After Being Jilted, I Married His Rival

A decade-long marathon of love, planning countless weddings, and my CEO fiancé, Kody Morgan, missed every single one.

Ever since Tonya Buckley, his childhood sweetheart, returned to the country, my wedding had become a ticking time bomb.

She caused a scene on the eve of my wedding, and Kody always stood me up.

This last time, Tonya cut her finger, and a few drops of blood spilled dramatically.

Kody anxiously ran red lights, risking everything to rush her to the ER, insisting the doctor check her carefully.

Meanwhile, I faced the guests' derisive stares and received only Kody's dismissive excuse. "Does it have to be today? We've canceled so many times already, let's reschedule for next weekend. Tonya faints at the sight of blood. I need to stay with her. You should understand me."

He reminisces about their childhood bond, granting Tonya every request, while neglecting me.

Actually, I didn't have to marry him.

On the 1314th time he failed to show, I married someone else.

...

On the eve of Kody and I's 1314th attempt to get married, Tonya updated her social media status.

The photo showed her slender finger with a cut, blood oozing out.

She tagged my fiancé, Kody. "Feeling dizzy, all I wanted was to make a heart-shaped fruit platter for you and your fiancée..."

My nerves began to fray, anxiety and irritation flooding my mind.

When I dialed Kody's number, he was already en route to the hospital with Tonya.

His voice was anxious. "Tonya fainted at the sight of blood. What's so urgent that you had to call me now?"

He was practically shouting, and I could hear the blaring of horns.

"I'm driving. Damn, why is it all red lights!" He rarely cursed. In our ten-year relationship, he had always been emotionally stable.

It seemed only matters concerning Tonya could make him lose control and break his principles.

My hand shook as I held the phone. "I just wanted to remind you, tomorrow is our wedding..."

But he didn't wait for me to finish. He had already hung up in haste because Tonya whimpered. "Kody, my head is spinning. Am I going to die?"

I stared at the photo for a long time. The cut was small, apart from the droplets of blood, it already showed signs of healing.

My best friend, Melinda Diaz, lying on the large wedding bed, leaned over for a glance and rolled her eyes.

"That tiny cut would heal quickly. Only Kody would be so flustered, like a rookie." Her words shattered my last bit of hope.

Seeing my weary expression, Melinda forced a smile to comfort me. "Kody is just too nervous. Once the doctor finishes treating Tonya's wound, he'll lower his head and come to make it up to you. Remember last time he swore it would never happen again. Clara, give him another chance. He won't mess up something so important."

But all I felt inside was bitterness.

We had planned our wedding thousands of times, and it had already become a joke that people were talking about in Clarment.

Even the local forums had a topic tag because of it.

"Has Clara married today?"

Three years ago, at our first wedding, Kody showed up five hours late.

The CEO, who couldn't even unscrew a bottle cap without his assistant, dragged a suitcase, holding Tonya's neck pillow and coat in one hand.

He was busy picking up, Tonya, his childhood sweetheart, who had left in a fit of anger years ago, listening to her endless tales of her experiences abroad, completely forgetting about our wedding.

That time, he was full of guilt, apologizing to me repeatedly. "Clara, it's all my fault. How could I forget something so important? Next week, okay? I'll make sure you're the most beautiful bride in Clarment."

I had never seen him apologize like this. Although I felt aggrieved, I forgave him.

However, since then, it was as if we were cursed.

No matter if we postponed by a day or a week, Kody would always abandon me for Tonya.

Once, it poured rain, and she couldn't hail a cab, insisting Kody pick her up himself.

Another time, her nail broke, and Kody accompanied her to a private club for repairs.

Yet another time, she wanted to eat imported salmon, and he personally bought it and delivered it to her.

The most outrageous was the last time, outside the wedding hall, she twisted her ankle. Kody had already changed into his tuxedo, but in front of all the guests, he picked Tonya up and left.

Left behind, wearing a long trailing veil, I was ignored.

Tonya looked over his shoulder, her eyes full of contempt, mouthing words to mock my embarrassment. "Even a thousand times, he'll only care more about me, you fool."

That was the most intense argument Kody and I ever had.

But he had lost patience with me long ago.

"Clara, Tonya's parents have emigrated. She has no one else to rely on here but me. I can't ignore her. If you can't even tolerate my childhood friend, I don't know how we'll get along in the long run." His words left me stunned.

Childhood friend? He lightly justified all those times he stayed with Tonya through the night, fed her in front of me, and all those excessive actions with a simple understatement.

Even when I cried out of grievance, he was disgusted. "Don't let Tonya see you like this. She's already been patient with you. I don't want to upset her."

So he couldn't see my sorrow at all.

After 1314 times, he was so dismissive that he didn't care about my feelings at all.

From dawn till morning, a small cut had him mobilize all the hospital's experts, checking Tonya carefully, fearing any mistake.

With less than an hour until our wedding, he finally answered the phone, but his voice was full of fatigue and impatience. "Does it have to be today? We've canceled so many times already, let's reschedule for next weekend."

He said Tonya fainted at the sight of blood, so he had to stay with her.

I held back my tears and softly asked him. "Where are you? Kody, there's still an hour left. If you hurry, you can make it..."

Before I even uttered the words "I'll wait for you", he was already annoyed.

"Clara, we've been together for so long. When will you learn to be more understanding? Our wedding will happen eventually, why must it be today? I care about you, but Tonya is also very important to me. Of course, I want her to witness my happiness too. But do you think she can attend our wedding today under these circumstances?"

He then hastily said, "Cancel it for now, we'll hold it next week."

Then he hung up again.

Perhaps fearing I would disturb Tonya's rest, he simply turned off his phone.

I collapsed onto the floor, lost and disoriented, a voice in my head shouting deafeningly.

Just because Tonya couldn't attend, my wedding was casually canceled.

What did Kody see me as?

He claimed to care about me, but he didn't care at all.

Melinda peeked in nervously, asking if Kody had arrived.

"The guests are all here."

Should I cancel the wedding and become the laughingstock again, and then wait for him to come with a lighthearted explanation?

I shook my head weakly, and the tears I had held back finally burst out. "No, the wedding will proceed as planned."