Chapter 1

In my hometown, boys are expected to make their own wine by stomping on grapes from a young age. The wine will be given to their future wives and drunk on their wedding day.

Since college, Suzanne Landon and I have left our hometown to make our fortunes elsewhere. Now that we've achieved success, we return home.

The bottle of wine I've been keeping for 28 years can finally be opened.

I know how much of a germaphobe Suzanne is. So, I deliberately replace my wine with a store-bought bottle for the Cherry Blossom Festival, even though I know it's against tradition.

Just as I'm about to tell her the secret, I overhear her talking to her friends outside the door.

"If you drink Finley's wine, then according to our local customs, you'd have to marry him. Wouldn't Chadwick be pissed?"

"Exactly. Chadwick has already opened his bottle of wine. If no one drinks it, wouldn't it be embarrassing for him?"

Suzanne laughs nonchalantly and says, "There's no way he'll leave me. He's even replaced the wine for my sake. Besides, his wine has been aged for 28 years. Who would possibly drink that? Finley's has only been aged for 20 years. I've heard that's the sweetest.

"Even though I've chosen Finley, I won't mistreat Chadwick. If no one else is willing to marry him, I suppose I could always give him a place to stay by my side."

It feels as though a hole has opened in my heart, and the cutting cold wind howled through it.

I slowly pull my hand back.

I'm not unwanted, and it's not like I have to marry her.

I open the message that arrives every year without fail and type a few words before hitting send. "Are you still willing to marry me?"

The reply comes almost instantly. "Wait for me."

Chapter 1

The wine bottle bearing my name was placed right in the center of the village altar.

Ivan Banner squeezed through the crowd with an excited expression as he pulled me forward.

He said, "Hurry up. It's almost time! You've been holding onto your wine for so many years. It finally gets to meet its rightful owner. Everyone in the village is envious of the relationship between you and Suzanne."

He was genuinely happy for me.

However, Suzanne Landon didn't walk toward me. She turned around and walked straight toward Finley Graham.

I stood rooted to the spot, my fingers clenching into a fist.

Finley was also wearing the village's festive clothes today. He held a bottle of wine in his arms. Even with his head lowered, he couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Suzanne, will you drink my wine?" he asked.

The whole area quieted down instantly.

Suzanne took the bottle from his hands without even looking at me. In front of everyone, she drank the entire bottle without the slightest hesitation.

There was absolute silence at the scene.

The first people to show disapproving expressions were several of the elders.

Where we came from, the wedding wine wasn't something one could drink casually. Once a woman drank a man's wine, she was expected to marry into his family according to tradition. The entire village would bear witness.

Suzanne had grown up here. She knew all of this.

And she still did it.

Ivan was the first to object. "Have you lost your mind, Suzanne? You drank his wine! What about Chad?"

Suzanne frowned and glanced around, as if she was annoyed that he was making an unnecessary fuss about what she did.

"What's the big deal? It was just a sip of wine," she countered.

Upon hearing those words, I suddenly felt like laughing.

For 28 years, I had guarded that wine for her for as long as I could remember. But in her eyes, it meant nothing much.

Finley stood to the side with his head lowered as he spoke in a soft and timid voice. "Ivan, don't blame Suzanne. I was just fooling around and said I wanted her to try drinking my wine. I didn't expect her to actually drink it..."

Ivan's eyes became bloodshot with rage. "Finley, you knew exactly what that wine represented! Haven't you taken enough from Suzanne and Chadwick all these years?

"She took you to social gatherings, brought you to celebrations, and took you home with her. And when Chad received gifts, you always had to get one too! Now, you're even trying to take his fiancee!"

As soon as he finished speaking, murmurs sounded around us.

He was right.

Finley had never been just an ordinary subordinate. All these years, he had stayed by Suzanne's side and taken away far too many things that should have belonged to me.

Whenever Suzanne and I celebrated a festival, he always appeared. Whenever I received a gift, he always had one too.

Even this time when we returned to our hometown, she had personally brought him along. And now, even at the most important wedding wine ceremony, she openly showed that she favored him in front of the entire village.

Ivan turned to look at me, his voice catching in his throat. "Chad, say something."

I gently patted the back of his hand and said, "Don't get angry. She's not worth it."

Ivan froze. He probably hadn't expected me to be this calm.

Soon, the ceremony came to a hasty end.

But Finley deliberately came over to me, still wearing that timid, innocent expression.

"Chad, I really was just fooling around. Don't get the wrong idea."

