- 2 days ago
The Wedding That Will Never Be.
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00:01Our mating ceremony is just a month away and Aiden Gray, my fiancé, insists on knocking up his childhood sweetheart.
00:07Of course I say no, but he won't stop. He brings it up every day like it's a done deal.
00:12Two weeks before the ceremony, an envelope from nowhere arrives.
00:16Inside is a pregnancy report from a private clinic in Manhorn.
00:19Camille Frost. Five weeks and three days pregnant.
00:22That's when it hits me. Aiden never asked for my permission.
00:25He was just notifying me, like I'm his fiancé in name only.
00:28I sit by the window, watching the traffic crawling by below.
00:32The cold creeps into my bones, slow and quiet.
00:34For twenty years, I thought it was a faded bond.
00:38The peace when he was near, the ache when he left, I took it all as proof.
00:41But a true bond goes both ways, yet he never once cherished me.
00:45The next day, I cancel the venue, tear up the invitations, and burn everything he ever gave me,
00:50the binding token, his handwritten vows, until there's nothing left.
00:54On the day of the ceremony, I don't show up.
00:56I'm already on a flight to Laren City, Vitoria, ready to start over as a medical researcher.
01:01And I cut Aiden Gray out of my life, completely.
01:04Look, I've explained this a hundred times.
01:07Camille doesn't have long.
01:08End stage myeloma.
01:09The doctors are giving her a year, maybe less.
01:12Her dying wish is to have a child, to carry on her bloodline.
01:15I owe her my life, Stella.
01:16This isn't just about me.
01:18It's about the PAC alliance.
01:19Same old Aiden.
01:20He just stands there, sounding perfectly reasonable,
01:23while ripping my heart out with every word.
01:28It started five years ago on Kago Street.
01:31The Gray Pack clashed with a rival from Fort County.
01:33Aiden swore Camille took a blow meant for him.
01:36Ever since that night, she's been his savior.
01:38In the old ways, a life debt is sacred, you owe a life.
01:41You pay it back.
01:43And Alpha's debt is even heavier, since it carries the honor of the whole pack.
01:46Aiden's hands were tied.
01:48PAC law won't let him refuse.
01:49But I just can't accept it.
01:51If the price of his debt is my happiness, how is that even love?
01:54Look, we're not even gonna touch each other, okay?
01:57It's just a medical procedure, so she can have a baby.
02:00If you really love me, you'd understand what I'm going through.
02:02I need you to back me up.
02:04We're getting married next month, Aiden, but you even got her pregnant?
02:08What am I to you?
02:10A joke?
02:11Aiden falls silent, looking away.
02:13I see him hesitate for a second.
02:15Maybe he actually feels guilty, or maybe he's just acting.
02:18Then he pulls it together and lifts his chin, his voice dropping low but dead serious.
02:22Stella, I told you this isn't just about me and Camille.
02:26We're talking about two PACs here.
02:29It's already settled between our PACs.
02:32Having this baby ends a 10-year feud for everyone.
02:36This is bigger than us, Stella.
02:37I'm not going to change that.
02:39I stare at him, and I realize I'm looking at a complete stranger.
02:42We grew up together.
02:44From the slums of Brenville to Manhorn Medical, I was always by his side.
02:47I truly believed our love was pure above all the PAC politics.
02:51We were meant for each other, but he never actually stood by me.
02:55Not really.
02:55He just needed the perfect, seamless fit.
02:57The ideal prop for his alpha status.
02:59The one he actually held in his heart all along?
03:02It wasn't me, but her.
03:04The girl he snuck out to play water guns with when they were five.
03:06The rival alpha's daughter.
03:08Our PACs were literally at war, and yet, she was still his top priority.
03:12Aiden goes to speak, but a phone call cuts him off.
03:14He paces onto the balcony, his voice dropping to that gentle,
03:17sickening tone the moment he picks up.
03:20I can't hear a word from the other end,
03:22but I can see the smile spreading across his face.
03:24Gentle, warm.
03:25I don't even remember the last time he smiled like that.
03:29It's Camille.
03:30I know it.
03:31I turn back to the pregnancy report on the table.
