Keep the Groom, I'm Out

On the day my CEO boyfriend, Benjamin West, and I go register our marriage, his manipulative female assistant, Chelsea Miller, suddenly hands over her ID first. Just like that, the marriage certificate that is supposed to belong to me and Benjamin becomes one hers and his instead. Taken aback, I anxiously ask what is going on. But Chelsea suddenly drops to her knees dramatically and cries in despair, "Giselle, this is all my fault! My child needs a local address to enroll in school. If it hadn't been for that, I would never have resorted to a fake marriage with Benjamin." She even sobs inconsolably and threatens to smash her head against the wall so as to make it up to me with her death. Benjamin is usually clear-headed and can easily distinguish right from wrong. But this time, not only does he not defend me, but he even slaps me in public! He fumes, "Chelsea is a single mother. She's only doing this for her child. Do you really have to be so petty? It's just a marriage certificate. Once her child gets into school, I will divorce her. Can't we register our marriage a little later? Is it necessary to back her into a corner?" "Hurry up and apologize to Chelsea. Then, give half of your salary to her as compensation. If you cooperate, I can lend you the marriage certificate for Chelsea and me so you can take some photos and show off in the family group chat. Otherwise, forget about marrying me." I laugh humorlessly. "Then let's not register our marriage at all." Not only do I no longer want the marriage certificate, but I also don't want him anymore. Chapter 1 At my words, my boyfriend, Benjamin West, froze for a moment, clearly not expecting his threat to fail this time. As if he had realized something, he let out a cold snort after a while. "Giselle, this is just another one of your little games, isn't it? Playing hard to get? Why are you so petty?" he berated me. "Chelsea's already struggling enough raising a child while trying to make it in a big city. What's wrong with me helping her out as her boss? We can register our marriage anytime. "But if Chelsea registers too late, her child won't be able to enroll in kindergarten. If that ruins the kid's future, will you take responsibility for it? "If you're this cold-hearted, how do you expect me to feel safe marrying you? Or making you the mother of my future children?" Listening to his self-righteous speech, I rubbed my cheek, still numb and throbbing from the slap. Yet inside, I felt calmer than ever before. Maybe it was because things like this had happened far too many times already that I had grown numb to it. Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Chelsea Miller, the assistant who had just claimed she would smash her head against the wall to apologize to me. I almost laughed. She moved more slowly than a snail, and her forehead barely even tapped the wall. Forget knocking herself unconscious—she probably couldn't even crack jelly with that force. The act was painfully fake, yet Benjamin believed every second of it. This time, I didn't swallow my anger like I always had. Instead, I shot back coldly, "She stole my fiance, and I'm supposed to be not upset? Should I smile and thank her for it as well?" Chelsea's eyes instantly reddened, and she made another show of throwing herself toward the wall. "Benny, this is all my fault. I'll just die to make up for everything!" Benjamin quickly stopped her, his face full of concern. Then, he turned to me and snapped, "Are you done, Giselle? Apologize to Chelsea, then give her half your salary as compensation! You owe her that!" He had always favored Chelsea. The slightest thing upset her, and he would force me to apologize and make amends to her. Once, she filled out the wrong contract figures, causing the company to lose millions. Even then, he made me take the blame for her. I used to love him, so I compromised time after time. Now, I didn't want to give in anymore. "I didn't do anything wrong, so why should I apologize?" I argued. "If anything, she's the one who should be apologizing to me." Benjamin's visage darkened. "Giselle, you—" Before he could explode, I turned and walked away without looking back. By the time I stepped out of the city hall, the sky was already dark. Watching the couples passing by on the streets, I felt a dull ache spread through my chest. Chapter 2 In hindsight, everything screamed irony. Benjamin and I had been together for six years, yet we still hadn't gotten married. At first, he said marriage would hurt his career prospects, that we needed to focus on building his business first. To help him succeed, I gave up my stable, high-paying job without hesitation and followed him to the city to start a