Chapter 1: Delayed at the Registry

On the evening of Valentine’s Day—our two families gathered at a high-end restaurant to finalize my engagement with Gavin. I smoothed down my silk dress, checking my watch as the minutes ticked by. Gavin sent a quick voice message saying Serena had an emergency, so he’d be a little late.

I assumed he was stuck in traffic.

It wasn’t until I randomly scrolled through my feed that I realized Gavin wasn’t stuck on the highway—he was stuck at the Marriage Registry.

In the photo Serena posted, she and Gavin stood proudly in front of the red swearing wall, each holding an official red marriage certificate.

Her caption read: 【Luckily, someone was still willing to marry me today.】

My hands trembled as I called him. Gavin picked up on the second ring.

“Her ex-boyfriend got married today, and she completely broke down,” Gavin’s voice was remarkably casual. “I’m just playing along for a quick show. The marriage certificate is real, but the feelings aren’t.”

“Tomorrow I’ll file for divorce,” he continued smoothly. “Once the thirty-day cooling-off period passes, I’ll marry you.”

My throat felt like it was coated in ash. “Then what am I to you, Gavin?”

“Chloe, don’t make a scene,” he hushed me softly. “Both our parents are sitting right there. Be mature.”

The official status I had patiently waited three years for had been turned into a charity tool for Serena’s wounded pride.

Gavin’s mother, holding her teacup, tried to smooth things over with a strained smile. “Little Gavin is probably just caught in traffic. Let’s go ahead and order.”

I slid my phone across the tablecloth, placing the red certificate photo right in front of her. “No need to wait. Your son isn’t in traffic. He just got married.”

Chapter 2: A Normal Family Dinner

Gavin’s mother’s hand jerked, splashing hot tea across the white linen.

Without looking at anyone, she immediately stood up and clicked the private dining room door shut. “Chloe, please… don’t let this leak out.”

I stared at her, unable to summon even a bitter smile.

This private room was booked by Gavin three months in advance. He had told me Qixi would be packed, promising that once our families set the wedding date, I would officially no longer be an outsider. Now, he was legally bound to another woman, and his mother was begging me to keep his secret.

My father put down his chopsticks with a heavy clatter. “Mrs. Vance, are we here to set an engagement date for our children, or are we here to be informed that your son is already a married man?”

Gavin’s father lowered his eyes in ashamed silence.

Gavin’s mother forced a tight laugh. “Mr. Miller, please don’t jump to conclusions. Gavin isn’t reckless; he must have a valid reason. Chloe, sweetie, don’t throw a tantrum in front of your parents.”

My mother gripped my hand, her fingers trembling with quiet fury.

My phone rang again. It was Gavin. I answered, keeping it off speaker.

His first words weren’t an apology. “Did my mother see the post?”

I closed my eyes. “When you signed those marriage papers, did you remember that my parents and I were sitting here waiting for you?”

Silence stretched across the line. “I knew. That’s why I asked you to stay calm.” He lowered his tone. “Chloe, Serena couldn’t take it today. Her ex got married and deliberately sent invitations to all their mutual friends. She was crying uncontrollably outside the registry, about to faint.”

“So you used my life to save her from being laughed at?” I asked.

Gavin paused. “It’s not replacing you. The legal paper is real, but the emotions aren’t. Tomorrow I file for divorce, and in thirty days, I’m yours. It’s just thirty days, Chloe.”

I looked at the red parchment on the table listing potential wedding dates. “Gavin, I’ve waited three years.”

“I know you feel wronged,” he sighed. “But you know I care about you. Remember when your dad was hospitalized and I stayed up all night at his bedside? If I didn’t want to marry you, I wouldn’t have set up this dinner tonight.”

Gavin’s mother seized the opportunity to quickly snatch the red parchment and tuck it under a menu.

“What are you hiding?” I asked her directly.

Her hand froze. “Let’s… let’s just put this away for now. We can discuss wedding dates later.”

She flagged down a waiter. “Serve the food, please. Today is just a normal family dinner.”

The engagement party I had spent three months meticulously planning had been reduced to a “normal dinner” in a single breath.

Chapter 3: The Props and the Pawn

The door clicked open.

“Mr. Vance has arrived,” the waiter announced. “He brought a Miss Serena with him.”

Gavin walked into the room, his dress shirt slightly wrinkled. Serena followed closely behind, clutching her handbag tightly, her eyes red and puffy. On her left ring finger sparkled a diamond ring.

Six months ago, Gavin had held my hand in a jewelry shop to try on that exact ring, whispering: “On Qixi, I’ll personally slip this onto your finger.”

Now, it sat on Serena’s hand.

Serena looked straight at me, her voice trembling softly. “Chloe, I’m so sorry. I only borrowed Gavin for one day.”

“Borrowed him for a day?” I repeated, looking down at her finger. “Is the ring borrowed too?”

Gavin frowned. “Chloe, I can explain the ring.”

“Then explain.”

He cast a gentle glance at Serena. “The ring was bought for you today. But Serena was completely hysterical at the registry, saying she looked like a total loser. I only lent it to her so she could take a few photos. Just photos.”

My mother squeezed the red envelope in her handbag so hard her knuckles turned white. Yesterday, she had specially exchanged crisp new bills, eager not to appear rude for my big day.

Serena frantically pulled at the ring. “I’ll give it back! Chloe, please don’t blame Gavin, it’s all my fault!”

The ring was stuck. As she yanked, her finger turned bright red. Gavin immediately grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Don’t force it. We’ll use soapy water at home later.”

A memory flashed in my mind—when I cut my hand cooking months ago, Gavin had grabbed my wrist the exact same way, whispering, “Let me handle it.”