03:34Five weeks.
03:35That's how long Camille's been carrying his baby.
03:37That night, Aiden didn't come home.
03:39He told me he was in Carsington, dealing with PAC business at the docks.
03:43Turns out, he was with her, pulling off that family bloodline procedure.
03:47My consent?
03:48That's never on the table.
03:49They're just waiting for the right moment to break the news.
03:52I'm not a partner.
03:53I'm an afterthought.
03:54I spend so much time counting down the days to our mating ceremony.
03:58Imagining myself on his arm.
04:00I want it so badly.
04:01But now, every last bit of that excitement is dead.
04:04Burned out to nothing.
04:05My phone buzzes, yanking me back to the present.
04:08It's Kira Webb, my old mentor from university.
04:11Stella, look, I know your ceremony's right around the corner,
04:13but I've gotta ask you one more time.
04:17Are you absolutely sure you won't join us at the hospital?
04:20Professor Keller still raves about your talent.
04:22He wants you on his team so badly.
04:24That he's offering you two weeks off every other month.
04:27Just to keep your mate happy.
04:29Honestly, who else is gonna offer you a deal like that?
04:34James Keller, my old professor.
04:37He built a top-tier research program at Laren Hospital over in Eitoria.
04:41Six months ago, he called me himself to ask me to join his team.
04:44But there was a catch.
04:46If I signed on, I'd have to go dark for long stretches.
04:49A month minimum.
04:50Maybe a year.
04:51Maybe longer.
04:52Back then, I couldn't stand the thought of time apart from Aiden.
04:57So I turned Keller down.
04:59But now, Aiden is having a child with another woman.
05:02He makes his choice without a single thought for us or our upcoming ceremony.
05:05And that gives me every reason to walk away.
05:08I'm in, Kira, and I don't need to leave.
05:10Whatever schedule the project runs on, I'm there.
05:13Fully.
05:14Oh my god, Keller's gonna lose his mind in the best way!
05:17So when do you want to fly out?
05:18Say, a week after the ceremony?
05:19That gives you time for a honeymoon first.
05:22No honeymoon.
05:24I'll fly out on the day of the ceremony.
05:26My gaze drops to the desk calendar.
05:28The 10th is circled in red, the date of the ceremony.
05:31It used to be just a countdown, a way to keep track of the plans.
05:34Now it's a countdown to my escape.
05:3615 days.
05:37Then we're done.
05:38No ties.
05:39No strings attached.
05:41We're completely over.
05:43Aiden doesn't come home that night.
05:45I don't bother calling.
05:47I don't need to ask.
05:48Camille's social media tells me everything.
05:50After the hospital, Aiden goes straight to Camille's.
05:53He tells her family about the baby.
05:55I see the photo she posts, her grandmother holding his hand.
05:58Five years.
05:59We were together for five years.
06:01And Aiden only ever agreed to visit my family once, after we got engaged.
06:06We lived less than half an hour from my parents' place.
06:09But before that, he never once made the drive on his own.
06:12Said he didn't like hanging around older folks.
06:14When he came to visit my family, he was just, stiff and polite.
06:19A total stranger.
06:20Looking at this photo, I barely recognize him.
06:23He never looks at me like he looks at them.
06:24I squeeze my eyes shut, forcing the bitterness away.
06:27Then I turn off my phone.
06:29The next day, I start reaching out to friends.
06:32Telling them the ceremony is off.
06:34Aiden always says he hates ceremonies.
06:36Calls them empty formalities.
06:38I had to beg him for this.
06:40And he only settled for a small gathering.
06:42Just family and a few friends.
06:45Everyone around me knows how much I loved Aiden.
06:47Wait, what?
06:48You've been in love with Aiden forever.
06:50How are you suddenly not going through with it?
06:51I don't even know how to put it into words.
06:54Cutting off a bond that's been part of you for 20 years.
06:56It's not easy.
06:57It's never easy.
06:58But the truth is, our relationship was lopsided from the start.
07:02I was always the one chasing him.
07:04And he never once slowed down for me.
07:06At first, I didn't care.
07:08I told myself, if I can just hold on until he agrees to mate.
