The Wedding He Faked, The Love I Found

My boyfriend, Ethan Moore, suffers from severe social anxiety.
Whenever he goes outside, he has to wear a baseball cap and a mask, fully covering himself.
Whenever marriage comes up, he becomes so resistant that his entire body shakes.
Going to the courthouse to get a marriage license would make it hard for him to breathe, and having relatives and friends stare at him during a wedding would make his heart race.
Every time, I compromised. I had never even tried on a wedding dress.
Until today, when I received an AI-generated marriage certificate and an AI wedding video from him.
I pressed my lips together and said nothing.
My best friend, Sophie Grant, turned red around the eyes.
“Lily, don’t overthink this. Ethan has social anxiety, and you’ve always wanted to get married, so he used AI to make your dream come true.”
The moment she finished speaking, my childhood friend Ryan Carter had already moved protectively in front of Sophie.
“You have the ceremony and the marriage certificate now. You didn’t have to show your face in public. You should be satisfied.”
Another childhood friend, Alex Reed, followed with a laugh.
“Marriage is just a formality anyway. As long as the sentiment is there, isn’t that enough?”
Sophie hurriedly waved her hands with an aggrieved expression.
“Forget it, forget it. I’m sorry. It was my fault.”
The three of them immediately began comforting her.
“She was only trying to make your dream come true. How could we let you blame her?”
Even my mother called to scold me.
“Sophie spent several days working on this for you, and the whole family helped record wedding congratulation videos. Don’t be so ungrateful.”
I watched them fussing over Sophie, asking if she was all right, and couldn’t help letting out a mocking laugh.
I took the ring off my finger and threw it into the trash along with the marriage certificate.
Because just yesterday, I had come across a clip on Instagram of Sophie and Ethan’s wedding.
In front of millions of viewers and countless cameras, Ethan’s eyes held a tenderness I had never seen before.
If they loved putting on an act in front of me so much,
then I didn’t want any of them anymore.
The living room fell silent.
Ethan usually avoided eye contact and never dared to look at anyone for more than three seconds.
But now, he stared at me with his eyes wide.
“Lily Hart, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Ethan’s voice suddenly rose.
“I forced myself to go record that video. I had to take medication just to get through it! And this is how you treat me?”
Ryan’s brows drew together.
“Lily, don’t you understand Ethan’s condition?
Sophie made this video out of kindness. Even if you don’t know how to be grateful, do you really have to throw a tantrum?”
Alex stepped forward, patted Sophie’s shoulder sympathetically, then turned to me impatiently.
“Even if you’re unhappy, did you really have to throw it away right in front of her? Where does that leave Sophie’s dignity?”
I laughed so hard that tears rolled down my face, as if I had just heard the funniest joke in the world.
One month earlier,
Ethan had told me that his depression had returned and that he needed to go out of town for a month of inpatient treatment.
Ryan said his company had a major project that required him to work in seclusion.
Alex said he had to accompany his family on a trip to another state and didn’t know when he would return.
Even my mother said she had to go back to her hometown to repair the old family house.
Everyone had silently disappeared for a month. It turned out they had been throwing a grand wedding for Sophie and Ethan.
On the livestream, Ethan walked steadily toward Sophie under the gaze of hundreds of guests and millions of viewers.
His eyes were full of tenderness, and he kissed Sophie in front of the cameras for a full three minutes.
Below the stage, Ryan and Alex were grinning more brightly than anyone else.
My mother was so moved that she cried uncontrollably, holding Sophie’s hand as she said, “Seeing you two finally make it this far has made my whole life worthwhile.”
Ever since I was little, my mother had never really looked at me with pride.
She always said I was too stubborn and wasn’t as sweet and socially graceful as Sophie.
When Sophie scored sixty percent on a test, she bragged about it.
When I came in first, all she said was, “What use is it for a girl to read so many books?”
So I wasn’t surprised by what my mother said.
