His Eighth Bachelor Party

Gerry Stall had now attended the bachelor parties of his ex-girlfriends eight times. This time, he went all outand left behind more than just memories. He planted a seed of love in the womb of the woman he had once loved the longest.

When I found out, I went straight to the hospital to pick up birth control and abortion pills, just like I had the previous seven times.

But as I reached the door of what was supposed to be our wedding suite, I saw herhis exstanding there, tears spilling down her cheeks as she confronted him.

Gerry, who do you choose? Me... or the two heartbeats inside me?

Without a moments hesitation, Gerry pulled her into his arms.

I choose you. I choose our children.

Then, right in front of me, he threw the pillsand the envelope of cash I was holdinginto the trash. My ID card followed, landing on the lid with a dull thud.

Niana is different, he said. She doesnt need these.

I stood frozen, stunned. What are you talking about?

If the Stall Family elders hadnt opposed Niana because of her complicated background, our first child would already be in kindergarten. But fatehis voice loweredcut its life short on a cold operating table.

He turned back to me, eyes solemn. So this time, Ill protect her until this baby is born safely.

Then he added, as if offering a consolation prize.

Once the child is born, well name you as the godmother. After the baby turns one, Ill arrange for Niana to move abroad with the child.

And after that well register our marriage. Ill give you the grand wedding you deserve. Will that be okay?

I stared at him for a long moment. Then, I smiled.

Sure. You arrange it. I have no objections.

That very night, he moved Niana Grey into the wedding chamber that had been prepared for me.

I gathered my documents in silence and made a phone callto his lifelong rival.

You once said that if I ever wanted to marry you, youd say yes without hesitation. Does that offer still stand?

His voice was steady and sure. It still stands.

Outside, rain beat softly against the balcony windows, as if washing away the bitterness that had built up in my chest.

Then can we get married three days from now? I asked.

There was a pause. Then...

Sure.

Ill see you at the City Hall. Dont forget to bring your ID.

After the call, I took out a wet wipe and gently cleaned the smudges from my ID card.

Earlier today, Gerry had tossed it onto the trash can lid like it was meaningless. And in that moment, I realizedhe never truly cared. Not about my feelings. Not about our supposed marriage.

He could delay it any time, using any excuse.

From his bachelor party... to the seven exes who got pregnant one after another to me quietly cleaning up the messes each time and now waiting for Niana to give birth?

I sighed, feeling a dull ache in my chest.

Eleven years. I had loved him for eleven years. I thought that todayfinallymy secret crush that began at fifteen would have a beautiful ending. That Gerry and I would get our happy ending.

But instead...

A cold gust swept into the room, making my eyes sting. Tears blurred my vision.

The butler entered silently and placed the tablet in front of me. It was still on a video call.

Gerrys face filled the screen, glowing with residual joy. The camera tilted slightly and I caught a glimpse of a delicate pink sleeve draped over his hand, his veins standing out beneath her soft skin.

I looked away, my throat tightening.

What is it?

His smile faded, his expression cooling as he turned the camera toward the floor.

A pile of items lay thereremnants of the life that was meant for me.

Niana doesnt like these things, he said flatly. Im planning to get rid of them. Do you want them? If you do, I can have someone deliver them to your place.

I quietly studied each item in the pile.

There was the hand-sculpted clay figurecrafted by Gerry himself at a luxury clay studio hed taken me to for my birthday. It had been his surprise gift to me that year.

There was the silver-threaded, butterfly-tailed wedding gowna showpiece from an elite overseas auction. Gerry had paid an exorbitant price for it. When it was airlifted home, I had never seen him smile so genuinely.

Youll look stunning in this dress at our wedding, hed said.

There were also the bright red double happiness characters we had cut out together the balloons we tied with laughter the matching bedding dolls we picked out with such care.

Once, these items had been precious memories. Now, they were tossed aside like garbage.

My heart sankslowly, steadilyuntil it felt like it had hit rock bottom.

Before I could say a word, Niana appeared on the screen. She leaned playfully against Gerry, her voice light and teasing.

So Gerry wasnt lying. Sister Lunas taste really is unique. Who still uses these bright red decorations at weddings these days? Theyre so outdated. The only thing remotely salvageable is that dress, but even that butterfly tail ruins it.

Gerry chuckled and gently pinched her cheek, his eyes full of warmth.

Ill take you to the next auction. Whatever you like, just bid on it.

Yay! Gerry is the best!

I bit down the rising ache in my chest and took a steadying breath. I couldnt bear to watch them flirt a second longer.

I dont want any of those things, I said flatly. Do whatever you want with them.

Then I added, my voice sharper than Id ever used with him before.

Also, Gerry, shes two years older than mesame age as you. And she calls me sister. Dont you think thats a little off?

It was the first time Id ever confronted him so directly. For a moment, he looked completely stunned.

