Chapter 1Moonrise Over the Tide

The first crack in our decade-long relationship appeared one night when I found George drunk, leaning on another woman.

We had our worst fight—my hysterical questions met his venomous accusations. "Just drunk, nothing happened," he slurred, blocking her number with red-rimmed eyes. I believed him. Ten years was too long to throw away, especially with our wedding approaching.

Six months later, I overheard his friend ask: "You’re really marrying her? What about my sister?"

That night, I unlocked his phone. My chat was muted; pinned at the top was a kitten avatar—a young girl he replied to eagerly, while my messages vanished into silence.

I smiled bitterly. If his care belonged to someone else, then I didn’t want this fiancé anymore.

* * *

It was three in the morning.

The bedroom door opened, and George sat down on the edge of the bed. He just sat there, head bowed, lost in thought. After a long silence, he placed a small box on my nightstand.

When I heard the shower start, I opened my eyes and looked at his phone on the pillow beside me. The screen lit up with a new message notification. As if possessed, I reached over and swiped it open.

As I scrolled through his chat history, my blood ran cold. Just as I’d suspected, my messages were muted. He had nothing left to say to me, but for this other girl, he had endless words. In just six months, he’d gone from cold indifference to patient replies, which had blossomed into a daily exchange of life's tiny moments.

【Are you asleep? Thanks for driving me home.】

【Let me buy you dinner to say thank you! [cute.jpg]】

【Goodnight, sweet dreams ~】

The mattress dipped beside me. The phone's light cast flickering shadows across the room. He was silent for a moment before he turned and wrapped his arm around me.

"You're awake?"

"I'm sorry," he murmured into my hair. "Something came up today. I couldn't make it to the wedding dress fitting."

"My partner had an emergency, so he asked me to drive his sister to the next city for a dance troupe audition. He said it was a huge deal for her future… I really thought I'd make it back in time."

His excuses felt flimsy, a transparent attempt to cover his tracks.

My hand clenched into a fist, but there was no strength in my fingers. It felt like trying to hold onto sand, watching helplessly as it slipped away. The bitterness was a physical ache in my chest.

My eyes stung, and a tear slid down my cheek, landing on the back of his hand. He flinched as if burned.

He sighed, pulling me closer and burying his face in my neck. His voice was a hoarse whisper. "I'll be more careful from now on. I'm sorry."

"We'll reschedule the dress fitting. And once this project is done, how about we go abroad for our wedding photos?"

His breath was warm against my skin as he peppered my neck with soft kisses, the temperature in the room slowly rising. But my next words shattered the fragile intimacy.

"George, do you even want to marry me anymore?"