The PROXY Groom

Chapter IV

I don’t even remember how I ended up in front of Roman’s house. All I knew was that I needed answers. I needed to understand why he had suddenly vanished from my life these past days, why he had called me just to say sorry, and why today—of all days—he had chosen to shatter everything we had built.

“Roman!” I screamed, my voice cracking, trembling with a mixture of fear and desperation. “Roman! Love!”

Hot tears threatened to spill, and I wanted to collapse, to sob uncontrollably—but I forced myself to stay standing. I had to see him. I had to know.

“Roman!” I yelled again, pounding on the gate. “Please! Face me!”

Some neighbors peeked from their windows, whispering behind their hands, curious. I didn’t care. My pride, my image, none of it mattered anymore. All I wanted was him—Roman—and answers to the chaos he had thrown into my life.

The gate creaked open. My heart jumped. Could it be him? Could this nightmare be ending?

But it wasn’t him.

It was Denise.

Her face was swollen from crying. Her eyes were red, glossy, and filled with anguish. She collapsed onto the ground, her small body wracked with sobs.

“A-Ate Max…” she whispered, broken and trembling.

I dropped to my knees beside her and wrapped my arms around her, holding her as if I could absorb her pain into my own body. “Den, it’s okay. I’m here. Ssshh… it’s okay…”

She clung to me like I was the only anchor left in her world. “A-Ate Max… Please… please…”

I tried to hold back my own tears, but the sight of her helplessness made my chest ache, hot and raw. “Den… please… tell me what happened. Why are you crying? Talk to me.”

Her sobs only grew louder. She couldn’t speak, couldn’t explain. I felt helpless.

Finally, trembling, she handed me a crumpled piece of paper. My pulse raced, my heart skipping. I already knew. The moment I saw it, I froze—this was the reason for her tears, the source of all my fear.

“W-What is this, Den?” I whispered, my voice shaking.

Through tears, she pressed the paper into my hands. My fingers trembled as I unfolded it. The handwriting—every stroke—was unmistakable. Roman’s handwriting.

I didn’t want to read it. I wanted to burn it, to throw it into the wind. But I had to. I had to know why my world had come crashing down.

“Max, my love,”

My breath caught. My chest tightened.

“We have been together for seven years. I know this is the right time for us to get married. But as our wedding approaches, the more I realize that I am not ready. I love you, you know that, but please forgive me because I am not ready for us to get married.”

A hollow, bitter laugh escaped me. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, stinging, unstoppable.

“I still have many dreams that I want to pursue. I still have so many things I want to achieve. I think getting married now would be an obstacle to what I want to do.”

“What… what?!” I whispered hoarsely. “He… he thinks I’ll be an obstacle?”

Seven years. Seven years of love, trust, loyalty, and support. And now—he was walking away. On the eve of our wedding.

“By the time you read this letter, I will probably be far away. I know this will hurt you deeply, but I hope you understand why I did it. I hope you can give me time to pursue my life. I promise that when I return, I will be ready to marry you and start our family.”

Love, Roman.

I collapsed to the ground, numb, shaking. The world blurred around me. My chest ached as if someone had ripped it apart. My mind refused to accept it. This had to be a nightmare. Any second now, I’d wake up—and he’d be there, telling me it was all a mistake.

Denise’s sobs pressed into my shoulder. I pinched my arm, desperate to feel something real—but even the sting couldn’t wake me. He had left me. Alone. The day before our wedding.

“Ha… ha… ha…” My laugh was jagged, insane, filled with grief.

“Ate!” Denise cried, terrified of my manic expression.

“He left,” I whispered, voice cracking. “He left me… the day before our wedding.”

Denise shook against me. “I know… I know he’s wrong, Ate… but please… forgive him. He loves you! He really does! Just… give him time.”

I wanted to. I wanted to forgive him, to tell myself it was okay. But the betrayal was too fresh, too deep.

What had I done to deserve this? Seven years… and now he walks away?

I straightened slowly, pushing Denise back just enough to face her, forcing a bitter, broken smile onto my tear-streaked face. One last shield so she wouldn’t see the full depth of my despair.

“Sorry, Den…” I whispered, my voice heavy with pain. “With what Roman did… I don’t know if I can ever accept him again. From a bride abandoned the day before her wedding… do you think it’s that easy? He destroyed seven years of love in one moment. The moment he left, he ended us. He no longer has Max to return to.”

Denise’s sobs broke my heart all over again, but I could only stare at the ground, my hands trembling, my chest aching with the cruel weight of his absence. I had lost him, and there was no telling if he would ever come back.