Finally Giving up on My Runaway Bride

Our wedding was canceled again and again because Lynn’s childhood friend kept pretending to commit suicide. I was humiliated in front of relatives and friends, and my mother was so angered that she repeatedly fainted and was hospitalized. Lynn Wensley was filled with regret and anger, even swearing, “If I ever run off with that bastard again, I’ll die a terrible death.” I believed her. However, when I finally gathered the courage to stand in the center of the crowd again, Kyle Lane barged into the wedding wearing a blood-stained suit. As a doctor, I recognized at a glance that it was fake blood dye, but when I grabbed Lynn to explain, she slapped me hard and knocked me to the ground. “Someone is dying and you’re still trying to stop me? Are you even human? If anything happens to him, you’ll all pay for it!” Then, she ran after him without looking back. My mother suffered a sudden heart attack from the shock and died in my arms. Meanwhile, Lynn was celebrating Kyle’s safety with fireworks above the city sky. After I finished handling my mother’s funeral, I received a text from her: [Trust me, there won’t be a next time.] My face was pale, but I felt nothing. There was no anger or sadness. There really would not be a next time. It was completely the end for us. Chapter 1 I was sitting in the hospital in a groom’s suit that was still stained with my mother’s blood. My colleagues all looked at me with sympathy. Everyone knew my fiancée had abandoned me again. My mother had literally been driven to death. I stared blankly at the blood on my suit, feeling like there was a hollow hole in my chest and air was rushing through it. I did not even notice my phone had been ringing for over ten minutes until a colleague reminded me. When I answered, Lynn’s voice came through immediately. “Jensen, where are you? Why aren’t you replying to my messages?” Her voice was urgent, with a hint of unease. Back then, I would have yelled at her or gone insane. I had never been this quiet and unresponsive. She sensed something was wrong, and her unease deepened, so her tone softened again. “Jensen, you’re very sensible, unlike him. This is the last time, I promise.” I was slightly startled. Over the years, the words I heard the most from her were 'I promise you'. The first time she ran away from our wedding, she was full of regret and promised she would never believe Kyle again. The second time, she was furious and promised to cut ties with him. The third time, she even smashed her phone just to prove she would never answer his calls again. By now, I had lost count of how many promises she had made. It was my 'sensible' behavior and her 'promises' that led me to lose my mother. Her promises were worthless. I was truly exhausted now. “Lynn, my mother is gone.” “Lynn, look! Does this outfit look good on me?” Kyle’s voice overlapped mine at the same time, completely drowning it out. Lynn froze for a moment. She was about to ask me something else when the call was snatched away. He chuckled. “Jensen already hung up.” I frowned, not knowing what they were doing, when his voice came again. “Lynn, you still haven’t answered me. Did you know that the blood was fake?” There was silence on her end. I sensed something was wrong and held my breath, waiting on the other end of the line. After Kyle kept pressing her, Lynn finally spoke slowly. “I figured it was fake, but you looked so desperate that I couldn’t leave you be. Even if it happens 10,000 times more, I'll still go with you.” Kyle let out a satisfied laugh, slow and pleased. He was mocking me with unspoken cruelty. Then came the sound of fabric tearing through the phone. Lynn’s breathing grew uneven as she pushed him away. “No, I only see you as a younger brother.” Chapter 2 Kyle coaxed her with a gentle voice. “He won’t find out. I know you love me. Lynn, be my woman. Please.” His voice was bewitching, overflowing with desire and affection. In that instant, Lynn seemed to completely surrender, drowning in her own desires. Their shameless, intimate sounds exploded in my ears like thunder. My eyes turned bloodshot. My hands gripped my phone so hard that they trembled uncontrollably. Then, a wave of nausea surged up my throat. I ran wildly to the base of a tree and vomited until I was dizzy and my stomach was empty. After I calmed down, I called my department head. “Zach, please add me to the overseas training list.” … When I got home, exhausted, I collapsed straight into bed and fell asleep. The next morning, I was jolted awake by a violent shaking. “Jensen, I thought you were sensible. I didn’t expect you to do something so despicable! You really are…” Halfway through her sentence, Lynn froze when she saw my face. She stared at me. “Why are your eyes so swollen?” She subconsciously reached out to touch me, but the next second, Kyle coughed softly under his