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He Canceled Our Wedding as a Joke So I Replaced Him
Novelix
Completed
Ten minutes before our wedding appointment, my fiancé Ethan cancels it as a prank and lets his friends laugh at me. After three years of forgiving every humiliation, he is certain I'll forgive this one too. He's wrong. I take the last available marriage slot and call Julian Whitmore—the man my family once wanted me to marry, and the man I rejected for Ethan. I give him ten minutes to get there. He comes. By the time Ethan realizes I'm serious, I'm already Mrs. Whitmore. Now the man who swore I'd always come back has to watch me walk away for good.
Chapters (3)
第1章
Ten minutes before I'm supposed to marry my fiancé at the Marriage Bureau, I find out he canceled our appointment as a prank.
There are only two couples ahead of us when Megan suddenly holds up her phone.
"Claire, look." A confirmation page fills the screen.
Appointment canceled successfully.
For a second, I just stare at it.
Then the people around us burst out laughing.
"Claire, you really didn't notice?"
"You've been talking about getting married for weeks."
"You even dressed up for this."
Someone whistles.
"Guess you really couldn't wait to become Mrs. Parker."
I turn to Ethan. He's leaning against the wall with one hand in his pocket, looking completely relaxed.
"You knew about this?"
"Of course."
I stare at him.
"Why?"
"You've been way too focused on the wedding lately."
He shrugs.
"I figured you needed to loosen up."
Megan waves her phone.
"We started betting yesterday on how long it would take you to realize the appointment was gone."
Tyler laughs so hard he nearly drops his phone.
"And she actually came dressed like this."
I look down at myself.
The dress I spent an hour choosing this morning suddenly feels ridiculous.
"Miss Bennett?"
I turn.
"We're closing soon. If you still want to get married today, you need to check in again right away. There are only a few walk-in slots left."
Megan laughs even louder.
"Even the clerk knows you're desperate to get married."
Tyler nudges Ethan.
"You'd better watch out. She might drag you back to the counter."
Ethan holds out his hand to me.
"Come on. We'll do it another day."
I look at his hand.
Then I look at him.
For three years, I've loved this man.
And for three years, his friends have treated that love like entertainment.
Last month, they hid my birthday gift in a storage room and made me search for it for hours.
On our anniversary, Ethan turned what was supposed to be dinner with me into a night out with his friends. I sat alone at home until after midnight.
During the holidays, they gave me the wrong flight information and let me wait at the airport for hours.
Every time, Ethan told me the same thing.
It was just a joke.
Then he would hold me, kiss my forehead, and tell me not to take it so seriously.
I always forgave him.
Maybe that's why they never stopped.
I step away from his hand.
"Who canceled the appointment?"
Megan's smile fades slightly.
Ethan answers without hesitation.
"I told her to."
"You told her to?"
"Yes."
"You knew I'd been confirming everything all week."
"That's exactly the problem."
His expression turns impatient.
"You've been checking the appointment, the flowers, the lunch, every little detail. It's exhausting."
I stare at him.
"So you canceled our marriage appointment to teach me a lesson?"
He gives me a look like I'm making this more dramatic than it is.
"I wanted you to understand that getting married doesn't mean your whole life should revolve around me."
I almost laugh.
"Don't worry."
His brows pull together.
"It won't anymore."
For the first time, his smile fades.
His friends immediately jump in.
"Oh, come on, Claire."
"Don't be so dramatic."
"Ethan still wants to marry you."
"He's just trying to fix how clingy you are."
I look at them.
"You all knew?"
No one answers.
That's answer enough.
Megan finally reaches for my sleeve.
"Claire, I'm sorry."
I pull away.
"I thought we'd just check in again after ten minutes."
"You thought humiliating me in front of everyone would be funny."
"I didn't mean—"
"I heard your apology."
I look at her. "I don't accept it."
Then I turn toward the check-in machine.
I take the last available slot.
The confirmation prints, ten minutes.
I sit down far away from them and pull out my phone.
There's one number I haven't called in three years.
Julian Whitmore.
Three years ago, before Ethan, our families wanted Julian and me to consider marriage.
We met several times, our parents approved.
Julian was calm, respectful, and serious about it.
Then I met Ethan, I chose him instead.
Julian never argued, he simply stepped aside.
I haven't contacted him since.
I press call. He answers quickly.
"Claire?"
I look at the clock.
"Julian, I need you to come to the Marriage Bureau."
A pause.
"How soon?"
"Ten minutes."
Another pause.
Then I say it clearly.
"Get here in ten minutes, and I'll marry you."
第2章
Julian is silent for a moment.
Then his voice turns serious. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Which Marriage Bureau?" I give him the address.
"I'm coming."
The call ends.
No lecture, no questions about Ethan, and no demand for an explanation. Just a simple answer.
I put my phone down.
Ethan walks over. "Claire, stop being ridiculous."
I look up at him. "What?"
"This." He gestures toward the waiting area. "If we can't do it today, we'll do it another day."
I stare at him. "You canceled the appointment."
"I know."
"You hid it from me until it was almost too late."
"I know."
"All your friends knew."
He sighs. "Claire."
"And now I'm the one being ridiculous?"
"It was a joke."
"Was I supposed to laugh?"
"You're acting like I said I'd never marry you."
He reaches for my hand, but I pull it back.
Tyler walks over with his phone pointed at me. "Come on, Claire. Look at the camera."
I raise my hand to block it.
He laughs. "Don't hide now. You were pretty tough a minute ago."
Ethan finally frowns. "Tyler, enough."
Tyler lowers the phone slightly. "Relax. I'm not posting it."
Ethan doesn't tell him to delete anything.