I was just about to speak when Suzanne walked over and stepped between us. She reached out to put a hand on my shoulder, just as she had done countless times before, trying to push me back into my usual role of being understanding and forgiving.

"Chad, that's enough," she said.

I stepped aside, avoiding her hand. "Stop. You're technically Finley's wife now. We should keep our distance."

Suzanne's expression instantly darkened, and her hand clamped down on my shoulder. "What did you say?"

Chapter 2

"Chad, please don't be mad at Suzie," Finley pleaded.

He then grabbed my hand and said apologetically, "She lost a game of rock-paper-scissors with me and promised that she could only drink my wine. How about this? Play a round with me. If you win, I'll let Suzie drink your wine."

Suzanne's expression softened. When she turned to look at Finley, her eyes were full of helpless affection.

She said, "Go on. Play a round with Finley. If you win, I'll drink your wine."

Suzanne spoke in a volume that was neither too soft nor too loud. It was just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

I closed my eyes, feeling like I could barely breathe. "I forfeit."

A flash of smugness quickly crossed Finley's eyes.

He cleared his throat and said smoothly, "Then since I won, shouldn't I get a reward? My mom said that after drinking the wedding wine, we're supposed to go pray in church."

I heard several people around us gasp in disbelief.

This custom had been passed down for generations.

On the night or early the next morning after a couple drank the wedding wine, they would be blessed with a child as long as they truly loved each other if they went to pray at the village church. Their relationship would remain loving for the rest of their lives.

I had originally planned to do the same because I'd believed that Suzanne and I truly loved each other.

I looked up and happened to meet her eyes.

She knew about this custom. She knew how much I had wanted us to spend the rest of our lives together in happiness.

How would she choose?

"Okay," Suzanne replied.

I felt my heart shatter into pieces and broke completely. Even the last bit of pain turned into numbness.

After Suzanne agreed to Finley's request, then only she remembered me. She quickly took my hand and started making excuses to comfort me.

She said, "You were the one who forfeited and lost me to him. Don't throw a tantrum. Stay home and wait for me."

I stopped Ivan with my eyes when he tried to stand up and curse at her.

Then, I calmly said, "Okay. Fine by me."

The people around us froze.

Finley's eyes immediately lit up, and he quickly chimed in, "Then let's go tonight. The church's lights are at their brightest at night. Praying for love and children is especially effective then."

Another round of cheers and teasing erupted around us.

Suzanne seemed hesitant as she glanced at me, but Finley's smile soon infected her, and she smiled too.

"Okay. I'll do whatever you say."

Halfway through the dinner banquet, a group of people actually took lamps and surrounded Suzanne and Finley as they headed to church up in the mountain.

I didn't follow. I stood beside the fire pit and watched them disappear farther and farther into the distance.

The night grew darker.

My Instagram kept refreshing and showing Suzanne's and Finley's latest posts.

They were kneeling together before Priest and giving their offerings. The elders tied blessed bracelets around their wrists, praying for them to grow old together and have many children.

Every update I heard stabbed into my ears unpleasantly.

Ivan tried several times to call Suzanne, but I stopped him.

By the time the banquet had nearly ended and only a few scattered people remained around the fire pit, he sighed.

"Today's your birthday. Has she forgotten?" he remarked grimly.

My footsteps halted.

He was right. Today was indeed my birthday.

Every year on this day, no matter how busy Suzanne was, she would spend it with me. She used to say that I was born during the cherry blossom season, so it was easy to remember.

Back then, she had said it so sincerely. And I had believed her with all my heart.

But this year, she drank someone else's wedding wine during the day and accompanied that certain someone to the church at night.

She had completely forgotten my birthday.

When Suzanne pushed the door open, she reeked of alcohol and was carrying a box in her hand.

When she saw me sitting by the window, she seemed relieved as she walked toward me.

She said, "You're still awake? This is for you. I almost forgot."

Then, she placed the box on the table.

It seemed to her that everything that had happened today could be fixed with a gift, and we could go back to the way things were before.

I didn't open it.

Instead, I picked up on an odd scent coming from her. Besides the alcohol, there was a familiar scent of cologne.

It wasn't one I used.

I looked up. Under the lights, I spotted a faint red mark on her neck.

Suzanne followed my gaze and glanced down.

Then, she casually explained, "The other villagers got too carried away on the mountain. Don't overthink it."

She explained way too quickly.

When I remained silent, she frowned and got upset first.