“Gavin,” I whispered, “did you forget what today is?”

He looked at me, but didn’t let go of Serena’s hand. “I didn’t forget. That’s why I rushed over. Chloe, everything I promised you, I will make up for.”

Gavin’s mother chimed in hastily, “A ring is just an object, Chloe! True love is what matters. Serena is going through a hard time—be the bigger person here.”

I smiled faintly at Gavin’s mother. “The marriage certificate is real, and the ring is real. But you want me to believe his feelings are fake?”

Serena’s tears spilled over. “Chloe, I won’t steal the title of Mrs. Vance. In thirty days, I promise I’ll return Gavin to you!”

“Return him?” I met her tearful gaze coldly. “With what?”

Serena froze.

Gavin stepped forward, shielding Serena slightly. “Chloe, stop talking like that. She’s suffered enough today.”

A dry laugh escaped my chest. “And I haven’t?”

He fell silent, guiding Serena to a chair and pushing a cup of warm water toward her. “Drink some water first.”

My father stood up, his voice cutting through the room like ice. “Gavin Vance. You are a married man sitting at my daughter’s engagement dinner. Do you have any idea how absurd you look right now?”

“Sir, I will handle this properly,” Gavin said quietly.

“How?” my father demanded. “By making my daughter wait thirty days for you to get a divorce?”

Gavin remained silent.

His father slammed his teacup onto the table. “Gavin! The Vance family did not raise you to be such a dishonorable fool!”

Gavin sat down next to me, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Chloe, I know I messed up today. But please, don’t embarrass both our families right now. Let’s just get through this dinner. You can punish me however you want later.”

He then glanced at my phone screen. “And one more thing.”

I looked up at him.

“Temporarily hide those anniversary posts on your feed,” he said, his tone dead serious. “Serena is in a fragile state right now. She shouldn’t be seeing our romantic posts.”

The air in my lungs completely evaporated. It wasn’t just today. He was asking me to erase three entire years of my life just to spare her feelings.

Chapter 4: The Clean Break

I slowly took the USB drive out of my bag—the one labeled Play on Qixi, filled with three years of our photos and voice notes—and dropped it cleanly into my glass of water.

The delicate electronic label dissolved instantly.

“There’s no need to wait thirty days, Gavin,” I said, my voice eerily calm as I stood up. “And you don’t need to divorce her on my account.”

Gavin panicked, reaching for my hand. “Chloe, what are you doing? Don’t be impulsive!”

I stepped back, dodging his touch as if he carried a contagious disease. “I’m not being impulsive. I’m dumping you.”

“Chloe!” Gavin’s mother gasped, rising from her chair. “Don’t say such foolish things over a small misunderstanding! Gavin loves you!”

“If his love means making me a hidden spectator while he legally marries another woman, he can keep it,” I said coldly.

I turned to my parents, bowing slightly. “Mom, Dad… I’m sorry for ruining dinner. Let’s go home.”

My father stood up immediately, putting an arm around my mother and glaring at Gavin with pure contempt. “Consider any alliance or business between our families permanently dead.”

As we walked out of the private room, Gavin chased after us into the hallway, grabbing my arm tightly. “Chloe, listen to me! I’ll go to the registry tomorrow morning and file the papers! It’s just a thirty-day cooling-off period! Can’t you just give me thirty days?!”

I turned around, looking at him with absolute indifference.

“Gavin, a man who trades his wife’s dignity to soothe his ex-girlfriend’s ego isn’t worth three years of my life—let alone thirty more days.”

I pulled my arm free with a sharp jerk, threw my phone into the trash bin by the restaurant entrance, and walked out into the cool night air without looking back once.

Chapter 5: The Regret

The next day, I submitted my resignation at the firm where Gavin and I both worked, wiped my social media accounts clean, and blocked every single person associated with the Vance family.

Using my savings and my father’s business connections, I moved to a new city and launched my own luxury brand consultancy. Within six months, my firm signed several major corporate clients, and my career skyrocketed. Free from the burden of managing Gavin’s emotional baggage, I thrived.

Meanwhile, Gavin’s world completely imploded.

The story of him legally marrying Serena on his engagement night leaked to the press, destroying his reputation in high society. Investors pulled out of his family’s firm, and his father stepped down in shame.

When the thirty-day cooling-off period finally ended, Gavin dragged Serena to the registry to complete the divorce—only to realize that Serena had no intention of letting him go. She used her legal status as his wife to demand half his personal assets and threatened to leak more embarrassing details if he fought her in court.

Their “harmless favor” had turned into an unending nightmare of legal battles, financial ruin, and mutual hatred.

Eight months later, I returned to my hometown to attend an international business gala as a featured guest speaker.

As I walked out of the grand hotel ballroom wearing a stunning custom gown, a disheveled man dodged past security, throwing himself in front of me.

It was Gavin.

He looked haggard, his suit unpressed, his eyes bloodshot and filled with tears.

“Chloe…” he choked out, falling to his knees right on the marble floor. “I divorced her… I gave her everything just to get my freedom back. I was wrong, Chloe! I was so unbelievably blind! You were the only one who ever truly loved me!”

Serena was standing a few feet away near the entrance, looking worn-out and bitter, glaring at us in utter shame.

Gavin reached out, trying desperately to grab the hem of my dress. “Please, Chloe… give me one more chance! I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you!”

I paused, looking down at the kneeling man who had once held my entire heart. There was no anger left in me—only a vast, hollow emptiness.

“I gave you three years, Gavin,” I said softly, my voice carrying clearly through the silent lobby. “And you traded them away for thirty days.”

I stepped around him without a second glance, stepping into my chauffeured car as the doors closed, leaving him weeping on the marble floor behind me.