But for that entire month, I had been an idiot.
Every day, I anxiously calculated whether Ethan had enough medication.
At night, I was afraid to sleep too deeply in case he suddenly called to say he was scared.
“You call this your hard work?”
I looked at Ethan with an indifferent expression.
“What else would it be? Lily, you’ve always been this selfish!”
Ethan gritted his teeth and pointed at the trash can.
“Do you know what it felt like to be covered in cold sweat while recording those AI movements?
Do you know how much I had to overcome psychologically?
I’ve already compromised this much. Why do you still have to push me?”
Sophie let out a perfectly timed sob and tugged on Ethan’s sleeve.
“Stop, Ethan. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken it upon myself to make this video…
“I just saw how badly Lily wanted to get married, and I didn’t want you to suffer too much.”
“What does this have to do with you?”
Ryan pulled Sophie behind him and glared at me.
“Lily, pick that stuff up and apologize to Sophie right now!”
I looked coldly at the four people in front of me.
I pointed toward the door, my voice quiet.
“Are you finished? If you are, get out.”
Ethan froze. “What did you say?”
“I said all of you need to get out.”

“Lily, have you lost your mind?”
Alex looked as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
“This may be your apartment, but you can’t kick us out over something so trivial!”
I gave a scornful laugh.
“After all, if an AI video is enough to placate someone, then it really is a trivial matter.”
A flash of panic crossed Ethan’s eyes before his voice rose.
“Fine, Lily. So you’ve grown a backbone now?”
He turned around and said contemptuously,
“Don’t regret this. Don’t come crying and begging for my forgiveness.”
Ryan snorted and escorted Sophie outside.
“Come on, Sophie. Why bother with someone so ungrateful? Your kindness was wasted on her.”
Sophie’s eyes were red as she looked back at me, unable to hide the triumph in her gaze.
I stood where I was and stared at the ring in the trash.
Ethan had bought it casually from a street vendor last Valentine’s Day.
He said there were too many people at the mall and he was too afraid to go inside, so buying it for me from a vendor was the best he could do.
I had felt so sorry for him that I wore it every day.
But the diamond ring Sophie wore during the livestream had cost five figures.
The next morning, I was woken by the urgent ringing of my phone.
The moment I answered, my mother’s scolding came through.
“Lily, how much longer are you going to keep this up?
Do you know Ethan had an anxiety attack last night and didn’t sleep at all?
Sophie stayed up all night taking care of him. Her eyes are completely red!”
My grip tightened around the phone, but my voice remained calm.
“So was it guilt that kept him awake, or did he exhaust himself by acting so hard?”
There was a pause on the other end.
“What kind of thing is that to say? What does Ethan have to feel guilty about?
He’s sacrificed so much for your future together, and instead of understanding him, you kicked him out!”
I let out a soft laugh.
“Are those sacrifices supposed to include that island wedding? Or the five-figure ring?”
The breathing on the other end stopped instantly.
After a long silence, my mother finally spoke again.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Have you become obsessed with getting married?”
I couldn’t help giving a mocking laugh.
“It was livestreamed to the entire internet and got more than ten million views. Do you really think I’m an idiot?”
My mother panicked completely.
“It wasn’t what you think. That wedding was actually…”
“It was actually because Ethan doesn’t have social anxiety at all, and because all of you like Sophie better and think she’s more suited to Ethan than I am. Isn’t that right?”
“Sophie said she wanted to experience what it felt like to wear a wedding dress. Ethan happened to say it could count as exposure therapy, and that it was also for the sake of your future marriage…”
Her voice grew softer and softer, as if even she no longer had the confidence to defend herself.
I couldn’t help laughing, though tears landed on the back of my hand.
I didn’t wait for her to say anything else. I hung up and immediately blocked her number.
Then I made another call.
It was answered in less than three rings.
“Lily? Why are you calling me at this hour?”
