No Mercy for My Wedding Thief

At the engagement banquet, my girlfriend's first crush, Benjamin Rodriguez, asked her, "If I forcibly took you away right here at the engagement ceremony, would you come with me?" My girlfriend, Annabelle King, replied with red eyes, "I would." The entire room fell silent, and everyone expected me to flip out right then and there. But instead, I stood up, smiling, and applauded. "Just walk away. I wish all lovers could eventually be together forever!" ***** With that, the room went dead silent. All eyes immediately turned to me, filled with a mix of emotions. I was well known as a weakling, someone who had always been pushed around. A few people, eager to watch the drama unfold, even stood up, curious to see how I would react. In their eyes, all I could do was make a few threats to salvage my reputation, because everyone knew Annabelle was my everything. I couldn't dare do anything else. But Annabelle's expression changed. Ignoring the people around her trying to stop her, she threw her drink in my face. "Matthew Harris, have you lost your mind? I was just joking, and you say something like that? Who are you trying to disgust with this nonsense? You still haven't gotten rid of your jealousy after all these years! You can't even take a joke, what kind of man are you?!" The drink slid down my face, leaving behind a sticky, foul stench. Annabelle had become impossible to deal with, getting away with anything just because I always let her. Whenever she was in a bad mood, no matter the situation, she'd slap me or curse at me. She trampled all over my reputation. This time, she arrogantly assumed I would just apologize like always, looking down at me, expecting me to fall in line. Our relationship had gotten to this point; there was nothing left to salvage. I stood up, my voice void of any emotion. "Since you two are so deeply in love, I won't stand in the way of you finding your happiness. Let today be our farewell dinner. Benjamin, congratulations on finally winning the woman of your dreams." Now, Benjamin's face darkened. He'd only intended to intimidate me, but he didn't expect me to react like this—totally indifferent, throwing in the towel. It left him with no way to back out. "Matthew, are you throwing a tantrum now? There are so many guests here, what about Annabelle? If you're angry because of me, will you accept my apology?" Benjamin said, clearly flustered. Annabelle, of course, wasn't about to let her first crush apologize to me. In her panic, she snapped. "Look at what you've done to this perfect engagement party! Are you happy now? Kneel down and apologize to me! Otherwise, I won't marry you!" Seeing her face turn red with anger, a wave of coldness washed over me. After all these years, I had given my heart and soul to her, but none of it could compare to a few words from the long-lost Benjamin. Who exactly destroyed everything? Now, my girlfriend was about to run away with another man, and I was supposed to act like nothing happened? That would make me the biggest coward in history. As I watched her prepare to place me on a moral pedestal to scold me, I stood up without hesitation. "No need for that! You two have made everything so clear. What am I still doing here, trying to stop you? I wish you both eternal happiness!" I grabbed my jacket off the chair and left without a second glance. I never imagined things would unfold this way. Annabelle was furious, screaming at me from behind. "If you walk out that door today, I'm breaking up with you! Think carefully!" I paused for a moment, and she probably thought I was scared, grinning triumphantly. "You know you're wrong, so come back and apologize right now..." she yelled. But I simply took off my engagement ring and threw it on the ground. Then, I walked away. 'Am I crazy? They've openly laid it all out in front of everyone, and the only thing left is to publicly announce their affair. And I'm supposed to keep playing along with a smile? It's clear I've spoiled Annabelle to the point she doesn't even know her own worth anymore. I can't take this warped relationship any longer,' I thought to myself. When I got home, I received a notification. $20,000 had been deducted from my bank account. Annabelle's card was linked to mine, and she had free access to my account. This was her usual habit—whenever she was in a bad mood, she would spend my money recklessly. The most outrageous time, she spent over $100,000 in one night. She thought it was her right. To her, I was just a doormat, and she was the goddess in my eyes. Since we were together, I was supposed to give more. But I'd had enough of being the fool. Spending my money while insulting me—this was too much. Just as I expected. Less than a minute after the card was blocked, Annabelle started bombarding my phone with messages. Annabelle roared. "Are you done throwing a tantrum? You're upset because I spent a little money, and now you've blocked my card? Restore the access right now, Benjamin is waiting to pay the bill!" 'No wonder the bank processed a large sum of money in such a short time,' I thought. 'She's using my money to impress her man.' I remained calm and replied, "Since we've already broken up, there's no reason for you to keep using the money in my account."