For several seconds, Ethan didn’t move.

His fingers slowly tightened around the jade ring.

—Another name?

His voice was dangerously quiet.

I looked straight at him.

—Marcus Shen.

The color drained from Ivy’s face.

Ethan stared at me as if waiting for me to laugh and admit it was a joke.

I didn’t.

His expression finally cracked.

—You knew?

—Since yesterday.

—Then why didn’t you correct it?

I almost smiled.

—Why should I?

His jaw tightened.

—Because you were supposed to marry me.

—Was I?

That single question silenced him.

For ten years, Ethan had always believed I would remain exactly where he left me.

Waiting.

Forgiving.

Making excuses.

He could postpone our wedding seven times, embarrass me in front of the entire military district, and even alter an official marriage report for a childish bet.

Because Clara Hayes would always forgive Ethan Shen.

But that Clara no longer existed.

I extended my hand.

—My pendant.

Ethan’s expression hardened.

—I won’t return it.

—Then I’ll ask the Hayes family to formally request it from the Shen family.

His eyes flashed.

—Clara!

Before he could continue, a deep voice came from the doorway.

—Return it.

Everyone turned.

A man stood beneath the shadow of the entrance.

Marcus Shen.

I had seen him only a handful of times over the years.

He rarely attended family gatherings and almost never appeared at military social events.

Unlike Ethan’s sharp arrogance, Marcus possessed something quieter.

He didn’t need to raise his voice.

People became silent simply because he had entered the room.

He wore a dark military uniform without unnecessary decoration.

A faint scar disappeared beneath his collar.

He walked with the slightest stiffness in one leg, but there was nothing weak about him.

Ethan immediately straightened.

—Uncle.

Marcus’s eyes passed over him and stopped on the jade pendant hanging beneath Ethan’s collar.

—The Hayes family gave that pendant as a betrothal token.

His tone remained calm.

—Since you’re no longer the groom, you have no right to keep it.

Ethan’s face darkened.

—This is between Clara and me.

Marcus looked at him.

—There is no “you and Clara” anymore.

The room became painfully quiet.

Then Marcus turned toward me.

For the first time, our eyes met properly.

—Miss Hayes.

I nodded.

—General Shen.

Something almost resembling amusement appeared in his eyes.

—Considering the document already lists us as husband and wife, perhaps “Marcus” would be more appropriate.

My mother nearly dropped the teacup in her hands.

Ethan looked furious.

—Uncle, that report was a mistake.

Marcus finally glanced at him.

—Was it?

Ethan froze.

Marcus continued.

—The personnel office called me this morning to confirm whether I accepted the marriage application.

My heartbeat stumbled.

Ethan’s confidence disappeared.

—And what did you say?

Marcus’s answer came without hesitation.

—I accepted.

Ivy gasped.

Ethan stepped forward.

—You knew it was supposed to be my name!

—I knew what was written on the document.

Marcus’s gaze became colder.

—Official reports aren’t toys, Ethan.

Those words landed harder than shouting ever could.

Ethan’s face turned red.

—You can’t marry her because of paperwork!

Marcus looked toward me.

—Correct.

Then he asked quietly:

—Clara, do you want to marry me?

Everyone looked at me.

Ten years ago, I would have searched Ethan’s face before answering.

Five years ago, I would have worried about gossip.

Yesterday, I might still have hesitated.

But now?

I looked at Marcus.

—I do.

Something shattered behind Ethan’s eyes.

He laughed once, but there was no humor in it.

—You’re doing this to punish me.

I shook my head.

—No.

—Then you’re angry.

—I’m not angry anymore.

That seemed to hurt him more.

I continued:

—If I were angry, Ethan, it would mean I still expected something from you.

His lips parted.

No words came out.

Ivy hurriedly touched his arm.

—Ethan, maybe Miss Hayes only needs time—

—Don’t call me that.

She stiffened.

I looked at her.

—After tomorrow, according to Shen family seniority, you should address me as Aunt Clara.

Marcus coughed lightly beside me.

My mother turned away, clearly hiding a smile.

Ethan’s face became almost frightening.

He ripped the twin-fish pendant from beneath his uniform and threw it onto the table.

—Fine.

The jade struck the wood.

—Take it.

I picked it up carefully.

Ten years of memories seemed trapped inside that small piece of jade.

Then Marcus extended his hand.

—May I?

I hesitated before placing it in his palm.

He examined it briefly.

—The cord is worn.

He turned toward his aide.

—Replace it before tomorrow.

Ethan stared at him.

—Tomorrow?

Marcus looked almost surprised.

—The wedding.

—The wedding was supposed to be mine!

Marcus’s expression didn’t change.