07:11Then after the ceremony, I can keep holding on until he actually falls in love with me.
07:15I was willing to wait.
07:17Wait for the day he finally opened his heart to me.
07:20But six months ago, Camille, his precious savior, showed up.
07:23And everything changed.
07:25That's when I finally saw the truth.
07:27Aiden's not cold to everyone.
07:29Not at all.
07:29With Camille, he's soft, tender, generous with every smile he's got.
07:34And me?
07:34I was never anything more than a background character in his story.
07:38But you want to know what really broke me?
07:40The lying.
07:41You lied to me, Aiden.
07:43You asked for my consent after Camille was already pregnant.
07:47I was afraid you'd say no.
07:50So you chose for me.
07:51That's the moment it finally clicked.
07:53Aiden and I, we don't have a future.
07:56I don't tell my friends the real reason.
07:58I'm taking a job at another hospital.
08:01I'll be leaving soon.
08:03But we'll keep in touch, okay?
08:05I feel bad about leaving so suddenly.
08:07So I stay out late with them that night.
08:09By the time I get home, Aiden's just walking in too.
08:14He catches a whiff of the alcohol on me and his face twists.
08:17Get away from me.
08:18I don't want that stench all over my clothes.
08:21I let out a bitter laugh under my breath.
08:23I don't say a word.
08:24I walk straight to the bathroom and take a shower.
08:27He's probably just worried the smell might rub off on him and then transfer to Camille.
08:31She's pregnant, after all.
08:33When I come back out, Aiden's sitting there, staring at his phone.
08:36I glance at him, but he calls out.
08:38Hey, something I want to run by you.
08:40I want to have a baby with Camille.
08:42He used those exact same words two weeks ago.
08:44We've been fighting ever since.
08:46You promised me.
08:47You said it was always us.
08:49Camille is already pregnant.
08:51I stop in my tracks.
08:52The photo shoot tomorrow?
08:53The ceremony portraits?
08:55We're not doing it.
08:56My eyes flick to the calendar on the desk.
08:58Right there.
08:59Tomorrow's slot.
09:00Clear as day.
09:01Ceremony portraits.
09:04I'm not sure why Aiden's suddenly calling off the photo shoot.
09:07Not that it matters.
09:09I'd already decided I wasn't walking down that aisle anyway.
09:12If he hadn't brought it up, I would have made up some excuse myself.
09:15So honestly, him saying it first just saves me the trouble.
09:19I actually feel relieved.
09:21Fine.
09:22I'll call the photographer and cancel.
09:24Aiden freezes.
09:25You don't have to cancel.
09:27Look, Camille's never going to get a real mating ceremony, so she just wants to do a photo shoot with
09:31me.
09:31Just to pretend she had her moment.
09:33No regrets.
09:34Tomorrow, Camille and I will go do the shoot.
09:36You and I can always do ours later.
09:38He's just notifying me.
09:39I say it cold.
09:40Fine.
09:41What Aiden doesn't know is that there is no later.
09:43And I turn around and walk into the bedroom.
09:45The ceremony isn't happening.
09:47Who he takes photos with, I honestly don't care anymore.
09:51Next morning, I wake up just as Aiden's heading out the door.
09:55So after the portraits, I'm going to take Camille on a little trip.
09:57But she's been dying to go to North Shore Islands, so I figured I'd take her.
10:01You know, get away for a bit.
10:03A simple ceremony is fine.
10:05I won't be able to make the rehearsal, so just handle it yourself.
10:07No need to run anything by me.
10:09Got it.
10:10He wants simple, perfect.
10:12No portraits.
10:13No guests.
10:14No officiant.
10:15No bride.
10:16Aiden watches me eat my breakfast.
10:18He hesitates, then adds,
10:19After the ceremony, we'll head to Arona for the honeymoon.
10:23I know you've always wanted to go.
10:25There was a time, if he brought up a honeymoon on his own like this,
10:28I would have been over the moon.
10:29I would have started planning everything that same night.
10:32I begged him for years to go somewhere together.
10:34Too much hassle.
10:35And he shot me down every time.
10:37But now, I just keep my head down and eat.
