Time to Wake Up

After eight years together, I've proposed to my boyfriend 108 times.

Each time, he found a different excuse to turn me down.

On the 109th try, I give up a promotion and transfer opportunity. Finally, he said yes.

I think he's moved by my sincerity. But instead, he brings his first love into our marital home and falls into our bed with her.

"I only proposed to her to spite you. If you just say the word, I'll dump her at the altar and marry you instead!"

Staring at the scene before me, I take the tight engagement ring off my finger and toss it down the drain. I decide to call off the wedding before he can.

But after I walk away, the man who swore he'd marry someone else went crazy searching for me everywhere.

Harold claimed he was busy, so I busied myself setting up our wedding venue alone until midnight.

Over the years, he'd refused to marry me 108 times for various reasons—including but not limited to—his career that was just taking flight, not having a fitting suit, and ugly flowers at the venue.

This time, it was because of my future assignment to Touden, the capital city. He didn't want to be in a long-distance relationship.

And so I gave up on my bright future and organized the wedding by myself, down to the details.

I assumed that he was picky because he wanted to have a perfect wedding, but now, I was watching camera footage of him kissing another woman passionately in bed.

Elise leaned her head on his shoulder, scoffing. "What excuse are you planning to give her this time? I think you should just end this and marry her."

Harold frowned. He grabbed her wandering hand and kissed it. "Don't make a fuss," he said. "You know that I proposed to her just to rile you up. I didn't really want a family.

"You're my only true love. The moment you agree to it, I'll arrange a wedding with you."

My heart stung so painfully, I had to crouch down. My tears fell on the ring he used to propose to me.

It was stunning, with a pink diamond on it. He'd supposedly spent a handsome sum on it, having enlisted the services of an expert designer from overseas. Struck by his sincerity, I didn't mind even if it was a size smaller.

At this moment, though, I finally came to a realization. This ring didn't fit on me because it didn't belong to me in the first place.

Elise laughed right then, as if making fun of how pathetic I was. "Sure. We've fought and made up 108 times—I had fun, but I'm tired now. If you abandon Shana on the day of your wedding and propose to me in front of everyone, I'll marry you.

"Can you bear to treat her like that, though?"

My fiancé was always aloof, even when proposing to me. Yet, he was now pulling her