company from scratch. I drank myself sick at endless business dinners and networking events, and in the end, I helped him secure a comfortable position as CEO. However, once his career stabilized, he suddenly claimed he needed to "test my sincerity". He said he would only agree to marry me if I passed all 52 premarital tests Chelsea had set up. So, under the excuse of testing me, Chelsea made me collect 9,999 handwritten blessings from strangers. When I arrived at the office, she would deliberately dump ice water over my head. She even put laxatives in my drink, so I ended up having explosive diarrhea during business meetings and humiliating myself in public. That wasn't all. Whenever Benjamin and I went on dates, she would constantly find excuses to pull him away, claiming it was another test for me. For his sake, I endured it all. Then, yesterday, right after I finished a design proposal I had spent an entire year working on, Chelsea demanded that I hand it over to her, saying it was the final test. When I hesitated, she immediately twisted it into proof that I didn't truly love Benjamin. In the end, I gave it to her. Only then did he finally agree to register our marriage. I was so excited that night that I couldn't sleep at all. Early the next morning, I rushed to the city hall to get a number and wait in line. Our marriage certificate was practically within reach. Then, Chelsea suddenly appeared and registered the marriage with Benjamin instead. I had only questioned them with a few words, but he immediately defended her and accused me of having a filthy mind, saying I saw something dirty in everything. But if he truly had no feelings for Chelsea, why didn't he help the other single parents in the company? Why was she the only one who received preferential treatment? It took me a while, but I finally understood it. Benjamin's heart had long since drifted away from me. All those so-called tests were nothing more than excuses. He never wanted to marry me in the first place. My stomach twisted with emptiness, and only then did I remember I hadn't eaten all day. I had skipped breakfast just to get to the city hall earlier and line up for our marriage registration, only to end up doing it for someone else. What a joke. I found a restaurant and had a meal. Right after I finished eating, I saw Benjamin post a photo of his marriage certificate with Chelsea on social media. Our coworkers flooded the comments with congratulations and wishes. Of course, they didn't forget to mock me, too. "So what if Giselle was the CEO's girlfriend? Look who became Mrs. West in the end." "She's an old hag. Don't even compare her to a young beauty like Chelsea." … I knew Benjamin posted that just to provoke me, but this time, I only gave it a cold laugh and hit like. Soon, my parents saw the post and called me. "Sweetheart, what's going on with Benjamin's post? Did he actually marry another woman?" They had always worried about our marriage. All they wanted to see was Benjamin and I settled down. Just as I was about to answer them, a message from Benjamin popped up. "I made sure not to hide the post from your parents this time. They must be panicking by now, huh? If you apologize to Chelsea, I can explain to them that it was all a misunderstanding. Otherwise, deal with the consequences yourself." There was a time when Benjamin respected all my decisions and never forced me to do anything. Once, when we were having dinner at his parents' place, his mother insisted I eat eggs even though I was allergic to them. Benjamin got so furious that he flipped the table on the spot. Now, to force me into apologizing to Chelsea, he was willing to use my parents against me. At one point, I had to accept that the man who once loved me more than anything was dead. Chapter 3 I ignored Benjamin. Instead, I replied to my parents, "Mom, Dad… Benjamin and I are over. I'll take your advice this time and come home for blind dates." Mom and Dad had never approved of Benjamin in the first place, but I had insisted on staying with him, even leaving my hometown behind for him. Now, it seemed they had been right all along. "Good! We'll start arranging blind dates for you right away!" After hanging up, I bought a bus ticket for the next day, then took a cab home to pack my things. The moment I reached the door, I heard bursts of laughter coming from inside. I pushed the door open and saw three pairs of shoes by the entrance—matching family shoes. Immediately, I recognized one pair as Benjamin's. Chelsea had given them to him as a birthday present, though they were probably cheap street-stall sneakers that cost less than ten bucks. The workmanship was terrible, and the material looked flimsy and cheap. Yet, Benjamin