“Does what you said before still stand?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a soft laugh.
“Forever.”
“Okay. I’m coming.”

After hanging up, I began packing.
I had lived in this apartment for three years.
But every corner was filled with traces of Ethan and the others.
Three black baseball caps, the ones Ethan always wore outside, hung by the entrance.
A guitar belonging to Ryan sat in the corner of the living room.
Under the TV stand was the complete gaming setup Alex had bought for tens of thousands of dollars.
He said his parents would nag him if he took it home, so he kept it at my place.
Sophie had left even more things here.
Her personal slippers and her own designated mug.
I found those items one by one.
I had once treated this place as a home for all of us and carefully maintained every relationship.
But later, I finally understood that in their eyes, I was nothing.
Halfway through packing, I opened the cabinet at the back of my closet.
The heirloom wedding gown my grandmother had sewn for me stitch by stitch before she died had always been stored there.
Her greatest wish before passing away had been to see me wear it when I got married.
But she never got the chance.
When I opened the cabinet, I froze. Someone had cut a huge section off the original hem.
The waist had been altered into a complete mess and was stained with wine. Even the part embroidered with my name had been torn out.
A dense, prickling pain spread through my chest.
My grandmother’s health had already been very poor when she embroidered my name, and the stitches were crooked.
I had urged her to rest, but she was afraid I would think it looked ugly and insisted on fixing it herself.
Now, the loose threads brushed against my fingertips. If I touched them again, the whole thing might unravel.
I trembled with rage.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
I looked through the peephole.
Ryan and Alex kept pressing the doorbell. Ethan and Sophie stood behind them.
I opened the door. Ryan was holding two large bags.
When he saw me blocking the entrance, he frowned.
“Why are you standing in the doorway? We went all over town and waited in line to buy macarons from your favorite place.
“Ethan had to take his medication three times today just to keep his emotions under control.
“Let’s sit down and have a meal. Then we’ll call yesterday even. Stop dragging this out.”
I held up the wedding gown and stared at Sophie, who was hiding behind him.
“You did this?”
Sophie’s eyes reddened as she hid behind Ethan.
“Lily, I’m sorry… I just thought it was beautiful and wanted to try it on.
“But my waist is smaller than yours, and the hem was too long, so I made a few small alterations myself…”
“That was left to me by my grandmother!”
I was so furious that I rushed forward to grab her.
“Lily, what do you think you’re doing?”
Before I could touch Sophie, Ethan shouted angrily.
He suddenly reached out and shoved me hard in the shoulder.
I stumbled and crashed into the cabinet beside me.
A long gash instantly opened on my lower leg, and blood spilled across the floor.
But Ethan only cared about pulling Sophie tightly into his arms and accusing me.
“Are you insane?”
The last trace of warmth in my heart disappeared.
I braced myself against the wall and slowly straightened.
I looked at them coldly.
“Leave. You’re not welcome in my home.”
Ryan’s expression changed, and he forced down his anger.
“Lily, we only came to comfort you because we’ve been friends for so many years.
“Do you have any idea how upset Ethan was after you threw away the ring yesterday?”
“The street-vendor ring really did put him through a lot.”
Even though I already knew the truth, my heart still ached.
“I wonder whether he found it just as difficult to choose Sophie’s diamond ring.”
Ryan and Alex’s faces instantly stiffened.
Alex stammered,
“You have to let us explain. Sophie has cancer, and the doctor said she might have suicidal thoughts at any time.
“Her lifelong dream was to have a wedding. We were trying to save her!”
“And what about now?”
I looked at them with a faint, mocking smile, letting the blood from my leg drip onto the floor.
“She’s doing much better. Her emotions have stabilized a lot.”
I nodded, then turned and kicked the trash bags beside my feet.
“Then keep treating her.”
“These are the things you left at my place. Take them with you.”
Ethan, who had been comforting Sophie, suddenly spoke.
