A month before my wedding with
Grant, we got into endless arguments.
Why? He wanted to have a baby with his
mentor’s daughter.
“It’s just IVF,” he said, “I won’t have.
sex with her. My mentor’s days are
numbered and his biggest wish is that
Wanda has a child of her own. I’m the
only one she could turn to.”
My initial shock and rage had long
since given way to a crippling
helplessness.
“We’re getting married in a month, and you’re going to have a baby with
someone else? Don’t you think that’s
insane?”
Menu
Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my
vision. I’d held them back for so long, but
finally, they ran down my cheeks.
Grant was startled. It was the first
time he’d seen me cry. He tried to say
something, but the ringtone interrupted
him. He glanced at his phone, and when
he looked back at me, the complex
emotions in his eyes were gone.
“I have to go,” he said, his voice.
flat.“Just… calm down.”
As I watched him go, it hit me: For all
these years, I’d always been watching his
back.
In college, Grant was the ultimate
heartthrob, the number one guy on
everyone’s crush list. But he said not to all
the girls who liked him. He said that he wasn’t interested in college romance.
His indifference made most girls
flinch, but not me. Eventually he was persuaded by the cumulative weight of my relentlessness and became my boyfriend.
Years into the relationship, he
remained distant, but that didn’t frustrate
- me. I had always been a warm sun to him, that was why I was really surprised when he made such a request out without
concerning for my feelings.
My phone buzzed. It was a
screenshot of conversation from Wanda.
Wanda: Grant, Dad may not make it.
Let’s just forget about everything and do
the IVF! Please!
Grant: Okay, I’m on my way.
It was like a lightning bolt to me.
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I finally understood why he left so abruptly. I couldn’t tell how I felt. All the emotions seemed like they were gonna overwhelm me. I had a desperate need to scream and cry, but I already lost the strength to do it.
I stared at my face in the mirror. It was like a stranger. Everyone said I was bright and spirited, but at this moment, a few dark clouds appeared on my horizon.
For Grant, I changed myself and did
everything I could to stay by his side. But
all I got was his planning a baby with
another woman right before our wedding.
A reckless thought took hold. Fine.
Since he cared so little for me and our
marriage, I’d just end it!
I took a deep breath, unlocked my
phone, and then post something Grant
couldn’t see.
“I’m getting married in a month, and
I want a new groom. Anyone interested?”
Most people assumed I was joking,
leaving humorous comments. Just as
started to feel discouraged, a call came in.
froze.
It was Jake!
Seeing his name after all this time, I
.
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Jake and I grew up together. We were “
the best looking” in high school, but
ironically we had been rivals since
kindergarten. The entrance exam
separated us, ending our long–standing
feud.
I fell in love with Grant at college and
I barely went home so that I could stay
with him longer. After graduation, I
moved to Austin for him and had barely
seen Jake since. The last time I spoke to
him was when he commented on my pose
account about getting married.
“It has to be him?”
I thought he was just joking, so I
ignored it. I never expected him to be the
first one to call me.
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I braced myself for ridicule, but when
I answered, he didn’t ask any questions.
He just cut straight to the chase.
“Rosie, if you’re looking for a new
groom, how about me?”
Silence hung in the air.
I knew he was a perfect choice— we
had similar background and we knew
each other inside and out.
After a long pause, I finally
spoke.“Okay. What are your terms?”
“No terms. But since we’re gonna get
married, stop calling me douche bag.”
That surprised me. So I asked him
again,“That’s it?”
“Yes. And you have to treat me as
your husband.”
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And that shocked me. I thought he
called me only because his parents pushed
him to get married.
I had never urged Grant to marry me,
because he didn’t look like he wanted to.
But my grandpa was getting old and he
desperately wanted to see me getting
married. So, I proposed to Grant. The
point was, he made a ridiculous request a
month before our wedding.
I clutched my phone.“I never want a
fake marriage. If we get married, it’s real.”
He chuckled.“Then I’ll pick you up
when you get back to Austin. Let’s discuss
the details.”
Menu
I hesitated. “Give me two weeks. I
need to take care of something.”
I didn’t specify, but we both
understood what it was. It was Grant. A
real marriage meant cutting ties with the past. Jake didn’t say anything more.
After hanging up, the first thing I did
was change his contact name.
Looking at the phone number labeled
“My husband“, I smirked.
Grant, since you’re having a baby
with someone else, I’ll just have a
wedding with someone else.