treasured them like gold. Meanwhile, the custom leather shoes I had bought him—worth thousands—had been left untouched until they gathered dust. He had even criticized my taste, saying the shoes were embarrassing and impossible to wear outside. Back then, I had genuinely believed there was something wrong with my sense of style. Foolish as I had been, I had even humbly asked Chelsea for advice on improving my taste. Looking back, I realized Benjamin simply hated anything I gave him. I kicked the three pairs of shoes aside and walked into the house. The moment I looked up, I saw Chelsea lounging lazily on the couch in my nightgown, watching TV like she owned the place. Her daughter, Sadie Miller, was running barefoot all over my white carpet. Mom had stayed up night after night making that carpet for me, her eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. Now, it was covered in dirty black footprints from Sadie's feet. What made my blood boil was seeing my carefully collected figurines scattered all over the floor. Several of them had their arms and legs snapped off. Furious, I snatched one of the figurines back from Sadie's hands and questioned, "What are you people doing in my house?" She lifted her chin stubbornly. "Daddy said we could!" The next second, Benjamin came out of the kitchen after hearing the commotion. He never cooked, yet he was standing there holding a spatula, making dinner for Chelsea and Sadie. "Sadie, what is it?" he called out lovingly. "Why are you calling for Daddy?" He was just about to pull Sadie into his arms to comfort her when he finally noticed me and froze. "Wow. I didn't know you're a dad now, Benjamin," I said. Benjamin only froze for a split second before shrugging it off like it was nothing. "Sadie's never had a father's love growing up. Letting her call me 'Daddy' isn't going to kill anyone. Besides, why are you suddenly back?" I almost laughed. "This is my home. Do I need a reason to be back? And more importantly, who gave you permission to bring them here?" He looked justified in his actions. "Chelsea's place is too far from Sadie's kindergarten. The daily commute is just exhausting, and eventually, it'll affect her studies. "Our place happens to be close to the kindergarten, so I brought them over. The place is big enough anyway. They can stay here until they find somewhere suitable." "And what if they never find it?" I asked. He looked at them with obvious affection in his eyes. "Then, they'll stay here. It's just cooking two more portions of food every day." Previously, when I wanted my parents to stay with us for a while, Benjamin had flatly refused. He said he wasn't used to having outsiders in the house and that he was a light sleeper, emphasizing he didn't want to be disturbed. Yet, he personally invited Chelsea and Sadie over to stay. It appeared that only my parents were the outsiders. At that thought, my voice turned cold. "I don't agree to them staying here." Benjamin's expression darkened instantly. Chapter 4 "Giselle, you really don't have a shred of empathy, do you?" Benjamin said. I sneered. "Oh, I'm definitely not as empathetic as you, going as far as marrying your assistant and then bringing her and her child into your girlfriend's home!" Just then, Chelsea, who had been silent, finally chimed in. Her eyes were red as she slowly took off my nightgown, looking fragile and pitiful. "Giselle, Benny, please stop fighting because of me. If she doesn't want us here, I'll take Sadie and leave right now, even if it means she'll have a harder time going to school… "I mean, you've already done more than enough, Benny. The fact that you gave Sadie a chance at education makes me so grateful that I can't possibly ask for anything more…" As she spoke, she exchanged a glance with Sadie. In the next second, Sadie rushed at me and sank her teeth hard into my calf. Pain shot through me instantly as blood welled up. She didn't stop there. She clenched her fists and started hitting me wildly. "You bad woman! Why are you kicking Mommy and me out? This is my home! You're the one who should leave!" Only after Sadie had hit me until my skin was red did Chelsea finally step in and pull her away. "She's just a child, Giselle. Please don't take it to heart." Before I could even speak, Benjamin cut in first. "Chelsea, just stay here with Sadie and settle in." He turned to me. "Chelsea already feels bad about taking your marriage registration spot. She even bought you a gift to apologize, and yet you're still making a fuss over it. Honestly, the one who acts like a child is you." I looked over, and it was a half-eaten souffle. I said coldly, "I'm allergic to eggs. I can't eat that. And I'm not a trash bin who takes