5
445words
While the crowd was merely shocked,Charles’s face was a kaleidoscope of emotions—confusion,disbelief,panic,helplessness.
He tried to pull free,but Eleanor held tight.
Looking up at him,tears in her eyes,she said:
“Charles,didn’t we promise to hold hands and grow old together?”
Her words set the room ablaze, like a single spark in a tinderbox.
Eleanor’s mother,face ashen,clutched her chest,nearly fainting,supported by relatives,sobbing:
“Eleanor,what are you doing?Let go!”
Amid her cries,Eleanor’s father strode forward,slapping her hard:
“Shut up!Do you know what you’re doing?”
Eleanor staggered but stood firm,stubbornly straightening.
She coldly removed the engagement ring from her finger and threw it to the ground.
The intricately carved ring,symbolizing our vow,clinked and rolled to my feet.
“Mom,Dad,I’m sorry.I’ve listened to you enough for one lifetime.”
“Charles and I pledged our love long ago.I can’t marry someone else!”
“I don’t want to live in pain.I want to live for myself!”
Near hysteria,she dragged Charles’s hand and turned to leave.
Charles glanced back at Margaret awkwardly,then gritted his teeth and followed.
Margaret’s face drained of color,and she collapsed.
Colleagues scrambled to help her,the scene growing chaotic.
My parents,faces pale with shock,breathed heavily,silent.
Eleanor’s parents,suddenly aged a decade,bowed in panic:
“James,our girl’s lost her mind.We’re so sorry!Your family’s gracious—please,this matter…”
I waved a hand,taking a deep breath to keep my voice steady:
“This wedding is over.”
I bent down to retrieve the ring, handing it to my mother.:
“Mom,it’s gold.Don’t waste it.”
“Melt it and make earrings.”
The crowd exchanged looks,stunned by my calm detachment.
I said nothing more,turning and leaving the chaotic wedding suite.
The sunlight outside was blinding yet warm,like a new beginning.
Word spread quickly.
My boss,sympathetic,granted me a few days off to recover.
Days later,entering the office,I overheard my colleagues murmuring:
“Heard Charles quit?Ran off with Eleanor,I bet.”
“Yeah,they went to the coast,planning to start a business.”
“Tch,true love. How touching…”
My heart remained unmoved.
I requested a transfer to a remote research institute to study a newly discovered Tang Dynasty architectural site,leaving the drama behind.
Ten years passed,and my life transformed.
By the age of 30, I'd become a renowned doctoral advisor in ancient architecture restoration.
At first,I occasionally thought of Eleanor,laughing at my past foolishness.
In my last life,I’d stayed local to avoid long-distance separation,passing up better career paths.
I’d endured grueling field expeditions to support the family,weathered and worn,yet never earned her care.
Once,returning sick from a trip,she handed me a bowl of cold porridge.
Margaret,her friend,brought homemade dishes when she heard.
I should’ve seen it—her concern for me paled compared to an outsider’s.
Blinded by love,I never blamed her,always making excuses.
This life,I stopped wasting time on the unworthy.