Instead, he takes a bottle of water from a bag and hands it to me. "Drink something."
I don't take it.
He notices the clasp on my bracelet is loose and reaches down to fix it.
His friends immediately start cheering.
"There we go."
"Claire's done being mad."
"Ethan always knows how to calm her down."
Ethan leans closer and lowers his voice. "I never said I wasn't marrying you. I just wanted you to understand that after we're married, you still need your own life."
I look at him. "You publicly humiliate me, then you fix my bracelet, and I'm supposed to thank you?"
I continue, "You arrange the joke, then you comfort me afterward."
His expression darkens. "Why are you making it sound like that?"
"Because that's what you do."
One of his friends laughs awkwardly. "Claire, you've been with Ethan for three years. You two barely even fight."
Ethan gives a small laugh. "She can't stay mad at me."
Tyler perks up. "How long?"
Ethan thinks about it. "Three hours, maybe."
Everyone laughs.
"She'll text me tonight asking if I ate."
He sounds almost proud.
Tyler points at me. "See? Ethan knows you better than anyone."
Another friend asks, "What's the longest she ever stayed mad?"
Ethan thinks for a second.
"One night, I told her a party ended at ten." He smiles. "She drove through a storm to pick me up."
I remember that night immediately.
The rain was so heavy I could barely see the road. I waited outside the bar for hours, but Ethan never showed up.
He had changed locations and forgotten to tell me.
When he finally answered after midnight, I drove across town to get him. I didn't yell or cry. I just asked whether he was cold.
Ethan laughs. "She didn't even get mad."
His friends look impressed.
"That's crazy."
"So she really would do anything for you."
All those moments I thought proved how much I loved him only taught him one thing: I had no limit.
I look at Ethan. "You really think I'll always come back?"
He smiles. "Yes."
No hesitation.
I nod once. "Good to know."
My phone buzzes.
A message from Julian appears on the screen.
I'm on my way.
I read it, then lock my phone.
Ethan notices. "Who are you texting?"
"No one you need to worry about."
Tyler laughs. "Oh, she's really doing the fake replacement groom thing."
Megan forces a smile. "Claire, come on. We know you're bluffing."
Ethan's expression relaxes again.
Of course it does.
He still thinks this is another argument he can wait out. Another three hours, another apology, another night where I ask if he ate dinner.
He has no idea this time is different.
第3章
My phone rings. It's Mom.
I answer. "Hi."
"Claire, are you two done yet?"
Her voice is cheerful.
"I've been cooking since six. Tell Ethan not to eat anything before you get home."
She keeps talking. "I made the glazed ribs you like and roast chicken for Ethan. No rosemary."
I close my eyes for a second.
She remembers every tiny thing Ethan likes because I taught her to.
For three years, I loved Ethan so much that my mother started walking on eggshells around him too.
If Ethan didn't like something, she changed it. If he canceled dinner, she said it was fine. If I complained, she reminded me not to pressure him.
All because she thought keeping him happy would make my life easier.
"Mom."
"Yes?"
"We're not done yet."
She pauses. "Did something happen?"
"It's just the appointment."
"Don't wait for us to eat," I say.
"Oh, that's okay."
"I mean it."
"I can keep everything warm."
In the background, I hear the microwave beep. She's already reheating the food.
Again.
Before I can answer, Ethan walks over and takes the phone from my hand.
"Mrs. Bennett, it's Ethan."
I stare at him.
Mom immediately sounds relieved. "Ethan! Is everything okay?"
"Claire's upset about something minor."
"We probably won't make it for lunch."
"That's completely fine," my mother says quickly. "Don't worry about me."
She hesitates.
"Are your friends with you? I can make more food and send some over."
Ethan's expression shifts with impatience. "No, that's not necessary."
He ends the call before she finishes.
Tyler laughs from behind him. "Mrs. Bennett really wants this wedding to happen."
I turn toward him.
He keeps going. "She's working harder for Ethan than Claire is."
A few people laugh.
Megan looks uncomfortable. "Tyler, stop."
He shrugs. "What? I'm just saying."
Then he looks at me.
"Your mom practically acts like she's trying to sell you into the Parker family."
Everything in me snaps.
I stand and slap him.
The sound cuts through the waiting area.
Tyler stumbles back. "What the hell?"
"Say one more thing about my mother."
I step toward him.
"Just one."
His face turns red. "You're insane."
"And if you keep filming me, I'll report you for taking videos without my consent."
Ethan grabs Tyler and pulls him back, then turns on me.
"Claire, have you completely lost it?"
I stare at him. "He insulted my mother."
"It was a joke."
"There it is again."
His expression hardens. "You're threatening to report my friend over a few stupid comments?"
He takes a breath, then reaches toward my collar and smooths it down like he always does when he wants me to calm down.
"Enough. Don't tell your mother about the canceled appointment. She'll only worry."
Every time his friends hurt me, Ethan's solution is the same: hide it, calm me down, and make sure no one else has to apologize.
I step away from him.
"You always protect everyone except me."
His hand drops. "What does that mean?"
"It means when they hurt me, I'm supposed to forgive them. When they disrespect my mother, I'm supposed to keep quiet. When you cancel our marriage appointment, I'm supposed to smile and reschedule."
"Claire—"
My phone lights up.
A message from Mom.
She sends me a photo of the dining table. Everything is covered to keep it warm.
Underneath it, she writes:
Take your time. I'll wait.
I stare at the message, then type back:
Don't worry. I'll be home for lunch.
I pause before adding one more line.
And I'll bring your son-in-law with me.
I hit send.
Ethan sees the message over my shoulder.
His expression changes. "What does that mean?"
I lock my phone.
"It means exactly what it says."
For once, he doesn't laugh.