leftovers." Tears brimmed in Chelsea's eyes. "Benny, I know Giselle thinks my gift is cheap, but… this is already the best I can afford. If she doesn't like it, she can just say so. Why does she have to be all sarcastic?" Benjamin's expression turned stormy. Without warning, he grabbed the dessert and shoved it straight into my mouth. "She went out of her way to give you something, and you still look down on it? At least give a better excuse than an egg allergy! You know what? Let me see how your so-called egg allergy works!" I couldn't dodge in time. The dessert was forced into my mouth, the eggy smell instantly hitting my senses. I gagged hard and barely managed to spit it out after a while. By the time I finally caught my breath, my skin was already breaking out in angry red hives. It was only then that Benjamin seemed to remember I was seriously allergic to eggs. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. "Giselle, I…" I couldn't be bothered to listen and walked straight into the room. He followed me in, his tone softening. "Giselle, I was just too angry and forgot about your allergy. I'm sorry." I was just wondering why he suddenly sounded so friendly when he finally revealed his real intention. "Still, can you let Chelsea and Sadie stay here for a while? Once they find a place, I promise they'll move out. After that, I'll marry you to make it up to you. Alright?" So, it was still all for Chelsea. I brushed his hand away. "There's no need for that. I'll move out and make room for your little family of three." Without another word, I lowered my head and started packing my luggage. That made Benjamin snap again. "Look, I've already compromised. What more do you want? If you keep this up, I'm going to break up with you!" A cold smile tugged at my lips. "Sure. I was just about to say that. Let's break up." He froze. He had clearly expected that threatening to break up with me would make me back down like before, but I surprisingly agreed this time. "Do you even hear yourself, Giselle?" I nodded. Chapter 5 "Didn't you say you wanted to break up? I agreed. What's the problem now?" I asked. Benjamin was stumped, his face red with anger. Chelsea and Sadie, who had been in the living room, heard the noise and pushed the door open. The former put on an innocent, pitiful act. "Giselle, I didn't expect you'd go as far as breaking up with Benny just to force us out. I'll take Sadie and leave right now so we don't bother you anymore." She picked Sadie up and stormed out the door. After a moment of hesitation, Benjamin followed after them. Before leaving, he threw a harsh parting line over his shoulder. "Fine, we'll break up! And go ahead and leave if you want! Let's see how long this tantrum lasts!" Of course, he thought I was just throwing a fit. I still remembered the last time he made me take the blame for Chelsea. We had argued so badly that I had stormed out of the house. He searched for me for a long time before finally finding me. At that time, he held me and cried. "Giselle, I only asked you to take the blame because I was worried something would happen to Chelsea, and no one would take care of the child. "I didn't consider your feelings, and that's my fault. But I really couldn't just stand by and do nothing, could I? Can you please forgive me?" Seeing how sincerely he apologized back then, I eventually forgave him. He probably assumed this time would be the same. As long as he coaxed me a little, I would go back to him. But he was wrong. This time, I was really leaving him for good. After Benjamin left, I started packing my things. I took down all 999 couple photos we had once taken together from the wall and burned them in one go. Then, I went to the backyard and stood there in a daze, looking at the grapevine and the swing hanging beneath it. I liked eating grapes, so Benjamin had planted a grapevine for me in the yard. He also built a swing so we could sit there in the summer and spend time together. Now, everything had changed. I picked up an ax and cut down both the grapevine and the swing. With it, I cut off everything that once represented our six years together. After that, I brought my property deed to a real estate agency to sell the house. I had paid for it in full, and it was under my name, so the process was quick. The agent handled everything efficiently and listed the house online. Leaving the agency, I stopped by the company to submit my resignation. The HR manager, Annie Clark, told me I needed Benjamin's approval before it could be processed and asked me to call him to confirm. I tried calling him over ten times, but he didn't pick up once. In the end, Annie had no choice but to call him directly instead. This time, he answered