Of Course I'll Dump the Wrong Woman

At the bachelor party, someone suggests playing a game of "Of Course". Whatever we're asked, that's the answer we have to give. Rowena Jennings' childhood friend, Lucas Foster, takes the first shot at me. "You're always snooping through your girlfriend's phone, aren't you?" Before I can react, Rowena cuts in, "Of course. Why else would he keep checking on me until the wee hours of the morning?" Everyone cracks up, and her best friend turns to me next. "Do you always have to make a big deal out of nothing?" "Of course," Rowena answers for me. "How else would he make himself look unreasonable and get himself some attention?" The laughter grows louder. Her cousin, Amelia Jennings, joins in, "You get all teary-eyed over a little criticism, don't you?" "Of course. How else would he guilt me into feeling sorry for him?" Rowena replies. My palm is slick with sweat as I tighten my grip on my glass. When my turn comes, I look Rowena in the eye. "You're… pretty good at pretending to be in love, aren't you?" "Of course." She doesn't even blink. "How else would I trick you into marrying me?" The room goes quiet for a second before everyone erupts into laughter. My nails dig into my palm as I turn to Lucas. "Do you have feelings for her?" "Of course. Did you think I was into you instead?" he said. Everyone's laughing, and no one seems to think there's anything wrong with this. I force myself to hold it together as I head to the restroom. On my way back, I overhear them talking. "Forget about him. He'll put up with anything as long as he gets to marry Rowena." I turn to leave, tossing the wedding invitations into the trash. Since none of them can wish me well, there's no reason to go through with this marriage. Chapter 1 I had barely gotten into the car when my phone buzzed. Someone had uploaded a video to the bridal party group chat. The footage was shaky, but I could still make out Rowena Jennings reclining on the couch, looking completely unbothered as she lazily swirled the wine in her glass. Someone asked, "Are you really not going after him?" Before Rowena could answer, her cousin, Amelia Jennings, cut in. "Why bother? He's already this temperamental before the wedding. Once they're married, he'll probably expect Rowena to wait on him hand and foot." Amelia tugged Lucas Foster closer and deliberately raised her voice. "Personally, I like guys like Lucas. He's mature, thoughtful, and actually knows how to treat a woman." Rowena's friends immediately piled on. "Why don't you just marry Lucas, Rowena?" "You two have been inseparable since you were kids. You were so close growing up, and you practically shared a bed. You were even taking drags off his cigarette a minute ago." Something flickered in Rowena's eyes. Hooking one finger around the rim of her glass, she slowly lifted it with an amused smile. "You guys are getting carried away. Now you're planning my wedding night, too?" Then, Anthony Jones, my best friend, finally spoke. "You guys were pretty rough on Hansel tonight." My eyes burned. At least one person was willing to stand up for me. But in the next second, my body stiffened. "Maybe it's better this way. I'm sick of being stuck in the middle anyway. He has no idea that the last time you two weren't speaking, I deliberately twisted what each of you said. "Otherwise, how would you and Lucas get this close? I'd say I did a pretty decent job playing Cupid." Heat rushed straight to my head before a chill ran down my spine. All those late-night calls came flooding back. Whenever Rowena said something that hurt me, I'd call Anthony and tell him about it. He always reassured me, telling me not to read too much into things. He'd sounded so patient when he comforted me. All the while, he'd been turning around and using everything I told him as material for a joke. As it turned out, all those times he'd volunteered to smooth things over between Rowena and me were because he was tired of listening to me. I thought we had a solid friendship. Apparently, I was the only one who felt that way. The video ended there. I couldn't remember how I got home. Once I was lying in bed, I tapped on the group chat again. No one had said a word. The video remained at the top of the screen, sitting there like a live grenade. I knew they were waiting for my reaction, wondering whether I'd go back feeling heartbroken, tell everyone it was fine, and insist I'd simply misunderstood. Then, they could all relax and carry on as if nothing had happened. Ten minutes later, another notification appeared. Someone had posted the video again. But this time, they made sure to tag me. They'd grown tired of waiting, so they were practically shoving the video in my face to force a response. I