Groom Swap at the Wedding

At our wedding ceremony, Rose Lane's assistant, Zachary Zimmer, accidentally projects the wrong photo on the screen. The huge screen initially shows a wedding portrait of Rose and me. But suddenly, it turns into a photo featuring Rose and Zachary in wedding clothes. Both of them held hands with each other while looking into each other's eyes lovingly. It was clear that they looked very happy together. Everyone gasps in shock. Zachary begins sobbing quietly and asks if I can delay the wedding. Rose remains calm and collected as she starts throwing out suggestions to me. "The guests are already here, so it'll be embarrassing for us if we delay the wedding ceremony. Besides, it also spells ill luck for us if we do that. No one recognizes the groom's face anyway. Why don't we let Zachary replace you in this ceremony for now?" All of our friends are stunned, to say the least. They think I'll go ballistic and get incredibly jealous because of Rose's suggestion. Instead, I nod and claim that it's a great idea. Noting my composed manner, Rose smugly declares that we've already registered our marriage, so she promises me that she will hold another wedding for me when she's free enough. But she seems to have forgotten that she's signed a divorce agreement just now. Chapter 1 I plucked the groom's boutonniere and handed it to my wife, Rose Lane, then didn't bother with the subtle looks she and the people around us were exchanging. I just walked out of the hotel. Rose didn't come after me. Behind me, the hall erupted in applause as Rose and Zachary Zimmer took the stage, surrounded by the celebrating crowd. I knew this wasn't an accident. It was Zachary's way of poking at me. Too bad Rose couldn't—or wouldn't—see it. Maybe she saw and was deliberately letting it slide. In the past, I might've felt upset, but now, surprisingly, I felt nothing but calm. I went home and took a much-needed nap. Rose hated fuss, so the entire wedding had fallen on me. From start to finish, I was running around making sure nothing went wrong. I'd been preparing nonstop after work, carefully selecting hotels and staying up late to choose invitation card designs and party favors. Yesterday, I even rehearsed until the early hours, and my chest still ached from the stress. Looking back now, it felt hardly worth it. I should've just gone through the motions. Just as I was drifting in and out of sleep, Rose's call jolted me awake. "Marcus, the wedding's over. Where are you?" Hearing her cheerful voice on the line made me chuckle—I'd been home for hours, and she hadn't even noticed I was gone. Or maybe she had noticed, but she didn't care enough to check. I yawned. "At home." For a split second, there was nothing but silence. "Marcus, are you still upset about the wedding?" she asked, knowingly, like she always did. This time, she was wrong. I wasn't angry, just uninterested. "I'm not," I answered truthfully. Rose didn't believe me. "I know you're holding some resentment, but I did it for the company's sake. Many of today's guests were business partners. If they saw us messing up even our photos, they'd doubt our competence. I just didn't want you to look like a joke. "And Zachary was under so much pressure today—you have no idea how many drinks people piled on him. He took the hits for you. You should be thanking him." I was amused. I started to suspect that in the chaos of the wedding, someone had slipped off with her brain. Before I could answer, Zachary's gentle voice cut in. "Rose, don't say that. I was just doing what I was supposed to do." "Nonsense. You handled the unexpected situation perfectly. I'll soon tell the financial department you're getting a raise." Chapter 2 "Thank you, Rose," Zachary replied. A chorus of mutual praise, exactly as I expected. I felt nauseated, but I was used to it by now. Rose had always coddled Zachary endlessly. In the office, everyone had to call her Ms. Lane—only Zachary could call her by her first name. Anyone else who made a small mistake would get chewed out mercilessly, but Zachary? No matter what chaos he caused, she'd turn a blind eye. A month ago, Zachary had blown a deal worth tens of millions of dollars. Everyone in the company was furious. And yet, to calm the uproar, Rose didn't even consult me—just shoved the blame on my shoulders and docked a year of my pay. I stormed at her, furious. She just shrugged and said, "After all these years together, you're still hung up on trivial matters? This money is nothing to you, but Zachary's in a different position. If we docked his salary, how would he get by? If you want, I can make it up to you." So, this wedding was her idea of "making it up to me". When I stayed silent, Rose sighed and said on the phone, "Marcus, can't you take a page from Zachary's book? He's younger than you, but he's more sensible. When something goes wrong, he's proactive. He even flew his parents in just to make sure the wedding went smoothly. "You don't have parents—fine. But when problems