this point?"

The tenth engagement party was a shadow of the ones before.

The banquet hall felt hollow. Neither Felicity Hill's parents nor mine bothered to show up. Her folks were mortified by her repeated stunts, while my mom and dad were fed up with the public humiliation. They'd even threatened to disown me if I didn't cut ties with her.

I told myself that this was the last time.

Felicity stood beside me, but her eyes weren't on me. She kept sneaking glances at her watch, then at the double doors. I knew who she was waiting for.

The emcee shifted awkwardly, nudging her to take the ring I held out and seal our vows. I didn't push her, still clinging to a shred of hope.

The guests started whispering, their patience wearing thin. Finally, Felicity sighed, extending her hand like she was doing me a favor.

My heart pounded, a decade's worth of longing surging through me. But before I could put the ring on her, the doors flew open.

"Felicity! Please, don't marry him. If you do, I swear I'll end it all!" Julian Hogan shouted, stumbling in.

His white shirt untucked, he looked like he'd just stepped out of a melodrama. Tears streaked his face, and he clutched a knife to his wrist.

Felicity froze, her eyes lighting up with hope, but my chest caved in. I should've given up long ago, but I'd let those ten years blind me, forgiving her time and again.

"Felicity, no. Don't go to him," I begged, my voice cracking as I grabbed her sleeve.

I knew she'd pick him without a second thought, but I needed her to hesitate, just for a second, to prove my decade of devotion wasn't a waste.

She wrenched her arm free, her face twisting with disgust. "Are you serious? He's about to kill himself, and all you care about is this stupid ceremony? Have some humanity!"

She didn't look back as she ran to Julian, yanking the knife from his hand and tossing it to the floor. She pulled him into her arms and whispered, "Come on, let me take you home."

Julian shot me a smug glance, his lips curling into a victorious smirk before he buried his face in her shoulder. "Even if you don't get engaged today, you'll do it eventually. I might as well die now."

His words were a calculated jab to kill any chance of our engagement. Oblivious, Felicity kept soothing him like he was a wounded puppy. "I'm not getting engaged to him. Come on, you're not thinking straight. Let's get you out of here."

He nodded, hesitant.

I stood alone on the stage, our friends' pitying stares bearing into me. My teeth ground together as I shouted after them, "Felicity! If you walk out that door, I'm done forgiving you."

She didn't turn around, just tossed back a flippant, "Grow up, Malcolm. His life is on the line."

I laughed, a bitter and hollow sound. My heart felt like it was being carved open, but I stayed rooted, letting the pain rip through me.

In her mind, Julian was always more important than me.