Our Love Won't Last Forever

In the seventh year of our relationship, Brandon proposed to me with a diamond ring worth tens of millions.

I dressed up for the occasion, only to find that the video of our love story had been replaced by a compromising video of me by his secretary.

When I confronted him in tears, he blamed me for embarrassing him.

In front of everyone, Brandon slapped me hard. "This is all because you don't know how to behave. How dare you blame others when you're the one being indecent?! Filthy women like you have no right to complain!"

I fell into a champagne tower, the sharp glass fragments nearly blinding and disfiguring me.

Without sparing me a glance, Brandon left with his secretary in his arms.

At that moment, the love I had cherished for seven years died completely. Deeply hurt, I agreed to a marriage alliance with the Moore family.

However, as the wedding car drove past Brandon, he suddenly went crazy and started chasing after me.

What I once dreamed of—a proposal—turned into a nightmare. I dressed elegantly for the wedding, only to end up covered in blood and rushed to the hospital.

The wound near my eye couldn't be treated with anesthesia. As the doctor stitched me up with a furrowed brow, I felt no physical pain.

All I could hear was the conversation between Brandon and Karina as they left.

Karina, annoyed, said, "So what if I did it on purpose? Why did you buy her such an expensive ring?"

Brandon, showing a patience he never had for me, gently consoled her. "The ring I gave her was fake. The real one has been sent for resetting; only you deserve such a beautiful diamond."

"At first, I was drawn to her looks and wanted to have some fun, but I've long grown tired of her. Don't worry, I would never marry such a filthy woman," he added.

Every word pierced my heart like countless needles. I was overwhelmed by despair.

As I wrestled with my emotions, Brandon suddenly called. "Serena, you were reckless yourself. How dare you wrong Karina for no reason? Get back here and apologize to her immediately! Otherwise, forget about us getting married."

That casual remark shattered me, and tears streamed down my face.

Seven years of love, and Brandon knew how much I yearned for marriage. Every argument ended with him using marriage as leverage to threaten me. But this time, I no longer wanted to marry him.

The doctor, seeing my despair, offered a few comforting words out of kindness.

Hearing the doctor's voice, Brandon's tone turned stern over the phone. "Where are you? Why is there a man's voice?"

"Serena, how disgusting can you be? You can’t go anywhere without flirting with men. Can't live without them, can you? No wonder you almost got raped as a child!"

Karina's voice chimed in. "Brandon, don’t be so harsh. Maybe Serena is doing this on purpose to make you jealous."

"Women who’ve been through a lot know all kinds of tricks. Unlike me—so simple and pure. Don't mind her. My feet are sore, can you massage them for me?"

As her coquettish voice rang out, Brandon hung up abruptly after saying, "Suit yourself."

I stood there in shock, the phone slipping from my hand without me realizing it. His words echoed in my mind. "No wonder you almost got raped as a child!"

I was brought back to that dreadful memory from years ago—my mother's new boyfriend had assaulted and filmed me. In my despair, I had even considered ending my life.

At the time, Brandon, my deskmate, found out about it. He stormed into my house, beat up the man, and retrieved the video.

He held me tightly and repeatedly said, "Serena, don’t be afraid. This wasn’t your fault."

"I promise you, as long as I’m here, I won’t let anyone hurt you."

Looking back now, I realize the person who hurt me the most during our sevenyear relationship had always been him.

Every time we had a conflict, he would bring up that incident in front of others, using it to humiliate me repeatedly.

He tore open my bleeding wounds, exposing them to everyone, until I broke down in tears, begging and apologizing at his feet.

Only then would he, standing high above me, condescend to "forgive" me.

To the people around us, Brandon appeared deeply devoted and loving. But they didn’t see how many nights I spent crying myself to sleep in silence.

And that humiliating video—he never deleted it.

Who knows how many people he showed it to before it ended up in Karina’s hands, becoming the dagger that severed our sevenyear relationship.

After my wound was stitched up, I called my mother. "Mom, I’ve decided. I want to get married—to Wesley Moore."

