Seven Years Of Marriage Is A Dream

The day before the wedding, the extravagant wedding dress my husband had ordered arrived.

I gently touched my slightly protruding belly and asked him for a divorce.

Archie's secretary called, sobbing as she explained, "Madam, it's all my fault. I didn't understand your preferences. Please don't blame Mr. Lu."

Archie's reassuring voice came through the phone, leaving me with just one sentence: "Don't regret this."

I packed my things and left without a trace of reluctance.

...

After packing, I was about to leave with my suitcase when I ran into Archie returning home.

His eyes fell on my suitcase, and his brows furrowed, his voice cold.

"Cathryn, are you still upset? I don't have time for this right now."

The harsh, cold tone made it seem as if he were reprimanding a subordinate.

In the past, when I threw a little fit, Archie would always hold me, patiently explaining and calming me down.

Now, he dismissed me with just a few words.

But this time, I wasn't throwing a tantrum. I was serious.

I looked at him calmly.

"Archie, let's find a time to get divorced."

Archie tugged at his tie in frustration, assuming I was just speaking out of anger.

"Emma didn't know you hated white wedding dresses. Can't you just compromise tomorrow?"

Emma, barely in her twenties, had become Archie's personal secretary right out of college.

Personal to the extent that they were almost inseparable.

There was even a joke in the industry that wherever Archie was, Emma was always within three steps.

Even when it came to the wedding dress, Archie allowed Emma to decide the style, rather than letting me, his legitimate wife, choose.

It wasn't until the day before the wedding that I realized the dress was the white color I despised.

I didn't blame Emma for choosing this style. After all, most people would assume a wedding dress should be white.

But Archie should have remembered his promise from back then.

Clearly, he had forgotten now.

So there was no point in having this wedding.

Seeing that I still held onto my suitcase, refusing to let go, Archie's frustration grew.

"Where can you go while pregnant?

Besides, you're not a young girl like Emma. Aren't you embarrassed to leave like this at this point in life?"

Even though I had decided to divorce, my nails still dug deeply into my palms.

This wasn't the first time I'd heard this.

When Emma had just joined the company, Archie would often complain to me about how careless and troublesome she was—sending the wrong documents, losing files... even lamenting why he had hired her in the first place.

I used to speak up for Emma, comforting Archie that she was just a fresh graduate, bound to make mistakes at the start.

But at some point, everything changed.

When Emma called me, sobbing about being followed and scared, the man who had once complained about her troubles didn't hesitate to grab his car keys and rush out, leaving me with only a hurried back view.

A woman's intuition is often accurate.

Their unusual superior-subordinate relationship was hard for me to accept.

I asked Archie to transfer Emma away from her secretary position, and Archie uncharacteristically lost his temper with me.

He said I should stay out of company matters if I didn't understand them.

Perhaps realizing his attitude was too harsh, he softened his tone, promising to keep his distance from Emma.

But there's no such thing as a secret that can't be uncovered.

When the rumors reached my ears, to outsiders, Emma seemed like Archie's trusted confidante, and no one knew about me, the neglected wife at home.

When I broke down and questioned him, Archie accused me with an indifferent expression.

"Emma is just a young girl who doesn't know much. I'm just trying to teach her. Why are you dwelling on this too much?"

"You've been dwelling on this too much."

That sentence pierced deeply into my heart.

After that, I stopped making a fuss and turned a blind eye to his relationship with Emma.

Archie thought I had come around.

But only I knew that the walls I had built around my heart for him were crumbling, layer by layer.

I tried to hold back the tears, my hand gripping the suitcase trembling slightly.

"Archie, in your eyes, am I undeserving of anything now? Not allowed to be angry or to dislike anything?"

I looked up at the man I had loved for seven years.

From 22 to 29, time seemed to have left no mark on him, only adding a touch of mature charm.

Archie seemed unchanged, but I knew everything was different from seven years ago.

"I want to rediscover who I really am, Cathryn."

"Let's cancel the wedding tomorrow, and find some time to finalize the divorce."

With that, I turned and walked away with my suitcase.

Archie, enraged by my words, responded with the sound of shattering objects behind me.

"Fine, don't regret it. I want to see who would dare take you in while you're pregnant!"

Clutching what belonged to me, my steps didn't falter as I walked away from this seven-year confinement.

On the street, a couple approached, taking turns enjoying an ice cream cone, the girl's face alight with a radiant smile and visible happiness, while the boy's eyes brimmed with tenderness and affection.

Watching them, my eyes grew misty.

Wasn't that Archie and me at 22?

Our first encounter was a classic tale of a knight in shining armor.

I was working part-time as a waitress to cover my living expenses when a customer got handsy. The manager turned a blind eye to my pleas for help and even forbade others from intervening.

Just as I was about to smash a bottle over the man's head, Archie stepped in before I could.

He shielded me like a guardian angel, smiling as he reassured me, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

It was the first time I felt protected by someone.

