The Lies We Marry For

“The white lace of my wedding dress felt heavy on my shoulders. This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. Then Mark' s voice, a mere whisper, shattered everything. "I can't do this, Chloe." He stood there, perfectly tailored, his eyes avoiding mine. "I'm sorry," he finally managed, "I love Ashley. We're already married." The world tilted. My bouquet fell, scattering petals on the cold stone. A mechanical voice, only I could hear, boomed in my head: `[System Alert: Primary Life Mission 'Marry Mark Johnson' has failed.]` `[System Failure initiating... Host life functions will terminate in 60 seconds.]` I collapsed, a crushing pain in my chest. Mark just stared, frozen in cowardice. Ashley, my stepsister, rushed in. Not to help me, but to pull Mark away. "Mark, let's go! She'll be fine," she snapped, a look of pure triumph on her face. They left me to die on the church floor. `[30 seconds remaining.]` My world was almost dark. Suddenly, a stranger burst in, desperate to help. He threw himself over me as a chandelier crashed down. He saved me, but lost his legs. Three years later, I was married to him, Ethan Miller. Out of gratitude, I gave him my life. Tonight, our anniversary, I overheard him talking to his friend. "Tell her what? That I'm the best actor in the world?" Ethan laughed, his voice cold. "What happens when she finds out your legs are perfectly fine?" Ashley had put him up to it. My life, my sacrifice, was all orchestrated. My salvation was a lie. My marriage, a cage. The pain was worse than any system countdown. I looked at the man I married, the hero I thought he was. A stranger. A liar. A conspirator with my sister. This had to end. I would burn it all to the ground.”