Gone Is The Past

I once believed Sarah Weller was the love of my life. For her, I planned a once-in-a-lifetime wedding; for her, I launched a “True Love” jewelry collection worth over a billion. However, with only seven days left before the wedding, she calmly told me that she needed to fulfill her first love’s late mother’s final wish to marry him first, and only then marry me.

As if it were a matter of fact, she said, “For Tim, all of this can be sacrificed. If you can’t even bear to lose that little bit of money, you can find someone else to marry right now.”

Only then did I understand. In her world, I and everything I had built could be pushed aside at any moment for her so-called first love. So, I turned around without another word and called home.

“Penelope,” I said to my sister-in-law, “the wedding will proceed as scheduled. Just do me a favor and replace the bride.”

On the day of the appointment to try on her wedding gown, I waited downstairs at Sarah Weller’s company for a long time before she finally came down, slow and unhurried.

The moment she got into the car, she tossed me a small airplane model.

“Tim wanted me to give this to you,” she said. “You embarrassed him at the funeral yesterday. You should find the time to apologize to him.”

The airplane was a miniature version. It was clearly a freebie that came with a real purchase. I had seen it in Sarah’s shopping cart just a few days ago.

I replied flatly, “I don’t want it.”

She frowned immediately. “Why are you throwing a tantrum? You were the one who barged into the funeral and said I wasn’t his fiancée, making things awkward for him. Not only did he not hold it against you, but he even thought to bring you a gift. And this is how ungrateful you are?”

The woman who once stood firmly by my side was long gone. Now, the person she treasured was someone else.

Irritated, Sarah rolled down the window and let the wind blow in. After a long while, when she realized I wasn’t going to coax her, she finally spoke again.

“Forget it. Today’s a good day. I’ll be trying on my wedding gown. I won’t argue with you.”

This was the first time all year that she had softened first.

At the bridal boutique, a shop assistant immediately came forward.

“Miss Weller, Mr. Grant has personally commissioned one hundred and twenty custom wedding gowns for you. They’re all ready.”

However, Sarah wasn’t looking at the dresses at all. She was staring down at her phone, her expression tense and distracted. When she noticed my gaze, she quickly put the phone away, a trace of guilt flashing across her face.

“Henry, something urgent came up on Tim’s side. I need to go right now. You can pick one for me. I trust your taste.”

Before I could say anything,