I Was Never the One

Rain had been falling over City S since late afternoon, drenching the streets all the way into the night. Inside the cold, sprawling mansion of the Pho family, the thunder outside only deepened the oppressive silence. The guests had all left. A grand wedding, yet without a bride. Le Tieu An sat quietly on the edge of a velvet sofa, her delicate hands clutching the hem of the white wedding gown—one that wasn’t meant for her. This wedding wasn’t hers to begin with. “Get up. Follow me.” The voice above her was deep and sharp, like stone. The man in the black suit stood tall, strikingly handsome, and utterly devoid of emotion. He was Pho Trach Huy—the man who was now her husband in name only. The man who had just been humiliated at his own wedding. Her older sister, Le Tieu Nhi, had run away. And she—obedient, timid Tieu An—was forced by the family to wear this gown in her sister’s place. To marry a man she didn’t know. To preserve the family's reputation. “I’m sorry… Mr. Pho…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Shut up.” Two words. Colder than the rain outside. He didn’t even look at her as he turned toward the staircase. Moments later, he paused, casting her a glare sharp as a blade. “Do you want me bankrupt? Humiliated on my wedding day? Don’t think wearing that dress gives you the right to speak.” Her heart clenched. She followed him silently, every step up the stairs feeling heavier than the last. The bedroom door slammed shut behind them. There were no roses, no blessings, no warmth. Only the suffocating chill of an unwanted union.