The Groom Thief

On the day of our wedding, my husband's assistant deliberately found an excuse to make me step outside. She put on a wedding dress and walked onto the stage before I did. She officially played the part of the bride. When my husband found out, not only did he not stop her, but he even held her hand with their fingers intertwined. He gazed at her lovingly and completed the wedding ceremony with a look of pure happiness. When I finally realized what was happening and was about to confront him, my husband immediately lashed out at me, "You were the one who showed up late and delayed the wedding ceremony. Do you expect all those guests to just sit there and wait for you? Can you be any more selfish? "Mia was only trying to help us with the wedding. Don't act like you're the victim after benefiting from it. I'll just make it up to you and hold another wedding for you later!" My friends were all stunned. They thought I would throw a fit after hearing such ridiculous words from my husband. Instead, I nodded and said he was right. Seeing how calm I was, my husband became even more pleased with himself. He said that since we had already received our marriage certificate, he would hold a proper wedding for me once he had time. He seemed to have forgotten one thing. We had just signed our divorce agreement yesterday. Chapter 1 After removing the veil from the bride's head and handing it to my husband, Ethan Stewart, I ignored the strange expressions on his and everyone else's faces. I, Nora Letterman, turned around and walked straight out of the wedding venue. Even after I left the venue, Ethan still didn't come after me. Behind me, there was thunderous applause. He and Mia Jenner were surrounded by the crowd as they walked onto the stage. I knew Ethan had already figured out that everything was Mia's doing. He just chose to let her have her way. Even if I investigated now, it would be pointless. He had probably already done what he always did and erased all the evidence of Mia setting me up. If this had happened before, I might have been furious and broken down completely. But this time, I was surprisingly calm. I simply went home and went back to sleep. Ethan hated trouble, so I had handled every single detail of the wedding myself from beginning to end. To make sure nothing went wrong, I spent all my free time after work preparing for it. I carefully picked the venue, stayed up late choosing invitations and wedding favors, and even rehearsed until dawn the day before. My heart still ached even now. Now that I thought about it, it all felt so pointless. If I had known this would happen, I should have just gone through the motions. I was still a little groggy when Ethan's call woke me up completely. "Nora, the wedding is over. Where are you?" Listening to his cheerful voice, I almost laughed. I had been home for so long, and he still hadn't noticed. Maybe he had noticed. He just didn't care enough to pay attention. I yawned. "At home." There was a brief silence on the other end. "Nora, are you still upset about what happened at the wedding?" He asked the question the way he always did and pretended not to know the answer. But this time, he was wrong. I really wasn't angry. I just found it boring. "No," I answered honestly. Of course, he didn't believe me. "I know you're still upset, but this whole thing was your fault in the first place. "A lot of the guests today were our business partners. They're important people. How could we make them wait around for you? If they realized the bride was showing up late, they might question our company's professionalism. "I did this for the company. Instead of understanding me, you're here getting jealous and angry. What right do you have to act like this? "Besides, Mia was under a lot of pressure today too. She managed to come up with a solution at the last minute and even helped you handle all those drinks. You should be thanking her." Listening to his unreasonable excuses, I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Chapter 2 I even wondered if someone had swapped his brain out while everyone was busy at the wedding. Before I could say anything, Mia's sweet voice came from beside him. "Ethan, don't blame Nora. She probably didn't mean for this to happen. Besides, didn't you already give me a raise? Don't make Nora thank me anymore." "A raise is a raise. An apology is an apology. They're two different things." "But helping Nora means helping the company. And helping the company means helping myself, right?" The two of them played off each other perfectly. I felt sick listening to them, but I was used to it. Ethan had always spoiled Mia without limits. At the company, everyone had to call him Mr. Stewart. Only Mia was allowed to call him by his first name. If anyone else at the company made even a small mistake, Ethan would criticize them severely. But no matter how big a mess Mia created, he always turned a blind eye. A month ago, Mia's mistake had ruined a multimillion-dollar business deal. Everyone in the company had been furious. But to calm everyone down, Ethan shifted the blame onto me and deducted a year's worth of my salary. He didn't even discuss it with me. I went to him angrily, but he only looked at me indifferently. "We've been together for so many years. How can you still make such a big deal out of something so small? "That money doesn't mean much to you. Mia comes from a difficult background. If you cut her salary, how is she supposed to survive? "If it really matters that much to you, I'll compensate you, alright?" This