10:39I don't respond.
10:40Aiden looks like he wants to say something else.
10:42We'll talk when I get back.
10:44But he checks the clock on the wall and rushes out instead.
10:46I pick up the marker.
10:47I cross ceremony portraits off the calendar.
10:5012 days left.
10:53After breakfast, I start clearing the house.
10:55The photo albums, maybe 5 pictures total, if you count them all.
10:59Half-finished craft projects gathering dust in the corner.
11:02A matching set of couples' pajamas that never got worn.
11:04Not once.
11:055 years together.
11:07Every single thing in this apartment, I picked it out.
11:10Piece by piece.
11:11I turned an empty space into something that felt like a home.
11:14If I'd been paying closer attention, I would have noticed sooner.
11:17Aiden barely touched any of it.
11:19He always said that even though we were together, he was still his own person.
11:23He didn't like couple stuff.
11:24Said it made him feel like someone was trying to control him.
11:27Fine.
11:27I'll throw it all out then.
11:29Let the memories go with it.
11:30Aiden doesn't come home for an entire week.
11:33But I always know where he is.
11:34Hard not to, when Camille posts every damn moment of her life online.
11:38The hot springs.
11:40Strolling on the beach.
11:41Sunrise photos.
11:42Scrolling through her feed.
11:43I keep seeing sides of Aiden I've never seen before.
11:46Turns out he's perfectly capable of doing all the things any other guy in love would do.
11:50I keep myself busy.
11:51The house is stuffed with stuff.
11:53Takes me days to get through it all.
11:54I also swing by my parents' place.
11:57I've decided to take the research position in Laren.
11:59Might be out of touch for a while.
12:01Aren't you and Aiden about to have your ceremony?
12:03Doesn't this mean you two will be living apart?
12:08Stella, just think about this a little more.
12:12You and Aiden have been through so much.
12:14What if he doesn't agree to this research thing?
12:17What if he just cancels the ceremony and leaves?
12:19I know.
12:20But I have to try.
12:22I get where they're coming from.
12:23They've watched me follow Aiden around like the sun rose and sat on him for years.
12:27They figured out how he really treated me long before I did.
12:30They used to drop hints.
12:31Careful.
12:32Gentle ones.
12:33That maybe I didn't mean as much to him as I thought.
12:36But back then, I was so sure.
12:38I was convinced I could change him.
12:40So they stopped trying.
12:42I don't tell them about Camille.
12:43About the baby.
12:44I don't think they could take it.
12:46I want to keep chasing medicine.
12:49Build something.
12:50Contribute.
12:51In the end, dad just sighs and pats my shoulder.
12:53As long as you won't regret it.
12:56Back home, I call up Paige Donovan, my best friend.
13:00She helps me haul out all the boxes I've packed.
13:02They're stacked everywhere in the living room.
13:04We make trip after trip.
13:06By the time we toss the last of it in the dumpster, the place feels hollow.
13:10Empty.
13:11Paige is all in her feelings about it.
13:12She still remembers how I was two months ago.
13:15When Aiden finally said yes to my proposal.
13:18I was out of my mind with happiness.
13:20Dragged her out drinking all night.
13:21Kept saying over and over, my dream was finally coming true.
13:27I honestly thought you were messing with me.
13:29When you told me the other day, I figured you were joking.
13:33I've watched you chase Aiden for years, Stella.
13:36What the hell happened?
13:37How do you just let go?
13:40Like that?
13:40Maybe it's because I'm leaving soon.
13:42Maybe I just need to get it off my chest.
13:44So I tell her everything about Aiden and Camille.
13:48About the baby.
13:50You gave him everything and he goes and knocks up some other woman right before your ceremony?
13:55And then expects you to be okay with it?
13:58I drop my gaze.
13:59What the hell is wrong with him?
14:00Who even knows anymore?
14:02He says she saved his life.
14:04Says he wants to grant her last wish.
14:06Paige looks like she's about to combust.
14:08You saved his life too!
14:10How dare he do this to you!
14:14Five days before I leave, I hand in my resignation at the hospital.
14:17I gave up my chance to go deeper into medicine back then, all so I could stay close to Aiden.
