Seeing the photo drained all the strength from my body.
No wonder Cindy always cried out in her dreams, "Max, don't leave me!" Suddenly, everything made sense.
Cindy loved calling me "Max".
From the moment we met, she had affectionately used that nickname.
Every time she spoke, she'd slip my name in, and I thought it was her way of showing affection, and it made me so happy.
After all, only those who are truly close use such intimate nicknames.
I used to hug her tightly and reassure her, "I'm here."
Now, looking back at her evasive glances, I finally understood—it wasn't me she was calling out to. Every time she uttered that name, it came from the depths of her heart, but it wasn't for me.
She was calling for her first love, not me.
I chuckled bitterly, liked the post, and locked my phone. Just then, my mom approached.
"Mark, what's going on? Did you upset Cindy? If so, go apologize." My mom, who had been anxiously overseeing all the wedding preparations, was visibly worried.
"Auntie, Cindy's family made an outrageous demand—they asked for a bride price of one million at the last minute, and Mark said he wouldn't marry her," my friend Dave whispered next to me, speaking so quietly that my mom had to ask him to repeat it several times before she understood.
"Son, why didn't you say it was their fault up there? This family... even if we had the money, that's just unreasonable." My mom, seeing my dejected expression, sighed.
After a moment, she added, "Son, maybe it's time to let it go. I've never seen you care about a girl this much before. Cindy is still a good girl. Go and get her back."
A good girl? Hah, Cindy was already happily in someone else's arms. Would she really come back if I went after her?
Her joyful expression when she answered that call told me everything—I had lost. Completely.
"Mom, I don't like Cindy anymore. I just want to go home," I replied, carefully enunciating each word.
"Alright, alright, my good boy. Let's go home," my mom said, nodding her head.
3
When I got home, I sat in silence until midnight. Cindy never came back. I picked up our wedding photo, but I couldn't bring myself to look at it for long before tossing it aside and lying on the couch. I couldn't even cry.