His Wedding March, My Passing Bell

The year my ex Lucas Brooks almost went bankrupt, I took half a million from his mother to marry another man. Eight years later, he made a triumphant comeback, forcing me to stay by his side while refusing to grant me any title. By day, I was his private secretary. By night, I was his old flame, summoned and dismissed at his whim. Many women rotated in and out by his side. Every single one of them walked away with townhouses and diamonds. As for me, I had to drop to my knees and beg for his approval just to take a half day off for the hospital. When I was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I asked him for ten grand—just enough to get myself a decent burial plot. Yet Lucas ripped the check into shreds. “Was that half a million back then not enough? How dare you ask for my money again?” He froze my salary account and forced me to coordinate the wedding preparations for him and his new socialite bride. On the day of their wedding, I stood coughing up blood as I fastened the veil over the bride’s hair. Lucas swept past me with her on his arm, not glancing back once. He said: “Once the wedding is over, we’ll talk about you faking an illness.” I only shook my head with a faint smile. I feared I couldn’t possibly wait that long. Chapter 1 The doctor pushed the admission form toward me. “You need to be hospitalized immediately. “Given your current condition, a massive hemorrhage could occur at any moment.” I clutched my dully aching stomach and asked softly, “If I don’t stay, how much time do I have left?” The doctor fell silent for a long time. “Perhaps a month. “Perhaps a few days.” I nodded, folded the admission form neatly, and slipped it into my bag. My phone chimed right on queue. The cemetery coordinator was calling to remind me that the burial plot beside the sycamore tree would only be held until this afternoon. I needed ten grand to keep it. I had picked the spot after spending a long time searching. It was quiet, and bathed in sunlight. Not too cold for a resting place. When I returned to the office, Lucas was in the conference room helping his fiancée Sally Peters pick out wedding jewelry. Over a dozen velvet boxes were spread across the long table. Even the cheapest necklace among them was enough for three burial plots. I placed my request for a salary advance beside his hand. “Mr. Brooks, I’d like an advance of ten thousand dollars.” He didn’t look up. “What for?” “An urgent matter.” “What urgent matter?” I tightened my grip around the envelope containing my medical report. “For a burial plot.” Lucas finally looked up at me. After a brief silence, a harsh laugh slipped past his lips. “What kinda new game have you come up with this time?” I handed the diagnostic report over to him. “I have cancer.” His gaze lingered on the paper for merely a second. Then, he ripped both the application form and the diagnostic report down the middle. The torn shreds fluttered down around my feet. “Eight years ago, you took half a million from my mother and married Jack Solomon. “Now that he’s done with you, you’re crawling back here for a pity party?” Jack had been dead for five years. That marriage had been a sham from the very beginning. Yet I had promised Lucas’s mother that I would never speak a single word of the truth to him. I bent down, picking up the torn pieces of the diagnostic report. “Consider it a loan.” Lucas leaned back against his chair, his gaze icy. “During the wedding prep, all funds are subject to a strict audit. Business or personal, no loan at the moment.” Sally picked out a diamond necklace from one of the velvet cases and spoke up gently: “Babe, Sophia looks really pale. Why not let her rest for a few days?” Lucas fastened the necklace around her neck. His movements now were so tender, he seemed like an entirely different person. “No need. “She’s the one in charge of the wedding. “If one detail goes wrong, I’ll hold her personally responsible.” Having said that, he pushed a thick stack of files toward me. “Seventy-two hours. “The venue, guest list, attire, media coverage—go through every single detail.” I gathered the heavy files into my arms, a coppery taste surging up my throat. I forced myself to swallow the gulp of blood back down. Before stepping out of the conference room, I turned back to look at Lucas. “Once the wedding is over, may I resign?” He was adjusting a stray lock of Sally’s hair, not bothering to toss a glance at me. “Suit yourself.” I gave a gentle nod. I’d wait till the whole thing was over then. That was if I could manage it. Chapter 2 I stood at the cemetery entrance for half an hour. The staff member handed the credit card back to me. “Ms. Sophia Wright, we’re unable to process the payment on your account.” I looked down at my phone. There was five thousand dollars left in my salary account, which could get me a slightly less desirable plot. Yet no matter how many times I entered my PIN, the screen displayed the same message: “Account Restricted.” No doubt he