sent Anthony a private message. A part of me still wanted to believe he hadn't meant what he'd said. "They made you say that, didn't they?" Instead of replying, he called. The first thing I heard was a burst of laughter from the other end. Anthony didn't speak until it died down. "No one made me say anything. I'm just tired of pretending. Do you really think I enjoy listening to you unload on me every time something goes wrong? Hansel, do you ever think about anything besides your own feelings?" I could barely process what I was hearing. "Is that why you decided to stab me in the back?" I asked. Anthony didn't sound even remotely guilty. "Yeah. In fact, I've wanted to do it for a while. You'd call me in the middle of the night crying because Rowena stood you up again. Meanwhile, Lucas spent his entire day volunteering with kids with cerebral palsy, feeding them, cleaning them up, and helping with their physiotherapy. "You two aren't even in the same league. If I had a choice, I'd rather have Lucas as my friend." I stood there in stunned silence. Then, Amelia's angry voice came through the phone. "When Aunt Elena was in the hospital last month, Rowena couldn't get away from work, so Lucas stayed with her for seven days straight. Where were you when Rowena needed you?" For a moment, I couldn't answer. When Elena Burke was hospitalized, I'd planned to stay with her and help take care of her. But Rowena had been the one who suddenly sent me on a business trip. The call ended abruptly. Almost immediately, the bridal boutique called. "Mr. Bowen, don't forget to bring your fiancee along for tomorrow's fitting. We've finished all the alterations exactly the way you requested." My throat tightened as I spoke. "Go ahead and sell the suit to someone else." After all, I wasn't getting married anymore. Chapter 2 The employee went quiet. "But the suit was tailored specifically to your measurements. You were very particular about those alterations. Don't you remember?" they asked. Of course, I did. Out of everything involved in planning this wedding, that suit was the one thing I hadn't compromised on. At the same time, I remembered something else. Rowena had been leaning against the doorway, scrolling through her phone, when I'd mentioned wanting to try on my wedding suit. She hadn't even looked up as she replied, "That won't be necessary. Lucas already tried it on for you. You two are about the same size." There it was once more. Lucas already tried it on for me. The wedding favors were the kind Lucas liked. He had even picked the colors for the floral centerpieces. And whenever the wedding planner reviewed the schedule with me, it seemed like every other sentence began with, "Lucas suggested…" If someone hadn't known any better, they might have assumed Lucas was the one marrying my fiancee. My throat closed up, and I couldn't bring myself to respond. After a long silence, the employee spoke again, this time more gently. "Mr. Bowen, whenever you decide you're ready to get married someday, give me a call. I'll make sure we save something special for you." I swallowed hard before managing a quiet, "Thank you." It was almost ridiculous that a stranger could show me more kindness than the people I'd known for years. After hanging up, I stared at the photo of Rowena and me on my phone. Without warning, I hurled my phone against the wall. The screen shattered on impact. Cracks splintered across Rowena's face, twisting the smile on her lips into something that looked almost mocking. Then, my eyes landed on my own reflection in the broken screen, and the tears came before I could stop them. Near dawn, I finally got out of bed and started packing, my eyes swollen and raw. Rowena had bought this apartment long ago to serve as our home after the wedding. Yet everywhere I looked, I found traces of Lucas. The ceramic cat by the entryway was a good-luck charm he'd brought back from Jorham. The wool throw draped across the couch had been an impulse buy from a farmer's market. Its stitching was uneven and crooked, but Rowena had used it through two winters. Just a month ago, I'd accidentally broken Lucas' favorite wineglass, and Rowena had stopped speaking to me for several days. She hadn't relented until I personally went to apologize to him. Lucas had smiled and told me not to worry about it. Then, he'd immediately messaged Rowena behind my back. "Your boyfriend's something else. He actually came all the way over here to apologize. If anyone heard about this, they'd think I was being petty." Rowena had replied, "That's just how he is. He blows everything out of proportion." My heart splintered as I curled my hands into fists. If I couldn't erase Lucas' presence, I might as well erase mine. The sky was only