14:22I picked a job as an attending physician right here in Manhorn just to be near him.
14:26My co-workers are floored.
14:28Stella, what do you mean you're quitting?
14:29Weren't you just sending out ceremony invitations a while ago?
14:32You're gonna be a full-time housewife now or something?
14:34I tuck a folder on der.
14:35No.
14:36The ceremony's off.
14:37I get home, push open the door,
14:39and there they are.
14:40He's been gone a whole week,
14:42and now he's back,
14:43laughing with her like they own the place.
14:45He spots the folder in my hand.
14:47What's that?
14:48Just some old files.
14:49Brought them home to toss.
14:51Lie.
14:52Aiden glances around the room.
14:54I've only been gone a week.
14:55Why does the place feel so...
14:57empty?
14:57I step into the bedroom and lock the folder away.
15:01Got rid of some junk we didn't need it.
15:04Stella, Aiden really went all out for me on this trip.
15:07And I just want to thank you, truly,
15:09for letting him do the ceremony photo shoot with me.
15:12You helped make a dying woman's dream come true.
15:14She pauses.
15:15Let me take you both out to dinner.
15:17As a thank you.
15:18For everything you've done.
15:20I know I might need to lean on you two a bit more in the coming weeks.
15:23And I just hope you won't hate me for it, Stella.
15:27Five days.
15:28Five days and I'm gone.
15:29I just want to get my affairs in order and get the hell out.
15:32But I stay quiet a beat too long.
15:34Is Stella upset?
15:36I mean, your ceremony's right around the corner and here I am and I just...
15:40Aiden turns on me.
15:41What the hell is your problem?
15:43Camille is genuinely trying to thank us.
15:45It's one dinner.
15:46What, you think someone's going to poison your food?
15:49So I end up dragged to some restaurant.
15:51We sit down and the server comes over.
15:54I'm flipping through the menu when Aiden jumps...
15:56Nothing too heavy.
15:57No raw stuff.
15:58Nothing undercooked.
15:59And absolutely no garlic.
16:01The food arrives.
16:03Aiden fusses over Camille's plate, piling food onto it.
16:07Then he shoves a dish of shrimp in front of me.
16:10Camille can't do seafood right now.
16:11I ordered this for you.
16:12I stare down at the plate.
16:14My appetite's gone.
16:15I'm allergic to shellfish.
16:19He freezes for a second.
16:21Excuse me, could we add a few more dishes?
16:23No seafood, please.
16:24Just bring us a few non-seafood options.
16:26But I don't pick up my fork again.
16:28We're about to leave when Kira calls.
16:31Stella, Professor Keller asked me to confirm, are you absolutely certain you're following
16:34the full project schedule?
16:36This is classified research.
16:37You could be off-goat for one to two years.
16:39My gaze drifts toward Aiden and Camille, walking ahead of me.
16:43He's got his hand on the small of her back as she steps down from the curb.
16:47So careful.
16:48So tender.
16:49Yes, I'm certain.
16:51Okay, good.
16:52Keller was worried you couldn't handle being separated from your mate that long.
16:55The mating ceremony's off.
16:57All the arrangements are handled.
16:58Just as the words leave my mouth.
17:00Who's leaving?
17:03I'm pretty sure he didn't hear the first part.
17:05A friend of mine.
17:06She's moving away.
17:07He nods, doesn't press.
17:10Four days till I leave.
17:11Aiden brings home the photos from his and Camille's shoot.
17:14He's on a video call with her, phone in one hand, flipping through the album with the other.
17:19They turned out beautiful, Camille.
17:20Everyone says we look perfect together.
17:22I happen to walk out of the kitchen with a glass of water.
17:25Aiden's eyes flicker.
17:26Something awkward flashes across his face.
17:28I glance at the photos.
17:30They're nice.
17:31Really well shot.
17:32I paid top dollar for the best photographer in the city.
17:35I wanted to capture the happiest moment of my life.
17:38Aiden and me.
17:39Full of love.
17:40Looking like we belong together.
17:41Only difference is, the bride in the picture isn't me.
17:44It hits him then.
17:45I haven't reached out to him in a long time.
