My Groom Fled Again, so I Chose Another

When we try to get our marriage registered for the 18th time, Derek Hubbard has forgotten to bring his ID again. The thing is, I reminded him to bring his ID three times last night. He told me, "Got it. This time, I'm definitely marrying you. There won't be a problem throughout the registration." But as soon as we arrive at the city hall, Derek searches through his pockets. In the end, he calls Lessie Davenport with a frown. "Lessie, did I leave my ID with you?" As I sit in the waiting area, I suddenly let out a soft chuckle. Half an hour later, Lessie arrives at the city hall. She hands the ID over to Derek with red-rimmed eyes. "My stomach hurts a lot, Derek…" Derek's expression changes drastically. He quickly supports her and steers her toward the exit. "Wait for me here, Celine. I'll be back soon." I nod in response while watching Derek walk away from me, just like how he did for the past 17 times. When Derek's silhouette disappears, I dig out my phone and send a text message to someone else. "Are you here yet?" Three minutes later, a man walks into the city hall. He hands both of our IDs through the hole in the counter. "Hi, we're here to register our marriage." Chapter 1 When Derek Hubbard left with Lessie Davenport, staff members at the city hall huddled together. Their mocking glances seemed to cut into me like needles. "Has he left again? That's the 18th time." "Honestly, I don't think the man forgot his ID card. He just doesn't want to marry her." "The lady has the patience of a saint. If that were me, I would've caused a massive scene ages ago." As the words died away, a few short, clipped chuckles rang out around me. I tightened my grip on the marriage registration forms, and my knuckles slowly turned pale. No names were mentioned, but I still felt like I had been stripped completely naked, standing in the middle of a bustling lobby. It was humiliating, embarrassing, and pathetic. I had caused a scene the last time Derek forgot his ID card. Back then, I had been so frantic that I burst into tears. Grandma had been unconscious in the hospital for three days, and the doctors said she probably wouldn't survive the weekend. Every time she woke up, she would hold my hand and repeat the same sentence over and over again. "I just want to see you in a wedding gown, Celine. I want to see you have a family of your own." I didn't have the heart to tell her that while we could throw a wedding ceremony, we had never registered our marriage. I was afraid she wouldn't rest in peace. So that day, for the first time, I grabbed Derek outside the city hall and cried so hard that I could barely stand on my feet. "Please don't leave, Derek. I'm begging you. Let's just sign the papers and get legally married today. Grandma really doesn't have much time left." Derek had hesitated back then. A flicker of genuine emotion flashed in his eyes as he looked at me. He even took out his phone, ready to have his assistant deliver the documents. That was when Lessie's call came through. She was sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe. "Derek, a stranger just knocked on my door. I'm all alone and scared. Could you please come over and stay with me?" While Derek frowned, I clung to his sleeve so tightly that my knuckles paled. "Don't go. Please, I'm begging you!" Derek stayed silent for a very long time, long enough that I thought he would finally choose me this once. But a second later, he pried my fingers away, one after the other. "Lessie is timid and easily scared, Celine. We can always get married another day." He walked away so fast that he never saw me crouched outside the city hall, crying until I could barely even breathe. That night, Grandma woke up again and asked, "Did you get the papers signed?" As I held her frail, withered hand, my throat hurt like it was slashed by knives. Still, I forced a smile and lied to her. "Yes, we did." Only then did she close her eyes in peace. Grandma passed away early the next morning. By the time Derek finally arrived at the hospital, he still smelled of the gardenia perfume Lessie always wore. From that moment on, I finally understood that some people weren't running late. They were never coming at all. So this time, watching Derek hold Lessie close as they walked away, I didn't even shed a tear. The clerk shot me an awkward look, and her voice was full of pity as she asked, "Are you still going to wait, child?" I supposed the last time I had waited at the city hall from dawn until midnight left quite a deep impression on the staff members. I shook my head. "No, I'm not waiting for him anymore." Then, I texted a different number. "Where are you?" The reply came almost instantly. "In the parking lot. Give me three minutes." I sat on the bench and quietly waited. During those three minutes, I tapped on my social media feed and saw a post Lessie had just uploaded. In the photo, she sat in Derek's passenger seat, holding his ID card. The caption read, "Some people can be standing right outside the city hall, and he'll still run to me first." Comments were already pouring in. "You won at life, Lessie." "That's some serious favoritism." I stared at the photo for a long time. In the past, I probably would have screenshotted it, sent it to Derek, and hysterically demanded answers. "What does she mean by that? What even am I to you?" He would reply in the same impatient tone. "Are you seriously that desperate to get married, Celine Coleman? Can you stop obsessing over Lessie?" But now, all I did was calmly hit the like button. The glass doors of the city hall swung open before Reuben Alderson walked in with an aloof expression. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, and he was holding his ID card and a marriage registration form. He walked up to me and apologized in a steady voice. "Sorry. Traffic was bad." I calmly handed him my ID card. "It's fine." Reuben slipped his ID card alongside my marriage registration form over to the counter window. While the clerk processed the paperwork, I found myself in a daze. I had waited seven years and visited the city hall 18 times for Derek, yet the actual marriage registration process only took three minutes to complete. He wasn't even willing to spare three minutes of his time for me, and it just took me three minutes to leave him forever. When it was time to take the wedding photo, the clerk reminded me to smile. Looking into the camera, I curved my lips into a smile as told. After waiting in vain 18 times, I no longer had to continue waiting. Chapter 2 That night, my best friend, Janice Randall, dragged me out for drinks. "It's your first day being married. We've got to celebrate, no matter what." The bar was dimly lit. I had barely finished half a drink when a familiar burst of laughter drifted over from the booth next to ours. Derek was seated in the center of the room with the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows. He looked completely relaxed. Lessie sat next to him in a pale pink slip dress. Her body was pressed close against his arm. Someone raised a glass and shouted with a grin, "To a toast, Mrs. Hubbard!" Lessie blushed and waved them off. "Stop it. Celine will be upset if she hears that." The guy laughed even harder. "When isn't she upset? "Derek ditched her at the city hall 18 times, and she still waits around for him every single time, doesn't she?" The entire table erupted into laughter. My hand holding the wine glass froze for a second, just as I heard someone toss the conversation back to Derek. "But seriously, Derek. You've dated Celine for seven years, right? I heard you left her stranded at the city hall again today. That's 18 times now. When will you finally marry her?" Derek swirled his glass, looking utterly unapologetic. "What's the rush? Marriage just makes a lot of things a hassle." Someone teased, "What kind of hassle? Are you saying it'll be harder to take care of Lessie?" Derek didn't deny it. Instead, he tilted his head to glance at Lessie, who kept her head down with the tip of her ears flushed red. He chuckled and indifferently replied, "Lessie is a scaredy cat, and she's in poor health. I don't feel at ease leaving her out there alone." I suddenly remembered how earlier that afternoon, Lessie had clutched her stomach outside the city hall and called Derek's name, her eyes welling up with tears. He had reacted the same way then. His expression instantly shifted, and he immediately helped her up before they walked out. It was the same story when Grandma was dying. A single phone call from Lessie, whining about being scared, was all it took for him to pry my fingers off his sleeve. Someone clicked their tongue. "What about Celine, then? Aren't you worried she'll actually leave you?" Derek scoffed, as if he had just heard a ridiculous joke. "Celine would never leave. We've been together for so many years that she couldn't bear to walk away just like that." The absolute certainty in his voice was nearly cruel to my ears as he continued, "We've dated since college, and she's had two miscarriages. Who else would even want her other than me? "Besides, how many times have we broken up in the last seven years? She always comes crawling back anyway." In that moment, I could almost taste a hint of bitterness rushing into my throat. It struck me that he knew why I had been waiting for him all this time. He understood it all too perfectly and knew that I had bet seven years of my life on him. And that was why he had the audacity to ditch me in the same spot, time after time. Lessie tugged at his sleeve lightly. "Don't say that, Derek. Celine really loves you." He looked down at her, and his gaze immediately softened. "And that's exactly why I can't rush into marrying her. "She's too clingy. If we actually sign the papers, she's guaranteed to throw a big fit every time something happens to you." Listening to his words, I