immediately. "Hello, Mr. West. Ms. Johnson would like to—" "The company seal is in the drawer. Tell her to do whatever she wants with it. I'm busy. Don't call me unless it's something important." Before Annie could even respond, Benjamin had already hung up. Well, with his approval, she had no reason to block my resignation anymore. So, she quickly processed it for me. The next second, I received a private, provoking message from Chelsea. In the photo, Benjamin, who had always been afraid of heights, was at an amusement park, riding a roller coaster with her and Sadie. She wrote, "Only smart people know when to back down." No wonder Benjamin claimed to be busy. That was why he didn't even bother asking and just agreed so quickly. He was busy accompanying his new family. I sneered and replied, "I can't help if someone loves picking up trash. In that case, I'll leave it to them." After finishing my work handover, I left the company. As soon as I stepped out of the building, the real estate agent sent me a message. "Hello, Ms. Johnson. Good news—we've found a buyer. We can proceed with the signing tomorrow." "Alright. Thank you for your work." After that, I took a cab home. All the while, Chelsea kept sending me updates of Benjamin spending time with them. "Benny is riding the Ferris wheel with Sadie and me. Everyone says we look like a real family." Chapter 6 "Benny even bought the amusement park and registered it under our names. You're not going to be mad, right, Giselle?" I ignored Chelsea. That night, Benjamin didn't come home. I was unbothered and slept soundly. The next day, after signing the sales contract with the buyer, I packed my luggage and headed straight for the bus station. On the way there, I unexpectedly ran into Benjamin and Chelsea just as they were leaving kindergarten after registering Sadie for school. He was holding Sadie in his arms, while Chelsea clung happily to him. They looked exactly like a family of three. Even passersby couldn't help commenting. "What a happy family!" "The parents are so loving and well-matched! That kid is so lucky!" Benjamin smiled without saying anything, clearly enjoying himself. Then, he saw me. He froze for a moment, quickly put Sadie down, and pulled his arm out from Chelsea's grip. A trace of guilt flashed across his face. "What are you doing here, Giselle? It's working hours. Are you skipping work?" I almost laughed. I had already resigned a full day ago, yet he didn't even know. "I've already resigned." He didn't believe me. His brows furrowed tightly. "What, yesterday's breakup wasn't enough? Now, you're pretending to resign, too? Stop it, Giselle. This is getting out of hand." Chelsea's eyes rolled slightly as she chimed in with a fake tone. "Benny, she must've realized she was wrong and followed us here to apologize." Benjamin visibly relaxed. A faint smile returned to his lips. "If you want me to forgive you, fine. But you'll have to apologize to Chelsea first. And since Chelsea has trouble sleeping, you'll give them the master bedroom. You take the study instead. "Also, you'll be responsible for all their meals every day as compensation. Not a single condition can be missing." What a joke. He was treating me like a live-in maid. I had originally planned to tell him about selling the house later, but since we had run into each other, I might as well say it now. "Don't think I can agree to any of those conditions because I just sold the house." Benjamin's eyes widened. "You sold the house? Why didn't you tell me something this important?" "It's my house. I'll sell it if I want to," I said coldly. "I don't need your permission." Meanwhile, Chelsea kept fanning the flames. "Wow, Giselle. I didn't think you'd sell the house just to kick both Sadie and me out. If you hate me so much, I'll file for a divorce with Benny right this moment. "I'll move out of the house and won't bother you anymore!" Benjamin looked at her with concern. "But you just returned the house and used the refunded rent to pay for Sadie's tuition. Where'd you go if you move out?" She wiped away her non-existent tears. "What can I do when Giselle doesn't want us around? I'll just sleep under a bridge with Sadie, then. It might be cold, but at least we won't have to bother anyone." Sadie spat in my direction. "You bad woman who bullies Mommy! Daddy, teach her a lesson!" Benjamin's expression turned cold as well. "I don't care what kind of tantrum you're throwing, Giselle, but there has to be a limit! If you keep this up, don't even think about getting married to me for the rest of your life!" At his 101st threat, I actually laughed out loud. "Benjamin, have you forgotten? We already broke up. Why are we still talking about getting married?"