My Wedding Was Her Birthday Gift to Her Ex

On my wedding day, my fiancée slipped sleeping pills into my drink. By the time I rushed to the venue, I saw her passionately kissing the guy she always put on a pedestal. It turned out this whole wedding was just her birthday gift to him. When I confronted her, she looked at me with complete righteousness. "The wedding is just for show. We'll sign the marriage license at City Hall tomorrow anyway. Stop being so petty." I chuckled. That marriage license? Forget it! When I woke up, it was already eleven-thirty. I rushed to the banquet hall, only to find my fiancée, Chloe Miller, locked in a passionate kiss with Julian Vance—her childhood crush! I stood there in utter shock. Amid the cheers of the crowd, I stormed onto the stage and grabbed Chloe's hand. She looked at me in surprise, a flash of awkwardness in her eyes. "Why are you here?" I pointed at Julian and demanded, "What is he doing here?" With the guests murmuring, Chloe pulled me to the side and whispered sharply: "Today is Julian's birthday. This wedding was a promise I made as his gift." "The ceremony is just for show anyway. We're going to City Hall tomorrow to make it official. Don't be so petty." My breath hitched. A heavy weight crushed down on my chest. "Chloe, I'm being petty?" "What kind of man stands by at his own wedding and watches his bride make out with another guy?!" My shout drew loud whispers from the friends and family below. Chloe lost her temper. She jabbed a finger at my nose and yelled: "Ethan Walker, what are you talking about?!" "Julian and I grew up together! He's like a brother to me! How can you make our relationship sound so disgusting?!" Julian hurried over and wrapped an arm around Chloe's waist. He gave me a mocking look. "Ethan, don't be mad. I just made a casual wish, and I didn't expect Chloe to actually make it happen. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't blame her." Watching them play the doting couple made my blood run cold. Ridiculous. After all this, she dares to say he's just like a brother? I stared at Chloe, searching for any trace of the woman I used to love. Looking at her defiant face, I could no longer force myself to play the fool or blindly trust her lies. I first met Chloe during my freshman year. My parents had just died in a car crash, and she was like a ray of sunshine, always warming and encouraging me. Falling in love felt completely natural back then. We were together for seven years. The first few years were filled with true dedication. But ever since Julian came back into her life, everything changed. We started fighting and giving each other the silent treatment over Julian. Every single time, I was the one who backed down first just to get our sweet life back. But I didn't want this life anymore. Thinking about living like this after marriage extinguished the last bit of attachment in my heart. Instead, I felt pure relief. "In that case, there's no need to sign any license. I wish you two the best." The entire hall fell dead silent. Everyone stared at me in disbelief. Everyone knew how submissive I had been to Chloe over the past seven years. Nobody believed I would walk away over something like this. Even Chloe didn't buy it. She frowned deeply, her face full of fury. "Can you stop throwing a tantrum?! I already explained everything. What more do you want?!" "If you keep causing a scene, you'll regret it!" Her words sounded almost funny to me. I let out a light laugh. "Fine." The guests whispered and tried to step in, but Chloe stopped them. "Leave him alone. It won't be long before he crawls back like a stray dog begging for forgiveness. I know exactly how his mind works!" I gave a self-deprecating smirk, turned around, and walked away. That was always Chloe's trick. She preyed on my love and forced me to compromise again and again. As long as she showed the slightest softness, I would run right back to her. Everyone knew I loved her to the bone. Yet nobody ever realized that I was human, too. My heart could get tired.Leaving the venue, I hailed a cab. Sitting in the backseat, I opened Instagram and saw Chloe's latest post. A wave of emptiness washed over me. What were these seven years even for? In the photo, Julian had his arm around Chloe in her wedding dress. They looked like a perfect match. To everyone else, I was just a walking joke. I had cared too much about Chloe. I shielded her from every hardship and pampered her like a queen. I forgot that too much freedom ruins a person's heart. I never cared how