My Bride Secretly Married Someone Else First

Two weeks before my wedding to Wendy Sutton, she gets a marriage certificate with someone else. That day, a screenshot from an unfamiliar group chat suddenly pops up in our wedding-planning group. The group is named "No One Stays Young Forever". A photo of Wendy and her new husband, Shiloh Caddel, is posted. They are beaming as they hold up the marriage certificate they've just obtained. Her brother asks, "You made sure Morgan doesn't know, right? Don't let this affect the wedding plans." My best friend replies, "Don't worry, he's still waiting for Wendy to come back so she can try on her wedding makeup." Her best friend chimes in, "They're only registering the marriage to make up for a past regret. It's not like she's really going to replace the groom." Wendy says, "Keep it from Morgan until the wedding. I'll tell him after the ceremony." I feel the crushing weight of betrayal. The screenshot is quickly deleted. The wedding-planning group falls silent. Then, as if nothing had happened, Wendy's brother asks what style I want for the decorations. I calmly type my reply. "Those don't matter anymore. The wedding is off." Chapter 1 After I sent my reply, the group chat fell silent for half a minute. The first to respond was Miles Sutton, the brother of my fiancee, Wendy Sutton. "Morgan, everyone's already been invited. Don't say something so irresponsible." Next, her best friend, Lyra Manson, stepped in to smooth things over. "Morgan, don't take it the wrong way. It's nothing serious. Shiloh has been in a bad place emotionally. We're just helping him make up for a past regret. Everyone knows you're the real groom!" She even sent a pleading emoji, as if to ask me to forgive them. It was as if this deliberate betrayal were nothing more than a joke that had gotten a little out of hand. My phone rang moments later. It was my best friend, Lucas Ziegler. "Morgan, I knew from the very beginning that this was a bad idea, but I couldn't stop them—" I immediately cut him off. "Who took the wedding ring I designed for Wendy?" Lucas went completely silent. I turned and walked into the dressing room. The velvet ring box on the vanity was still open, but the wedding ring was long gone. "I took it," he finally admitted. "They said they wanted to take some commemorative photos. I was afraid you'd get upset if you found out, so I didn't tell you." My knuckles cracked as I tightened my grip on the phone. "So you broke into the home, Wendy and I were supposed to share, took my wedding ring, and handed it to her so she could marry another man?" "No!" He hurriedly explained, "The registration's just a formality. They'll get divorced afterward. Wendy will still marry you. Morgan, I was caught between both sides. What else was I supposed to do? " I couldn't believe I had called him my best friend for ten years. I hung up the phone, pulled out my suitcase, and packed my belongings. I had just finished packing when I heard the sound of the keypad lock being opened at the front door. Wendy was back. She was carrying a bag of takeout from my favorite restaurant. "Honey, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Look what I brought home!" She placed the insulated bag down on the dining table, completely unfazed by what had happened in the group chat. I stared at her left hand. The wedding ring I designed sat on her ring finger. I asked, "Did you two really register your marriage?" Wendy's hands paused as she set the food down. "Honey, let me explain. Shiloh has just been fired from his company, and Lyra and the others kept egging us on. I couldn't exactly embarrass him in front of everyone." She quickly added, "Don't worry, we'll get a divorce in a month. So don't be mad, honey." She sounded as if she were coaxing me, but it was as if she were just stating a fact. I retorted, "He's your legal husband now. Do you really think you can marry me without committing bigamy?" Chapter 2 Wendy paused at my words. Then, she walked over to my side and put her hand on my shoulder. "Honey, a marriage certificate is just a piece of paper. You're the only person I want to spend my life with," she said. She picked up the guest list from the table and flipped through a couple of pages, deliberately changing the subject. "So many people are coming to the wedding! I love a big celebration!" As soon as she was done speaking, her phone suddenly rang. When she saw who was calling her, she immediately got up and stepped outside to take the call. Wendy, I'd had enough. … The next morning, Wendy sat at the breakfast table as usual. While scrolling through her phone, she instructed me, "Oh, honey, let's seat Shiloh next to my brother. He doesn't really know any of the other relatives." Before leaving, she turned back and reminded me again, "We're going back to my family home tonight. We need to tell my dad when we're getting married." "I'm not going," I refused. She froze at my words. But I continued, "His rightful son-in-law should see him instead." Wendy immediately lost her