For the first time that night, Conrad Zhou stopped smiling.
The name on my phone screen seemed to bother him more than the entire situation.
Callum Xu.
A name he knew very well.
A name he had always joked about.
“Meredith, don’t tell me you are serious.”
I looked at him calmly.
“Why?”
His expression changed.
“Because this is ridiculous.”
I smiled.
“Ridiculous?”
“Yes.”
“You are angry because someone accepted the same game you started?”
The room became silent.
Reid stopped laughing.
Jocelyn looked uncomfortable.
Because everyone finally realized something.
This was no longer a joke.
It was the moment when the person they underestimated finally stopped playing along.
Twenty minutes.
That was all I had.
Twenty minutes to end six years of waiting.
Twenty minutes to stop being the woman who begged someone to choose her.
I walked back to the makeup table and removed the engagement veil.
Conrad followed me.
“Meredith.”
I didn’t answer.
“Are you really going to do this?”
I looked at him through the mirror.
“You did.”
He froze.
“What?”
“You spent one month pretending to love me.”
“You watched me prepare everything.”
“You watched me believe you.”
“And you laughed.”
His face became serious.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
I laughed softly.
“That sentence is always used by people who already hurt someone.”
He had no response.
Because it was true.
The door opened.
The organizer entered nervously.
“Miss Lin.”
“The guests are already arriving.”
Everyone looked at Conrad.
Waiting.
Expecting him to say something.
To stop everything.
To finally admit that I mattered.
But he only said:
“Meredith, don’t embarrass yourself.”
That sentence was enough.
Not an apology.
Not regret.
Just concern about appearances.
I nodded slowly.
“I understand.”
He relaxed.
He thought I had accepted it.
Then I continued:
“I embarrassed myself for six years.”
“Tonight I won’t.”
Five minutes later, the entire banquet hall was filled.
The decorations.
The flowers.
The music.
Everything I had prepared.
Everything I had believed represented love.
But now it represented something else.
The last day I wasted on the wrong person.
The presenter walked onto the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending tonight’s engagement celebration.”
Everyone looked toward the entrance.
Waiting for Conrad and me.
Then the doors opened.
Everyone turned.
But the person who walked in was not Conrad.
It was Callum Xu.
Black suit.
Calm expression.
No hesitation.
The entire room became quiet.
Conrad’s face changed immediately.
“Callum?”
Callum looked at him.
“Long time no see.”
Reid whispered:
“What is happening?”
Callum ignored him.
He walked directly toward me.
Then stopped.
Not too close.
Not assuming.
Just as his message said.
First, he asked.
“Meredith.”
His voice was gentle.
“Are you sure?”
I looked at him.
Not because I needed saving.
Not because I wanted revenge.
But because for the first time…
Someone asked what I wanted.
Not what benefited them.
Not what made them comfortable.
Me.
My choice.
My feelings.
I smiled.
“Yes.”
Callum extended his hand.
“Then I’m here.”
The entire room exploded into whispers.
Conrad stepped forward.
“Meredith, you can’t be serious.”
I turned.
“Why not?”
“You can’t just replace me.”
I looked at him.
“That is exactly what you did.”
His expression changed.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You replaced our future with a joke.”
“You replaced my trust with entertainment.”
“You replaced my love with a bet.”
Every word became heavier.
Because everyone heard.
Everyone understood.
Later that night, Conrad finally lost control.
He followed me outside.
“Meredith.”
I stopped.
“What?”
His voice lowered.
“I was wrong.”
The words finally came.
But they came too late.
“I thought you would always be there.”
I looked at him.
“That was your mistake.”
His eyes turned red.
“I love you.”
I was silent for a moment.
Then I answered:
“No.”
His face froze.
“I loved you.”
“Past tense.”
The wind moved through the empty street.
“I loved the man who saved me when I needed help.”
“I loved the man who made promises.”
“But that man disappeared when he realized I would never leave.”
Conrad lowered his head.
Because he knew.
The cruelest truth was not that I found someone else.
It was that I had stopped waiting before I found anyone.
One month later, the Zhou family publicly canceled the engagement announcement.
The reason was simple.
No wedding would happen.
No future would be built.
Because there was no relationship left to save.
Meanwhile, my life slowly changed.
I returned to my work.
I traveled.
I spent time with people who valued me.
And Callum never rushed me.
He never demanded that I forget the past.
He only stayed beside me.
One day, he asked:
“Do you regret that night?”
I thought for a while.
Then I shook my head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if that joke had never happened…”
“I might have spent another six years waiting for someone who never planned to choose me.”
Callum smiled.
And I realized something.
Love should never feel like a test you have to pass.
It should never require you to prove your worth.
Because the right person does not need to be convinced.
And Conrad Zhou finally learned the lesson he tried to teach me:
Not everyone who waits forever…
Will wait until the end.
