Fated Love

On my twenty-fourth birthday, the crystal chandeliers in the private room dazzled me, making my head spin. I stared at the cake on the table, a knot tightening in my stomach—this party's star was supposed to be me. Linda Scott held up the Marriage Certificate, her smile blooming like a flower: "Everyone, let me introduce my husband, Felix Collins." Her voice came through the microphone, cutting sharply into my heart. Felix stood beside her, his posture intimate. I clenched my wine glass, my knuckles going white. Five years of a secret affair—she always said she'd go public after my birthday, but today, she used a Marriage Certificate to "celebrate" instead. "Charles Lynn, why aren't you eating?" Linda Scott approached, holding a wine glass, her eyes darting away. I didn't reply. My gaze was fixed on the diamond ring on her ring finger—the exact style I had been saving three months' salary to buy. "Why are you staring at me like that?" She avoided my eyes, her voice dropping. "Why?" My voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping. Linda pulled me into a corner, while Felix Collins' gaze followed us, close but distant: "He has late-stage cancer." Her voice trembled, but she didn't shed a tear. "So you married him?" I finally found my voice, trembling in a way even I hadn't noticed. "He only has six months left." Linda Scott grabbed my arm. "He's an only son to his parents. I can't let him have any regrets." "What about me?" I shook off her hand and stepped back. "What were these five years to us? The openness you promised, the future you spoke of—was it all a lie?" The noise suddenly stopped, and everyone turned to look. Felix Collins walked over and put his arm around Linda Scott. "Mr. Lynn, thank you for taking care of Linda. From now on, she has me." "Take care of?" I laughed out loud. "Does Mr. Collins know? For the last five years, I've been the one who's always been with your wife on her birthdays." Linda Scott's face went pale instantly, and she urgently interrupted, "Charles Lynn! Stop talking!" "Why can't I say it?" I stared into her eyes. "You dare marry him, yet you won't admit our past?" Felix Collins's face darkened as he pulled Linda Scott close. "Linda, let's go. Don't stoop to his level." "Wait." I called after them, drinking the entire glass in one gulp. "Linda, congratulations on your wedding." Linda Scott's body stiffened for a moment. Without looking back, she followed Felix Collins into the crowd. Our friend Bruce Clark came over and patted me on the back. "Charles, it's not worth it." I nodded, speechless, watching them surrounded as they cut the cake, then turned and walked out of the private room. The cold wind rushed in through my collar, oddly making it easier to breathe. "I'm letting you go." I told myself silently, then turned and left the private room. The cold wind hit me outside the door. I shivered but, for the first time, felt my breath flow easier.