wedding was supposed to be his compensation for me. Seeing me stay silent, Ethan sighed. "Nora, can't you learn from Mia? She's younger than you, but she's much more understanding. "Whenever there's a problem, she actively tries to fix it. She even invited her parents today just to make sure the wedding went smoothly. "You don't have parents who could come, so fine. But when something happens, you can't just get angry, refuse to communicate, and walk away, leaving everyone else to clean up your mess." When he brought up my parents, I couldn't help but snort. When Ethan was a child, a fire broke out at his house while he was home alone. My father rushed into the flames to save him and suffered severe burns. He died despite emergency treatment. Unable to overcome the grief, my mother passed away soon after. The night my mother died, Ethan held me while I cried and promised me he would never leave me. That was less than eight years ago. Now, according to him, my parents' deaths had somehow become proof that I was inferior to Mia. Back then, I would have broken down emotionally and fought with him. But now, maybe because Ethan had done too many ridiculous things for Mia, I had already mentally prepared myself. I felt oddly at peace. "You're right. I was wrong." I lowered my voice. Perhaps because he heard how calm I sounded, Ethan softened his tone. "It's okay to make mistakes as long as you realize them and change. Now listen to me. Apologize to Mia, then compensate her with–" I interrupted him calmly. "You misunderstood me. "What I meant was, I shouldn't have come looking for you back then. I shouldn't have agreed to register our marriage. And I definitely shouldn't have let my father save you, you ungrateful snake." Ethan froze for a moment. His embarrassment turned to anger, and he asked me coldly, "Nora, what do you mean by that?" Hearing him get angry, I didn't lower my voice, apologize, and try to coax him like I used to. Instead, I calmly said, "Ethan, let's get divorced." Chapter 3 The moment I finished speaking, Ethan froze. "What did you say? "Nora, don't act like you're being wronged after benefiting from this. Are you really going to divorce me over one little thing?" I thought he would lose his temper and agree to it without hesitation. A few days ago, I even heard him call Mia's name in his sleep. If he liked Mia that much, I was certain he'd be happy with my decision to get a divorce. But instead, Ethan took a deep breath. His tone unexpectedly softened. "Nora, I know you're just saying that because you're angry. I won't hold it against you. "Stop making a scene. Divorce isn't something you can just throw around. It hurts. Besides, we've been together for so many years. How can we just get divorced like that? "I'll pretend I never heard you say this. Don't bring it up again. "By the way, we just received an urgent notice. We have to go on a business trip for the next couple of days. I'll give you a month off. Take some time to calm down." With that, Ethan hung up. The moment the call ended, I heard him explaining to Mia in a soft voice, "I don't have a choice. Divorce is very troublesome. We'd have to divide assets and–" I didn't hear the rest, but I understood. He was probably afraid that after the divorce, I would take away part of his assets. I couldn't help but snort. For a moment, I didn't even know what to say. Ethan told Mia everything from what he ate for every meal to the company's most confidential information. I had warned him before to be more careful, but he didn't take it seriously. He told me he trusted Mia. He believed her completely, but was incredibly quick to doubt my motives. That didn't matter anymore. I contacted a lawyer and asked him to draft a divorce agreement. To make sure we could get divorced as soon as possible, I chose to leave with nothing. After that, I sent my resignation letter to HR. The HR department didn't know about my relationship with Ethan, so they responded professionally. [Mr. Stewart and Mrs. Stewart are on their honeymoon. I can't possibly disturb them at a time like this. You can submit it after a month.] I wasn't surprised. I had already guessed that Ethan's so-called business trip was a lie. His marriage had already become the hottest topic in our social circle. How could anyone ask him to handle work right now? [I can't wait that long. Please process it first. You can hand it to him after their honeymoon ends. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility.] HR hesitated. After I repeatedly assured them, they finally agreed to help submit it. Ethan and I had signed an eight-year contract previously. In reality, it had already expired two years ago, but he never renewed it. I didn't know whether he forgot or simply didn't care. After all, these past few years, most of his attention had been on Mia. It was better this way. At least I didn't need his approval to resign. I then called a friend who lived in another city. When she heard why I was calling, she was overjoyed and immediately asked me to join her company. A while ago, she had started a new company. Everything was ready, but they were still missing a strong technical lead. She had approached me several times, hoping I would work with her. Back then, I had rejected her without hesitation. The company Ethan owned was something we had built together. Back when we first started, we had rented a tiny office to save money. There were only the two of us. Now, it was about to go public and had grown to occupy an entire building. I had treated the company like my