But Niana reacted first, bursting into tears.

I-I didnt mean anything by it. Im sorry Sister Luna, I just wanted to get closer to you

I cut her off coldly.

Theres no need for that. Now or in the future, there will never be any relationship between us.

Her sobs grew louder, her delicate shoulders trembling.

Gerry pulled her into his arms, soothing her with soft pats on the back and gently wiping her tears away.

Then he turned back to the screen and glared at me.

Niana did nothing wrong. Youre the one out of line, Luna. Whats gotten into you today? Youve never been this difficult before.

He narrowed his eyes.

What do you mean you dont want to be close to her? Nianas child is supposed to recognize you as their godmother. Shes trying to be kind and youre mocking her? Thats just arrogant.

I gave a bitter smile.

He only ever saw me as someone who never made things difficult for others. He never once considered how many times others had made things difficult for me.

Gerry, her child doesnt need me as a godmother and she doesnt need to be close to me. As for our weddingtheres no need to reschedule it.

The room fell deathly silent. On the other end, the comforting murmurs stopped abruptly.

Gerrys face darkened. He stared at the screen and said one wordthree times, each colder than the last.

Good. Good. Good.

Then the call cut off.

Moments later, a video notification popped up on my phone.

Hands trembling, I opened it.

My wedding dressthe once pure white, intricately embroidered gownwas engulfed in flames.

Gerrys voice followed, his tone frigid.

You really thought you were going to be Mrs. Stall, didnt you? You forgot your place.

Luna, youre just an orphan the Stall Family took in out of charity. What right do you have to speak to me like that?

If my mother and the other elders hadnt schemed to drive Niana away, do you think you wouldve ever climbed your way up to become the future Mrs. Stall?

You only had to wait another ten months. Ten months and the title wouldve been yours. But you just had to ruin it all.

This wedding dress is your lesson, Gerry said coldly. Once you calm down and truly accept Niana, then we can talk about holding the ceremony.

I ended the video and collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The cold wind brushed past, drying the tears that clung stubbornly to the corners of my eyes.

For a moment, it felt like I was back in that freezing tunnel beneath the bridgealone, abandoned, numb.

Gerry was right.

I was just an orphan picked up by Madam Stall.

To be more precise she pulled me from a river.

I was ten. After enduring unspeakable abuse at the hands of the orphanage director, Id run away, only to wander the streetshungry, lost, shivering. People shoved me aside, hurled insults, looked at me like I was nothing. One night, desperate and hollow, I nearly ended it all.

But then Madam Stall appeared. She brought me home, fed me, gave me a bed. She made sure Id never have to beg for food again.

From then on, I lived like a ghost in the Stall household. I was tolerated, never embraced. Anyone could walk all over mebut not Gerry.

He was the only one who ever smiled at me.

When I was punished and denied dinner, hed sneak out and buy me spicy crayfish. When I couldnt afford school supplies, hed split his allowance and hand me a full set of beautiful stationeryone he had chosen himself.

For my fifteenth birthday, he skipped his tutoring session and took me to a handmade clay studio. He used his entire years allowance to mold a figurine just for me.

Something that would never fade. Never crack. Never break.

Our Luna, he said that day, smiling at me with those eyes I could never forget, when you grow up, if you could wear a wedding dress as beautiful as this one and marry me that would be wonderful.

Even now, I still remember the wild rhythm of my heart.

I... I want that too, I whispered.

My voice was softtoo soft. I dont think he ever heard it.

A few months later, Madam Stall flew into an unexpected rage. Gerry was abruptly pulled from school and confined to the Stall Familys ancestral hall for a month of reflection.

Worried, I went to visit himonly to learn he had brought Niana home behind everyones back.

Shes the only bright spot in my boring life, he told me, almost dreamily. I miss her so much. Its my fault. I was too impatient. Has Mother said when Ill be let out?

The pang in my chest was sharpblinding. My mind reeled. The joy Id once felt was gone in an instant.

I knelt beside him on the prayer mat, head bowed, suddenly too afraid to tell him the truththat Madam Stall and the elders had already decided to groom me to be his future wife.

Hes only seventeen, yet he was willing to risk breaking ties with his family for a girl his age, Madam Stall had said. He needs to learn a lesson.

In Gerrys eyes, Madam Stall was tyrannical and the elders were outdated and controlling. He resented their grip on his life, longed for independence.

And I? I was the tool theyd chosen. They didnt need both of us under controljust one.

If they could secure me as the future Mrs. Stall, they believed Gerry wouldnt dare cut ties completely once he inherited the family business.

Soon after, Niana was quietly sent away to study in another city. As expected, Gerry was released from the ancestral hall not long after.

But half a year later, he found out about the familys plansabout me.

That day, he came to me in a fury.

And he slapped me.

Hard.

From that moment on, he hated me.