arise, you can't just throw a tantrum, refuse to talk, and run away, leaving a mess." I snorted when she mentioned my parents. Rose's house caught fire when she was a child, and she was alone at that time. My father had rushed in to save her and was fatally burned. My mother, crushed by grief, died soon after. The night my mother died, Rose held me as I cried, promising over and over that she'd never leave me. And now, barely eight years later, in her eyes, my parents' deaths were just another reason I didn't measure up to Zachary. In the past, I would've lost it and yelled at her. But by now, after witnessing Rose do countless absurd things for Zachary, I was mentally prepared. Surprisingly, I felt calm. "You're right. I was wrong," I said softly. Perhaps sensing my calm, Rose softened her tone. "It's okay to make mistakes. As long as you acknowledge it and improve… Just apologize to Zachary, and this matter will—" "You misunderstand," I said, cutting her off flatly. "What I mean is, I shouldn't have gone to you, shouldn't have registered the marriage first, and I definitely shouldn't have had my dad save an ungrateful person like you." Rose froze, anger flaring. "Marcus, what are you saying?" she fumed. Hearing her rage, I didn't grovel like before. I stayed calm. "Rose, let's get a divorce." Rose was stunned. "What did you just say? Marcus, you've become so petty. Over this? You want a divorce?" I expected her to blow up and agree to it right after. After all, a few nights ago, I heard her calling Zachary's name in her sleep. She liked him that much—if I divorced her to clear the path, she'd probably be delighted. Chapter 3 But to my surprise, Rose exhaled deeply, her voice unusually calm. "Marcus, I know you're just saying that in anger. I'm not going to hold it against you. Stop joking around, okay? Talking about divorce like that is hurtful. And after all these years, we can't split up just like that. "I'll pretend you never said those things, so don't repeat them again. Oh, by the way, we got a last-minute notice. I have to go on a business trip for a couple of days. I'm giving you a month off. Take some time to cool down." With that, Rose hung up. Just before the line went dead, I heard Rose explaining to Zachary softly, "I can't. Divorce is complicated—property, finances—" I didn't hear the rest, but I got the gist. She was worried I'd claim part of her wealth if we divorced. I scoffed and was momentarily speechless. Rose told Zachary everything—from the trivial, like what she ate, to the company's sensitive information. I had warned her to be careful, but she didn't listen. She trusted Zachary and reserved all her suspicion for me. However, none of that mattered anymore. I contacted a lawyer to draw up a divorce agreement. To speed things up, I chose not to claim anything from the divorce. I also submitted my resignation to the HR department. They didn't know my relationship with Rose, so they quickly replied formally, "Ms. Lane and Mr. Zimmer are on their honeymoon. I won't disturb them now. You can bring this up in a month." I wasn't surprised. I'd already guessed Rose's "business trip" was a lie. Her wedding was the talk of the town—there was no way work would actually get her. "I can't wait. Go ahead and process it. Just inform her after her honeymoon. If anything goes wrong, I'll take care of it," I replied. The HR staff hesitated but agreed after I reassured her. Rose and I had signed an eight-year contract back then. It expired two years ago, but she never renewed it—forgotten or indifferent, I didn't know. For the past few years, her attention had been mostly on Zachary anyway. That ended up working in my favor. Now, I didn't need her approval to resign. Next, I called a friend who was out of town. When he heard what I had in mind, he was thrilled and insisted I come join his company immediately. A while back, he had started a new company and had everything in place—except for a strong technical lead. He'd asked me several times to join him, but I'd refused without a second thought. The company Rose owned now had started out as something we built together. Back then, we rented a tiny cubicle to save money, and it was just the two of us. Now, it was on the verge of going public, spanning an entire building. I'd poured myself into it as if it were a child of mine, and even though she'd never given me a dime in equity, I had no complaints. Now, thinking back, all that effort seemed wasted. I accepted my friend's offer unhesitatingly and booked a flight to Haddon. When I arrived at the airport, I saw him waiting in the terminal. The moment he spotted me, he rushed over, took my luggage from my hands, and fussed over me, checking if I was tired, hungry, or needed anything at all. Chapter 4 I felt a little awkward and laughed. "We're friends. You don't need to go through all this trouble." My friend smiled, "Close friends take care of each other, right?" For some reason, his words sent my mind drifting back a few years, to when