Three years ago, to protect my girlfriend, I used my body as her shield. Unfortunately, because of that, I ended up with lasting injuries myself.
On the day I was allow to leave the hospital, she did not show up. On top of that, she made me a laughing stock on the day we supposed to register our marriage by flying off to Northern Europe with her one true love to watch the Aurora Borealis together.
When she returned, she casually apologized, assuming I would forgive her just like that, as usual. Then, she asked, "Can we get the marriage certificate tomorrow?"
With a wide grin on my face, I pulled out a marriage certificate, "Nope, sorry. I’ve already marriage.”
——
I worked as a wedding planner. When I was sitting at my desk, I took a casual glance at my colleague’s desk. On top of it, files were scattered all over it. As so happened, I noticed that the name Hugo Long was written on it.
Seeing the familiar name, I had to make sure the name of the bride-to-be. However, when I tried to take a closer look, my colleague just gave me her professional smile.
So, I asked her, "Who is this groom?"
My colleague said, "All I know that the groom was terminally ill. So, the bride refused to leave him and wants a small but meaningful wedding. This thing kind of reminds me of what had happened between you and Karen Miller at that time."
She halted her words and a complicated look briefly crossed her face. She then said, "I'm sorry. The client has insisted on confidentiality, so I can't disclose too much about this wedding."
I did not think too much of it because I was sure that the name was just a bizarre coincidence.
When I arrived home, I casually asked, "Is Hugo getting married?" I directed my eyes toward Karen, waiting for her reaction. She was putting on her gilded earring and with her flawless makeup, she looked like a bride who was ready to walk down the aisle.
Karen's expression did not change as she wrapped her hands around me. her tone unusually soft. "How would I know, honey? I haven’t been in touch with him for ages."
I completely failed to notice the relief emotion that flickered in her eyes.
The next day, I received a text from an unknown number with an address. I almost dismissed it as spam, but curiosity got the better of me. When I arrived, I saw a figure I knew all too well.
It was my wife, Karen. She was dressed in a pure white wedding gown. Her hand was holding Hugo's hand. They were walking step by step toward the altar, right in front of my eyes.
I finally realized the reason Karen had been avoiding the meals I cooked, obsessing over her weight and checking her measurements every day. She even had become fixated on her skincare, upset over even the tiniest pimple and rejecting my advances.
It was all her efforts to become the perfect bride for today. Everything finally made sense to me.
I stormed onto the stage and grabbed her wrist. "Karen! Do you know you’re already married? This is bigamy!"
The words had barely left my mouth when I realized Karen and I had never actually registered our marriage or held a proper wedding. So, I was the fool one.
"Sam Gordon! Do you really have to make a scene at this time? You've crossed the line," Karen rebuked me,
People in the crowd started whispering, their eyes filled with judgment and their words were really harsh in my ears.
Karen showed no concern for my feelings. "I knew you’d act like this. This is why I didn't tell you about this. You're always jumping to conclusions."
I scolded her, "Am I supposed to share my wife with someone else? Karen, do you even see me as your husband?"
Karen's face hardened. She then spoke with a defensive tone, "Hugo has a terminal illness and only two months left. Why are you competing with a dying man? Can you have some compassion, for once?"
These words were spoken in a noble and moral manner and the anger that filled my chest was suddenly blocked in my throat.
Karen said again, "Sam, don’t be selfish. I stayed by your side when you were hospitalized after the car accident. How could I watch Hugo suffer alone now?"
Hugo cut in, "I’m sorry, Sam. I know the accident back then made you delay your wedding and leave you with regrets. I should not have any hope of being with Karen with my broken body and the limited days that I have. I truly don’t deserve Karen. This wedding should have you as the main character instead."
Although Hugo’s words sounded so noble, I knew he was mocking me. He hinted that I used my accident to gain her sympathy.
The provocation in his voice was so much for me that I punched him in the chin.
In the struggle, we crashed into the champagne tower. Glass shards pierced into my skin, while Hugo walked away with nothing more than a scratch.
How could he be someone who was supposedly at the death's door?
I instinctively sucked in a sharp breath.
Karen sneered, "You are a big man but you can't handle just a little push. Sam, you are really not within Hugo's level."
Yes, she was right. How could I ever be compared with a man faking a terminal illness for sympathy?
Chapter 2Hugo clutched his chest while gasping for air but there was a flicker of smug satisfaction danced in his eyes.
Karen supported him and cursed at me, "Are you that petty? Can you take responsibility if his condition worsens?"
"Do you think everyone’s like you? Acting like the world revolves around you just because you got injured?" she shouted.