much I sacrificed; all I wanted was her wholehearted love. Now, I saw just how stupid I was. Back at my apartment, I started packing up everything that belonged to her. Hours later, I noticed a text from Chloe: [I'm coming home tonight.] Looking at the rare text from her, I didn't bother replying. I just locked my phone. After packing everything, I fell into a deep sleep. My exhausted body finally felt some relief. At dawn, the sound of the front door opening woke me up. "Ethan Walker! Why didn't you answer my text?!" Seeing her annoyed face, I stayed silent. I knew why she asked. In the past, whenever she stayed out late, I would text her for her location and wait outside just to make sure she got home safe. As I walked out of the bedroom, Chloe asked again, "Where's the photo from the desk?" I glanced down at the boxes stacked near the door. Before I could speak, her phone rang loudly. She answered immediately and walked into the kitchen while talking: "Don't worry, Julian. The soup is almost ready. I'll bring it over as soon as it's done." Hearing the clattering of pots and pans, I went to wash up for work. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Chloe was holding a thermos in one hand and pointing at a bowl on the counter with the other. "There's a bowl of soup for you on the counter. Consider it my apology for yesterday." I glanced at the bowl and frowned. It had carrots in it. I was severely allergic to carrots. I laughed bitterly inside. Together for seven years, and she didn't even know I was allergic to carrots. When someone loves you, they remember your preferences. Chloe had truly never cared. Ignoring her, I turned to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. Chloe glared at me, rage written all over her face. "Ungrateful jerk. You don't deserve this soup anyway." With that, she dumped the entire bowl into the trash can. I replied calmly, "Right, only he deserves it." Chloe looked confused. Before she could speak, her phone rang again. She grabbed the thermos and slammed the door behind her. I glanced at the ruined soup in the trash, called my assistant to hire a cleaner, and told him to ship all of Chloe's things back to her family. Right after I changed the front door code, my phone buzzed. "Mr. Walker, the custom ruby necklace you ordered a month ago is ready. You can pick it up anytime." If they hadn't called, I would have forgotten completely. I looked quietly at the picture the jeweler sent. The ruby glowed softly, like a brilliant star fallen from the sky. Just like how Chloe used to shine in my heart. Too bad she didn't deserve it anymore. "Smash it," I said flatly. "I don't want it." The jeweler was stunned and panicked immediately. "Mr. Walker, is there something wrong with the design? We can remake it for you free of charge." "Don't worry," I explained. "I'll pay the full balance. The piece is gorgeous. She just doesn't deserve it."After paying the remaining balance, the jeweler sent back a confirmation picture. The shattered gemstone was now worthless, just like her in my life. With that settled, I drove to the office. The moment I arrived, my assistant rushed over. "Mr. Walker, the driver is scheduled to pick up Miss Miller at five for hair and makeup. You have the charity gala tonight." I paused, remembering the event we had planned on attending together. "Cancel it. Tell the driver not to go." In the past, I always brought Chloe as my plus-one. She had her own design studio, and I wanted her to build connections among the elite. Now, there was no need. When I arrived at the gala, I ran into people I never expected to see. Dressed in an evening gown, Chloe was parading Julian Vance around, introducing him to everyone. Then I remembered: this gala was invitation-only. Chloe had asked me for an extra invite earlier. Turns out it was for Julian. The second Julian spotted me, he jogged right over. "Ethan, you're here! Yesterday was all my fault. Chloe only did that because it was my birthday. I'm really sorry." Chloe chimed in quickly to comfort him: "Why are you blaming yourself? It was your birthday! Making you happy was the most important thing." "Unlike someone whose heart is smaller than a pinhole. If you see anything you like tonight, tell me. I'll buy it for you!" Julian smirked arrogantly at her words. He turned to me provokingly: "Ethan, let's sit together for the auction." I watched their little performance in silence, feeling nothing but disgust. In our seven years together, Chloe rarely bought me gifts. Even when she did, it was