Invite My Ex To My Wedding

The day before our wedding, my boyfriend told me he wasn't confident he could love me for a lifetime and wanted to call it off.

I nodded and let him go.

Later, he received my wedding invitation and demanded an explanation.

"Oh, someone said they could love me for a lifetime."

1

"We shouldn't get married."

When Kaden Curtis told me this, I was caught off guard. I wasn't particularly heartbroken, but I still asked him why.

After all, our wedding was supposed to be tomorrow.

"Sorry, I just don't have the confidence to promise that I can love you for a lifetime."

As he spoke, he lowered his eyes to the floor, resting his hands on his knees, unable to look at me.

I suddenly found his behavior ridiculous.

Had his feelings changed so quickly in just five years?

I couldn't tell if he had truly fallen out of love with me or if his unattainable first love had come back into his life.

I thought of the photos on my phone.

A week ago, Kaden's friends threw him a bachelor party.

That night, I was caught up with work and told him to go ahead without me. By the time I arrived, Kaden was already drunk.

Seeing this, everyone started bombarding him with questions. I stood quietly outside, curious about what they would ask.

Then, someone posed a question.

"Kaden, if Cecilia came back to you and said she wanted to get back together, what would you do?"

The lively atmosphere froze instantly. Everyone fell silent, waiting for his response.

No one seemed to realize how inappropriate the question was.

Seconds ticked by. Kaden, who had been leaning against the sofa with his eyes closed, finally stirred. He opened his eyes and let out a bitter smile.

"That's not a possibility. If you want an answer, you'd have to bring her in front of me right now. Otherwise, I-"

Before he could finish, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows.

I saw the smile on his lips freeze in place. And the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.

A wave of weakness washed over me. I found myself unable to push open the door, unable to move.

I could only stand there, numb, watching as Cecilia walked up to him and threw her arms around him.

And he-he didn't push her away.

Five years. No matter how hard I tried to stand by his side, I could never truly reach his heart.

Reality was a cruel blade, piercing my heart without mercy, leaving me in unbearable pain.

That night, I didn't even remember how I got home. I only knew that Kaden never called me.

Then, a message notification popped up on my phone. It was a video from an unknown number. In the video, Kaden held Cecilia tightly, whispering over and over again how much he had missed her.

Another notification. One message after another, sitting there in front of me.

"Larissa, who do you think you are?"

"Kaden told me himself-he may have been with you, but his heart has always belonged to me."

"He never had the confidence to love you for a lifetime."

Tears welled up in my eyes. My hands trembled as I tried to tell myself not to believe it.

But I couldn't lie to myself. Because every word was true.

I remembered five years ago, when Cecilia left the country. That night, Kaden drank so much he ended up in the hospital with internal bleeding. I had silently stayed by his side. If I hadn't noticed something was wrong, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

When he woke up, he asked me if I would consider being with him.

Lying on the hospital bed, pale and lifeless, his eyes were hollow, like someone who had lost their soul.

Back then, I had been too happy to think clearly. I ignored the fact that he probably didn't say those words out of love.

He was just heartbroken, looking for someone to fill the void.

Or maybe he was just trying to force himself to forget her.

As the years passed, I saw more and more proof of my suspicions.

I had loved Kaden for so long that I knew exactly what he looked like when he truly loved someone.

At the very least, he had never hesitated to embrace Cecilia.

But with me? He never once reached out to hold me.

He never once told me he missed me.

I closed my eyes as tears fell silently. The memories felt like salt on my open wounds, numbing me with pain.

I thought of the way they held each other in front of everyone. I was nothing more than a clown in their story.

An accessory to their love. Not the person in his heart.

I knew I shouldn't dwell on the past, but the memories played like an endless movie in my mind.

When I came back to my senses, the apartment was empty. Kaden had left.

On the coffee table, his key lay there quietly. The kettle beeped, signaling that the water had finished boiling before automatically shutting off.

Just like us. A quiet beep, and it was over.

As I sat on the sofa in a daze, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Whoever was outside kept pressing the button persistently, as if they wouldn't leave without seeing me.

Dragging my exhausted body, I walked over, glanced through the peephole, and opened the door.

"I heard you got dumped. So, what's going to happen to your wedding tomorrow? How about you beg me, and I'll be generous enough to marry you instead?"

2

Josh Bishop strolled into my apartment like he owned the place and plopped down on the sofa.

Ten minutes later, after learning I hadn't eaten dinner, he waved his hand and ordered a feast of barbecue and beer.

A "we're not stopping until we're wasted" kind of attitude.

Seeing my gloom, he didn't hesitate to crack open a beer and shove it into my hands.

"Come on. It's just a guy. No big deal. If you really can't take it, I'll step in and be your groom tomorrow. At least that way, you won't lose face."

I sighed helplessly and took a sip of beer.

Josh and I had grown up together. Our parents had even arranged a childhood engagement for us when we were born. But he went abroad for high school, and by the time he returned, my heart already belonged to Kaden.

When he found out, he didn't say much-just one thing after meeting Kaden.

"Larissa, he's not good enough for you."

But I had been blinded by love, unwilling to listen.

Looking back now, he had been right.

It wasn't that Kaden wasn't good enough for me.

It was that he had never truly seen me at all.

After finishing a shot, I slumped on the sofa, drowning in heartbreak.

Not just over Kaden leaving me, but over the embarrassment of a wedding that would no longer happen.