breath. Lynn came back to her senses and grabbed my arm, continuing her accusation. “Why did you walk around in dye-stained clothes, causing a scene everywhere? What were you trying to do? It’s already been posted online. Everyone’s blaming Kyle! Do you know how people see him now?!” I looked at her calmly and said word by word, “That was my mother’s blood.” Lynn froze for a moment, then immediately frowned. She replied with an impatient tone, “Stop joking. I’ll personally apologize to her another day, but you must apologize to Kyle today! Then, you’ll clarify things online!” Apologize? Lynn had always been proud. She had not once bowed her head even after running away from so many weddings. Yet now, for me to apologize to Kyle, she was willing to bend that proud spine of hers. However, my mother was already gone. What use was an apology now? I gave a mocking smile and said nothing. At that moment, Kyle shook his head sadly. His eyes were red as he looked at Lynn. “Lynn, it’s fine. Jensen probably just wants to vent his anger. If letting others insult me can make him feel better, I don’t mind.” His voice choked with tears. It was a classic move of pushing forward while retreating. He instantly shifted from the instigator into the role of a pitiful victim. Lynn’s anger flared up at once. She grabbed my wrist and said, “Jensen, do you still want to get married or not?!” Just then, my phone vibrated. I looked down. Zach had sent me the overseas training application form. I pulled my hand out of Lynn’s grip and turned away to reply. She was stunned for a moment. She did not understand. Even after threatening me with what she thought mattered most to me, I was still calm enough to reply to my messages. Her eyes darkened as she stared at me. After half a minute of silence, she suddenly asked, “Who are you texting?” Then, she reached out to grab my phone. Before she could, Kyle suddenly clutched his stomach in pain and cried out. Lynn immediately withdrew her hand and hurried to support him. “What’s wrong, Kyle? Don’t be afraid. I’ll take you to the doctor right now.” As they were leaving, she suddenly paused. She turned back to me and said, “Jensen, I’ll take him to see the doctor first. When I come back, we can—” Before she could finish, I cut her off, “Go.” Lynn was dumbfounded. She stared at me for a long time, until Kyle let out another groan of pain. Only then did she stiffen her face, withdraw her gaze, and leave with him in heavy steps. I successfully completed the application and submitted it. Not long after, Kyle posted a new update on social media. Chapter 3 [I was scared to death. I thought it was some serious illness. Turns out it was just bruising from how rough my girlfriend was last night. She said it was the best experience she’s ever had. She just couldn’t control herself. Poor girl. She just can't get enough of me.] However, that extremely provocative post was deleted less than two minutes later. Then, Lynn’s call came through. After I answered, she stayed silent for two seconds. Carefully choosing her words, she asked, “What are you doing?” “Nothing.” She seemed to finally relax when she heard how normal I sounded. She probed, “You didn’t see anything, right?” I heard the tension in her voice but did not answer. Her breathing immediately grew tense again. Just as she was about to say something else, she heard the sound of a door locking. “You went out? Where are you going?” “To my mother’s house.” I needed to go sort out her belongings and see her off one last time. Lynn immediately said, “I haven’t visited her since that day. I’ll come with you later.” I only grunted in response, then hung up. Half an hour later, when I opened the door to my mother’s house, I was greeted only by emptiness. My parents divorced when I was five. All these years, it had just been the two of us relying on each other. I had almost no relatives, so only a handful of people from my side even attended the wedding. As for the Wensley family, they doted on their daughter endlessly, but because the wedding had been postponed so many times, they did not even come this time. Hence, the already empty house felt even more desolate. I quietly, calmly sorted through my mom's belongings. It was not until the last piece of fabric was swallowed by flames that tears finally burst out. Lynn, who said she would come, never appeared. Yet I felt no distress at all. Over these five years with her, she had broken her promises too many times. Suddenly, a phone vibration broke the silence in the living room. I opened it. It was a message from Kyle. [You’re feeling pretty satisfied after she made me delete my post, huh? To make up for it, she agreed to go to the pool hall with me. Heh. [See it now? I’ve always been more important than you. I suggest you know your place and get lost already!] [Even though it’s an old cliché, I still want to say it—the