beginning to lighten when Rowena came home. She swept her hair back from one shoulder and dropped a takeout bag onto the table. "Here, I got you some crab cakes from your favorite place. I waited 40 minutes for them." I managed a bitter smile. My stomach had been bad, and my doctor had specifically warned me to avoid seafood, especially crab. I'd told Rowena more times than I could count. Every time, she'd nod as though she understood. Then, sooner or later, she'd bring home crab again. Lucas loved it. Apparently, that was enough for her to assume that everyone else did, too. I picked up the bag without a word and tossed it into the trash. Rowena shot to her feet, irritation flickering across her eyes. "Hansel Bowen!" I didn't look at her. Instead, my attention settled on the car keys she'd tossed carelessly onto the cabinet by the door. The keychain featured the stray cat she and Lucas had rescued together. They kept the cat at the office and had named it "Luke". The corner of my mouth pulled into a humorless smile. "Do you still want to marry me?" I asked. Rowena paused. When she answered, her tone softened, laced with the patience of someone who thought she was being generous simply by putting up with me. "What do you think? Why else would I have come home?" I finally looked at her, my voice flat. "But I don't want to marry you anymore." Her face fell. The trace of softness in her face disappeared, leaving a cold and unyielding expression behind. She poured herself a glass of wine. "Hansel, you've been acting strange this entire month we've been planning the wedding." A laugh escaped me, though my voice shook when I answered, "If you think there's something wrong with me, why didn't you break up with me?" "Are you seriously starting a fight over losing some stupid game tonight?" she shot back. "I didn't lose." I held her gaze. "You guys just finally showed your hand." There had been a time when I'd genuinely tried to become part of her social circle. Rowena had always discouraged it. "Why waste your time? I'd rather you stay home with me." I'd believed her. I'd thought she belonged to me. Then, Lucas returned from abroad. Suddenly, Rowena started going out constantly, and she never missed a single gathering. "We grew up together. What am I supposed to do, avoid him now?" she'd said. "He just got back. Of course, I'm going to look out for him. Stop overthinking everything. I can't stand insecure guys who get suspicious over nothing." Her phone rang. She answered, and Lucas' voice drifted through the speaker, soft and coaxing. "Are you drinking again? How many times do I have to tell you that's not good for you?" Rowena laughed under her breath and promptly dumped the wine in her glass. "Okay. I'll stop." I'd spent three years asking her to cut back on her drinking. Every time, she'd brushed me off with the same excuse that she was under a lot of pressure and would cut back once things calmed down. The truth was, it had never been that she couldn't stop. It depended entirely on who was asking. A sneeze suddenly came from the other end of the call. Rowena's brow furrowed at once. "Did you catch a cold? I'll go pick up some medicine for you." She grabbed her coat and headed for the door without sparing me so much as a glance. Chapter 3 I dragged my suitcase to Rowena's office. Three years ago, I'd given up a government job to become her assistant. She'd said she needed me, and that was all it took for me to work for her. Now, I stood outside the HR department and handed in my resignation. As I passed Rowena's office on my way out, I noticed the door was slightly ajar. Lucas was sitting on the edge of her desk. He casually tore a page from one of the reports, folded it into a paper airplane, and sent it sailing across the room. He knocked over a cup of coffee, spilling it all over a contract. Rowena didn't even frown. She simply watched him with a smile. Last year, I'd accidentally gotten a single drop of ink on a contract, and she'd chewed me out in front of the entire office. Yet now, she simply bent down, picked up the soaked paper airplane, and told Lucas indulgently, "Careful. Don't give yourself a paper cut." So much for her high standards, her rules, and all those boundaries. Apparently, they had only ever applied to me. Lucas coughed a few more times, and Rowena immediately held a glass of water out to him. "The doctor told you to stick to warm water. Stop drinking everything ice-cold," she chided. "I'm not that fragile. When I was overseas, I never made a big deal out of little things like this." "Quit pretending you're fine. In a couple of days, your stomach will start acting up again." "You still remember?" The tips of Rowena's ears turned pink, but she didn't answer. My