She Confessed, I Clapped

At our engagement party, my fiancée said, "Even if I marry you, my heart will always belong to my first love." The room went dead silent. Everyone waited for me to snap and storm out in humiliation. Instead, I clapped first. Smiling, I said, "If marrying me makes you that miserable, I won't stop you. Just don't forget to pay back the wedding money I gave you." My fiancée panicked on the spot. Chapter 1 At our engagement party, my fiancée, Rachel Levine, looked lost, tears shining in her eyes. A friend stepped in to smooth things over. "Micah, did you upset Rachel? I'll let it slide today, but after the party, you'd better apologize." I looked at Rachel, worried. She was pale. I thought she might not feel well and was about to tell her to go back to her room and rest. Then a man appeared at the entrance. I hated the way he looked at her. The second Rachel saw him, her eyes lit up. She set down her wineglass and turned to me. "Micah, there's something I have to tell you. Even if I marry you, my heart will always belong to Jude. "You love me so much. You want me to be happy, don't you? You won't mind... right?" The room went dead silent. A friend forced a smile, trying to defuse it, but before he could speak— Rachel cut him off. "I'm serious. I'm grateful Micah is willing to marry me, but the only person I'll ever love is Jude." Jude Erwin was Rachel's first love. The certainty in her voice left me stunned. This was our engagement party. After tonight, we were supposed to get our marriage license, have the wedding, and start our life together. Instead, she said it in front of everyone, humiliating me in front of all our guests. Heat crawled up my neck. Every stare cut like a blade. Rachel's steady gaze only made it worse. In the end, she chose Jude. She chose him over me. Rachel and I had been together for three years. For three years, I gave her everything she wanted. I even gave up a great career overseas just to stay with her. I loved her with everything I had. She hated cabs and the subway, so I drove her everywhere, rain or shine. She wouldn't eat at the company cafeteria or order takeout, so I cooked for her every day. When Rachel agreed to marry me, I wanted the whole world to know. But right when I was at my happiest, she shattered everything with one blow. I opened my mouth, wanting to ask why. But all that would do was earn me everyone's pity. So I swallowed the pain, clapped, and smiled. "If marrying me makes you that miserable, I won't stand in your way. Since Jude's already here, why not get engaged to him instead?" After a beat, I added, "Just don't forget to pay back the wedding money I gave you." Rachel immediately blew up. "Micah, why are you so petty? All you ever care about is money! You sit at home all day without a job. I paid for everything while we were together, and did I ever complain? "You're a loser with no ambition. You'll never measure up to Jude. And you still have the nerve to ask for your money back?" I froze. The woman in front of me felt cold. Unfamiliar. Every word cut straight into my heart. That was when I realized it. I didn't know Rachel anymore. She had become a stranger. Chapter 2 Rachel and I met at an international alumni networking event. I noticed her right away. She was beautiful, the kind of person who stood out without trying. Back then, no one understood my paintings except Rachel. She comforted me and told me not to give up. I had to admit, Rachel felt like the only light in my dark world. I fell for her almost instantly. The more time I spent with her, the more I got pulled in, until I was completely gone. Later, I heard from other alumni that she was single, so I went after her with everything I had. Rachel didn't know what to do with my feelings. She told me she had come abroad to continue her studies and wasn't looking for a relationship. She also admitted there was someone she still loved. Even after all that time apart, she couldn't let him go. Her honesty only made me admire her more. So I stayed by her side, waiting for the day she'd feel the same way. The nice version? I was chasing her. The honest version? I was a simp. One day, we were out together when a riot broke out. She was shaking in my arms. I pulled her into a corner and prayed the crowd would move on. I was scared too. But I couldn't show it. I had to protect her. Rachel was so beautiful, she caught their attention. When I saw their cruel smiles, I shoved her behind me and covered her with my body. Even now, I still remember the pain of those metal bars slamming into me. I can still hear my bones cracking. My mind went blank. Only one thought remained. Rachel was behind me. She couldn't get hurt. I had to protect her. Even if it killed me. Fortunately, the police arrived. They pulled me out when I was barely hanging on. Once I knew Rachel was safe, I finally blacked out. When I woke up, Rachel was sitting beside my bed. The second she saw my eyes open, tears spilled down her face. She hugged me as gently as she could. "Thank goodness you're okay." After that day, everything changed. She stopped pushing me away and stopped keeping me at a distance. She told me, "I still can't forget Jude, but... can you give me time?" Of course I could. I loved her too much not to. For a while, I worried she'd only accepted me because I'd saved her life—that guilt, not love, had made her give me a chance. Rachel held me and said, "When you stood in front of me, protecting me, I felt safe. I want you to protect me like that for the rest of my life." We started dating. That day, I silently swore I'd protect Rachel forever and treat her right. I knew Jude still had a place in her heart. But I didn't care. As long as Rachel stayed with me, I was willing to wait for her to love me back. When Rachel returned to Santoria, I followed. My parents didn't support me giving up my overseas career for her. They tried to talk me into staying. They even suggested Rachel stay abroad with me. But Rachel didn't want that. She preferred life in Santoria. I couldn't stand being away from her. I was scared that if we went long-distance, whatever feelings she had for me would slowly fade. So I ignored my family's objections. My parents were so furious, they kicked me out and cut me off. None of it mattered. All I wanted was Rachel. Chapter 3 Jude showed up a month ago. The night he came back, Rachel got wasted. She stumbled home with a bottle in her hand and broke down the second she walked through the door. I'd never seen Rachel cry like that. She hadn't cried when we were in danger. She hadn't cried after we were rescued. The only time I'd seen her cry was when I woke up in the hospital. So seeing her sob like that scared the hell out of me. I thought someone had hurt her, and I completely panicked. I gently comforted her and took the bottle from her. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. In the three years we'd been together, I'd barely touched her. Rachel always said she wasn't interested in sex or physical intimacy. So no matter how much I wanted her, I held back. I never wanted to make her uncomfortable. She'd never been like this with me before. I was completely caught off guard. But just as I started to lose myself in the moment, Rachel clung to me and whispered, "Jude... I love you so much. Please don't leave me." She said his name so clearly. The love in her voice was impossible to ignore. I couldn't lie to myself anymore. Still, I helped Rachel into bed before stepping onto the balcony for a cigarette. The next day, everything changed. Her attitude toward me went ice-cold overnight. Every day, she looked at me with nothing but impatience and disgust. The meals I made for her went straight into the trash without a glance. Even after all that, I still couldn't let her go. I kept thinking if I treated her a little better... Maybe she'd come back to me. Maybe she'd really stay. But I was only fooling myself. The night before our engagement, I'd taken my medication and fallen asleep. But I suddenly woke in the middle of the night to find Rachel gone. The living room light was still on. I heard movement outside. Worried, I quietly stepped out of the bedroom. Then I saw Rachel and Jude locked in each other's arms, kissing like they never wanted it to end. In that instant, it felt like someone was stabbing me over and over. My mind went blank. They kissed for a long time before finally pulling apart. Rachel's eyes glistened with tears. "Jude... you can't bear to leave me either, can you?" Jude held her close and told her how much he'd missed her over the past three years. Watching them look at each other with so much love felt like my heart was being ripped apart. I could barely breathe. As he spoke, his hands drifted over Rachel. She melted into his embrace, her eyes clouding with longing. I stood there, frozen. I couldn't even bring myself to rush out and expose them. Rachel wrapped her arms around him. "Jude... take me away." The second I heard those words, my heart lurched. Despite the betrayal, all I felt was fear. Fear of losing Rachel. Jude shook his head. "As long as I know you're happy, that's enough." Rachel cried too hard to speak. Then they held each other again. I stood there in silence as they slept together right in front of me. I saw the color in Rachel's cheeks, the longing in her eyes, the side of her she'd never shown me. I felt sick. After we got together, Rachel had always been so reserved that I felt guilty for wanting more. Yet the woman I'd always dreamed of was now giving herself to another man to please him. I couldn't watch anymore. I went back to the bedroom. I don't know how much time passed before Rachel quietly slipped into bed beside me. She was asleep within minutes. I sat up. The smell on her turned my stomach. I looked at her slender neck. So pale. So fragile. Slowly, I reached out and wrapped my hand around it. With just a little pressure, I could break her neck. But then... Every moment we'd shared over the past three years flashed through my mind. I remembered Rachel's bright smile. 'Micah... you love Rachel so much. Give her one more chance.' Chapter 4 After saying that at the engagement party, I walked out. The second I stepped outside the hotel, Rachel called. I stared at her name on the screen. I wanted to ignore it, but I answered anyway. The moment the call connected, Rachel's sharp voice rang out. "Micah, have you lost your mind? How could you do this to me? "Get back here right now! Do you have any idea how embarrassed you made me? "Why are you being so petty? You know Jude means something different to me, so why are you comparing yourself to him? "Besides, wasn't my honesty one of the things you liked about me?" She just kept talking. Every word made it harder to breathe. I doubled over, clutching my chest as I fought for air. Rachel kept going, calling me immature and listing all the ways Jude was better than me. Every word chipped away at me. Then she said, "You're just a freeloader living off me. What kind of life do you think you'll have without me? Come back right now, apologize to Jude and me, and we can still get married. Otherwise—" "I've had enough," I cut in. "Rachel... I saw everything that night." She froze. "What do you mean?" The pain in my chest eased a little. Calmly, I said, "I'd taken my medication, but I had a nightmare. I dreamed you left me, and no matter how hard I tried to call you back, you never turned around. "When I woke up, you weren't in bed. I found you and Jude in the living room... having sex on the couch I'd spent forever picking out." Silence. Everything on her end went quiet. After a long pause, she spoke quietly. "I just wanted to put the past behind me. You studied abroad. Can't you be a little more open-minded?" I laughed. Did putting the past behind her really mean sleeping with Jude? Yes, I'd studied overseas. I never cared about Rachel's past before we got together. I never cared whether she was a virgin. But one thing I never learned was that being in love meant sleeping with someone else. To me, love meant loyalty. At that moment, I finally accepted the truth. Rachel had never loved me. I was just the simp she'd kept around until she didn't need me anymore. Now that the man she really wanted was back... It was time for me to step aside. I packed up all of Rachel's things and left them outside the door. That night, I couldn't sleep. I lay awake, my mind filled with nothing but her. *** The next morning, pounding on my front door jolted me awake. When I opened it, Rachel and Jude were standing outside. Jude was handsome. Standing side by side, they looked like the perfect couple. I'd thought I could face Rachel without feeling anything. But the second I saw her, my chest still tightened. Before she could speak, I beat her to it. "Are you here to pay me back?"