one who isn’t loved is the third party. Lynn is just being kind to you. Save some dignity for yourself.] His messages came one after another, clearly venting his built-up anger. I just glanced at them and tossed the phone aside. After paying my respects to my mother, I went to sleep. I had already moved my luggage out of Lynn’s place. From this moment on, we had nothing to do with each other anymore. … I did not expect frantic knocking at the door early the next morning. When I opened it, Lynn clearly relaxed, though her gaze was still uneasy. She asked in a slightly heavy tone, “Why didn’t you come home yesterday? I waited for you all night. I couldn’t reach you either.” Under her gaze, I fell silent for a moment. I was just about to speak when Kyle suddenly squeezed in from the side and grabbed my hand. “Jensen, please forgive Lynn. It’s all my fault. Everything is my fault. Please don’t torture her.” As he finished speaking, his fingers dug into my palm. Sharp pain shot through me instantly, and I pushed him away. I did not use much force, but Kyle suddenly stumbled backward. Lynn hurried to catch him and looked at me in disbelief. “Jensen, that’s too far! Why did you hit him?!” Kyle lowered his head pitifully, like a wronged and honest man. The sight of the two of them, so sweetly affectionate yet so hypocritically righteous, made me feel sick to my stomach. Chapter 4 I was just about to close the door when the two of them squeezed past me and walked inside. Lynn called out as she walked in, “Mrs. Xane, it's Lynn. I came to…” Before she could finish, the smile on her lips froze completely. My mother's portrait and urn clearly caught her eye. I let out a heavy breath and was just about to tell them to leave when Lynn suddenly slapped my hand away. A flash of irritation crossed her face. Her gaze was cold and stern. “I’ve really had enough. Did you make your mother act this whole thing out? This is ridiculous. Just because I skipped a few weddings, you’re dragging your mother’s reputation into this?” I froze in shock at her words. When I came to my senses, my teeth were shaking. I raised my hand and pointed at the door. “Get out.” Lynn grabbed my wrist tightly. For the first time, there was even a hint of compromise in her eyes. “Jensen, please stop pretending. Kyle saw your mother yesterday.” He saw my mother? I let out a ridiculous, bitter laugh. My mother was already gone, and yet they were still defaming her like this. She had always loved peace and quiet. She could not get it while she was alive, and even after death, she still had to endure these two people spouting nonsense. Kyle curled his lips into a satisfied smile when he saw how I was shaking with rage. He glanced at the portrait and said seriously, almost kindly, “Jensen, putting up a photo like that is bad luck. You’re basically cursing Mrs. Xane!” With quick hands, he grabbed the frame and smashed it onto the floor. The frame shattered into pieces with a loud crash, and the glass scratched across my mother’s photo. My mind went completely blank, as though a string had snapped. I punched Kyle hard in the face. He screamed and fell to the ground, but there was still satisfaction in his eyes. Lying there, he looked pitiful, waiting for Lynn to protect him. The next second, Lynn stepped right over him and rushed to hug my trembling body instead. She had never seen me break down like this before. She panicked. “Jensen, calm down.” Yet I could not calm down. I grabbed a stick and drove the two of them out like a madman. I hit Lynn a few times in the process, even drawing blood at her chin. She did not care at all. She just kept knocking on the door stubbornly. “Jensen, open the door. I need to talk to you.” Kyle was furious and pulled at her hand. “Lynn, let’s go. Jensen is crazy. He doesn’t deserve you lowering yourself like this. Let’s…” Before he could finish, Lynn shoved him away. The emotions she had been suppressing all this time finally exploded. She shouted, “Stop stirring things up between us! It’s none of your business. Stay away from me!” Her face was full of disgust. Her whole state was completely exhausted and broken. Kyle had never been treated so harshly by her before. His heart tightened. Within seconds, he was in tears and he ran toward the rushing traffic. Lynn hesitated for only a moment before chasing after him. I finally let out a breath of relief. After calming myself down, I contacted a real estate agent. I planned to sell the house before going abroad. The agent worked quickly. Since my price was reasonable, I found a buyer the next day and signed the contract. That night, I looked around the house one last time. I packed my mother’s most treasured belongings, then threw all the gifts Lynn had given me during our relationship into the trash can outside. After everything was done, I dragged my suitcase and boarded the plane to Gorgon.