My mother was silent for a moment before her voice turned excited. Because of what happened years ago, she had always felt guilty and tried every way to make it up to me.

But under Brandon’s manipulations, I began to distrust everyone who cared about me, even my own family.

Thinking about it now, I was so foolish. For someone like Brandon, I had estranged myself from my mother and lost sight of who I was.

"Mom knows those things from the past left you with bad memories," she said gently. "I would never force you. As long as you’re truly willing, I’ll arrange everything for you."

"Wesley has loved you for so many years. If the two of you can be together, I’ll finally have peace of mind for the rest of my life."

I replied softly, "Give me five more days. I promise I’ll marry Wesley happily."

"Sweetheart..." my mother hesitated. "There’s a lot I know about what you’ve been through. It breaks my heart to see you suffer with Brandon. If you’ve made up your mind, I’ll come and bring you home right now."

I declined her offer.

In five days, there was a significant occasion.

I wanted Brandon to witness my happiness firsthand on that special day.

When I took a cab home, I heard Karina’s laughter before I even entered the house.

Her pale legs were draped over Brandon.

When I walked in, he instinctively pushed her away. But after realizing it was me, his expression hardened with anger as he snarled, "You’ve got the nerve to come back? Do you have any idea how much embarrassment you caused me today?"

His little mistress nearly ruined my life, yet all he cared about was his pride.

It was always the same. He would show his perfect façade of affection in public, and his unrelenting coldness behind closed doors.

Karina shot me a smug look and brushed her hair back with the hand wearing that diamond ring.

The dazzling multimilliondollar gem made my disheveled state even more humiliating.

I removed the fake diamond ring from my finger and tossed it in front of Brandon.

"That won’t happen anymore," I intoned coldly. "The heir of the Smith family shouldn’t have a disgraceful fiancée like me."

For a moment, Brandon froze, staring at the ring on the floor.

His tone softened involuntarily. "That’s not what I meant. Sure, what happened back then was disgusting, but we’ve been together for so many years."

"Our families are wellmatched, and as long as you listen to me and learn how to be a proper wife, I’m still willing to marry you."

In the past, hearing him say he was willing to marry me would have made me happy. But now, all I felt was an icy void inside.

Over the years, Brandon had claimed time and again to love me. But deep down, he had always despised my past.

Even now, Brandon still thought he could manipulate me with his fake love. What he didn’t know was that I no longer love him.

I walked past him without a word, but he grabbed my arm.

“Alright, stop sulking. Haven’t you always wanted to go to France? The scenery there is beautiful. I’ll take you on a trip soon to clear your mind,” he offered perfunctorily.

I had dreamed of going to France for so long, but Brandon never had the time to go with me. Instead, he frequently used business trips as an excuse to visit that romantic paradise with Karina.

“No need. You’re busy with work,” I replied calmly.

Soon, I would visit France with my new husband for our honeymoon—not waste my life waiting endlessly for Brandon’s empty promises.

Apparently, my indifference annoyed him, and his patience wore thin.

“Serena, let me remind you—no one else will ever accept your past. A woman as tainted as you has no right to throw a tantrum at me!” he snapped.

Karina laughed mockingly. “Can a woman who has lost her purity even call herself a woman? If I were her, I’d just smash my head into a wall and end it. Living like this—useless and living off men—is pathetic.”

Brandon snorted in disdain. “Did you hear that? You should learn from Karina’s ability to handle things. Tonight, accompany me to an event. The host is one of your mother’s friends—figure out a way to secure their cooperation for me.”

Without giving me a chance to refuse, he left with Karina.

I glanced at the used condom near the couch and let out a bitter laugh.

Brandon used my past to control me, degrade me, humiliate me, and exploit me. But he conveniently forgot one thing—what happened back then wasn’t my fault.

I sacrificed everything for him because I loved him. But now that love is gone, and so was his hold over me.

Later, Brandon had someone deliver a gown for me to wear to the event.

The dress had a stain on the bodice—clearly a secondhand piece Karina had worn.