feared I would cut and run with the money, so he had frozen my salary account. I called Lucas three times. All went straight to voicemail. On the fourth attempt, Sally picked up. “Hey, Lucas is with me trying on wedding dresses. “Anything you need, I’ll tell him after.” I stared through the glass doors at the sample headstone engraved with a serial number. “I would like Mr. Brooks to unfreeze my account.” Sally paused briefly. “Come to the bridal boutique. “My bridesmaid hasn’t arrived yet, and I happen to need help with a few things.” The boutique had been cleared of all other customers. When I stepped inside, Sally was standing before the mirror, trying on a long gown encrusted with crystals. Lucas was sitting on the sofa, looking down as he went through his emails. He merely knit his brows when he saw me. “Who told you to come?” “Ms. Peters.” Sally turned around with a gentle smile. “I asked her to come. “The train is too long. I wanted her to help me take a look.” I knelt on the floor, smoothing out the cascading layers of white tulle for her. The gnawing pain in my stomach grew more agonizing by the second. Cold sweat trickled down my temple, dripping onto the snowy-white hem of the dress. Sally suddenly shifted her foot, the tip of her heel pressing down on my fingers. “Careful, you’ll spoil my wedding dress.” I pulled my hand back, only to see a single transparent drop of sweat on the hem. “I’m sorry.” “Wipe it clean.” A boutique attendant offered a tissue. Just as I reached for it, Sally tossed a white rag at my feet. “That won’t help. “Bend down and do it properly. Be thorough.” I lifted my eyes to look at Lucas. He clearly heard everything, yet he never once raised his eyes. I had no choice but to bend over, repeatedly wiping at a stain that didn’t even exist. Eight years ago, during the hardest days of his startup, I had been on my knees in our rented room just like this, trying to get a coffee stain off his shirt. Back then, he had held my hand and sworn he’d never let me suffer a single grievance ever again. Now, I was being forced on my knees by his bride. And he was sitting less than ten feet away. “Is it okay now?” I asked. Sally admired her reflection in the mirror. “I heard you can’t even come up with ten thousand dollars now?” “Yes.” Sally let out a soft laugh. Several boutique attendants bowed their heads, trying their best to suppress their chuckles. She unclasped a diamond bracelet from her wrist and dangled it before my eyes. “Lucas spent a million on this. “As long as I ask, he’ll give me anything.” I didn’t take her bait. “If you get him to unfreeze my account, I’ll leave after the wedding and never appear before either of you again.” Sally’s eyes flickered slightly. She bent down as her voice dropped to a low whisper. “Will you, really? “You’ve been clinging to him for years. Haven’t you been waiting for a chance for reconciliation? I shook my head. “I can’t wait any longer.” Those words seemed to amuse her. She pulled out a checkbook, wrote down ten thousand dollars, and tossed it down in front of me. “Freezing your salary account is company business. But I can spare you a little charity. “Straighten up on your knees and offer us your congrats. Voila, the check is yours.” I looked at the check sitting inches away, slowly straightening my posture. “Congratulations on your wedding. I wish you a lifetime of happiness.” Satisfied, Sally handed the check to me. Just as I reached out, a violent cough suddenly tore through my throat. Bright red blood splashed across the pristine white wedding dress. Gasps of terror erupted all around us. Sally raised her hand and slapped me across the face. “You did that on purpose!” I collapsed onto the floor, the medical folder slipping from my hands and spilling its contents. The blood-stained report landed against Lucas’s shoes. He lowered his head. His gaze landed on the diagnosis: “Advanced Stomach Cancer.” Chapter 3 Lucas bent down and picked up the diagnostic report. I thought he would at least read it through. But he merely glanced at the hospital stamp before crumpling the paper up into a ball. “You certainly came prepared. “Did you bring blood packs too?” I wiped away the blood from the corner of my mouth. “It’s real. “The doctor’s phone number is at the bottom. “You can call him right now.” Lucas stared at my pale face, a flicker of hesitation flitting across his eyes for a split second. Right then, Sally burst into tears. “Babe, what about my dress? “It’s a bespoke piece. The designer spent eight months on it.” She clutched at his sleeve, showing him the blood-stained hem of the dress. “Sophia knew perfectly well how important the dress was to me. “She even said she would leave after the wedding. “She must wanna spoil the occasion.” The hesitation in Lucas’s eyes vanished instantly. He tossed the report straight into the trash can, pulling out a tissue to wipe the blood from her dress. “She wouldn’t dare.” I pushed myself up from the ground, supporting my weight against the