Part 3A Funeral March for My Wedding

When Terence finally came back to our apartment, I had already taken down most of the red "Double Happiness" decorations.

He frowned, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind.

“Still angry? You’re the one who put all this up. You’ll just have to put it back later. What a hassle.”

He still thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

I looked at him calmly.

“That won’t be necessary.”

He didn’t hear me. He was busy typing on his phone, a bright, carefree smile on his face, just like when we first started dating.

“What did you say?”

The will to fight had left me. I silently slipped out of his embrace.

The next day, I was stopped at the entrance of my office. Our biggest client was inside, screaming. As he stormed out, he threw a contract at me.

“You brought me a plagiarized proposal! Do you have any idea the kind of legal trouble you almost got our company into?”

My heart plummeted.

The proposal was entirely my own work. I had the creation logs to prove it.

My boss looked at me with weary resignation.

“We all know you’re capable, Autumn. The accusation comes from a small startup, from a new hire. See if it’s someone you know. But for now… we have to let you go.”

His words echoed in the sudden silence.

“No, you can’t. I gave everything to this job. The early mornings, the late nights… you know how hard I’ve worked…”

But the look in his eyes didn't change. I knew he was already being lenient by not suing me for the damages to the company.

I walked home in a stupor. A text from my stepsister arrived, dripping with scorn.

“You worked so hard for a decade to get into a good university, and for what? Look at you now, with nothing. You were supposed to be such a role model.”

A lump formed in my throat. My fingers went numb. I had no words to fight back.

When I opened the door to my apartment, I found Terence and Bonnie celebrating her new full-time job.

I couldn't contain my rage any longer. I stormed up to her.

“Did you steal my proposal? Did you?!”

Bonnie’s eyes filled with tears.

“I didn’t know! I thought it was just some old drafts. Terence said it was okay.”

That was the last straw. I slapped her across the face and tried to drag her out the door to go clear my name.

Terence grabbed my wrist, his grip like iron.

“If you do this, you’ll ruin Bonnie’s future! She just started her career. You slapped her. Isn’t that enough to make you feel better?”

My voice was a raw, broken scream.

“Do you have any idea that if she doesn’t go, my future is ruined? Everything I’ve worked for all these years, gone! You think a single slap is a fair trade for my entire life, Terence? How dare you even suggest that?”

Tears streamed down my face. Terence flinched under my gaze but stubbornly held his ground.

“If you lose your job, fine. I’ll take care of you. You won’t have to work.”

My tears felt like a sick joke. The words made me want to vomit.

“I don’t want you to take care of me! I want my name cleared! I want justice!”

Terence grabbed my shoulders, his voice rising in frustration.

“So you’d rather destroy Bonnie’s life instead?”

So, once again, I was the one who had to be sacrificed.

Bonnie, playing the victim, covered her face and ran from the room, deliberately shoving me as she passed. I stumbled backward, my lower back slamming into the sharp corner of a bookshelf. The pain was so intense I crumpled to the floor.

Terence gave me a single glance before chasing after her.

Between me and Bonnie, I would always, always be second.

I went to the hospital alone. My back was a canvas of deep, ugly bruises. The pain brought fresh tears to my eyes. There was no one to rush through the paperwork for me anymore. No one to gently blow on my injuries, whispering words of comfort.

I shut down my emotions and began to gather evidence.

I would get my justice.

I couldn’t rely on anyone else. From now on, I was my own staunchest ally.