I was getting married, but my boyfriend of eight years still didn’t know.

Lately, he had been busy with his new female secretary. They clicked right away and chatted endlessly. To celebrate her birthday, he even ordered a ten–layer cream cake. At the party, they smeared cream everywhere, forgetting that I was severely allergic to it.

After being rushed to the hospital, I woke up and agreed to the arranged marriage my family had proposed.

Mom wasted no time. As soon as I got back from the hospital and was about to swipe my keycard to enter, she sent me dozens of wedding plans to choose from.

Scrolling through the options, I stopped at her last message.

[I knew all along you and Lucas wouldn’t last. If he truly wanted to marry you, why would he drag things out for eight years? It’s not too late to realize this. I’ve already prepared wedding plans for you.]

[The wedding is in three days. Take your time packing. No need to rush.]

So, this was all so obvious to everyone else. Yet, I was trapped in Lucas‘ empty promises, unable to let go.

Sighing, I sent her a voice message. “Mom, pick whatever you think is best. I like them all. Let’s keep the wedding simple.”

I didn’t notice when Lucas walked up behind me. When he heard the word “wedding,” he blurted out in shock, “Wedding? What wedding?”

Just as he tried to peek at my screen, I quickly put my phone away. He reached out to grab it, but in the next second, his phone started ringing.

The night was so quiet that I could clearly hear a panicked female voice on the other end.

“Lucas, I just went downstairs to grab something, and I think someone is following me! I’m so scared. I walked around the block, but I still can’t shake him off!”

Lucas‘ expression changed instantly, filled with concern.

“Celine, don’t worry. Go to a well–lit area, there should be someone on duty at the security station. Stay there, and I’ll be there soon!”

He hung up, completely forgetting about the wedding. Without hesitation, he left me standing there and rushed off into the night.

I kept my expression perfectly calm.

After he left, I called my aunt to say goodbye.

My parents had moved out of town to pursue their careers ten years ago, and since then, I’d been living with my aunt.

Lucas lived next door, and that was how we met. Later, when my aunt got married and sold her villa to move in with her husband, I didn’t want to intrude on her new life, so I temporarily stayed with Lucas. I never expected that “temporary” stay to last eight years.

When Aunt Mina heard I was leaving to get married, she was shocked. “Married? To Lucas? Well, that’s good–it’s been eight years, so I guess it’s about time to settle down.”

I pressed my lips together and corrected her assumption. “No, it’s an arranged marriage. I don’t know the person.”

She fell silent for a moment, then slowly asked, “Have you thought this through? I think Lucas really cares about you; I just don’t know why he hasn’t proposed. Maybe I should talk to him?”

I gave a small, indifferent smile.

“No need. It wasn’t really a relationship, anyway. We never formally got together. It’s just been this vague, ambiguous thing for eight years If I don’t end it now, my whole youth will be gone.

Aunt Mina was surprised that we’d lived together for eight years without even defining our relationship, so she didn’t try to dissuade me further and said she’d support my decision.

Before going to bed, I set a three–day countdown widget on my phone.

The next day, I asked my mom to send some local gifts over as a thank–you to my aunt for her care over the past decade and as a way to say goodbye.

That evening, a truckload of packages finally arrived. I gave the driver directions to my aunt’s house, but I didn’t expect to run into Lucas downstairs.

Celine’s delicate figure trailed closely behind him, the two of them each carrying bags of household supplies. from the supermarket. They looked just like a young couple moving in together.

Just then, Aunt Mina came down to greet me and saw the scene. She was about to speak up when I interrupted her. “Mom’s gifts for you have arrived. Be sure to check the expiration dates, don’t let anything go bad.

I didn’t look at Lucas even once, though this time he, surprisingly, took the initiative to explain.

“Ellie, don’t misunderstand. Celine’s previous neighborhood wasn’t safe, so I found her a new place. I didn’t realize your aunt lives here, too. By the way, why did you buy so much stuff?”

As I directed the driver to bring up the deliveries, I replied nonchalantly, “You don’t need to tell me about your work. My mom bought this stuff; we don’t know when we’ll be back, so she got a lot.”

Seeing I hadn’t misunderstood, Lucas looked visibly relieved.

“No problem. The North Suburb isn’t far. Just let me know anytime you want to come over.”

He still didn’t know I was moving back for good, and I had no plans to tell him.

Aunt Mina was going to speak, but seeing how carefully Lucas was looking after Celine, her expression turned grim.

The four of us stood there awkwardly until Celine, looking tired, finally broke the silence.

Lucas immediately told the driver to pause the delivery, saying they had fewer things and could use the elevator first. Seeing the bags of household items he was carrying, I stepped aside to let them go.

Lucas looked briefly surprised, then hurriedly stepped into the elevator.