furniture. “Can I have the check now?” Sally looked at me in utter disbelief. “You ruined my wedding dress, and you still expect to get paid?” “I had your word just moments ago.” I held out my hand. “I’ve given you my congratulations.” Lucas took the check from her hand. Then proceeded to tear it to pieces in my face. “Stop taking us for fools. “Faking cancer, coughing up blood. “What’s next? You gonna drop dead at the wedding to make an impression?” The torn bits of paper fluttered down like snow. A tiny scrap stuck to the top of my shoe. I bent down to pick it up. Only a single fragmented zero remained on it. “Lucas.” It had been a very long time since I last called him by his name. “That’s not what I’m after. “I only want a decent plot of land for my resting place.” His jaw tightened abruptly. “Shut up. “When I hit rock bottom, I begged you not to leave. “You walked away with half a million without turning back even once. “Stop playing that pity card.” He took a step forward, grabbing my chin in an iron grip. “All you care about is money, dead or alive.” My stomach felt as though it were being ripped open by a jagged blade. The pain turned my vision black, yet I kept my eyes fixed on him. Back then, I hadn’t taken a single penny of that half a million. His mother had transferred the money into his company’s bank account right in front of me. She forced me to marry Jack purely to sever any thought Lucas might have had of coming back for me. I had kept the secret for eight years, despite being despised for it. “Believe whatever you want.” Lucas let out a sneer. “Since you can’t get your hands on the money now, stop causing trouble before the wedding’s over.” I was assigned to the smallest staff room in the wedding venue hotel. The desk was piled high with guest lists and prepping documents. When my phone rang, I was slumped over the sink, coughing up blood. It was my primary care doctor from the hospital. “Sophia, why are you not back yet? “Your test results are extremely worrying. We can’t afford any more delay.” I turned on the faucet, watching the bright red blood get washed down the drain. “If I get hospitalized right now, will I survive?” Silence fell over the other end of the line. “We can only do our best.” “Count me out then.” I hung up the phone and, in the emergency contact field, scribbled over Lucas’s name till it was completely blacked out. Chapter 4 Then I dialed the number for the funeral services provider. “I’m sorry, Ms. Wright, but we’re out of the lowest-tier plots.” “What about the columbarium? Is there any spot left?” A columbarium cost only three hundred. The staff member informed me that it didn’t face the sun, nor did it feature an individual headstone. Families could only come to pay their respects once a year. I let out a soft laugh. “It doesn’t matter. “I have no family anyway.” She then asked me for a contact person for the form. I hesitated for a long while before telling her to leave it blank. In the afternoon, Sally called me into the bridal suite. The dress previously ruined had already been replaced. The gown she wore now was far more expensive, and far more lavish. “Lucas told me that you’ll be catering to my every need throughout the entire ceremony.” She spread her arms wide. “Help me try on the veil.” I stepped onto the footstool and secured the twenty-foot-long veil into her hair. My fingers trembled so out of control that the pins slipped from my grasp several times. Sally stared at me through the mirror. “Lucas isn’t here. Stop putting on an act.” “I’m not. I’m genuinely ill.” “Do you really have to fall ill right when we’re getting married?” Looking at her radiant, youthful face in the mirror, I suddenly found the question somewhat laughable. “Illness doesn’t pick a date.” Sally’s expression darkened. She stepped away from me as if she had brushed against something foul. “Stay away from Lucas. “He’s been in a terrible mood for days because of you.” I gave a quiet nod. At night, I brought the final wedding plan to his room. Lucas had just stepped out of the shower, his collar loosely parted. The wedding rings for him and Sally rested on the nightstand. I placed my secretary badge, keycard, and apartment key on the table. “I’m handing these over to you now. I might not have a chance later.” Lucas glanced at the pile. “You’re really enjoying the game, aren’t you?” “No.” “Then take your things back.” I didn’t budge. He suddenly gripped my wrist, pulling me in front of him. “What gives you the right to come and go as you please? “You pulled the same stunt eight years ago. “And now you wanna do it all over again?” His fingers were bruising me with painful force. Yet my body no longer had the strength to struggle. “Lucas, I really am dying.” The swirling storm of emotion in his eyes instantly froze over. “Fine! When you do, only then I’ll let you resign and get away!” With that, he shoved my hand away. I slammed against the edge of the table, a mouthful of blood escaping my lips. Lucas had his back turned to me and