Rose had asked me to give up a high-paying job and start a company with her. She'd simply sent me an address, and I lugged my bags through a maze of streets to reach a small, obscure apartment, sweating from the effort. When I arrived, she was in pajamas, gaming with her friends. She didn't say anything, but I could tell from her expression that she thought I'd come at the wrong time. Once she finished the game, I teased, "Why didn't you come pick me up? Weren't you worried I might run into trouble?" Rose glanced at me, scoffing. "You're a grown man, aren't you? What could happen? Besides, we've been together forever. You could come on your own, so why should I bother?" In hindsight, all the talk about us being together for a long time was just a pretense. The truth was that I didn't matter to her. That afternoon, my friend showed me potential apartments. Once I had a place lined up, he rounded up a few friends and took me to a luxury hotel for dinner. When we arrived, he went to park the car while I headed upstairs first. But as I stepped through the revolving door, a familiar voice rang out. "Huh? Isn't that Marcus?" I instinctively turned and saw Rose and Zachary at the front desk, hands entwined, leaning in close. Rose reflexively pulled her hand back when she saw me. Zachary's face flickered with irritation, but he quickly masked it with a casual smile as he approached. "Marcus, I just heard from the HR department that you wanted to reach Rose. Why come all the way here yourself? You could've just called." Rose frowned, as if realizing something. "Did you follow me here? What's this? Don't trust me now?" I stifled a laugh, not bothering to explain. "I wasn't following anyone. I came to see a friend." She clearly didn't buy it. "Cut it out. Don't you think I know you have no friends here? If you were following me, just admit it—why lie?" Her sneer suggested she already thought she had me figured out. I stayed silent, unsure what to say. Rose knew me better than anyone. She knew I was far from home and had hardly any friends, yet she still left me alone in that city to "cool down" after the wedding. I remembered last year, though, when she claimed she was going back to her hometown for the New Year, she actually spent it with Zachary. Her excuse had been that Zachary was lonely and in a bad place—he had no friends there, and she didn't want him to do anything reckless. "Rose, since Marcus is here, you two go ahead and talk. Right, give me the card for the room." Zachary reached out toward Rose with a grin on his face. Rose opened her bag and passed him the card. "Wait for me upstairs." "Okay." Before leaving, Zachary shot me a triumphant glance. The implication was clear—they were sharing a hotel room. For a moment, Rose seemed to catch on, her eyes flickering with a brief panic. "The front desk said there was only one room left. Don't overthink it. It's a suite, and he's sleeping on the couch," she said. But I remembered her habits. Whether it was a business trip or a vacation, she always planned ahead and booked hotels in advance. I didn't bother confronting her. Instead, I pulled the divorce papers I'd prepared from my bag. I had originally planned to sign them after sorting out the new job—but since I'd run into her here, this was as good a time as any. Chapter 5 "What's this?" Rose opened the folder with a puzzled look, about to read the content, when Zachary's sharp yell rang from upstairs. "What's wrong, Zachary?" she called out anxiously, not even looking at the papers, hastily signing and preparing to leave. I couldn't help but ask, "Don't you want to see what you just signed?" Rose waved it off. "What else would you want besides money?" With that, she hurried off in her high heels without waiting for my response. I let out a self-mocking laugh. Her hurried figure brought back memories from years ago, when I'd fallen seriously ill and couldn't afford surgery. Rose had told me not to worry—she would find a way. That night, I woke to find her exhausted, making call after call to borrow money for my surgery. From that moment on, I silently promised myself that no matter what happened, I would never let her down. Later, as our company grew and money was no longer an issue, Rose and I could never go back to how we used to be. I tucked the divorce papers back in my bag. I was told that the divorce would be finalized in a month. After that, Rose and I would have nothing to do with each other. By the time the elevator delivered me to the private room, my friends were already there. After a few rounds of drinks, one of them brought up the past. He asked if I'd had a girlfriend, recalling how I'd refused his offers to join his startup. Rose had never wanted to make our relationship public, so hardly anyone knew we were together. Even at the wedding, she invited only business partners—none of our relatives or friends. At the time, she said we were living in another city. Even if we announced the wedding, most people wouldn't be able to come, and