As the doors closed, I couldn’t help but see a glimpse of my former self in Celine. Back when my aunt first moved, Lucas had been just as attentive, running errands and taking care of me, moving all my things into his home with a smile, saying he was welcoming his “future lady of the house.”

Watching the elevator, Aunt Mina sighed with some regret.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to ask him? You’ve known each other for so long. It would be a shame to break up over a misunderstanding.”

I shook my head. “No need. There’s no misunderstanding between us. He never lets one last overnight. If he hasn’t explained, then that’s it.”

Lucas and Celine didn’t actually have that much to carry; they could’ve finished it all in one trip. But even after I delivered the things to my aunt and said my goodbyes, he was still nowhere to be seen downstairs.

Out of courtesy to an old friend, I pulled out my phone and sent him a quick message, asking when he’d be back. Almost immediately, he replied with a voice message. I clicked on it, and Celine’s sweet voice came through. “Ellie, Lucas is helping me fix the electrical wiring here. This place has never been lived in, so there’s a lot to tidy up. You should go home first, don’t let us hold you up!”

Just as I was about to close the app and call a cab, she sent another message.

“By the way, Ellie, please don’t overthink it. Lucas is just helping me out. He just felt sorry for me because I’m living all alone in this big city.”

Thinking of my own parents, who had moved far away years ago, I swallowed back my words and closed the chat.

After getting into the cab and gazing absentmindedly out the window, Lucas called.

“Ellie, why were you so harsh with Celine? She’s my subordinate, and I was just helping her find a place to live. The company hasn’t arranged accommodation yet, isn’t it normal for me to help?”

“Since when did you start acting like this, huh? At the birthday party, you were sulking, saying you didn’t feel well and wanted to leave. I haven’t even addressed that, and now you’re causing trouble again?”

I could hear Celine’s soft sobs through the phone.

Her demeanor in front of me was nothing like the sweet, innocent junior Lucas described.

Taking a deep breath, I finally understood her intentions but was too tired to defend myself.

“Yeah, you’re right. My bad. I was just asking. Don’t worry, I’m already back home. I didn’t wait for you.”

Lucas‘ questioning tone was silenced by my cool, indifferent response, which seemed to catch in his throat. I ended the call just as the car arrived at my apartment complex.

After getting out, I noticed a flood of notifications from Lucas‘ work group chat. When I opened it, the unread message count was already showing 99+. At the top was a photo that Celine had posted of Lucas fixing her electrical wiring and plumbing.

[Who else has a boss this considerate?] She wrote. [I’d gladly devote my life to this company! Can I sign a lifetime contract?]

Below her post were comments from other employees, filled with envy and admiration.

[I’ve never seen the boss act like this. Didn’t the cleaning lady say he’s a neat freak? Doesn’t look like it here!]

[Oh my god, he looks so handsome without his suit! From now on, I’m dreaming about being Mrs. Haskins! Hands off, everyone!]

[This photo was posted by the future Mrs. Haskins. Snap out of it; working is your only destiny.]

Before he hired Celine, I used to help Lucas out with all these tasks without expecting anything in return. But after she joined and took over my role, I forgot to leave the group chat. After reading all the replies in the group, I deleted the record and exited the app. Now that I had made my decision to move on, seeing this preview of their life together didn’t hurt as much as I thought it might.

I recalled the early days when I’d just started at the company after graduation. Lucas used to share snippets of my work in the group chat all the time, sneaking photos of me making coffee or updating the schedule. It was obvious to everyone in the office that he liked me. With his love, even the daily grind felt a little sweeter, and his affection brought a spark to the dull work chat. But everything changed once Celine entered the picture. She took over all my responsibilities, and Lucas banned any mention of me in the group. He seemed drawn to her, openly and subtly.

One of my former colleagues, who had been close to me, once made a harmless comment that Celine wasn’t as capable as I’d been. Lucas immediately docked her an entire year’s bonus. Later, I secretly transferred her ten thousand dollars, hoping to prevent her from impulsively quitting.

When I returned to the place I’d called home for eight years but never truly belonged to, I started packing up my things. My gaze fell on a thick photo album filled with memories from the past decade. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I opened it and flipped through each page.

Each photo represented a gift Lucas had given me. Eight years ago, he told me he’d give me 9,999 surprises before we’d walk down the aisle together. He wanted to win my heart with sincerity, so I’d willingly become his wife. The album, custom–made to hold exactly 9,999 photos, now had just one blank page left. But in the end, it was all for nothing.

Taking the album downstairs to a quiet, open area, I lit a match and set it ablaze. I watched as each photo burned, turning slowly to ash, burying the last eight years of my life with it.

Lucas arrived to see me standing over the flames, his face drained of color. He rushed over, pushing me aside to try and salvage what he could. But the heat was too intense for him to reach in. Within seconds, his hands turned red from the heat. Furious, he stomped on the burning album, trying to snuff out the flames as they devoured each photo.

“What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy? All these memories–gone because of you!” he shouted