“Lily! Do you have no compassion at all? Are you going to be satisfied only after you drive her to suicide?”
“Aren’t you two best friends?”
I looked at him indifferently.
“Not anymore. And if she really wants to die, tell her to do it far away from me.”
“Ethan, we’re breaking up too.”

After saying that, I closed the door without hesitation.
Ryan’s curses came from the other side.
“Lily, you’re a heartless animal! Someone like you deserves to die alone!”
“Don’t regret this! Don’t come crawling back and begging us!”
I leaned against the door and listened to their footsteps fade into the distance.
All I felt was relief.
Early the next morning, I contacted my landlord.
She was surprised when she heard I wanted to end the lease early.
“Lily, didn’t you say you were going to get married here? Why are you suddenly leaving?”
While packing the last few clothes into my suitcase, I smiled and replied,
“Ma’am, plans changed. I’m getting married out of town.”
“Not to that strange-looking guy who always wore a mask?”
“Not him.”
I took out my phone and pulled up a photo.
The landlady’s eyes lit up when she saw it.
“He’s very handsome! You’re a lucky girl, Lily!”
“Thank you.”
I smiled, put away my phone, and paid off the remaining utility bills.
Before leaving, I cleaned the apartment until it was spotless.
That afternoon, Ethan called me.
I had planned to hang up immediately, but after thinking about it, I answered.
“Lily, are you done with your tantrum? I only treated Sophie like a little sister. I went along with it because I didn’t want to see her condition get worse.”
“Really? Does your actual little sister need you to kiss her for three minutes to treat her illness?”
My tone was flat.
Ethan was briefly speechless.
“Lily, do you really have to be so obsessive about details?
“Do you know how you look right now? You sound like a hysterical woman.
“I’ve tolerated enough! I’m giving you one last chance.”
“All you have to do is apologize to Sophie right now.
“I promise we’ll go to the courthouse and get married by the end of the year.
“This is the biggest concession I can make!”
His words sounded so absurd that I couldn’t even find the strength to curse him.
“Do you really think I can’t survive without you?”
“Who else could put up with your domineering, petty personality? Do you really think anyone else would want you?”
Ethan let out a mocking laugh.
Sophie’s voice came from the other end.
“Ethan, don’t say that to Lily.
“If Lily is really angry, I’ll never appear in front of you two again.”
I felt sick listening to them.
I cut them off.
“Don’t bother. You two should stay permanently attached and stop ruining anyone else’s life.”
“Lily! Who are you insulting?”
Ethan completely exploded.
“Do you not understand plain English?”
I looked around the empty apartment and said one final sentence.
Then I hung up and blocked Sophie’s number as well.
I pulled my suitcase behind me and walked out of the complex.
The autumn wind swept past, sending a few fallen leaves skittering across the ground.
When I reached the security booth at the entrance, Uncle Jack, the security guard, heard the noise.
He looked up, saw me, and froze.
“Lily, where are you going?”
“Uncle Jack, I’m moving away. There are quite a few things in here. Please take them and give them to your daughter.”
Uncle Jack silently turned off his phone screen and handed me a cup of warm water.
“I’ve worked here for three years, so listen to me. There are plenty of good men out there. Leave now, and go as far away as you can!”
I forced down the ache in my chest and handed the cup back to him.
“Thank you, Uncle Jack. I don’t want that kind of trash anymore.”
On the way to the high-speed rail station, my phone kept vibrating.
I didn’t answer a single message.
When I arrived at the station, I showed my ticket and boarded the train.
As the train pulled away from the platform, the smart lock on my door sent out an alert.
Meanwhile, Ethan and the others arrived at my apartment.
But the landlady told them,
“She moved out. She said she was going to get married out of town, and she even showed me a photo of the groom. He’s very handsome.”
The four of them were instantly stunned.
Ethan’s eyes turned red, and his fingernails dug into his palm until it bled.
“Who is he?”