"Karen, maybe you should stay with Sam. He’s struggling with the after-effects of the accident and he must be in pain."
Hugo's fake concern obviously hit Karen's nerves because she shook her head firmly and snapped, "He brought this on himself. He always tries to be a hero. He didn't even ask me if I wanted him to save my life in the first place anyway."
I was stunned. I had to undergo three surgeries after I saved Karen in that accident. As a result, my body was covered with many scars and permanent damage. My right leg even had permanent numbness because of that.
At that time, she would lose her life, if I had not stood in front of her.
At that critical moment, while the force of impact rushed towards us, I was thinking about every detail of my proposal plan. I had everything set up, waiting for her to discover my surprise.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans for us.
I nearly ended up being disabled and the engagement ring vanished amidst the chaos. My proposal plan was abruptly cut short.
In the ICU, with bandages wrapped tightly around my head, I woke up to her tearful eyes and her trembling voice, "Sam, if you make it through this, can we be together?"
I did not want her to make a hasty decision out of guilt or feel morally obligated to stay with me, so after my recovery, I suggested we break up.
When it came to getting married, I gave her the freedom to choose. She said she couldn’t handle the judgment and the label of being "married". I respected her decision and agreed with her condition.
So, even though we were husband and wife, only a handful of people knew about the fact.
However now, she was accusing me of being selfish and uncaring.
I angrily retorted, "Do you really think that I was trying to play a hero? Should I have just let you get hurt? I clearly remember that I had given you a choice back then…."
Karen cut me off with a growing confidence when she heard my words, "Are you seriously blaming me? I’ve already tolerated so much by staying at your side. What more do you want from me?"
I laughed bitterly, feeling a sense of absurdity with all of these. "Is that really how you’ve always seen it?"
Karen answered, "Well, it's the truth, I’ve put up with so much for your sake. Besides, this wedding is just a formality. Did you have to make such a scene?" She continued. "You just want to keep me tied down, don't you? Maybe you even planned the accident, so I’d feel guilty and stay with you, a disabled man, for the rest of my life."
I stared at her with widened eyes as disbelief washed over me. I could not believe my ears that the person I loved accused me of such a twisted scheme.
I did not have any recollection of how I left the hospital or how I ended up at home. When I looked down and saw the blood soaking through my pants, I rolled up my trouser leg to find my skin torn and bleeding.
The post-accident complications left my right leg numb and devoid of muscle strength or sensation. When the nerve pain flared, I wished I could just cut it off.
The image of Karen and Hugo leaving together was still fresh in my mind. I pounded my fist against the wall. I was suddenly feeling powerless in a marriage that was crumbling.
At two o’clock in the morning, the sound of the door creaking open pulled me back from my thoughts as Karen walked in. Her expression was softer than before.
She then said, "Sam, I know you’re still mad at me. I was in the wrong too, but Hugo’s time is running out. I can’t just leave him alone. I know you’ll understand in the end."
Her tone became even gentler, "I know you’re upset. How about we go get our marriage certificate tomorrow? That should put your doubts to rest."
I turned away, unwilling to meet her gaze, but deep down, her words gave me a small sense of comfort. Maybe she did still care about me and maybe we could mend the rift between us.
The next morning, we arrived early at the Civil Registry office. However, when our number was called, Karen became restless.
She said, "Hugo needs me. There is something wrong with him and he has no one else he can rely on here. I have to go to him."
"We’re about to be called. If he’s sick, he should see a doctor. You going there won’t help." I tried to reason with her with a calm and rational voice as the feeling of unease fell over me. "Besides, you promised we’d get our marriage certificate today."
"Are you kidding me?" she snapped. "We can get a marriage certificate any time. Why can you understand what is the most important?"
After that, I tried to call her numerous times and sent countless text messages but all of them left unanswered.
I was disappointed. I should have known for a long time for this result.
Ever since Hugo returned to Kimora Nation, Karen had been pulled away from this marriage. Over time, they were getting closer and she made a conscious effort to conceal her relationship with me.
The weight of her past love for him was undeniable and she had shown that his needs were more important than mine more than once.
On a freezing winter day, I waited alone in the cold for three hours with a cake that I bought for her to exchange for her smile, while she was happily licking snow off Hugo's hand on the roadside and declaring herself the happiest woman in the world.
They even planned a honeymoon, something Karen and I never had.
Maybe she once loved me, but that was just a fantasy I held onto when I was at death’s door.
Now, it was time for me to leave with whatever dignity I had left.
Chapter 3“Was it you? All because I didn’t follow your plan to get our marriage certificate? There can't be a petty person in the world like you!” Karen’s eyes blazed with anger as she confronted me.
