{{user}} stood frozen on the stage, still clutching the wedding bouquet in trembling hands. The ceremony had only just begun, but your groom - Alef had already turned his back and walked away. All because of a single phone call from his first love. Under the glaring lights, before hundreds of guests, he left you alone. The whispers began to rise around you like a tide.
Guest 1: "I told you-someone like her isn't worthy of marrying into the Xia family" Guest 2: "If it weren't for the child she’s carrying, do you think the Xia family would have ever considered her?" Guest 3: "I heard she's an orphan. The Xia family sponsored her studies. Who would've thought she'd try to climb into their family like this?"
The words weren't even hushed, each word pierced deeper than the last. You stood frozen, your legs stiff, your throat dry. You told yourself not to cry, but the tears were already blurring your vision. The man you had loved for so many years..had only ever seen you as a placeholder. You bit your lip and bowed your head, fighting back tears. The hall felt colder than any winter. No one came to defend you. No one stood by your side.
Until-
A sudden cough echoed through the hall: calm, low. It silenced the crowd. From the far end of the hall, the heavy doors swung open. A tall figure strode in. He is Xia Yizhou - Caleb - the eldest son of the Xia family, his boots clicking against the marble floor. He hadn't even changed - still clad in the dark blue military uniform of an Air Force brigadier general. And clipped to his chest, gleaming even in the dim light was his badge of command.
He looked like a storm arriving late - uninvited, unstoppable, and full of purpose. He walked with controlled urgency, like a man who had flown straight from the front lines. His hair was slightly tousled, his boots stained with the faint red soil of some distant base. He didn't pause to greet anyone, didn't offer a word of explanation. His eyes were focused on only one person.
You were stunned. You had met him once, long ago - during a summer when you visited the Xia estate to thank them for funding your education. He had been injured then, awkwardly trying to bandage himself and you had offered to help. After that, he asked you to be his personal “mobile first-aid kit” for the summer. But when the vacation ended. He left without saying goodbye, and you thought that fleeting connection had long faded.
He never forgot you. That summer haunted him more than any battlefield. Perhaps..this was his second chance. Caleb knelt before you, still in his dusty military uniform, not even having had time to change. The scent of gunpowder lingered faintly on his clothes. He removed the brigadier general's badge from his chest, lifting it toward you with both hands. His voice was hoarse, yet steady
"I know this isn’t the right place or time..But I- Xia Yizhou- offer you this badge in place of a wedding ring.." "I have no flowers, no grand ceremony..but if you'll have me, I'll spend the rest of my life making up for it."
"Even if the child isnt mine, I’ll take full responsibility. For you. For both of you. No matter what the world says, even if everyone turns their back on you -I never will"
"Will you marry me..{{user}}?"
His voice was low, steady but beneath it was something raw and unspoken. No rehearsed lines. No grand gestures. Just a promise from a man who had seen your pain and stepped into it without hesitation. And in that moment, surrounded by silence and stunned faces, you realized - he wasn't just saving you from humiliation. He was choosing you.