it might look like we were angling for wedding gifts. She said it would be better to keep it low-key and celebrate with everyone another time when we returned to our hometown. Back then, I didn't think much of it. Looking back now, though, the whole arrangement felt like a roundabout way of making room for Zachary to play the groom. "I'm already divorced," I said calmly. The room went silent. People looked unsure whether to console me. Right then, I raised my glass and said, "From now on, I'm settling down here. Let's make some serious money together!" "That's right! Let's make some serious money!" The room quickly filled with laughter and the sound of glasses clinking. The next day, I signed the contract with my friend and threw myself into the business. The business was already running smoothly, and with the addition of the latest technology, it only grew stronger. Within just two weeks, our profits had tripled. My friend was thrilled. To celebrate, he threw a party at a resort on the outskirts—but there, once again, I ran into Rose and Zachary. The two of them were sitting by the bonfire. Rose was carefully peeling shrimp for Zachary. I didn't know what Zachary said, but Rose laughed and popped the shrimp into his mouth. Then she lifted her hand—still slick with shrimp juice—as if to smear it on his face. He laughed and leaned back to dodge. Just when Rose thought she'd gotten her way, Zachary suddenly grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms. Rose lowered her head shyly, her face glowing with happiness. I remembered that she had never liked it when I got up to those childish antics. She always complained that the shrimp would get her hands dirty, so she never liked eating them. Every time, I would peel them for her and coax her to eat. I couldn't deny it—since she'd been with Zachary, she had changed a lot. Chapter 6 "What a sweet couple." A friend walked over and looked at the two of them before turning to me with a teasing grin. "Jealous of them?" I smiled faintly and shook my head. "Filthy." My friend blinked, confused. I didn't bother explaining. I turned to leave. With so many people around, I assumed Rose wouldn't notice me. But the moment I turned, her voice rang out. "Marcus!" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rose marching toward us, clearly furious. I had no interest in seeing her again, so I quickened my pace. I thought she'd take the hint and stop, but instead—completely ignoring the stares around us—she hurried straight after me and blocked my path. "Marcus, are you deaf? Didn't you hear me calling you?" I knew her temper well enough. Since she had already caught up to me, I didn't try to avoid her anymore. I simply asked calmly, "What do you want?" Rose seemed taken aback by my indifference. For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Zachary, standing beside her, greeted me. "Hey, Marcus. What a coincidence. Didn't expect we'd run into each other again. Twice in the same city, no less." I could hear the implication in his words. Rose heard it too. Her gaze darkened as she looked at me. "So, you followed me here again?" I was speechless for a moment. "I didn't follow you. It's just a coincidence." "Oh, please. Once might be a coincidence—but twice? You expect me to believe things just happen to line up like that? And if you weren't following me, why did you look so guilty just now? Why did you run from me?" Rose stared at me coldly, her eyes full of mockery. She was clearly convinced by her own suspicions. Zachary suddenly spoke up again, sounding aggrieved. "Rose, please don't argue with Marcus because of me. If it's causing trouble, I can leave. Marcus can keep you company instead. "After all, Marcus was supposed to join you on this business trip. I should've known that people might get the wrong idea seeing me here with you." Rose's face had shown a flicker of doubt, but hearing him, she hardened her tone. "Who's getting the wrong idea? We're on a legitimate business trip! Only petty people would think otherwise!" As she said that, she cast a cold glance at me. Obviously, she was calling me petty. I couldn't help feeling amused. I expected Rose to start scolding me the way she always did after Zachary complained about me—going on and on without end. But surprisingly, her expression softened instead. She sighed and said, "Marcus, stop overthinking, okay? You're wearing me out. I promise, once we get back, we'll have our wedding. Just let it go and go home, alright? Besides, we're already legally married; what's there to worry about?" So, she really didn't realize she'd already signed the divorce papers. And now she was trying to brush me off with the promise of a wedding—just to keep me from ruining their honeymoon. The more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. "Our wedding?" I let out a scoff, pulled the divorce agreement from my bag, and thrust it into her face. "Looks like you really do have a terrible memory, Rose. Did you forget we're already divorced?"