I couldnt sleep that night. I tossed and turned, heart hollow, ears ringing from the sting of that slap.

The next morning, a call woke me.

Just one sentence.

Come to the old mansion.

I knew thenMadam Stall must have discovered Nianas pregnancy.

I didnt hesitate. I packed my things and took a taxi straight to the Stall Familys ancestral home.

When I arrived, Madam Stall had already vented her fury.

The moment she saw me, her teacup came flying across the room.

It shattered at my feet.

Youre useless girl! she shouted. After all these years and you still cant hold onto a mans heart? What good are you to the Stall Family?

The rim of the porcelain cup grazed my forehead, slicing the skin and drawing a thin trail of blood.

I bowed my head instinctively, murmuring an apology.

Across from me, Gerry sat on the plush, expensive sofa with Niana nestled in his armscompletely unmoved.

He was no longer the powerless boy of years past. Now, he was Mr. Stallthe one the entire Stall Family obeyed. Even Madam Stall and the elders had learned to tread carefully around him.

Eventually, Madam Stall tired of shouting. She sat down with a huff and picked up her tea again, taking a sip before casting him a glance.

What do you plan to do now?

Let her give birth to the child, Gerry said, his voice calm and firmleaving no room for argument.

Madam Stalls eyes narrowed. She turned her gaze to Niana.

And what about you?

Niana bit her lower lip, tears streaking her face. Isnt it true love? Back then... I already lost one child.

A flicker of guilt flashed across Gerrys face. He reached back, shielding Niana with his arm. When he looked at me again, his eyes were filled with hostility.

If it hadnt been for her, he spat, your grandson would already be calling you Grandma.

I knelt there on the icy marble floor and in that moment, I felt cold down to my bones.

After we broke up, life in the Stall household became even more unbearable. I tried, again and again, to explain everything to Gerrybut he wouldnt listen.

Then came the turning point.

On the night he turned twenty, Niana came back.

She called me, her voice trembling, saying Gerry had been in an accident. She gave me an address. Without thinking, I rushed there.

When I arrived, clothes were strewn outside the small forest near the address.

***

The next day, Gerry was punished once moreordered to kneel in the ancestral hall. But this time, there was one major difference: Niana was pregnant.

Madam Stall demanded she terminate the pregnancy, but Gerry refused. The conflict exploded within the ancestral hall.

On the day of the scheduled surgery, I sneaked Gerry out of confinementbut it was too late.

After that, Niana left the country, devastated. And Gerry? He found me, smashed my phone and left me with a single sentence.

You should be grateful you helped me escape. Otherwise, youd be the one suffering today.

Oddly enough, after that, he started speaking to me again.

I stared blankly at him now, realization dawning.

So all this time he blamed me for that night. For being the reason Niana lost the baby.

But he never knewI wasnt alone that night.

Someone had followed me.

After that, Gerry spiraled. One woman after another. Parties, affairs, indulgence. Until one day, just before his wedding, Niana appeared againthis time at his bachelor party.

This child Im keeping it. It has nothing to do with Niana. Mom, please, stop trying to tear us apart.

For the first time in years, Gerry softened. Just that one wordMomwas enough to melt even Madam Stalls hardened heart.

She sighed and shook her head. The seven before you, who tried to steal what little affection was left none were as stubborn as you. But now that shes pregnant again, you

She trailed off.

Madam!

The maid stepped forward with a steaming bowl of dark, bitter-smelling medicine.

Madam Stall didnt even look at me as she spoke.

Make a choice. If you still want to be Mrs. Stall, drink this. Youll never have children. If not

But she didnt get to finish.

Gerry spoke first.

Luna, he said coldly. Drink it.

I froze. My hands trembled. I looked up at him, disbelief clouding my eyes.

Why?

His gaze was like ice. Ive already told youafter Niana gives birth, shell recognize you as the childs godmother. You wont need to go through the pain of childbirth.

He paused, then added with quiet calculation, And this way, our children wont fight for affection or inheritance in the future. Youve always been the obedient one, havent you? The sensible one. So do whats right. Drink it.

The nanny pushed the bowl of herbal medicine toward me again, as if she were ready to pry my mouth open and force it down my throat.

Above me, Niana looked on with amusement, her eyes glinting with satisfaction.

Luna, just drink it already, she said sweetly. Itll only make you unable to have childrennothing else. Do you really think Auntie and Gerry would ever hurt you? Why resist so much?

Madam Stall snapped, clearly out of patience. What are you waiting for? Drink it! I saved your life, didnt I? You think Id poison you?

My nails dug into the flesh of my palm as I clenched my fists. I bit my lip, turning my face away with all the defiance I could muster.

I wont drink it, I said quietly. Theres another option, isnt there? I choose the second one.

A stunned silence fell over the room.

Even Madam Stall blinked, her tone now edged with suspicion. Are you sure?

