My Fiancé Delayed Our Marriage for His Girl Best Friend, So I Walked Away Chapter 01

My Fiancé Delayed Our Marriage for His Girl Best Friend, So I Walked Away Chapter 01

On my birthday, Gavin insisted on throwing a party right at the stroke of midnight—a birthday celebration and engagement ceremony rolled into one.

He held my hand tight, eyes brimming with love as he announced to everyone in the room that I was his fiancee.

I didn’t feel a single ounce of joy.

Sure enough, the second the clock struck twelve, Gavin dropped my hand like it burned him. He stood there and watched as his first love, Rebecca, smashed the cake and ripped the wedding invitations to shreds.

She clapped and laughed the entire time, shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Congratulations, Gavin! Happy breakup!”

Every guest in the room choked on their well-wishes, assuming it was some kind of joke.

But I was the only one who knew the truth. Gavin had lost another bet to Rebecca.

He turned to me like nothing had happened.

“Samantha, we’ll have to push the wedding back. This time the penalty is one month.”

“We’ll go get the marriage license in a month.”

He even patted the back of my hand out of habit, fully expecting me to accept it quietly the way I always had.

Not this time.

I looked at Gavin, perfectly calm.

“Her or me.”

“If you choose her, we’re done. It’s over.”

The private room went so silent you could hear every heartbeat.

Everyone glanced at each other, still holding the wedding invitations Gavin had just handed out. It wasn’t until the clock chimed again that someone finally reacted.

Luca, his advisor, let out a soft laugh and tried to smooth things over.

“Boss, come on—it’s Samantha’s birthday. You two are getting married. This joke’s gone a little too far.”

Even as he said it, his eyes drifted to me with something close to pity.

Even an outsider could see this had crossed a line.

I took a deep breath and looked at Gavin again.

He hadn’t registered a single word I’d said. His gaze was locked on Rebecca.

I searched his face desperately, trying to find the man I used to know.

“The wedding photos are done. The venue’s been confirmed.”

“Please stop doing this to me—”

He cut me off before I could finish.

His expression was flat, like he was discussing the weather.

“Samantha, I lost a game with Rebecca. A bet’s a bet. That’s the deal between her and me.”

Memories flooded back, and my thoughts blurred at the edges.

Ever since Rebecca came back from overseas, Gavin had changed. He started butting heads with her at every turn. Anyone with eyes could see they didn’t get along. He made bet after bet with her, and he lost every single time.

Lost at poker—Gavin slashed his own car tires, which caused me to crash. Both my legs were broken.

Lost a dare—he slipped crushed peanuts into my food, knowing I was deathly allergic. I nearly died in the hospital.

The memories sent a dull ache through my chest, and a bitter laugh echoed through the room.

It was mine.

Gavin stared at me like he was seeing me for the first time.

He hesitated, reaching out to touch me.

I spoke first.

“Three hundred games in one year. You didn’t win a single one.”

“Gavin, do you really think I’m that stupid?”

I remembered a party where I’d watched him play poker with Rebecca. He’d swapped his cards under the table.

That was when I knew. He was letting her win on purpose.

But every time he lost, I was the one who paid the price.

The calm on Gavin’s face cracked. His brows furrowed, a flash of anger in his eyes.

Before he could say a word, Rebecca hooked her arm through his.

“So that’s why you never won. You were throwing the games.”

“Gavin, if you can’t let me go, why are you marrying her?”

She kissed his earlobe right in front of me.

The room went cold.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Gavin said.

But all he did was pat the hand she’d wrapped around his arm.