suddenly laughed. Janice looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, and I shook my head. "I'm fine." My chest still hurt as though it had been pierced by a thousand dense needles. But once that wave of pain passed, quietness settled in. The adjacent booth had moved on to a different topic. A liquor bottle spun across the table a few times and ultimately slowed down until it pointed at Derek. Someone immediately slammed the table. "Come on. Let's do it. Derek lost!" "Truth or dare?" Derek leaned back lazily against the couch. "Dare." The group erupted in a burst of uproar. "In that case, kiss Lessie!" Lessie's face turned bright red. "Don't go too far, guys." Someone laughed and quickly changed the challenge. "Fine. She's easily shy, so let's go easy on her. What about a quick kiss on her feet? That's not too out of line, right?" The group doubled over with laughter. Lessie lowered her head, biting her lip as she pulled her foot back lightly. Her soft movements looked nothing like rejection. If anything, it seemed more like she was playing hard to get. Derek chuckled. "You people are ridiculous." Still, he didn't refuse. Instead, he set his glass down and leaned forward until he was right beside her feet. Janice stood up. She grabbed a wine glass off the table and hurled it across the divide, splashing the alcohol all over Derek's face. The entire booth instantly fell silent. Derek lifted his head with alcohol dripping from his jaw. His gaze swept across the crowd until he finally saw me. In that instant, the nonchalance on his face finally cracked. He stood up, and his voice dropped low. "Celine. Are you stalking me?" Before I could even respond, Janice let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think you're that special, Derek? Who the hell would waste their time stalking you? We're here to celebrate. We're celebrating the fact that Celine got married today." Chapter 3 The anger on Derek's face faltered. Then, as if he had just heard an absurd joke, he let out a low laugh. "Aren't you being a little too immature, Celine? Did you make up such a lie just to make me jealous?" I didn't explain. Instead, I reached into my bag for the folder with my marriage certificate and tossed it across the table at him. Janice let out a cold laugh. "Open your eyes and take a good look. She just signed the papers this afternoon." Derek lowered his head to glance at the folder, but he didn't even bother flipping it open to look at the certificate inside. Instead, he stared at the cover, and the certainty in his eyes never wavered for a second. "You think I'd believe a marriage certificate you faked?" The booth briefly fell silent before someone couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. "I knew it! How could Celine possibly leave Derek for real?" "That's such a lowly tactic." Lessie yanked at Derek's sleeve lightly before looking at me with innocent, wounded eyes. "Don't do this, Celine. Even if you're upset with us, you shouldn't use marriage like a joke." She paused before adding softly, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Are you really that desperate to get married? Is that how hard you're trying to force Derek into marrying you?" The moment the words left her lips, louder laughter erupted around the table. Someone slammed the table and jeered at me, "Oh, come on, Celine. This is just pathetic." "Derek said he'd marry you sooner or later anyway, so what's the rush?" "I can't believe you went out of your way to forge a marriage certificate. You must be losing your mind trying to force his hand." Janice's eyes were bloodshot with rage. She snatched the folder off the table and was about to flip it open. "Are you people blind? You have to look at it for just one second to tell whether it's fake or not!" I held her hand down and said, "Forget it, Janice. We don't have to show them anything." I took the folder back and gently wiped away a splash of liquor that had splattered onto the cover. Deep down, I knew that they refused to believe it, not because the marriage certificate looked fake, but because to them, I was supposed to spend my whole life waiting for Derek. Derek looked at me with a hint of irritation in his gaze. "Go home once you're done throwing a tantrum, Celine. I can let today's nonsense slide." I couldn't help but laugh. "But I'm done dealing with you." With that, I grabbed Janice's hand and marched out. The moment we pushed the bar doors open, the night wind hit us. Janice's tears immediately spilled over. "What right do they have to talk about you like that? What makes them so sure you can't survive without him?" I looked down at the marriage certificate in my hands. The cover looked exceptionally dark under the dim glow of the streetlights, like a heart that had gone completely cold. "It's fine. From now on, what they think is none of my business anyway." … The next morning, Reuben arrived to pick me up for a wedding gown fitting. A