It reminded me of the countless “luxury” gifts Brandon had given me over the years.

People who didn’t know better praised him as a loving and generous partner, never realizing those gifts were just handmedowns from his mistress.

I packed up the dress, along with all the other things he’d ever given me, and threw them away. Yet as I looked around the home I’d lived in for seven years, tears started to fall.

The sting of tears against my healing wound brought me back to my senses.

I wiped them away, composed myself, and headed to the event.

When I arrived, Brandon didn’t notice I had changed into a different dress.

He just kept reminding me, “Make a good impression tonight. If you secure this deal, I’ll give you the grandest wedding ever!”

He had barely finished speaking when Karina, in a revealing lowcut dress, sauntered past us.

Without hesitation, he shoved me toward Uncle Kinsley and chased after her.

In the past, I would have done everything in my power to help him.

I’d lost count of how many times I drank until I suffered from stomach ulcers just to close a deal for him.

But this time, I said nothing about Brandon.

Instead, I handed Uncle Kinsley an invitation to my wedding with Wesley.

Looking at the invitation card, Uncle Kinsley was surprised, so I got no choice but to tell him everything.

After hearing the full story, his face darkened with anger. “It’s about time you ended things. Over the years, you’ve done so much for him, yet he still refused to marry you. To be honest, Brandon doesn’t deserve you.”

Before I could respond, another voice chimed in confidently. “Mr. Kinsley, it’s not about who deserves who. I won’t let Serena’s past define her. I love her, and I’m willing to accept everything about her.”

Brandon's hand rested on my shoulder, trying to show how good he was to me in front of Mr. Kinsley.

The crumpled shirt and sudden kiss marks on Brandon’s neck gave everything away.

Uncle Kinsley, visibly disgusted, stood up and left without another word.

Brandon, holding his glass midair, froze. Embarrassment twisted his face, and he lashed out, shoving me aside. “Useless! You can’t handle even a small task! Forget about the wedding—you don’t deserve it!”

Caught off guard in my heels, I stumbled and fell hard, my ankle swelling and reddening almost immediately. Pain shot through me, and tears welled up in my eyes.

People around us glanced over, whispering among themselves. Uncle Kinsley rushed over and helped me up, concern evident on his face.

Brandon, however, walked off without so much as a backward glance.

Uncle Kinsley wanted to confront him, but I stopped him, thanking him for his kindness. I hobbled to the lounge and tended to my injury.

As I passed the garden on my way back, I heard Brandon’s voice.

I paused and turned to see him laughing with a group of familiar acquaintances.

“Hey, I caught you and that little secretary in the bathroom earlier. Aren’t you worried Serena will find out?” one of them teased.

Brandon smirked, taking a slow drag of his cigarette.

“Let her find out. It’s not like she can leave me.” He chuckled.

Another friend chimed in with a sly grin, “Speaking of, I’ve still got the recording from your proposal. Gotta say, that girl’s got a killer figure for someone her age. No wonder even if you’ve got a new flame, you still can’t let her go.”

“She’s pretty bold too,” another added. “Bet she was the one who made the first move back then, couldn’t resist throwing herself at you, right?”

Seeing that Brandon wasn’t angry, the first one pushed further. “Since you’ve already got Karina, why not let us have some fun with Serena?”

Their crude laughter echoed through the garden. My heart clenched so tightly it felt like it might shatter.

Trembling, I waited for Brandon’s response.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, chuckling lightly. “Do as you like. Her mom’s a hassle, but Serena? She’s an idiot. Too easy to manipulate.”

He tapped ash from his cigarette, adding nonchalantly, “Girls like her are starved for love, desperate to be wanted. Just say a few sweet words, and they’ll fall right into your hands. No effort needed.”

Their laughter grew louder as they traded more vulgar comments about my body.

From behind the dense foliage, I stared at Brandon, my heart plummeting into a freezing abyss. Even as my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood, I barely felt the pain.

Seven years of love—it was all lies. His confession all those years ago was also a lie.