17:48Not once.
17:49That whole week he was off vacationing with Camille.
17:51I didn't send a single message.
17:53He's not used to this.
17:55Camille's voice keeps chattering on the other end of the video call.
17:58But Aiden's attention is locked on me now.
18:01Two days before I leave, I stop by the hospital to pick up some backup medical supplies.
18:07And who do I run into?
18:08Aiden and Camille.
18:10Fresh out of her prenatal checkup.
18:12For a split second, Aiden's eyes go wide, panic, plain as day.
18:16Stella, I know you never agreed to Aiden and me having this baby.
18:19But I couldn't wait anymore.
18:20The doctor says I've only got a year left.
18:23I just, I want to see my child with my own eyes before I go.
18:26I swear, once the baby's born, I'll leave Aiden.
18:29I won't get in your way.
18:30I promise.
18:31Before I can even open my mouth, Aiden pulls her close.
18:34Don't do this to yourself.
18:35Your body can't take it.
18:36Then he turns to me.
18:37Relax.
18:38This won't affect our ceremony.
18:40I look at them both.
18:41Got it.
18:42I turn and walk away.
18:45Neither of them expected that.
18:47The calm.
18:47Aiden, especially, he just stares at my back as I go.
18:51For weeks, I fought him tooth and nail over the baby thing.
18:54Now I know Camille's actually pregnant, and I don't even flinch.
18:57I'm nearly at the top of the stairs when footsteps come pounding after me.
19:01Aiden's still way down the hall.
19:03Out of earshot.
19:04Camille finally shows her true colors.
19:06So tell me, Stella, what's it like watching your future mate make a baby with another woman?
19:12I'm not taking the bait.
19:14I shake her off and turn to go.
19:15But the second I pull my hand back, she sways, starts tipping backward.
19:22What the hell are you doing?
19:27Aiden, I just wanted to thank Stella for being so generous.
19:30I never expected she would-
19:31Stella!
19:32I can't believe you'd pull something like this.
19:34Apologize to Camille now!
19:35You want me to apologize?
19:36You always believe her before you even know the truth.
19:39Go check the security footage.
19:40See who's really lying.
19:42Camille is sick.
19:43She's pregnant.
19:44Why the hell would she throw herself down a flight of stairs on purpose?
19:47A flicker of panic in Camille's eyes.
19:50Just let it go, Aiden.
19:52Stella's upset.
19:53It's understandable.
19:54Let's just go.
19:56She's scared.
19:57He scoops her up in his arms and bolts.
20:00He doesn't come home that night.
20:02Probably camped out at the hospital, fussing over her fragile condition.
20:06The next day, I ship most of my luggage to the dorm in Laren.
20:10I keep one small carry-on.
20:11That's it.
20:12Aiden walks in that night with anger still carved into his face.
20:17Camille is still in the hospital.
20:19Even if you didn't mean it, could you at least try to be the bigger person?
20:22Do you really have to make this so difficult?
20:24I almost laugh.
20:25I'm not the bigger person.
20:27I already let her wear the gown I picked out.
20:29Already let her take my place in the photo shoot.
20:32Aiden's eyes drift over to the calendar.
20:34He sees the date circled in red.
20:36Tomorrow's our ceremony.
20:37I don't want to fight.
20:38After it's done, just apologize to Camille.
20:42Then we'll go on our honeymoon.
20:43You've got everything planned for it, right?
20:44I don't answer.
20:46We-
20:46I start.
20:47His phone rings.
20:49Camille.
20:49Of course.
20:50I'll be right there.
20:51He hangs up.
20:53Camille's not feeling well.
20:54I'm heading to the hospital.
20:55Don't be late tomorrow.
20:58Be at the hotel on time.
20:59The door slams shut behind him.
21:01And only then do I finish what I started to say.
21:04We're done, Aiden.
21:05I already canceled the ceremony.
21:07I sit in the living room that night and wait.
21:10All the way till dawn.
21:11My phone buzzes, two hours till boarding.
21:14I stand up, grab my carry-on, walk over to the calendar and draw a line right through
21:18that red circle.
21:19Then I write one more line.
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