The Marriage I Never Had Chapter 2: The Birthday That Didn't Matter

Playing in an international violin ensemble had always been my dream.

Starting at 22, I'd spent eight years waiting for a marriage certificate that had never really been mine.

But now, at 30, I decided to stop waiting.

My phone chimed. It was a message from Leon. Even through the screen, I could tell he was nervous.

"Harrison, did you see my post?"

Less than a second later, Brianna's message came through.

"Harrison, I'm really sorry I can't come home to spend our wedding night with you. Are you okay there by yourself?"

Their perfectly timed probing sat side by side on my screen, making the messages all the more painful to read.

"I'm fine."

"When are you coming back?"

I sent the two messages separately.

"Harrison, you know I need some time to calm down. I might not make it back for your birthday this year."

"Harrison, I'm on a business trip this week. I've already mailed your birthday present. Is that okay?"

They'd both missed my birthday every year for the first seven years. This year was no different.

Then, I suddenly remembered something Leon once told me. He and Brianna had met on my birthday.

So it wasn't that my birthday happened to fall at an inconvenient time. It was simply that, compared with the day they met, my birthday didn't matter.

I calmly replied, "Okay."

…

Early the next morning, I received a reminder from Brianna. "Harrison, don't forget your checkup today. I won't be able to go with you, though."

At the same time, I saw Leon's new post. It was a photo of a scraped finger.

The caption read, "It was just a little scrape, but this silly girl insisted on taking me to the hospital. She's such a worrywart!"

I scrolled past the comments filled with congratulations and envy.

After a long while, I put my phone away and headed to the hospital.

Three months earlier, Brianna and I had gone hiking together. Halfway up the mountain, she left without saying a word.

I'd been so worried that I'd searched the entire mountain through the night. I ended up rolling down a slope and was eventually rescued by a search-and-rescue team.

Looking back now, the only person who could have made her leave without even saying goodbye was Leon.

She'd gone with me to every follow-up and checkup during the first two months.

What she didn't know was that this time, I wasn't just getting my wound checked again. I was also getting the medical exam required to go abroad.

…

When I arrived at the building for overseas medical examinations, two people walked out of the hospital next door.

It was Brianna and Leon.

They hadn't noticed me at first, and their faces were glowing with happiness.

"Brianna, I'm really going to be a dad? This feels like a dream."

I froze where I stood, listening to their delighted cries.

Brianna was too excited to speak. She could only nod again and again as she threw her arms around Leon.

Leon reached out, intending to lift Brianna into the air and spin her around. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of me.

He froze, and the smile vanished from his face.

A moment later, she turned around and saw me. The color drained from her face. "Were you here all along, Harrison?"