Brandon never loved me, and he never truly intended to marry me.

To him, I was nothing more than a cheap, easy distraction—someone he could use, mock, and discard.

I turned to leave, swallowing my sobs, when my phone suddenly rang.

The noise caught Brandon’s attention, and his gaze shifted to me. For a brief moment, I saw a trace of panic flicker in his eyes.

I turned my back to him and answered the call—it was my mother.

“Serena, Wesley has already finalized the wedding arrangements. He knows how important this is to you and has prepared several options for you to choose from, including the dresses.”

“I’ve already chosen my wedding dress, Mom,” I interrupted softly. “The rest, I’ll leave it to you and him.”

By then, Brandon had approached me. Once he confirmed I hadn’t overheard their conversation, his demeanor shifted back to arrogance.

“Wedding dress? Serena, can you stop being so selfish? All you ever care about are meaningless things. We’ll be family soon—why can’t you focus more on helping with my business? The partnership—”

Before he could finish his words, I cut him off, “I’ve heard enough.”

I stood up, and walked away without glancing back.

I had a wedding dress to retrieve.

Brandon didn’t deserve my love, nor did he deserve to see me wearing that dress.

This dress, handcrafted over seven years, was a symbol of my hopes and dreams for a happy future.

After bringing it home, I started packing my belongings.

Brandon was still angry at me and didn’t come home for an entire day and night.

Meanwhile, Karina smugly sent me a photo of the two of them together, flaunting how Brandon had been by her side the whole time.

Annoyed, I blocked her without hesitation. There was no point wasting energy on someone irrelevant to my future.

Remembering I still had a few belongings left at Brandon’s company, I drove over to pick them up.

Traffic delayed me, and by the time I returned, I noticed his car parked discreetly in a corner of the garage.

The car rocked unnaturally, catching my attention. Curious, I moved closer, only to see Karina’s flushed face through the window—and she was wearing my wedding dress.

I froze in place, unable to believe my eyes. To be sure, I checked the car’s surveillance footage on my phone.

Their voices filled the air.

“Brandon, you’re so unfair. You said you wouldn’t marry her, but secretly had such a beautiful wedding dress made for her.”

Brandon leaned in, kissing her lightly. “She bought it herself. If you like it, it’s yours now.”

“She must hate herself for being so filthy,” Karina mocked, “desperate to get married, afraid you’ll abandon her.”

Their laughter spilled from the car. Karina wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes filled with languid satisfaction.

The oncepristine wedding dress was quickly sullied, stained by their disgraceful actions.

At that moment, the world seemed to tilt. Rage and despair consumed me, stripping away all reason.

I stormed up to the car and banged furiously on the window. “Brandon! How could you do this to me?!”

“That’s my wedding dress! That’s my—”

That dress represented seven years of devotion and hope, my dreams for a future I once believed in.

It was the last piece of my life with Brandon. Yet he trampled even this small fragment of my expectations.

The two inside were jolted in surprise, hastily adjusting their clothes.

Annoyed, Brandon rolled down the window and barked, “Serena, what’s your problem? Karina was just helping you try it on. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it?”

Choking on sobs, I couldn’t respond, only fixating on getting my wedding dress back.

However, my persistence angered him.

ith a sneer, he slammed on the accelerator, jerking the car forward.

“If you’re still so stubborn, I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!”

Dragged several meters by the moving car, my arms were torn and bleeding before I finally collapsed.

The car sped off, leaving my wedding dress discarded like trash in the garage.

The fabric, stained and soiled, lay in a puddle of filth, run over by tires—just like our seven years together.

What was once a symbol of love had been crushed, reduced to a worthless pile of rags.

I broke down completely, sobbing in the dimly lit parking lot.

In my despair, I shakily called my mother. “Mom, my wedding dress is gone. Everything is gone...”

“Don’t cry, Serena,” she said, her voice filled with urgency. “You still have me, and you have Wesley. We’ll fix this. Don’t cry.”