Before I could answer, Gerry scoffed coldly. Shes just being dramatic. You cant take her seriously.

Their gazes shifted to medisdainful, dismissive. I scrambled to explain.

Im not lying I really did choose the second option!

But no one listened. No one cared.

Madam Stall rolled her eyes, waving her hand as if brushing off a nuisance. She always listens to you. You deal with her. As long as it doesnt interfere with my grandchild or family peace, Im staying out of it.

Gerry gave a slight nod. Without saying a word, he grabbed the bowl of herbal medicine and led me back to the bridal suite. His face was stern, still simmering with anger from what Id said the day before.

Drink the medicine, he ordered. Or leave. Your choice.

He didnt give me time to answer. He turned around, draped his arm around Niana and disappeared into the bedroom.

It had only been two days, but the bridal chamber no longer felt like the place I once knew.

The cool-toned dcor had been replaced with warm, cozy furnishings. The walls were now adorned with recent photos of Gerry and Niana, smiling blissfully. Even the spare bedroom had been converted into a nursery.

Everything of minedown to the slippers by the doorwas gone.

This house, once mine, now had nothing to do with me.

I ignored the bowl of cold medicine on the table and curled up on the sofa for the night. Just as sleep began to take hold, muffled noises from the master bedroom jolted me awake.

Nianas voice rang out, breathy and soft with pleasure. Through the thin walls, I heard the unmistakable sound of splashing water.

Gerry there one more time mm~

My chest tightened. I shot up, stumbling into the bathroom, clutching the sink to steady myself.

Time passed in a blur until the noises finally ceased. When I emerged, the door to the master bedroom was openand I was met with the sight of Niana sitting in the living room, her expression composed, her eyes glinting.

Gerrys exhausted, she said lightly. Hes asleep.

Her tone was laced with smugness, every word a calculated stab. I didnt respond.

When she saw I wasnt taking the bait, she rose from the couch and walked over to the table, lifting the bowl of herbal medicine.

To be honest, if I were you, she said sweetly, I wouldve drunk this back at the old house. I mean, someone like you shouldnt you be grateful just to enjoy the perks of being a rich wife for a little while longer?

I let out a low, sarcastic laugh.

That rich wife position will be yours soon enough. No need to rush.

She paused, her smile deepening, but her eyes gleamed with something darker.

What are you saying, Luna? Im just trying to help you accept realityAh!

Her foot slipped.

In a heartbeat, she lost her balance and fell backward. I instinctively reached out to steady her, but we both tumbled to the ground.

Before I could even react, Gerry burst out of the bedroombarefoot and frantic.

Niana!

He rushed past me, straight to her, scooping Niana into his arms like she was made of glass.

She had landed on top of me, but all he saw was her. His eyes were full of panic.

Of worry.

Of love.

Niana clutched her stomach, her face pale, her eyes wide with fear.

I I just wanted to convince Sister Lunai to take her medicine, she stammered, trembling as she looked at Gerry. But she suddenly snapped she tried to force the bowl on me Gerry, I was so scared.

With every word that left her lips, Gerrys face darkened.

I gritted my teeth against the searing pain in my elbow and struggled to sit up.

No, sheshe slipped. She fell on her own

Enough!

His shout cut through the room like a whip.

He stormed over and grabbed my arm roughly, yanking me to my feet and dragging me toward the door.

If youre tired of living comfortably, then finego out and learn what suffering really is!

Before I could react, he ripped my phone from my hand and shoved me out into the hallway.

I stumbled and slammed into the wall behind me, a sharp gasp escaping as pain shot through my back.

The hallway light cast a cold glow across his face. I could see every vein in his clenched hand bulging, trembling.

He was holding himself back.

He wanted to strangle me.

Dont pull something like this again, he growled. Get out. Stay out until you figure out how to behave.

Then the door slammed in my face.

The hallway light flicked off, plunging me into darkness. My chest tightened and it was only then I realized my face was already wet with tears.

I was scared.

And I was heartbroken.

After what felt like forever, I numbly reached for the elevator button. By the time I made it to the entrance of the neighborhood, the cold wind bit at my skinuntil suddenly, a pair of warm arms wrapped around me.

I finally found you.

The voice was gentle, breathless with worry. Are you okay? Did they hurt you?

I looked up.

It was Darren Sigmund.

The sight of him broke the last thread of strength Id been holding onto.

Tears spilled freely once more.

Is the wedding ready? I asked, my voice hoarse from crying.

He pulled me close, gently stroking my back.

Its all ready. We can register the marriage at dawn.

I clutched his collar tightly.

Then lets go now. Lets wait in front of the City Hall I dont want to stay here a second longer.

Alright, he said softly.

As the car pulled away, the Stall Family mansion grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirroruntil it finally vanished.

I let out a slow breath.

I would never go back there.