A Decade For Nothing

On our wedding day, the officiant asked, "Do you agree to spend the rest of your life with the man standing before you?" Bianca, the woman I had loved for ten years, hesitated. In the end, she shook her head as she clutched her phone and said, "I don't." Then, she grabbed my younger brother, who had just slit his wrists, and ran out of the venue, tearing off her wedding gown as she fled. She never once spared a thought for my dignity the entire time. Heck, she didn't even look at me. Afterward, she simply said, "We'll just make new wedding arrangements. There was an emergency that day. Someone's life was on the line. I couldn't just ignore it, especially when he was your brother." However, I didn't want to make any new arrangements. Then again, she didn't know that I registered my marriage with someone else after her dramatic escape. Chapter 1 I Don't When Eugene Ashford walked into my wedding venue with blood dripping from his wrist, my fiancée's eyes instantly filled with tears. The wedding ring that was supposed to be placed on my finger slipped from her hand and clattered onto the floor. Her entire body tensed as she stared anxiously at my half-brother. Whispers spread through the guests, and more than a few cast sympathetic looks my way. "Oh, Lord. I'd heard that the Ashford brothers couldn't stand each other. Looks like the rumors are true. Showing up to your own brother's wedding covered in blood? He might as well be spitting at his brother's face." "Exactly. He's obviously come to crash the wedding." "Unbelievable. But look at the bride! Why is she crying?" "Now that you mention it, what bride would keep her phone on her during the ceremony? She looks totally out of it ever since she answered that call. And now she can't take her eyes off her future brother-in-law. I bet there's something going on between them." The gossip from a few middle-aged women carried clearly enough for me to hear every word. The officiant had clearly never dealt with a scene like this before. So, he turned to look at me with pleading eyes, waiting for my cue. I gave him a small nod, signaling for him to continue. So, he swiftly composed himself, lifted the microphone, and asked solemnly, "Miss Carrington, do you take the man standing before you to be your husband and promise to spend the rest of your life with him?" Bianca Carrington cried even harder. Her eyes remained fixed on Eugene, never sparing me a glance. Eugene picked up the knife again, preparing to slash his wrist a second time. Bianca hurriedly spoke. "I don't," she choked out tearfully, her voice echoing through the hall. When her words fell, it felt as though a giant hand had seized my heart and squeezed it with all its strength. The pain was so overwhelming that I could barely breathe. I looked at Bianca, my heart sinking into an endless abyss. The mountain valley around the venue stretched wide and empty, and the wind that swept through it felt bitterly cold. It felt as if it had blown the relationship we'd built over the past decade to rubble. I could only watch as she gathered up the hem of her wedding gown and ran toward Eugene. "Bianca!" I called out to her. Perhaps there was still a trace of hope buried deep inside me. I waited for her to turn around. My fingernails dug so deeply into my palms that they nearly broke the skin. Yet, she never looked back. Instead, she rushed to Eugene's side, covering his bleeding wrist with trembling hands. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face as she blubbered in heartache and sorrow, "You idiot… You complete idiot. You must be in so much pain." Eugene gently wiped away her tears, his own eyes filled with longing and anguish. "But, Bianca… living without you hurts even more. I'd be sentencing myself to a pain worse than death. Bianca… are you really going to become my sister-in-law? "You've stopped loving me too… haven't you? If that's true… I'd be better off dead." His eyes were bloodshot as he choked back sobs before breaking down completely. He was a grown man, but he was crying like a pathetic wreck. The once-lively wedding hall had fallen into an eerie silence after Bianca blew me off at the altar. Every guest watched the two as if they were tragic lovers cruelly torn apart by fate. I couldn't hold back my anger any longer. I strode over and drove my fist into Eugene with all my strength. "Go fucking die then!" "Ah! Jace, you bastard! He's your brother!" Bianca screamed as she shoved me away before immediately dropping to her knees beside Eugene. She carefully wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glaring at me as she continued to berate me. Chapter 2 He Won, I Lost "Do you even have a heart? He's your brother! How could you hit him?" Bianca reprimanded me harshly. Her words made me laugh in disbelief. I stared