Chapter 5

I smiled. "It's a gift for you."

He pursed his lips, putting on a generous act. "I forgive you for this morning. Now go change quickly. All our friends and family are here, don't embarrass me. I'll have Uncle David host the ceremony for us."

I nodded.

In the dressing room, I asked two venue staff members for help. "When they announce the bride's entrance, please place this doll right at the doorway."

Since I was from out of town, only Austin's family and friends were at the venue. The ceremony began.

"Please welcome our beautiful bride!" the MC announced.

The spotlight hit the entrance. Everyone turned to look.

The doors swung open, revealing a plastic doll in a wedding dress.

The crowd gasped.

Austin rushed down the aisle, furious. "Chloe, are you fucking crazy?!"

I smiled at him. "Are you mad? The doll is wearing the shoes you bought me. What's the problem?"

He froze, nervously rubbing his nose.

I pushed him aside, carried the doll onto the stage, and grabbed the microphone. "These are the wedding shoes Austin bought me. They're fake. This is the jewelry his family gave me. It's fake. This is my birthday gift from him. Fake..."

The guests immediately erupted into whispers. The venue was buzzing.

Uncle David tried to salvage the situation. "Hey now, replica goods don't mean he doesn't love you. You can't measure love with money."

I turned to look at him. "Oh, I almost forgot. David, remember that designer lipstick Austin gifted your daughter last month? It was a cheap replica. She ended up in the hospital with severe lip inflammation, didn't she? Must have been awful."

Uncle David’s face turned red with anger. He threw down his microphone and started cursing Austin out!

Aunt Susan couldn't watch any longer and stepped in.

"Austin was probably scammed! There are so many scammers online. How is a man supposed to know about these makeup and luxury brands?"

I walked up to her. "Susan, remember when your electric hand warmer short-circuited and burned your hand? Did you ever suspect it was the cheap knockoff your dear nephew got you?"

Susan froze, staring at Austin in utter shock.

Austin completely panicked, babbling excuses.

"I didn't know! I don't know anything about this! How was I supposed to know they were fake..."

Suddenly, the guests began to recall the various gifts they had received from Austin over the years. Most of them had some kind of issue.

The relatives surrounded Austin, yelling and cursing at him.

Look at that. Just moments ago, they were telling me to be understanding. Now that they realized they were the victims, they yelled louder than anyone else!

After the wedding was ruined, Austin’s reputation among his family was completely trashed.

His mother was so embarrassed she couldn't lift her head, having to apologize door-to-door.

That night, a reeking-of-alcohol Austin banged on my apartment door.

"Chloe, I only did it to save money! I did it for our future. I didn't mean to lie to you."

I nodded. "I get it. You saved money on me so you could buy real designer things for yourself. You saw me as an easy, small-town girl with a single mom, so you thought you could treat me like garbage, right?"

He shook his head, squeezing out a few tears.

"No, that's not true. You deserve the best in the world. I just... I didn't have that much money, and I didn't want you to feel left out when other girls had luxury goods. It was just a stupid mistake."

How pathetic.

I slapped him across the face. "Cut the crap, Austin. We’ve been together for three years. Have I ever been greedy? Have I ever asked you for a single expensive gift? You're right, I grew up in a small town, so I couldn't tell your fake gifts apart. But because I thought you gave me expensive things, I saved up every penny to buy you gifts of equal value. I didn't want to owe you anything. Now it turns out you're the one who owes me. Get the hell out of my sight."

Panicking, Austin grabbed my leg and started crying about our past memories.

I kicked him away. He looked up at me miserably. "Chloe, I'm sorry."

"Fine, we can break up. But can you at least give me the Rolex you bought me?"