—You changed the groom’s name yourself.

Ethan went completely silent.

Then Marcus delivered the final blow.

—I’m merely respecting your decision.

Ethan stormed out.

Ivy chased after him.

For the first time in ten years, I didn’t watch Ethan leave.

Instead, I looked at the man standing beside me.

Marcus placed the pendant carefully into its box.

—There is still something you should know.

My stomach tightened.

—What?

He motioned toward the adjoining room.

Inside were several documents arranged neatly across the desk.

Property certificates.

Financial declarations.

Military family registration documents.

A revised will.

My name appeared on every page.

I stared at him.

—When did you prepare these?

—This morning.

—You barely know me.

Marcus was silent for a moment.

Then he said something I never expected.

—That’s not entirely true.

I frowned.

He opened a drawer and removed a faded photograph.

It showed a military hospital nearly eight years earlier.

Marcus was lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

Beside him sat a young woman, asleep with her head against the mattress.

Me.

I remembered that night.

Mrs. Shen had begged me to deliver medicine because the rest of the family was away.

Marcus had developed a severe fever.

I stayed until morning because no nurse was available to watch him continuously.

I had assumed he never knew.

—You remember?

Marcus looked at the photograph.

—Not everything.

Then his gaze returned to mine.

—But I remember waking briefly and hearing you tell the doctor that nobody should be left alone when they’re suffering.

My throat tightened.

He continued:

—Later, whenever Ethan postponed your wedding, I wondered how someone could keep waiting for a man who treated promises so casually.

—Why didn’t you say anything?

—Because you loved him.

His answer was simple.

—And because wanting someone doesn’t give you the right to interfere with their choice.

For some reason, those words hurt more than everything Ethan had done.

Because Marcus, a man who supposedly couldn’t love properly, understood respect better than the man I had loved for ten years.

The next morning, the wedding hall was filled before sunrise.

News had spread through the military district.

Everyone expected chaos.

Instead, Marcus arrived precisely on time.

He wore his formal uniform.

When he reached me, he held out his hand.

—You can still change your mind.

I looked at him.

—Can you?

His eyes softened slightly.

—No.

I laughed for the first time in days.

Then I placed my hand in his.

Across the hall, Ethan suddenly appeared.

His uniform was wrinkled.

His eyes were bloodshot.

Ivy stood several steps behind him.

Ethan pushed through the crowd.

—Stop the ceremony!

Whispers exploded around us.

He held something in his hand.

The old green jade ring.

—Clara.

His voice cracked.

—I was wrong.

For ten years, I had imagined hearing those words.

Strangely, now they meant nothing.

He approached me.

—I’ll correct everything. I’ll submit the report again today. We can marry immediately.

Marcus didn’t move.

He didn’t need to.

I simply looked at Ethan.

—You’re too late.

Ethan shook his head.

—No. You waited ten years. You can’t stop loving me overnight.

—You’re right.

I smiled faintly.

—I didn’t stop overnight.

His expression froze.

—I stopped little by little every time you made me wait.

His hand holding the ring slowly fell.

The officer conducting the ceremony cleared his throat.

—Shall we continue?

I turned toward Marcus.

—Yes.

The signatures were completed.

The seals were stamped.

And when the marriage certificate was placed in my hands, I stared at the name printed beside mine.

Marcus Shen.

My husband.

Ethan walked out before the ceremony ended.

I thought that was the end.

I was wrong.

That evening, Marcus and I returned to the Shen family residence.

Mrs. Shen was waiting in the main hall.

Beside her stood the family’s elderly patriarch.

The moment Marcus entered with me, the old man rose from his chair.

Then something happened that made everyone in the room fall silent.

He took the Shen family’s ancestral seal from the table…

And placed it directly into my hands.

Ethan, who had returned sometime earlier, went pale.

—Grandfather… what are you doing?

The old man ignored him.

He looked at me and smiled.

—Clara, there’s something Ethan apparently never bothered to learn about his own family.

I lowered my eyes toward the heavy seal.

The patriarch continued:

—The jade ring Ethan took from you was never meant for the wife of the family’s eldest grandson.

Ethan stopped breathing.

—It belongs to the wife of the next head of the Shen family.

My fingers tightened around the seal.

Slowly, I looked toward Marcus.

The old man laughed.

—And Marcus was appointed my successor three years ago.

Ethan’s face became completely white.

Only then did I understand.

By changing one name for a ridiculous bet, Ethan hadn’t simply given away his bride.

He had personally placed me beside the one man in the Shen family whose name even generals lowered their voices to speak.

And judging by Marcus’s calm expression…

He had known exactly what that altered marriage report meant from the beginning.
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