Never His Bride

I was about to leave, but the door swung open. Lina Kingston, my best friend, looked at me in surprise. Then, that surprise turned into delight, and she looped her arms around mine.

"You're the best, Emilia! Even got me my favorite iced americano! Thanks!" She stood on tiptoe and tried to kiss my cheek.

I took a step back.

Her kiss landed on empty air.

Lina staggered, the edges of her eyes going red. "Are you mad at me, Emilia?"

I looked at her calmly. This was how Lina acted with everyone, including Anton. Everyone always indulged her, so no one ever called her out, even when her closeness crossed the line.

Lina twiddled her fingers. "I never wanted to be left at the altar, and all the guests were already there. If Anton hadn't stepped in, I'd be humiliated."

The ring on her finger was shining brightly. My ring, however, was just something random he bought because he was too busy with work. It did not even fit properly, so I wore it around my neck like a pendant.

But the one on Lina's finger fit perfectly, and it came from the jewelry company Anton had invested in.

Anton frowned. He strode around Lina and stood between us. "Grow up, Emilia. She's already feeling down enough for being left at the altar. Stop throwing a tantrum."

Lina shook his arm and forced a smile. "Don't scold her. I didn't even shed a tear this time!"

I tightened my grip around the plastic bag. This was a farce. The chill from the coffee seeped into my fingertips and spread through my whole body.

I could not believe that my best friend and the man I had loved for ten years had lied to me again and again. I set the coffee down on the floor and looked at them. "Maybe you two should get married instead. I'm the third wheel, anyway."

Anton froze. "I'm doing this for you! What if Lina becomes afraid of relationships because of this? You wanted her to get married first. If she doesn't, when will we get married?"

He patted Lina's back like a heartbroken boyfriend, but all he had for me was icy indifference. "She never wanted this. Would you let everyone laugh at your best friend?"

"Laugh at her?" I nearly fell over. "Many of the guests are our mutuals! What about me? Ever thought whether they would laugh at me after you went through so many weddings with her?"

Anton did not manage to answer.

Lina's eyes had already filled with tears. She dropped to the ground and grabbed my shoe. "I'm really sorry! I must be blind! If I were a better woman, none of my boyfriends would've dumped me!"

She sobbed harder and raised her hand as if taking an oath. "I swear, I'll never get married. If I do, may God punish me."

Anton scooped her up and wiped her tears away. "It's your big day. An oath like that doesn't count."

A crying Lina huddled closer in his embrace. They almost looked like a couple that was madly in love, while I was a third wheel trying to ruin their relationship.

I loosened my grip on the bag, and the coffee spilled. Brown liquid splashed all over Lina's wedding gown. She screamed and lunged toward the stains, trying desperately to wipe them away.

"My gown! The ceremony's starting any minute! What do I do? God, what do I do?"

Anton's face fell, and he glowered at me. "You know how important weddings are to a girl! Even if she was abandoned at the altar, she should still finish the ceremony looking her best. Otherwise, who knows what people will say?"

I bit my lip as hard as possible to stop my tears from spilling. I never thought I would see the day Anton showed this much emotion.

When I once held my ruined dress design and cried until I could barely breathe, all he gave me was blame.

He said I had been careless about where I left my things, but now, he could not stop comforting Lina.

I was tired. Tired of this. Tired of everything. "You've done this nine times in a row, Anton. Aren't you tired of playing this part?"