She dropped everything to come to my side. After taking me to the hospital to tend to my injuries, she brought me dozens of designer wedding dresses to choose from.

“It’s okay, Serena. Mommy won’t let anyone hurt you again. After the wedding, I’ll make sure that scumbag gets what he deserves.”

Following her reassurance, I picked a new dress—one that suited me better than the one before.

This time, it wasn’t about Brandon; it was about me.

Unaware of any of this, Brandon assumed I would eventually apologize, as I always had in the past.

As the wedding day approached, I decided to send him one final message. But when I opened my contacts, I noticed he had changed his social media profile picture to a photo of himself and Karina.

I knew exactly what he was trying to do—provoke me and get under my skin.

But this time, Brandon's games didn’t matter. He no longer had any power over me, and I wasn’t going to fall for his lies again.

Calmly, I sent him a single message. [Brandon, let’s break up.]

He shocked me by replying instantly. [Serena, who do you think you are? You don’t get to break up with me!]

[Don’t forget, you’re filthy to begin with. I’ve used you for seven years for free. A woman like you—who’d want you after me? Even your own mother probably despises you!]

As expected, he had forgotten what today was.

Seven years ago, on this very day, he made me promise. Back then, he pulled me out of despair, telling me. "Seven years. That’s how long it takes for every cell in the body to regenerate—a complete renewal. I’ll be with you for those seven years. When you’ve let go of the past, let go of all those painful memories, we’ll get married."

But seven years passed in the blink of an eye, and he had long forgotten his vows.

It didn’t matter, though. Brandon was never my salvation. He was just a heartless opportunist who preyed on my vulnerability.

The seven years were over. The past, the hurt, and the illusions were now nothing but fleeting shadows.

I wiped away the last trace of tears, concealed them with makeup, and placed the veil over my head. Stepping into the wedding car, I was ready to leave it all behind.

Rose petals floated gently along the road as the car carried me toward a new beginning.

As we passed by the place I’d lived for seven years, I saw Brandon and Karina walking hand in hand along the street.

Our eyes met across the distance, just for a moment.

In that fleeting glance, his expression shifted from disdain to shock.

He let go of Karina’s hand and began running after the car.

“Serena!”

His voice grew louder, more desperate with each call.

I watched him stumble, fall, and scramble back up, his figure becoming smaller and blurrier.

He, along with our past and the years we spent together, was left far behind.

I was moving forward, toward something new and untainted.

His cries, along with all the pain and humiliation, disappeared into the wind.

Ahead of me was a path lined with roses and a red carpet—a road to a new chapter.

When the car stopped, my mother was already waiting. Seeing me step out in my wedding dress, her eyes glistened with tears.

“My Serena has grown up... I thought you’d never forgive me.”

Holding back my own tears, I hugged her tightly.

The rift and pain from seven years ago melted away with that embrace.

Finally, unable to hold it in, my mother began to cry. She gently stroked my back and said, “Don’t be afraid, Serena. Life is full of wrong turns and poor choices. What matters is that you’ve stopped the losses in time and are boldly moving forward.”

“My daughter is so beautiful and kind—she’s bound to live a happy, joyful life!”

Uncle Kinsley and several of my mother’s friends also came with wedding gifts.

No one mentioned Brandon. It was as though he had never existed in my life at all.

My mother led me to a lounge to touch up my makeup.

But when we opened the door, I was startled to see Wesley waiting there.

A childhood friend who, seemingly overnight, had become my husband.

I froze awkwardly in place, unsure of what to say.

Wesley, however, approached me calmly, with a warm smile on his face. “Serena, I’ve waited so long for this day.”

Still in a daze, I looked at my mother, who gave me a teasing glare and laughed.

“You silly girl. Don’t you know Wesley has liked you since you were little? But you were too blinded by that scumbag to notice. He’s waited for you, without complaint, all these years.”

I had waited seven years for Brandon, nearly my entire youth.

But Wesley—he had waited for me even longer.

Feeling my cheeks flush, I lowered my head in embarrassment. “How could I ever deserve such unwavering devotion?”