"Are you still making a fuss over what happened during the day and tonight? There were so many people watching at the festival. I had to keep up appearances. We can celebrate your birthday every year. Celebrating a little later is no different."

The moment those words fell, the last thread holding my heart together snapped completely.

I pushed the box back toward her. "Don't bother making it up to me."

She froze and blurted, "What?"

I looked up at her and said, "You don't need to make up for the gift, my birthday, or the wedding wine. I'm tired of this, Suzanne."

She froze for a moment. Then, she laughed.

"Chadwick, are you seriously pulling this again? There will be another banquet at home tomorrow. Don't make a scene at a time like this."

I shook my head and stressed, "I'm not making a scene. I just don't want to continue doing this anymore."

She stared at me, the smile on her face slowly fading. The next moment, she turned her back to me.

Suzanne said, "You're mad now, but it'll pass. Come home with me tomorrow. My parents want to see you."

Chapter 3

Early the next morning, I still went to the Landon residence.

I had planned to return all the wedding gifts from before. But when I arrived, I found the gate to the residence wide open. Many of the Landons' relatives thronged the courtyard.

There were trays of drinks, platters of fruit, and gift lists on the tables. It didn't look like an ordinary family gathering.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Finley sitting in the main hall. He was dressed properly and elegantly as he sat there politely while Suzanne's mother, Tilda Frost, introduced him to their relatives.

As soon as I entered, someone laughed and teased, "Suzanne is doing so well for herself out there now. Money and gifts are just material things. Since they've decided on each other, vast money and costly gifts are not important."

Not important….

Those words left me dumbfounded.

I remembered that last year, Suzanne had mentioned having our wedding back at our hometown.

At the time, Tilda had casually said that anyone who wanted to marry her daughter had to be able to offer eight million dollars as a monetary gift.

I had agreed and had quietly saved up for it until this year.

The people in the courtyard continued talking. Tilda sat beside them. Not only did she not stop them, but she even smiled and nodded in agreement.

She praised, "Finley looks like an excellent man who'll treat his wife well. Their birth dates are also incredibly compatible. Suzanne will be blessed if she marries him."

I clenched my hands tightly, and a bitter taste suddenly surged in my throat.

All these years, I had left the comfort of home with Suzanne and struggled alongside her in an unfamiliar place. We had lived in basements and endured the hardest days together.

When projects failed, I stayed by her side and helped her shoulder the burden. When she had no money, I had even used my own savings to fill the financial gaps for her.

But in the end, I amounted to nothing to the Landons.

Suzanne finally noticed me. Her face fell, and she quickly walked over.

In a lowered voice, she said, "Don't overthink it. The elders were just chatting."

I looked at her and smiled even when there were tears forming in my eyes. "You've already gotten as far as discussing the wedding gifts. And you still call it just chatting? How many people are you planning to marry? Couldn't you at least have told me beforehand?"

She frowned and replied, "I told you, it was just my mom's wishful thinking. Don't be so petty every time. It's your temper that led her to dislike you all these years."

Even now, she said I was the one being petty.

I was practically speechless.

Finley glanced at the two of us. Right away, he stood up and put on an innocent expression.

"Chad, don't get the wrong idea. I was just keeping Tilda company. I didn't expect everyone to start talking about this. Besides, if I loved someone, I wouldn't care whether she started out poor. I'd be willing to struggle alongside her."

The more he spoke, the more he made me look unreasonable.

Sure enough, Tilda chimed in, "Exactly. Some people are just greedy. They want everything."

Low laughter immediately spread through the room.

I slowly walked over and picked up the gift list from the table. Five pieces of gold and three pieces of silver. Even the specifications for the wedding banquet were clearly listed.

But when it came to me back then, Tilda had only said one line dismissively. "Let's keep everything simple. Suzanne doesn't have an easy time making money."

I suddenly remembered how many foolish things I had done over the years.

The last bit of resentment in my heart suddenly dissipated. Because at this point, I couldn't even be bothered to feel wronged anymore.

Suzanne reached out to pull me aside while keeping her voice lowered. "Don't make a scene here. I'll make it up to you later."

Make it up to me? Again, she expected me to back down.

I didn't go with her. Instead, I took the old silver ring from my bag and gently placed it on the table. It was the gift the Landons had given me back then.

I looked at the ring and calmly said, "Take this back."

Suzanne's face fell instantly. "What do you mean?"

I looked up at her. "Exactly what I said."

Finley's eyes reddened again, and he hurriedly said, "Is it because I'm here that Chad misunderstood? Then I should leave..."