I asked Josh to leave after finishing the alcohols.

Josh suddenly grabbed my wrist, his expression serious.

"I came all this way to drink with you, and you're just going to kick me out? You're not worried I'll get in a drunk-driving accident?"

The alcohol made my head spin. I thought of how I had impulsively called him earlier but hung up before saying anything.

Yet, somehow, he had still shown up.

Even though his place was half an hour away.

Too exhausted to think about it, I pulled out my phone and transferred him some money.

"For your cab fare."

His face darkened.

"Do I look like I need money?"

I knew he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

So what was he really after?

Then, he grinned mischievously.

"Kaden said he couldn't love you for a lifetime, right? Well, marry me. I'll love you for a lifetime."

I could not hold back my laughter.

"So, Josh, what exactly are you trying to say?"

He suddenly leaned in, closing the distance between us to barely a foot. Under the soft glow of the light, my cheeks began to flush.

I could not tell if it was because of the alcohol or for some other reason.

"Kaden said he couldn't love you for a lifetime, right? Then marry me. I will love you for a lifetime. I will take care of you for a lifetime too."

3

I did not know how I ended up agreeing to it. Maybe it was because Josh Bishop looked too serious, and I was momentarily fooled.

So, the next morning, while I was still struggling with a hangover, Josh barged into my bedroom with a team of professional makeup artists.

He left me with just one sentence.

"Get up and get ready. Today is our big day."

I had assumed that what he said last night was just drunken nonsense. I had thought that my agreeing to "that thing" was just a mistake caused by alcohol.

But clearly, he was dead serious.

By the time I was dressed up in a wedding gown and sent to the hotel, I finally realized that this was really happening.

I was actually getting married.

Only, the groom had changed to Josh.

I had no idea how he managed to replace all the wedding photos at the venue with ones of us in such a short time. I had no idea how he had explained everything to my parents.

But knowing him, he always had a way of handling things.

What truly surprised me was the ring on my finger.

It was so exquisite, so perfectly suited to my taste that it felt as if it had been designed just for me.

I looked up at Josh. His earlobes were slightly red, and his gaze held an unusual trace of joy.

After the wedding ceremony, I went backstage to change into a dress for the reception.

Before we started greeting the guests, I sat at the table to rest for a while. I had never realized just how exhausting getting married could be.

Josh sat beside me, absentmindedly disinfecting the chopsticks and setting food on my plate.

That was when I noticed that most of the dishes at the reception were my favorites.

Even the signature dish, braised shrimp in oil, had been specially prepared. Josh peeled the shrimp with practiced ease, then placed them neatly in my bowl.

The groomsmen at the table could not help teasing.

"Wow, never thought I would live to see the day. I have never seen Josh take care of a girl like this. Guess the perks of being a wife really are different."

My cheeks warmed slightly. I kept my head down and quietly ate.

Josh shot his friend a warning look.

"My wife is shy. Keep your mouth shut and eat. If you keep talking, I'll throw you out."

His words were spoken openly and confidently. For the first time, I felt what it was like to be openly cherished by someone.

After a simple meal, we started making rounds to toast the guests.

Since I could not hold my liquor, Josh took the wine from my hands every time and downed it himself.

Even with his tolerance, drinking through dozens of tables took a toll.

By the time the wedding was over, he was completely drunk. Our friends, understanding his state, refrained from playing pranks and simply helped me get him to bed before leaving.

I changed out of my dress and went to the bathroom to fetch a basin of warm water to wipe his face.

Just as I finished cleaning him up, my phone suddenly rang. The name on the screen made me pause. Kaden Curtis.

I did not feel anything. No joy, no longing, just an overwhelming sense of indifference. Without hesitation, I reached out and turned off my phone.

I did not know why he was calling.

Was it guilt? Or had he heard about my marriage?

Either way, it did not matter. He should have understood that the moment he said he was not confident in loving me forever, everything between us had ended.

Now, his life included Cecilia, and mine had Josh.

Strangers. That was the most suitable relationship for us.

I had to admit that Cecilia's presence had always been a thorn in my heart. But I had thought that as long as I was the one by Kaden's side, she would not affect us.

That was foolish. Because Kaden had never forgotten her.

It was like I had been living in a long, self-deceiving dream. And now, I had finally woken up.

I looked at Josh, who lay drunk on the bed, his face flushed from the alcohol.

No matter how much I had struggled to move on from the past, it was time to start looking forward.

4

A week later, Josh told me that his friends wanted to throw a celebration party for his marriage. He insisted on bringing me along.

What I had not expected was to run into Kaden and Cecilia at the party.

Even more unexpected was that Josh had invited them.

Their presence made the atmosphere slightly tense.

In the past, whenever I saw Kaden, I always wore a smile. But this time, I merely glanced at him, then quickly looked away.

He seemed surprised by my indifference, his brows furrowing slightly as if displeased.

I ignored him and followed Josh to our seats, sitting close beside him.

Once we were seated, Josh poured me a glass of juice and asked if I wanted any fruit. I shook my head, but he still ordered a fruit platter with all my favorites.

Across the table, Kaden's face darkened.

Halfway through the party, someone suggested playing truth or dare. The bottle spun and landed in front of Kaden.

"Dare," he said coldly, his gaze locked onto me.

"Alright, Kaden," someone smirked. "Confess your feelings to the person you love, right here and now."

Hearing this, Cecilia, who was sitting beside him, tensed up and looked at him nervously.