black Bentley waited downstairs. As soon as I got into the car, he closed the file he was reading and handed me a warm cup of almond milk. "I grabbed it on the way. You have a sensitive stomach, so have something to drink first." When I took the warm cup, the heat radiated through my palms. For a brief second, I didn't even know what to say. My marriage to Reuben was arranged. After Grandma passed, several relatives started eyeing the shares I owned in the Coleman family business. The Alderson and Coleman families shared an old pact, so when Reuben proposed marriage, I didn't refuse. There wasn't any romance between Reuben and me. In fact, we had only formally met three times before signing the papers. Still, he remembered that I had a sensitive stomach, that I never drank iced beverages, and that my fingers had been freezing cold when I walked out of the city hall yesterday. Derek and I had dated for seven years, but he had never remembered a single detail. The car stopped at the door of a bridal boutique. When I walked in, I noticed that the entire second floor had been cleared out for privacy. The manager walked up to us with a warm smile and started the introductions. "These are all the designs Mr. Alderson personally selected last night. The gown you bookmarked in that fashion magazine has also been flown in via air freight, Ms. Coleman." I was stunned. I had just posted a photo of the wedding gown on my social media feed once. The caption read, "If I ever get married, I want to wear something simple like this." Derek had left a one-word comment under the post. "Boring." I had never brought it up again after that. But Reuben didn't seem to notice my stunned expression. He lowered his head and pulled back the heavy curtain of the fitting room for me. "If you don't like them, we'll swap them out. Today is just about what you like." My nose stung with the sudden urge to cry. So, this was what it felt like to be cherished. It wasn't constant rushing, dismissive brush-offs, or settling for just "good enough". It was having someone truly remember a passing remark you made and quietly lock it away in their heart. By the time I finished trying on the third wedding gown, the manager walked over with a wedding venue registration form. "This is the list of available venues open for booking next week, Ms. Coleman. You and Mr. Alderson can browse through them first." The moment my eyes swept across the first page, I froze. There were two familiar names on the top row of the form. "Groom: Derek Hubbard. Bride: Lessie Davenport." The booked date was three days from now, which was coincidentally the same day as my wedding. Chapter 4 On the day of the wedding, Reuben and I arrived right on time. The entrance to the ballroom next to ours was covered in oceans of pink and white roses. Derek stood there in a groom's tuxedo, surrounded by his usual circle of friends. Someone laughed and gave his shoulder a playful nudge. "Are you going all out this time, Derek? Are you seriously throwing Lessie a wedding?" Derek lowered his head and adjusted his cufflinks, looking utterly nonchalant. "I know that Lessie has loved me for years. She's not in great health, and she's always felt insecure. So, I'm indulging her and letting her have her way, just this once." Someone clicked their tongue, while Derek smiled and continued, "Once Lessie's wedding wraps up today, I'll go to Celine. She's had her little tantrum and thrown enough of a fit by now. All I have to do is coax her a little, and she'll come back to me. "When the time comes, I'll marry her for real and register our marriage." He spoke with such entitlement, as if my seven years, 18 grueling waits at the city hall, and the marriage certificate I had tossed on the table yesterday were nothing more than just harmless, childish tantrums. Standing behind him, Lessie's expression stiffened for a split second. But she quickly lowered her head and forced a shy smile. "I'm already so happy that you could give me this one day, Derek." The surrounding crowd immediately started teasing again. "Lessie is so understanding." "If Celine were half as sweet as her, Derek would have married her years ago." But in the next second, the group's lively chatter died down. As if sensing a shift in the air, Derek raised his head and looked over. The moment his eyes fell on me, he completely froze to the spot. My arm was wrapped around Reuben's as we slowly made our way toward our ballroom. Reuben was dressed in a black suit. His facial features were refined and cold, and he radiated a highly noble, untouchable air. He smoothed the edge of my bridal veil. When he spoke, his voice was low, yet it was unmistakably gentle. "You look absolutely breathtaking today, Celine." I smiled. Behind us, Derek finally snapped out of his shock and rasped, "Celine? What are you doing here in a wedding gown?" Reuben glanced at him and replied in a flat, indifferent voice, "We're getting married, of course."