Their Wedding Was merely a Dream

At eighteen, Dawn Norris believed she would marry the young man she loved.

But at twenty-five, she heard him say dismissively, "Dawn? She is just a fishmonger. I can't even be bothered to touch her at night. She smells fishy."

Dawn naively thought he was just tired of their relationship.

But she completely gave up hope on him after he drew blood from Maya White, the woman who adopted Dawn and raised her, for his new girlfriend, Erin Lambert, and after he even scattered Maya's ashes.

Perhaps Blaine had changed in the summer many years ago.

At twenty-eight, Dawn found herself in the bed of Blaine's sworn enemy. She never imagined that she would spend the rest of her life with him.

...

While Dawn was cutting fish, she was absent-minded. Then she felt a sharp pain in her finger as blood seeped out.

Mindy Lawson, the woman at the next stall, said while handing her a tissue, "Dawn, be careful. You're about to marry that young man who plays the piano. Everything will be fine. You've been working hard to fund his education. You helped him overcome his autism. You went through so many hardships all these years. Now that he's successful, it's time for him to repay you. How can you leave him?"

Dawn's nose tingled. She looked at the fish in the sink and thought of Blaine's words from yesterday evening. She felt heaviness in her chest.

"Did he cheat on you?" Mindy asked cautiously.

Dawn wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "How could it be? He's not that kind of person. It's just that our future plans differ."

She never spoke ill of him.

She numbly scaled and cleaned the fish, and her heart ached with sorrow.

She remembered that Blaine was a transfer student from the city when she first met him.

He was strikingly good-looking and had exceptional talent. He instantly became the talk of the town among the girl students.

They put on their fanciest dresses, adorned their hair with bright clips, and shyly slipped love letters to Blaine.

Yet he remained as cold as ice and had never been gentle to any girl. He only looked soft when he played the piano.

Dawn seldom paid attention to others' things.

She had been kidnapped when she was a little girl and stayed with Maya. The latter treated Dawn exceptionally well.

She had gotten used to life by the sea and loved fishing barefoot at night. Then she returned to Maya's home and worked on her assignment.

But one night, Dawn didn't catch any fish but found Blaine.

His handsome features were outlined by the mist, and his chest heaved. He looked so thin.

Dawn took him home and heard him speak for the first time. Then she realized he wasn't mute.

She learned the true reason for his transfer to their town from the city.

Blaine's father was framed as a corrupt official by a powerful figure.

And his mother was a college teacher. She was framed and accused of having an affair with a student.

The photos of his mother kissing a college student spread through the city, and the news of his father's corruption was broadcast daily.

Blaine had been a musical prodigy and had had autism since then. So he transferred to the school in the small town. He was unwilling to speak to anyone but Dawn, who saved his life.

Dawn was bold in school. Blaine, the aloof and handsome boy, clung to her. It became a laughingstock to others.

Later, Dawn liked to capture each of Blaine's performances with her camera.

Initially, he was reluctant. But he quickly agreed because Dawn playfully tugged his arm.

When the college entrance exam results came out, Blaine declined the offer from a college abroad and accepted the one from a domestic music academy. She quietly shelved her dream of becoming a screenwriter, as Maya's money couldn't support two college students.

She would sell fish to support Blaine's musical aspirations.

In the practice room, Blaine called her. "Why aren't we going to college together?"

Dawn tied her hair into braids and caught a fish.

She replied, "Maya's condition is poor. I can't leave her to sell fish alone."

Blaine pressed his lips and understood clearly what she was doing. He said, "I'll support you and help you fulfill your dreams in ten years."

He said it resolutely.

At eighteen, they huddled in a small rental, blissfully content.

Blaine promised Dawn a free future, so he immersed himself in practice every day in the piano room.

He achieved it. He became the principal pianist in the Central Orchestra within five years and reclaimed the title of "Piano Prodigy."

At twenty-five, Blaine proposed to Dawn at a romantic seaside. He was dressed in a white suit and playing "Wedding in a Dream" on the golden beach at sunset. "There are still three years left before I fulfill my promise. Will you agree to get engaged to me now?"

Dawn cried with joy. She extended her finger to exchange rings with him, saying with a smile, "I do."

They hugged and had sex in the newly bought seaside house until dawn, leaving traces of kisses on each other all over.

Blaine even tattooed her initials on his chest and repeatedly traced them with her hand. "Dawn, I'll spend the rest of my life with you and be good to you forever."

Dawn believed it.

She thought they both loved each other and would share a bright future together.

But she never knew that Blaine's forever only lasted three short years.

On Blaine's birthday, Dawn met Erin Lambert, a medical student from a distinguished medical university.

She looked strikingly beautiful and mature. As she stood beside Blaine, they looked like a perfect match.

In contrast, Dawn looked at herself in the mirror and saw a worn-out country woman.

When she returned from the restroom, Dawn overheard one of Blaine's friends teasing through the door. "Blaine, you and Erin really match perfectly. Why did you bring another woman?"

Blaine's voice was flat as he said, "Oh, her? She is a childhood friend from back home. She stays over at my place to see much of the world."