own child. Although Ethan never offered me a single share, I never complained. Chapter 4 Looking back now, I really had been foolish. I accepted my friend's offer without hesitation. I then bought a ticket to Havendell. The moment I got off the plane, I saw my friend standing in the arrival hall. When she saw me, she immediately walked over, took my luggage, and started asking if I was tired, whether I had eaten, and whether I was feeling okay. I wasn't used to it. I smiled. "We're friends. You don't have to be so accommodating." My friend smiled back. "It's exactly because we're close. I have to take better care of you." Her words made me space out. I suddenly recalled what happened a few years ago when Ethan asked me to give up my high-paying job and start a business with him. He only sent me an address. I carried my luggage alone and was sweating. I got lost several times before finally reaching the remote apartment he rented. When he opened the door, he was still in pajamas and playing games with someone. He didn't say anything, but from his expression, I could tell he was annoyed that I arrived at the wrong time. After he finished the game, I jokingly asked why he didn't come pick me up. Wasn't he worried something might happen to me? He glanced at me and scoffed. "It's broad daylight. What could possibly happen? Besides, we've been together forever. You can come by yourself. Why would I need to pick you up?" Looking back now, saying we were close had only ever been an excuse. The real reason was that I wasn't important enough. That afternoon, my friend took me to look at apartments. After I settled on a place to stay, she invited a few friends over and took me to dinner at a classy restaurant in a hotel. She went to park the car, so I went upstairs first. The moment I walked through the revolving door, I heard a familiar voice. "Oh? Isn't that Nora?" I instinctively turned to look. I saw Ethan and Mia leaning against each other with their fingers intertwined near the reception. When Ethan saw me, he immediately pulled away. Mia clearly didn't look happy. But soon, she returned to her usual smile and walked toward me. "Nora, I just heard from HR today that you were looking for Ethan. If you needed something, you could've just called him. Why did you come all the way here yourself?" Ethan seemed to recall something and frowned. "Did you follow me? What is the meaning of this? Don't you trust me?" I found it hilarious, but I didn't feel like explaining. "I didn't follow you. I'm here to meet a friend." Ethan clearly didn't believe me. "Give me a break. Do you think I wouldn't know if you had friends? If you followed me, just admit it. Why lie?" He sneered. It was as if he had already seen through me. I stayed silent and didn't know what else to say. He was the person who knew me best. He knew I had left my hometown and didn't really have many friends here, but he still chose to leave me alone in the city to cool off. But I remembered what happened last year. He lied and said he was going home for the holidays. Instead, he went to spend New Year's with Mia. His excuse was that Mia was feeling down, and she had no friends here. He was afraid she might do something reckless. "Ethan, since Nora is here, you two should talk first. "By the way, can I have the room card?" Mia smiled and held out her hand. Ethan naturally took the room card from his pocket and handed it to her. "Wait for me upstairs." "Okay." Before leaving, Mia glanced at me cockily. It was obvious. They had booked the same room. Ethan seemed to realize it only after she left. A flash of panic crossed his eyes. "The front desk said there was only one room left. "Don't overthink it. It's a suite. I'll sleep on the couch." I recalled Ethan had always had a habit. Whether it was a business trip or a vacation, he always had his assistant book hotels in advance. Chapter 5 I couldn't be bothered to expose Ethan's lie. I retrieved the divorce agreement I had prepared from my bag. Originally, I planned to wait until I settled down in my new job before finding him to sign it. Since we happened to run into each other here, I might as well get it done now. "What's this?" Ethan opened it curiously. Just as he was about to read it, we heard Mia's scream from above. "Mia, what happened?" Ethan's voice instantly became anxious. Without even looking at the document, he quickly signed the agreement and prepared to leave. "Aren't you going to check what you just signed?" I couldn't help asking. Ethan's tone was completely indifferent. "What else could you possibly want besides money?" After saying that, he walked away quickly before I could respond. I let out a self-deprecating laugh. His silhouette slowly overlapped with a memory from years ago. Back then, I had fallen seriously ill. I was in the hospital but couldn't afford the surgery. Ethan told me not to worry. He said he had a way. But when I woke up in the middle of the night, I saw him sitting there exhausted. He was making call after call while trying to borrow money for my treatment. From that moment on, I secretly promised to myself that no matter what happened, I would never let him down. Later, our company gradually grew bigger. Money was no longer a problem, but Ethan and I could never return to the way we were. I put the divorce agreement back into my bag. As long as I waited one month for the divorce cooling-off period to end, Ethan and I would have nothing to do with each other anymore. By the time I took the elevator up to the private dining room, my friend had already