But I knew who Archie was—a celebrated scholar at a top university and a wealthy heir, while I was just someone despised by her father and mourning her deceased mother.

I could only bury my feelings deep inside.

After that day, Archie seemed to take me under his wing. No one dared trouble me again, and he even picked me up and dropped me off at work daily.

Despite my attempts to remind myself that Archie and I came from different worlds and our story couldn't end well, I yearned for love too much.

After my mother passed, I lived alone for eight years, enduring endless nights and boundless solitude.

So, naturally, we ended up together.

I once told Archie that when I was twelve, my father had an affair and wanted to divorce my mother.

She refused, so he moved out to live with his mistress, and they divorced after two years of separation.

When my father married his mistress, my mother, in her wedding dress, jumped from the twentieth floor.

The crimson blood turned her white gown a ghastly red.

I watched her die before my eyes, a memory I would never forget.

I vowed never to wear a white wedding dress, knowing that in Western weddings, white symbolizes purity and new beginnings.

If Archie ever ordered a white dress, I'd know he didn't want to marry me, and I would leave.

"I'll never forget, my bride will only be you, " 22-year-old Archie promised, holding me tightly.

Knowing my circumstances wouldn't please Archie's family, I worked harder, opening a small studio and taking on as many jobs as possible.

Yet, to them, I was still insignificant—a nobody without parents.

Watching Archie, the pride of the family, bend his back and plead for their approval, I endured all the insults.

Even after we registered our marriage, his family refused to acknowledge me or allow a wedding, demanding I give up work to care for Archie.

Out of love, I courageously dissolved my thriving studio to become a stay-at-home spouse.

Only when I became pregnant this year did relations with Archie's family improve, allowing us to plan a wedding.

Every woman dreams of her own wedding.

After seven long years, I thought I was finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

But just as my long-awaited dream was within reach, it shattered.

I should have realized seven years ago that Archie and I were never meant to be.

In the end, I returned to my once lonely home.

I remember leaving it full of hope that someone would finally accompany me through the long nights.

Yet, after all the twists and turns, here I am, alone once more.

"Miss Cathryn, the child in your womb is three months old and very healthy. Are you sure you want to terminate the pregnancy?" the doctor asked gently, a hint of regret on her face.

I looked at the tiny embryo on the screen, almost able to imagine what he would look like when he grew up.

Wiping the moisture from the corner of my eye, I nodded firmly.

Even though he was the little life I had longed for over seven years, since I was going to divorce Archie, all ties between us had to be severed. Otherwise, I feared I might relent.

Seeing my resolute attitude, the doctor sighed and scheduled the procedure for the afternoon.

As I lay on the hospital bed waiting for the surgery, the TV in the room was broadcasting the day's news.

"The wedding of the century between the CEO of the Lu Group and his secretary!"

I thought I would be overwhelmed with sadness, but instead, I felt a sense of expected relief.

I watched Emma enter in her white wedding gown, looking like a princess—beautiful and pure.

To be fair, the wedding dress was stunning.

The diamonds on the hem sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.

Unfortunately, it wasn't meant for me, nor did it belong to me.

The phone rang abruptly in the hospital room.

Seeing Archie's name on the caller ID, I initially didn't want to answer. However, given our seven-year relationship, I felt I should at least offer him a blessing.

As soon as I picked up, before he could speak, I said, "Congratulations on your wedding, Archie. Make sure to find time to finalize the divorce. Don't let Emma remain an unofficial wife."

I didn't know which word provoked Archie, but there was a moment of silence before his voice suddenly rose.

"Cathryn, haven't you had enough of this drama? It's only a dress after all. How long are you going to hold onto this? If you hadn't left, I wouldn't have had Emma pretend to be the bride!

Do you want everyone to know that I, Archie, was left without a bride the day before the wedding?"

It was about more than just the wedding dress.

He was well aware of the deepest pain in my heart.

Yet, he chose to ignore it and even expected me to let go.

But some things are unforgettable.

I spoke softly, "Isn't this what you wanted? It cements Emma's image as the ideal spouse."

The media couldn't get too close to Archie, so they could only vaguely see him rubbing his nose in frustration on the screen.

"Cathryn, this wedding is just for show for the media. You remain the rightful Mrs. Lu."

The ceremony was probably about to start, as Emma took Archie's arm.

Suddenly, she reached up to adjust Archie's tie, doing it so naturally as if she had done it countless times, embodying the picture of domestic perfection.

Archie held the phone in one hand and helped Emma adjust her veil with the other, his expression extremely tender.

Perhaps Henrik sensed that his father was about to marry another woman; I felt a sharp pang in my belly.

I tightened my grip on the phone, staring at Archie on the screen.

"Archie, I'm serious about the divorce. I don't want to be Mrs. Lu anymore. The baby will be gone today too."

"After hearing this, will you rush over from the wedding?"