He started backing toward the door.

Suzanne instinctively reached out to stop him. "Don't overthink it."

I finally understood. No matter when it was, whenever Finley and I stood in front of her together, the person she protected first was never me.

I nodded and said, "That's fine. It'll save us trouble later."

With that, I turned around and left.

Behind me, Suzanne finally lost her temper. "Chadwick, how long are you going to keep this up?"

I didn't look back.

When I walked out of the Landon residence, my phone lit up.

It was a message from my mom.

She texted, "Look. These are all gifts she sent. I think she's wonderful. She's very thoughtful and courteous."

The entire back seat was filled with gifts, and every single one was carefully selected. There was even a watch that I had saved in my online shopping cart for years.

My mom's judgment had never been wrong. I decided to trust her.

Chapter 4

After leaving the Landon residence, I went straight back to where I was staying. This time, I packed even faster and more thoroughly than I had the night before.

I didn't have many clothes to begin with. Aside from a few sets of work clothes I wore regularly, there wasn't much worth keeping. I didn't hesitate over the things on the table that were connected to Suzanne.

I took the framed photo of us off the wall and placed it face down on the table.

The drawer was still stuffed with little souvenirs she had brought back from business trips, along with a few notes she had casually written for me.

I looked through them one by one, but I felt strangely calm.

Only then did I realize how difficult it really was to completely pull myself out of a relationship that had lasted for so many years. Even so, throwing these things away was unexpectedly easy.

The sky gradually darkened.

I had only packed halfway when a message from Ivan came in.

He texted, "Chad, have you gone back? Things have gotten crazy on the mountain again. Suzanne intends to stay in the same room as Finley for the night!"

I opened the message and slowly read it.

According to the customs in our village, if a woman accepted a man's wedding wine, then took him to pray at the church and stayed overnight in the same room with him, the marriage was considered official.

Nowadays, hardly anyone openly mentioned such rules. But at the moment, Suzanne's friends were egging them on in their Instagram posts.

They said somewhat jokingly that since she'd already drunk the wine and gone to the church, they might as well go all the way and complete the final step.

Ivan cursed furiously in his messages and asked whether I wanted him to go over right then and wreck the whole place.

I stared at those few lines for a long time.

In the end, I replied with only two words. "Got it."

Then, I set my phone aside.

At this point, I couldn't even bring myself to get angry anymore. I was simply relieved. I was relieved that I'd finally stopped placing my hopes in whether Suzanne would come back to me.

The night stretched on.

The courtyard gate never opened. All that remained outside was the sound of wind and rain.

I packed the last of my belongings into my suitcase and pulled the zipper shut. Then, I sent a message home to let my family know I was safe.

While I waited for the car, I turned around and took one last look at the home where I had lived for so many years.

Suddenly, I remembered the basement we had lived in many years ago, when we had first left our hometown. The corners of the walls had been damp, and the winters had been so cold that I couldn't sleep.

Suzanne had held me in her arms and told me that one day, she would return to our hometown with me gloriously. She would let everyone know that I was the one she would most proudly call her husband.

Back then, I had truly believed her.

Looking back now, perhaps she hadn't been lying when she said those things. She had simply changed later.

Everything had changed, and nothing was the same anymore. And I had been lost in my own dream for far too long, waking up far too late.

I took the bottle of wine from my bag.

It had already started raining outside. The rain fell in a fine, steady drizzle, tapping against the window lattice.

I slowly uncorked the bottle.

The fragrance of the wine immediately spread through the room. It rushed into my nose along with the damp scent of rain.

This should have been the moment I had looked forward to most in my entire life. But now, all I could smell was irony.

Without hesitation, I picked up the bottle and slowly poured the wine onto the ground.

Just then, a delicate hand suddenly grabbed my wrist.

...

Meanwhile, Suzanne was in the room.

At first, it had only been some people egging them on. They pushed her and Finley toward a room and said that since she had accepted the wine, she should at least take responsibility for Finley.

Suzanne had initially said that they shouldn't take the joke too far.

But Finley soon took advantage of his drunkenness and pretended to be frightened. He asked her to go inside and keep him company for a while.

Outside the room, the roaring laughter and teasing continued.

The dim light cast hazy shadows, while the smell of alcohol mingled with a sweet fragrance. In an atmosphere like that, many boundaries that should have been firmly maintained suddenly became blurred.

In the end, Suzanne didn't push him away.

She also didn't see the message her friend had sent.

"Suzanne, hurry back! Chad is going to marry someone else!"