heart sank. The first time I'd ever seen her blush had been after we'd slept together. She'd held me in her arms and promised, "Hansel, I'll always be yours." I'd believed that someone as distant and reserved as Rowena had slowly begun to soften because of me. Now, I finally realized that I hadn't changed her at all. I'd only been a placeholder, someone to fill the space while she waited for the person she truly wanted to come back. I turned around and left. When I reached the lobby downstairs, Lucas caught up to me. "I heard you're quitting. What happens to the wedding if you leave?" he asked. I studied him for a long moment. "Isn't that exactly what you wanted?" Without warning, Lucas threw himself backward and landed flat on the pavement. His elbow scraped across the concrete, leaving a dirty gray streak across the cuff of his suit. Then, he looked past me. "Rowena, don't be mad. I'm sure Hansel didn't mean to push me." Rowena came rushing toward us, her eyes already red. I instinctively stepped back, only to catch sight of a car speeding straight toward us from the corner of my eye. Rowena saw it, too. Panic flashed across her face. She grabbed my wrist and yanked me toward the side of the road, throwing me clear of the car's path. But she didn't manage to get out of the way herself. The sickening thud of the car hitting her felt like a physical blow to my chest. I stared at Rowena lying in a pool of blood, too stunned to know what to do. Three summers ago, I was traveling through the mountains near Jevora when a landslide struck. A rock came tumbling straight toward me. Back then, Rowena had thrown herself at me and shoved me out of the way, taking the impact against her spine instead. She spent three months in the hospital, and the doctors told her she would never be able to go mountain climbing again. I'd asked her why she'd risked her life for someone she'd barely known. She'd reached up and touched my face. "It feels like I've known you forever." I'd thought meeting her was fate, but I knew better now. When she'd looked at me, she'd been seeing someone else. The ambulance arrived, and Lucas immediately grabbed Rowena's hand, crying so hard that he could barely get the words out. "This is all my fault. I was too impulsive. I never should've gone abroad to study. I should've stayed here with you. Please don't die, okay? If you die, I don't want to live either…" Rowena struggled to open her eyes. "Why are you crying? No one's dying." Standing there beside them, I felt like I didn't belong. Once I knew Rowena's life wasn't in danger, I turned to leave. That was when a sharp slap cracked across my face. "You jinx!" My cheek burned as I clutched it with one hand and looked up. It was Elena who had slapped me. "Do you have any idea how much my daughter has suffered since she got together with you? Three years ago, she spent three months in the hospital, and now she's here again! Ever since you came into her life, it's been one disaster after another!" I lowered my head. "Don't worry, Mrs. Jennings. I'm not marrying her anymore." Elena froze for a moment before letting out a cold laugh. "Is that supposed to be a threat? Do you really think Rowena can't live without you? Let me make something clear. You were never the man I wanted as a son-in-law. If Rowena hadn't insisted on marrying you, I never would've agreed to this wedding." Before she'd even finished speaking, Amelia came rushing over with a gift basket in her hand. "You pushed Lucas, and now you've gotten Rowena hurt, too! Hansel, do you have no shame?" Rowena's friends arrived soon afterward. Within moments, everyone was talking over one another, passing judgment as though my guilt had already been decided. I kept my head down and said nothing. Then, Anthony posted every private conversation we'd ever had in the bridal party group chat. Everyone immediately burst out laughing at their phones. As the things I'd trusted him with became entertainment for the entire group, Anthony gave me a faint smile. "Sorry, Hansel, but you're not my best friend anymore. I want Lucas to be happy, so I have to do this. I'm sure you understand, right?" So this was what it felt like to be abandoned by everyone I trusted. The pain became so overwhelming that eventually, I couldn't feel it anymore. I clicked on the group chat and left. "Laugh all you want. I'm not your friend anymore either." Chapter 4 I left with my suitcase, checked into a hotel, and started applying for jobs. Unlike Rowena and the rest of her wealthy friends, I needed a paycheck to support myself. A week later, Rowena was discharged from the hospital. I blocked her number and decided that whatever I had once owed her, I'd repaid it. Then, late one night, I came across an article