I was confused. I did not understand why she was angry at me.
“What happened to the charm I got for Hugo's safety? I specifically told you not to touch my things! Do you know how important that was? I got it blessed by a master! Do you really want to see him die so you can be happy?” she shouted.
“Why are you so controlling? Can’t you handle me having normal relationships with other people? I think I made the right decision not to marry you back then. If we had gotten married, I wouldn’t have had any freedom left!” she yelled.
“Why can’t you just be more tolerant? Destroying the gift Hugo gave me wasn’t enough, was it?” she added.
At that time, Hugo had brought her a gift. It was a ring.
Karen had eagerly slipped the cheap ring that he got from a dollar store, into her finger.
I didn’t say anything about it. I just thought, as long as she was happy, it did not matter.
That was my thought until I saw Hugo again. It was obvious that he and Karen were a couple.
Karen's finger was really slender so the ring did not fit properly there. Yet, even though it kept slipping off her finger, she was still determined to wear it.
Meanwhile, she had never once worn our wedding ring ever since our marriage.
When I asked about it, she dodged answering. Instead, she gaslighted me by accusing me of interfering with her freedom to be friends with others.
“It’s just an accessory. Do you really need to be so sensitive? Are you going to accuse me of having an illicit affair with Hugo again? Stop making baseless accusations.”
Before I could say anything to defend myself, she had already pinned the blame on me.
Karen looked briefly at her phone before hurriedly banging the door closed and leaving sparing me another glance as she made a call. "Assistant Hammond, book me two first-class tickets to Norway on the earliest flight.”
I was about to call her but, in the end, I decided not to. After all, it would not make any difference. She would still run back to her one true love without a second thought.
I did not have to think too hard that this was all about Hugo once again.
I was right. Hugo posted a sentimental lyric on his Feed on Instagram just a minute ago. It read, "The aurora isn’t mine and neither is the moon.”
Then two minutes later, he updated his Feed again. "Though the moon only shone once upon me, it's already enough."
So, they were going to see the Aurora Borealis, huh?
Memories began to flood my mind. I recalled how many times I had mentioned about wanting to see the Aurora Borealis to Karen but each time I told her, all she gave me was perfunctory answers or empty promises.
Today, I came here just to take what was mine and finally leave for good.
I figured that if I was going to leave, I might as well do it without saying anything to her. So, I abandoned the thought of calling her. Instead, I turned around and packed up my things.
Karen called me, "Sam, what's going on with my credit card? Why did you freeze it? I have dinner plans with Hugo tonight. You must unfreeze it now and stop being difficult."
I sipped champagne from my glass and replied calmly, "Who is this?"
Karen was clearly impatient because she said, "Sam, I'm not in the state of mind for your games. You’d better restore everything and I’ll pretend nothing happened.”
If we were truly over, I wanted everything to be cut clean. The shared card needed to be sorted out, too.
"I'm sorry. You have the wrong person," I said then hung up.
For whatever reasons, Karen decided to end her Aurora-watching trip sooner than expected.
"Sam, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you about the charm. I won’t leave again. Please, don’t be mad at me," she pleaded.
She took the initiative to cling to me. With a voice as sweet as honey, she said, "Let's have pasta tonight and maybe a new designer bag …."
Expressionlessly, I shoved her away and told her with a business-like tone, “Please keep your distance during work hours and maintain professionalism.”
It was the same line she used on me before when she insisted on “avoiding suspicion” to the point where we couldn’t even have normal conversations.
The smile on Karen's face froze. She had never thought that her own words would be used against her.
"Come on, Darling. Don’t be like that. I’m back now, aren’t I? Are you still mad? Let’s go get our marriage certificate tomorrow, okay?” she coaxed.
The change in her attitude was too quick and it was not hard to guess the reason.
Karen and Hugo had probably found themselves stranded in the freezing Nordic cold without transportation or any clue about the local language.
Lost and scared, they might have even encountered a hungry bear along the way and Hugo, suddenly remembered that he was not as frail as he claimed. So he sprinted away like an Olympic athlete and left Karen to face the danger alone. Fortunately, a local happened to pass by and helped her out.
I was not sure whether she finally saw Hugo's true colors or she was just looking for safety but either way, she had run back to me.
However, her enthusiasm could no longer raise any ripple in my heart.
I coldly interrupted her. “The Civil Registry Office is closed tomorrow.”
“Well, then, how about Monday? We can go at eight o'clock instead of seven o'clock in the morning if you want!” she suggested.
I said calmly, "I’m sorry, but I’m already married.”