coldly at the woman I had loved for ten years and intoned solemnly, "Bianca, if you defend him one more time, then you can get the hell out with him." It was the first time in her memory that I had ever lost my temper with her. She stared at me in stunned disbelief, frozen between the two of us, unable to react for a long moment. Eugene covered his bleeding mouth and forced a bitter smile before turning to Bianca with a lingering, sorrowful gaze. "It's okay, Bianca. I just wanted to see you in your wedding dress one last time. You look beautiful. I'll remember you for the rest of my life." He turned to leave after that. However, Bianca reached out and grabbed his arm. "I'll go with you." I watched the two of them walk away together, tightening my grip on the bridal veil in my hand as a bitter smile tugged at my lips. The guests all looked at me with sympathy. I had become the butt of the joke on what should have been the happiest day of my life. An endless ache gnawed at my heart while the wedding symphony echoed through the valley, transforming into a curse that only amplified my suffering. What should have been a melody celebrating my future happiness battered every part of me until I felt completely shattered. All I could see was the smug mockery that was badly hidden in Eugene's eyes as he repeatedly glanced back at me as he left. He had won again. He had started out as an illegitimate son. Yet, he had stolen our father's favor from me. Now, he had taken my fiancée as well. I had lost everything to him. "Poor thing. His brother stole his bride on his wedding day." "Let's go. There's nothing left to see. This wedding's obviously over." The guests gradually filed out. I clutched my chest; the pain was so intense it was almost unbearable. Then, I smashed the wedding venue to bits. The place I had personally spent half a month preparing was reduced to ruins. Flowers were trampled into pulp, and even the expensive diamond ring ended up buried beneath the mud under my feet. Bianca had always dreamed of a wedding in a mountain valley. I had even asked a designer friend to create the perfect venue for her. I personally arranged every single detail just so it would be up to her standards. Now, it had turned into a blade aimed at my heart, each decoration another slap across my face. I roared in frustration, destroying everything I had painstakingly built to vent the fury consuming my heart. Ten years. There were only so many decades a person could have in their lifetime. The girl who had once smiled at me, who had always run toward me without hesitation, who had promised to hold my hand for the rest of our lives… She had chosen someone else in the end. She'd blown me off at the altar, telling me she didn't want to marry me. Then, she turned to the man I detested the most and said, "I'll go with you." I eventually collapsed onto the grassy hillside, drinking one bottle after another until I was hopelessly drunk. Somewhere in my haze, a gentle piano melody drifted through the air. I instinctively raised my head and saw a woman in a wedding gown walking toward me from the distance. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was hallucinating. She had a warm smile on her lips, just as beautiful as the girl I remembered. Her movements were elegant and graceful as she bent down to pick up the diamond ring I had stomped into the grass before approaching me. "I do, Jace. I'll spend the rest of my life with you. Let's register our marriage." I couldn't hold back my torrent of emotions after that. My eyes burned with tears as the overwhelming pain surged through my heart, unheeding of my brain's call to let it go. I said nothing, biting down on my lip to silence the anguished cries that threatened to escape my throat. Yet, she simply crouched in front of me and wrapped her arms around my battered, humiliated self. There was nothing but compassion in her beautiful eyes as she gently kissed away my tears. She was like a ray of light… shining into the deepest abyss of my life. … When my father called and told me to come home because he had something to discuss, I already had a pretty good idea what it was about. I took some time to compose myself before returning to the house I hated going back to the most. I saw Bianca the moment I stepped through the front door; the same bride who had abandoned me at the altar was smiling shyly as she nestled comfortably in my dear brother's arms. My mother sat nearby peeling fruit for them while my father called guests one after another to apologize. "I'm terribly sorry. The wedding has been canceled. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. I'll have that unruly brat personally visit and apologize for his behavior." The whole family looked warm, harmonious, and happy. I was the only one feeling cold down to my very bones. Weren't I the one they owed the biggest apology to? My precious younger brother made a phone call that summoned both my father and stepmother away when the ceremony began. I had looked at them hopefully, silently wishing they would at least stay until the ceremony was over. Chapter 3 The Home I No Longer Had It would have taken less than half an hour, but my mother shot me a fierce glare and reproached me, "You're a grown man now. Can't you be a little more understanding? Your brother has always been emotionally unstable. What if something happened to him?" My father nodded in agreement, his expression stern. "It's just a wedding ceremony. Does it even matter whether we're there? Your mother and I will check on your brother. You can just get us once the ceremony's over. He's in a bad state right now. "You're his older brother. You should be more accommodating." They had abandoned me on the most important day of my life… and told me to be more accommodating to my younger brother. I didn't want to lose my temper and make a spectacle of myself in front of all the guests, so I endured their biased treatment. However, Eugene just had to push his luck further. It wasn't enough that he called our parents away. Oh, no. He had to keep calling Bianca as well. Finally, he crashed my wedding. Yet, not a single person blamed him. How ridiculous. An endless wave of grief and heartache washed over me. Eventually, I could no longer resist the siren call of letting it all go. If this was going to be, then so be it. I didn't need them in my life. "Don't just stand there. Get in here and call the relatives yourself to apologize. You're a grown man. Don't make me clean up your mess." My father glared at me impatiently before tossing me the guest list with everyone's phone numbers. My mother stood as well, immediately criticizing me. "And what was that today? Why did you hit your brother? You know exactly what he's like. Couldn't you have just let him have his way? Look how hard you hit him. You even split his lip." Bianca didn't move. She didn't even look at me. On the other hand, Eugene looked at me triumphantly while absentmindedly twirling a strand of Bianca's hair between his fingers. My heart kept sinking as I looked at this so-called family before finally hitting rock bottom. It took me way too long, but I could finally see past the rose-tinted glasses I insisted on wearing. The obstacle keeping Bianca and me from getting married had never been Eugene. The truth was, we should have broken up long ago. I just hadn't been willing to accept it. I had stubbornly refused to give up until I crashed headfirst against the wall. Maybe this was for the best. It was time to end everything with Bianca and with my family. "Jace, where are your manners? Your parents are talking to you." Bianca frowned at me in obvious displeasure. My wonderful younger brother immediately tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "It's okay, Bianca. Don't blame him. He's just in a bad mood." I rolled my eyes. What a manipulative piece of work. "Jace, don't be angry. I just had another episode. I couldn't control myself," he simpered. I walked straight over, picked up a glass of water, and threw it right at his face. "So you know you can't control yourself?" I sneered. "Then, why don't you check yourself into a psychiatric hospital?" The three of them immediately rushed to Eugene's side, anxiously checking whether he was hurt. "Get out! Just get out!" My father roared at me in fury. My mother looked at me with utter disappointment. Bianca blew her top, pointing at me as she shouted, "Jace Ashford, there's a limit to our patience! Don't take this too far. Whatever happened between us has nothing to do with Eugene." Meanwhile, Eugene, who was shielded behind the backs of his gallant knights, regarded me with a gaze full of mockery and pity. I laughed. Then, I pointed straight at him, speaking each word with absolute clarity, "You'd better pray I never see you again. Because I swear to God I'll beat the hell out of you if I do." I let out a scoff and continued, "Since this family treasures Eugene so much, you can count me out. I'll never set foot in this house again. As for you, Bianca… we're done. Whatever we had between us is over, permanently." I walked toward the front door, ignoring the stunned faces behind me. "Jace—" my stepmother called after me in disbelief. My father was quick to cut her off, saying, "Leave him. Let him go. He's all talk. Give it a few days, and he'll come crawling back on his own." A bitter smile tugged at my lips. With those heartless words, the last flicker of warmth I had held for this family was snuffed out. I quickened my pace, resolutely leaving the house I had lived in for more than 20 years. Then again, perhaps it had stopped being my home a long time ago.