trending online. Someone had left poisoned bait near an office building, killing several cats. One of the photos showed an orange cat being placed inside a black plastic bag. I hadn't even finished reading the article when someone started pounding on my hotel room door. When I opened it, Rowena was standing in the hallway, her eyes bloodshot with rage. She shoved her phone in front of my face. The same article was on the screen. "You did this, didn't you?" I instinctively defended myself. "No, I didn't." Then, her gaze dropped to the phone in my hand. I still had the article open, and I'd accidentally enlarged the photo of the dead cat. Rowena completely lost it. "And you're still denying it? Were you sitting here admiring what you did? When did you become this cruel? I was wondering why you wouldn't come home. Now, I get it. "You did something horrible and came here to hide because you knew you were guilty! You want to explain yourself? Fine. Come with me. You're going to apologize to Lucas." Rowena grabbed me and dragged me all the way down to the underground parking lot. One of my shoes came off along the way, leaving one foot bare. Every step across the rough concrete sent pain shooting through the sole of my foot. By the time we reached Lucas, the skin had been scraped raw, with blood and grime ground into it. Lucas looked up when he saw me. His face was pale, and his lips trembled. "I know you hate me, but Rowena and I rescued that cat together. You knew how much it meant to us… Did you think that if it was gone, Rowena would come back to you?" I didn't even get a chance to explain before Amelia and Rowena's friends started laying into me. They all insisted Rowena needed to teach me a lesson. If she let me get away with something like this, there was no telling who I might hurt next. Rowena's expression hardened. She opened the door to a storage room at the end of the hall and shoved me inside. My knees slammed against the marble floor, sending a sharp burst of pain through them. "Come out when you're ready to admit what you did." Lucas' voice came through the door. "Rowena, don't be mad. He just made a mistake…" "Rowena, listen to me. Just let it go," Elena said with a sigh. Amelia laughed. "Don't give him anything to eat, Rowena. Maybe that'll finally teach him a lesson." Anthony spoke next, sounding completely unconcerned. "Lucas is way too nice. He's still defending Hansel after everything he did. If it were me, I'd have called the cops already." One of Rowena's friends immediately agreed. "Rowena, forget about him. A man that cruel isn't worth everything you've done for him." Then, Rowena's icy voice came from the other side of the door. "Don't worry. I'm not letting him out until the wedding." I curled up in the corner, listening as they took turns accusing me. Around midnight, the hospital called. "Mr. Bowen, your mother's condition has taken a turn for the worse. Please come as soon as possible." My mind went completely blank. When I finally snapped back to my senses, I threw myself against the door. "Rowena! My mom's dying! Open the door!" Her tone immediately hardened. "You're certainly getting better at putting on an act. You'd even lie about your own mother dying just to get out. She called me last week. She said she was getting discharged and wanted to come to the wedding." I froze. It was true that Mom called Rowena last week. "No, that's not it! The hospital just told me she's—" Lucas interrupted, his tone laced with sympathy. "Rowena, maybe you should let him out. If he's desperate enough to make up something like this, I almost feel sorry for him." Rowena scoffed. "After the wedding tomorrow, I'll go with him to the hospital myself to pay her a visit." I kept pounding on the door, desperate for someone to listen, but their footsteps faded farther into the distance. Then, my phone rang once more. "I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Bowen." The grief hit so hard that my mind simply shut down. Through the haze, I could almost see Mom standing by the window, waving at me. She was wearing the new outfit she'd had specially made for the wedding, with her favorite rose pinned to her chest. She'd said she wanted to see me get married with her own eyes. She'd told me Rowena was poised, gracious, and kind. A woman like her was hard to find, and Mom had been certain that if I married her, I'd have a happy marriage for the rest of my life. I couldn't hold back my tears anymore. "Mom, I'm coming." … Early the next morning, Rowena opened the door with my wedding suit in her arms. "Hansel, stop sleeping. It's time to get married." I didn't answer. She frowned and unlocked the door. In the next second, however, she dropped the suit and rushed to the window.