didn’t see. I wiped the floor clean with my sleeve and softly shut the door behind me. After returning to the staff room, I signed the authorization form for cremation in the event of failed body donation. Finally, I pulled out the cufflink Lucas had given me eight years ago. Back then, he couldn’t even afford a decent suit. I used my first month’s salary to buy the pair of cufflinks, lying to him that I had won them in a raffle. When he later found out the truth, he gave one of them to me. He said it was the token of our love having survived the worst of days. Outside the window, the sky gradually brightened. I tossed the cufflink into the trash bin. From this moment on, it was over between us. Chapter 5 On the day of the wedding, the hotel was covered in white roses. Lucas had once promised that when we got married, he would give me the grandest wedding in the entire city. He had honored his promise, only for another bride. I changed into my staff uniform, washed the blood from the corner of my mouth with cold water, and walked into Sally’s bridal suite. She jumped when she saw my face. “You look like a corpse!” “Didn’t sleep well last night.” I helped adjust her veil, then fastened the pearly buttons down the back of her gown. By the time I was done, my fingertips had lost all sensation. The wedding march began to play outside. Lucas had come to pick up the bride. The moment the door opened, his eyes caught the blood stain on my cuff. “What’s that about?” I lowered my head and rolled the sleeve up. “Some lipstick rubbed off.” Sally immediately linked her arm through his. “Come on babe. The ceremony’s about to start.” Lucas stared at me for a few seconds, his voice dropping coldly. “Don’t start anything today. “Once the wedding’s over, we’ll talk about you faking an illness.” I smiled and nodded. “Alright.” He escorted Sally past me. From start to finish, he didn’t look back once. The banquet hall doors slowly closed. The applause and wishes were muffled behind them. I leaned against the wall, making my way toward the staff exit. Scarcely had I taken a few steps when an agonizing pain erupted deep in my core. Blood gushed from my mouth. I pressed the elevator button as my body slid down to the floor. The venue staff rushed over almost immediately. “We need to get her to the hospital at once. This looks really bad!” One of them took over my phone. At the very top of the recent contact list was Lucas. When the call came through, he was about to walk up to the stage with Sally. His assistant held the phone to his ear, saying in a lowered voice: “Mr. Brooks, Sophia collapsed in the back hall and is coughing up blood. “The staff says her condition is critical and she might need you to sign off.” He fell silent for a few seconds. “First a fake report, now a fake collapse. “She’s even involving others in her act this time.” The coldness in his eyes deepened. “Get her outta here. “I don’t want her ruining the wedding venue.” The call was disconnected. The sound of applause rang out immediately after. Lucas and Sally walked hand in hand down the red carpet to the stage. Meanwhile, a hotel staff was frantically giving me CPR. “Miss, can you hear me?” I couldn’t open my eyes. Only the faint, muffled sound of wedding music remained in my ears. I wanted to tell him there was no need for the effort. My cremation niche was already paid for, and I had nothing left to hold on to. Inside the banquet hall, the host was inviting the groom to kiss the bride. Amidst the gaze of countless onlookers, Lucas lowered his head and kissed Sally. The ambulance arrived just in time, and the staff and medics rushed me aboard. At 12:17, they stopped the resuscitation efforts. A white sheet covered my face. Inside my bag, the staff found the cremation niche receipt, the diagnostic report, and a gift box. When the gift box was delivered to Lucas, he was busy toasting guests with Sally. “Mr. Brooks, this was left behind by Sophia.” He glanced at it, looking impatient. “Throw it away.” The assistant didn’t dare move. Lucas frowned. “Where is she?” “She... passed away.” Lucas let out an icy sneer. “You’re playing along now too? “Go tell her no matter how good her act is, I’m not buying it!” In the afternoon, the wedding celebration came to an end. Lucas brought Sally out for a press appearance. When asked why I hadn’t made an appearance, he replied indifferently. “She’s not feeling well. “Or perhaps she’s faking it for money. “You can never trust that woman.” Before his voice even faded, two police officers waded through the crowd and stopped in front of him. One of them produced a transparent evidence bag. Inside were my ID card, the blood-stained phone, and the cancer diagnostic report that had been torn apart and taped back together. The officer handed over a death certificate. “Mr. Brooks, a woman passed away this afternoon in this hotel due to massive hemorrhage caused by terminal cancer. “You are listed as her emergency contact. “Please come with us to answer a few questions.”