usually leftover stuff Julian didn't want. Meanwhile, I showered her with luxury gifts on every anniversary, holiday, and month. If she liked them, she glanced at them twice. If she didn't, she called me tasteless and superficial. Yet she treated Julian's cheap junk like priceless treasures. Thinking of this, I smiled faintly: "No thanks. We're in different tiers. The host assigned me a private booth." Neither of them expected me to refuse so bluntly. Their faces darkened. Right then, the auctioneer's voice boomed from the stage: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome! On this special evening, we gather together..." A server walked over and bowed slightly. "Mr. Walker, this way to your seat, please." Leaving the two behind, I followed the server to the VIP suite. Sitting in the booth, I flipped through the catalog. Nothing caught my eye, so I randomly looked at a painting currently on display and decided to bid on it. The moment I raised my paddle, Julian raised his from below and shot me a cocky grin. I raised an eyebrow and bid again. Chloe raised her paddle immediately: "One point five million!" We went back and forth until the painting was hammered down to Chloe for five million dollars. Down below, guests started whispering among themselves. "Aren't they supposed to get married soon? Did they have a fight?" "Haven't you heard? Miss Miller confessed to the Vance family's illegitimate son yesterday." "She's completely out of her mind. Leaving the powerful Walker family to fool around with an illegitimate son? What a waste!" Hearing the gossip, I called the server over. "I want to see the payment monitor in the back. I have reasonable doubts that the bidder has enough funds to cover that purchase."In the private payment room, the staff carefully handed the painting to Julian. Julian held it excitedly. Seeing him so happy, Chloe's earlier frustration vanished. She pulled a black card from her designer bag and handed it to the clerk. But the clerk's next words froze her in place. "I'm sorry, ma'am. This card was declined." Chloe snatched the card back, stunned. "Impossible! How could it decline? This card is..." The bait had worked. Yes, that card was an authorized card under my account. I had instructed my assistant to freeze it yesterday. My phone buzzed rapidly with calls from Chloe, who looked frantic on the monitor screen. Smirking, I switched off my phone and left the gala. Later, my assistant reported that Chloe had maxed out all her personal credit cards and still came up short by tens of thousands, forcing her to borrow money from Julian on the spot. The next morning, an aggressive phone call woke me up. The second I answered, Chloe screamed into the receiver: "Ethan Walker, what the hell is wrong with you?! You changed the door code!" "I know you're inside! Open the damn door!" Listening to her shriek like a madwoman, I couldn't understand her logic. She loved Julian so much, and I stepped aside to let them be together. Why was she harassing me now? She kept banging on the door. I took my time washing up before finally opening it. Chloe glared at me, her face flushed with fury. She raised her hand to slap me, but I caught her wrist mid-air. "Why took you so long to open the door?! And why did you freeze my card yesterday? Do you have any idea how humiliated I was?!" "Can't you show some decency?! Why are you blowing up over such a tiny issue? I already explained everything, so why are you being so petty?!" I stared at her calmly, feeling only annoyance. Seeing my silence, she tried to shove past me into the apartment. I blocked the doorway with my arm. Chloe's face twisted. "What?! You're locking me out now?!" Seeing her act like this, I mocked myself for being such a desperate doormat in the past. "You bought Julian a five-million-dollar gift using my card," I said coldly. "Who gave you the right?" "I made it clear yesterday. We're over. You have nothing to do with me anymore." Hearing my firm tone, panic flashed across her face, but she quickly masked it with confidence: "Are you really willing to throw away our seven years together? I know I made a mistake, but I didn't mean to hurt you! Just forgive me, okay? Can you really let me go?" "Let's stop fighting, okay?" "Fighting?" "Chloe, when have I ever fought with you? Do you really think I'm just playing games?" I looked at her with eyes like ice. Sensing my absolute coldness, she panicked completely and tried to hug me. I stepped aside. "Ethan, I was wrong! You're the one I love! Give me another chance, please!"