patience. "Morgan, let me say this again. You're my groom. Can you stop lumping two issues together?" I looked straight into her eyes. "Wendy, I'll also say this one more time. You can marry whoever you want. I'm done playing along." She stared at me for a long moment before finally softening her voice. "Honey, I know you're upset. It's my fault for not telling you about this beforehand. But there's really nothing between Shiloh and me," she said with such confidence, as if there were nothing to feel guilty about. It was as though the only thing that counted as betrayal was sleeping with someone else. "I'll tell Dad you're too busy with the wedding preparations to come over, and that we'll visit when you have more time." After pausing for a moment, she continued, "But don't bring up what you just said in front of him. He has a heart condition. He can't handle that kind of shock." She never once asked me how I felt about this. Just then, my phone, which was on the coffee table, suddenly lit up with a message. "Mr. Lockhart, we've repaired the old pocket watch you sent over. Would you have time to drop by today and take a look?" That pocket watch was all Grandpa had ever left me. I packed my things and rushed over, arriving at the venue an hour later. The young receptionist in charge of meeting me panicked when she saw me. She asked nervously, "Mr. Lockhart, what brings you here early?" Before I could ask her what she meant, I heard the click of a camera shutter coming from the main stage. Then came Lyra's loud, boisterous laughter. "Shiloh, move closer to Wendy! Don't be so stiff! You look like you're taking a government photo!" I peeked through the gap in the curtain. Shiloh was wearing my groom's suit, standing in front of the wedding backdrop. Wendy was standing beside him, wearing the wedding dress I had commissioned from an old dressmaker. The wedding photographer who knew me was holding his camera, offering an awkward smile. And Shiloh was holding the old pocket watch Grandpa had left me. I yanked the curtain aside. Every pair of eyes in the venue instantly turned toward me. Lucas was the first to react. He stepped forward and positioned himself in front of Shiloh. He asked, "Morgan, what brings you here? Shiloh's leaving town to look for work, so we thought we would take a few commemorative photos for him to remember this by. The pocket watch had just been restored, and I figured we could lend it to him for a couple of shots. We'd give it right back after." Again, they had lent something to him. My wedding ring and suit had been borrowed as props for a photoshoot. Chapter 3 Now, they were even borrowing Grandpa's belongings. I glared at Shiloh and said, "Give it back." The smile on his face froze. He reasoned, "Morgan, we only have one last shot. I'll give it back as soon as we're done." "Give it back. I'm not repeating myself," I ordered. Shiloh was clearly starting to panic. He looked like he wanted to say something, but ultimately kept quiet. "Hey, I didn't know this meant so much to you. Lucas told me it was just an accessory you were going to wear at the wedding." I turned to Wendy and asked, "He might not have known, but what about you?" When Wendy saw things taking a turn, she immediately tried to placate me, but her words betrayed her patience. "Honey, it's just a pocket watch. Besides, I already told Shiloh to be careful with it. Did you really have to embarrass him in front of so many people?" I found this entire situation ridiculous. I walked up to Shiloh and warned him, "Give the watch back right now. Don't make me do something I'll regret." Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Shiloh reluctantly took the pocket watch off. I took it from him, my fingertips slowly tracing the glass. When Grandpa passed away, Wendy had stayed with me in my hometown for three days. She knew perfectly well how important this pocket watch was to me. I looked at the shop manager and said, "Cancel every wedding-related booking. All of them." Wendy finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Morgan Lockhart, haven't you had enough? You're a grown man. Do you really have to call off our wedding over these trivial things?" "Wendy, you're truly selfish," I utter, tucking the pocket watch into my inner pocket. "Now, I've finally seen you for who you really are." Seeing that I was truly angry, she immediately put on a wounded expression. "Honey, after Shiloh leaves, I'll apologize and explain everything to you, okay? You've really got the wrong idea." However, I simply found her behavior absurd. "I've taken what's mine. The rest is nothing but garbage. Whoever wants it can have it." I had barely made it a few steps away from the wedding venue when my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket. It was the photographer from earlier. He had sent me several screenshots. He was also in the "No One Stays Young Forever" group chat. Lyra: "You've already got the marriage certificate. It'd just be a waste not to take some commemorative photos." Miles quickly replied: "Shiloh will be leaving soon. Why don't we arrange a three-day trip while we're at it? It'd be a good way to put a proper end to the love you two shared at 18." Lucas asked: "Don't you think we're going a little too far? Morgan would flip if he found out." Lyra sent a laughing emoji and replied: "He is very patient. He'll get over it after a couple of days at most. Don't ruin everyone's fun because of him." After a few minutes, Lucas replied: "Fine. I'll return everything as soon as we're done with the photos." I turned off my phone and called a committee member for the National Home Design Competition at the number I had saved earlier. "Mr. Lind, is the spot you mentioned for the pre-competition training camp still available?" There was a brief pause on the other end before I got a reply. "Didn't you turn down the spot six months ago because you were getting married?" Six months ago, that committee had contacted me, saying they needed to select a group of promising designers for a six-month intensive course. At the time, I was busy preparing for the wedding, so I turned it down without a second thought. Back then, I thought there was nothing more important than Wendy. Once we were married, I would have plenty of time to pursue my career. I answered, "I'm not getting married anymore. I can report for training right away." Chapter 4 "The training camp starts at 8:00 am tomorrow. Can you make it?" Thomas Lind asked. I gripped my old pocket watch tightly as I replied, "Yes." … Upon returning to the marital home, as soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by a strong smell of red wine. It was the wine I had specially asked someone to bring back from abroad for the wedding banquet. Miles was sprawled on the couch, scrolling through photos of seaside vacation rentals on his phone and showing them to Shiloh. Lyra sat cross-legged by the coffee table, eating snacks. When she saw me walk in, she casually tossed a fruit at me. She ordered, "Morgan, you're finally back! We're short on glasses. Bring us two more from the kitchen." Every time they came over to hang out at my place, I was the one running around taking care of everything. But this time, I did nothing. Lucas froze for a moment, not daring to say a word, before deciding to head to the kitchen to get the glasses. The others continued talking excitedly. Halfway through, Lyra was the first to raise her glass. "Since Shiloh is leaving soon, we've all agreed that Wendy should go to the beach with him for three days starting tomorrow. It's not really a honeymoon or anything. Just think of it as the high school graduation trip they never got to take." Wendy looked at me, saying matter-of-factly, "I'll be back in three days. When I get back, I'll divorce Shiloh. It won't delay the wedding at all. I didn't want to tell you yet. I was afraid you'd start overthinking things again." Shiloh put down his glass and gave me a fake smile. "Morgan, don't worry. The marriage certificate and these photos are enough for me. I just want three days of happy memories. After that, Wendy will still be yours." Everyone was staring at me, as if waiting for me to cry or make a scene. They wanted me to prove their point that I was petty and unreasonable. However, I simply looked up at Wendy and asked, "What time are you leaving tomorrow?" Wendy froze for a moment, clearly not expecting that reaction from me. She replied, "7:00 am." "For three days?" I asked. "Yes." I simply nodded. "Go ahead." Lyra immediately laughed. "See? I told you, Morgan isn't someone who's unreasonable!" Miles also sighed in relief, leaning back on the couch and shooting me a glance. "If only you had been this reasonable sooner. You just had to upset everyone." Lucas walked over and reached out to pat my shoulder. "Morgan, I knew you'd come around." I shifted aside to avoid his outstretched hand. "You've got the marriage certificate and taken the photos. I suppose it wouldn't feel complete without a honeymoon." Wendy was clearly displeased. She retorted, "I told you, it's not a honeymoon!" "Whatever." I glanced down at the time on my phone. It was 9:30 pm. The movers I had called had already texted me to say they were waiting downstairs. Without saying a word, I got up and went into the bedroom to grab the luggage I had packed earlier. When I came back out again, I was carrying my packed suitcase. The lively laughter that filled the living room abruptly died. The silence that followed was almost eerie. Wendy immediately got up and walked toward me. "Honey, what's with the suitcase?" I took the wedding band off my ring finger and set it on the dining table. "The wedding has been canceled, so you two cheaters can finally be together." Her face flushed red, and her voice turned sharp as she yelled, "How can you say that to me? We've invited all the guests. If we cancel the wedding now, where does that leave my parents? They will be humiliated!" She tried to grab me, but I shoved her away. How amusing. She had no shame in betraying me, but she cared so much about her reputation.