arrived. After a few rounds of drinks, my friend pulled me aside and started talking about the past. She mentioned how I had rejected starting a business with her so many times and asked if it was because I had a boyfriend. Back then, Ethan didn't want our relationship to be public, so very few people knew about us. Even when we got married, Ethan only invited business partners. He didn't invite any relatives or friends. At the time, he explained that we lived in a new city. Even if we announced our wedding, our friends wouldn't be able to come anyway. It would've just looked like we were asking for wedding gifts. We might as well have kept it simple and got married unannounced. We could hold another celebration after we went back. I didn't think much of it back then, but now that I thought about it, his arrangement was clearly just a roundabout way of creating an opportunity for Mia to take my place as the bride. "We're already divorced," I said calmly. The room instantly fell silent. Everyone looked at me as if they weren't sure whether they should comfort me. I picked up my glass first. "I was married to a jerk. Getting divorced is actually a good thing. From now on, I can focus on staying here and making big money with my girls." "That's right! Let's make big money!" Soon, the room became lively again. Everyone raised their glasses. The next day, I successfully signed a contract with my friend and began focusing on my career. The business operations were already well-developed. With my new technology added in, the company grew even faster. In just two weeks, our profits had tripled. My friend was thrilled. She held a celebration party specifically for me. The location was set at a resort outside the city. I never expected that I would run into Ethan and Mia there. They were sitting by a bonfire. Ethan was attentively peeling shrimp for Mia. I didn't know what Mia said, but Ethan smiled and placed the shrimp in her mouth. He then lifted his hand, which was covered in a sauce, and pretended he was going to smear it on her face. Mia laughed and dodged. Just when Ethan thought he had succeeded, Mia suddenly jumped into his arms. Ethan's ears turned red. He looked completely delighted. I recalled that before this, Ethan hated when I played around like that. He always complained that eating shrimp made his hands dirty, and so he never liked eating shrimp. Every time, I had to peel them for him and coax him into finishing them. Chapter 6 I had to admit, after getting together with Mia, Ethan really had changed a lot. "That couple is so sweet." My friend walked over, looked at them teasingly, and smiled at me. "Are you jealous?" I smiled and shook my head. "It's disgusting." My friend looked confused. I didn't explain. I turned around and prepared to leave. I thought with so many people around, Ethan probably wouldn't notice me. But the moment I turned around, Ethan's cold voice came from behind. "Nora!" From the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan walking toward us. I didn't want to see him anymore, so I quickened my pace. I thought he would stop when he saw I wasn't responding. Unexpectedly, he ignored everyone's reactions and ran straight in front of me. "Nora, are you deaf? Didn't you hear me calling you?" I knew his personality. I stopped avoiding him and calmly asked, "What do you want?" Ethan seemed confused by my cold attitude. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Mia was the first to greet me. "Nora, what a coincidence. I didn't expect we'd meet again. I didn't think we'd run into each other twice here." I could tell there was an underlying meaning behind her words. Ethan noticed it too. His gaze darkened. "Did you follow me here too?" I was speechless. "I didn't follow you. It's just a coincidence." "A coincidence the first time, maybe. But two times? I don't believe in such coincidences! "Besides, if you weren't following me, why did you look guilty just now? Why did you run away?" Ethan stared at me coldly. His eyes were full of mockery. He had already decided to believe in his own suspicion. Mia looked hurt. "Ethan, don't argue with Nora. Otherwise, I'll just go back and let Nora stay with you. Actually, I wanted Nora to come with you on this business trip from the beginning. "If I stay with you, people will definitely misunderstand." Ethan's expression was hesitant at first. But after hearing that, his tone became firm. "Who would misunderstand? "We're going on a business trip openly and honestly. Only people with bad intentions would think otherwise." As he said that, he shot me a cold glance. He obviously meant me when he mentioned people with bad intentions. It was hilarious. I thought Ethan would do what he always did after Mia complained about me. I thought he would lecture me endlessly. But instead, his expression softened slightly. He sighed. "Nora, can you stop overthinking everything? This is very exhausting for me. "I promise you, when we get back, I'll hold a wedding for you. Why don't you take a step back? Go home, okay? "Besides, we're already legally married. What are you still worried about?" Sure enough, he really had no idea he had already signed the divorce agreement. He still wanted to use a wedding as an excuse to send me away and stop me from ruining their honeymoon. The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it felt. "A wedding?" I snorted. I retrieved the divorce agreement from my bag and threw it in front of him. "Looks like you really have a terrible memory. "Ethan, did you forget that we're already divorced?"