The 1314th Jilted Bride

For ten years I planned our dream wedding-over and over-while my CEO fiancé Kody Morgan found ways to miss 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.

When his absence became a pattern, I married someone else.

...

The night before yet another one of our countless wedding attempts, 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 countless 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."

Because he had missed countless weddings on time before, my wedding with Kody was very simple.

This time, only a handful of friends were present, mostly from my side.

Kody's friends likely predicted that we wouldn't be able to get married, and they all found various excuses to be absent.

Kody's parents had been traveling the world and seemed indifferent to our wedding. Or perhaps, it was me they didn't care about.

Otherwise, they wouldn't so casually excuse Kody's repeated absences from our ceremonies. "Tonya grew up with him, so he treats her more attentively. Besides, it's not like she does it on purpose. Things just happen. Why make a fuss over it?"

It always ended up being my fault.

"Clara, didn't your parents teach you to be tolerant? Kody wants to marry you, or he wouldn't keep organizing these weddings. Don't keep arguing with him, or he'll get fed up and refuse to marry you. Then you'll regret it."

It wasn't just Kody's parents, even mine sided with him.

My family wasn't what it used to be. They relied on the resources Kody carelessly gave them to sustain the family business.

So, despite more than a thousand disappointments, they never showed Kody a cold face.

Seeing that this wedding scene was turning into another embarrassing situation again, my mother pushed the door open first.

"Clara, don't argue with Kody. If he weren't delayed by something urgent, he would be here to marry you. You can postpone it until next time."

I glanced at her coldly, staying silent.

As her daughter, my sister, Izabella, married during our family's glory days, in a grand ceremony. Her rich husband still treated her well.

And me?

They feared that I would throw a tantrum and refused to marry Kody, wishing I would beg him instead.

As the time approached, my father was already nodding and apologizing to Kody's parents. "It's all Clara's fault for picking this day. We've already scolded her. Kody? How could Kody be at fault? There aren't many like him, such a rare gem of loyalty. Don't worry, Clara is perfectly fine with it all."

My mother added with a forced smile, "Any day can be a wedding day. Tonya's injury is more important. Clara will visit her soon."

I bit my lower lip, so deeply disappointed that I was numb to the pain.

My phone buzzed with a message.

"On my way. Wait for me." It was from Brody Ward, my last-minute savior.

Seeing the message, my mood eased considerably.

Kody wasn't the only one with a childhood sweetheart to care for.

Echoing in my mind was the gentle response Brody gave after I made my request, just minutes ago. "I told you, whenever you need me, I'll be there. Clara, you'll always come first for me."

I nervously confirmed with him again and again, "Even if I ask you to marry me?"

"Yes, I would."

Although I couldn't see him clearly through the phone, I seemed to see his warm smile when he said this.

Melinda was shocked by my decision. "Are you out of your mind? If Kody finds out you're marrying someone else, he'll go insane. He loves you so much. You've been together for ten years, not just ten days."

Yes, I had been with him for ten years, from when I was nineteen to now.

But why was I the only one caught in this web of emotions over the decade?

"And it's Brody, the one Kody can't stand you being around, remember?"

I forced a bitter smile, not wanting to explain further.

Kody disliked any man around me, except for my father.

In the social circles of Clarment, he and Brody were like rivals who never saw eye to eye, constantly clashing for years.

Kody strictly forbade me from interacting with Brody, always holding him in contempt. "Brody left the family business behind to start a new venture, not even considering if he's cut out for it."

When I was around, Brody would restrain himself a lot.

Yet, his habitual actions often led to more intense arguments between Kody and me.

Several times, Kody would angrily pull me to his side, trying to keep me away from Brody.

He would say angrily, "Clara, don't forget I'm your boyfriend. Behave yourself in front of others and stop flirting with other men."

I was just being polite, smiling at everyone as I entered the room, but he only found fault with Brody.

Later, to avoid conflict, I stopped attending events where Brody would be present.

Eventually, Brody stopped attending, too, only sending me a message. "If you ever need anything, you can always reach out. I'll have your back."

But Kody read it out loud, word by word, and coldly replied himself. "My girlfriend doesn't need your concern, Brody. Stay as far away as you can."

It had been almost two years since we last saw each other.

At this moment, he rushed over, slightly out of breath, as most of the guests had already left the hall.

My parents publicly announced that the wedding was temporarily canceled due to my severe abdominal pain, promising to notify them of a new date later.

They hurriedly tried to appease Kody, and after failing to persuade me, stormed off after angrily hitting my back twice.

Dressed in a white gown, I stood on the stage, watching Brody walk slowly towards me.

Although he was panting, his eyes sparkled with a smile. "Am I on time? I tried very hard not to run a red light."

He knew I always followed the rules and despised those who broke them.

Somehow, his smile calmed the storm within me.

I reached out my hand to him and smiled. "You're just in time."

The wedding was simple.

Even the pastor was hired on short notice, and his ordinary words were spoken haltingly.

The few guests left were wide-eyed in astonishment.

Perhaps seeing the seriousness in my eyes, no one took out their phones to snap pictures. They just sat quietly.

They witnessed Brody holding my hand as we walked to the stage, exchanging promises to stay together no matter what.

My phone buzzed incessantly, forgotten in the empty waiting room.

Kody's name repeatedly flashed on the screen, growing impatient, he quickly sent messages.

"Clara, didn't I tell you not to ignore my calls?"

"I'll forgive you this time. Tonya's fine now, but she's upset. She wants to invite you to a high-end restaurant on the top floor of Twin Star Towers. Go pick a good spot first. I'll bring her over."

"Remember to choose a seat by the window. Tonya likes a wide view."

He completely forgot that I had a fear of heights.

That restaurant had been in our favorites for years, but because of its height, he always vetoed it first.