The Cost of His Kindness

My name is Ingrid Guthrie, and I've been with Reed Carr for exactly ten years. In those ten years, we squeezed into tiny rental rooms together, shared instant noodles, and planned our future late into the night. Reed Carr always said he was against marriage. At first, it bothered me a little, but seeing how good he was to me, I slowly accepted it. I thought that living my life with him like this would be fine; whether or not we had that marriage certificate didn't seem so important. Until that day, when Reed suddenly pulled a red envelope out of his bag and handed it to me. I took it, puzzled, and when I opened it, it was a wedding invitation. The groom's name on the invitation was boldly written as Reed Carr, but the bride wasn't me—it was a woman named Maria Zamora. My mind buzzed with a sudden shock, as if I had been hit hard; in an instant, everything went blank. My hand holding the invitation started trembling as I looked up at Reed Carr, my voice shaking with disbelief: "Reed, what... what's going on here?" Reed's eyes darted away nervously; he avoided my gaze and said softly, "Ingrid, please don't get upset yet. Just hear me out." I forced down the anger and fear inside me, waiting for his explanation. He stayed silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, "Maria... she has stomach cancer, and it's already in the late stage." "Her biggest wish is to wear a wedding dress and be the most beautiful bride." "I just want to help her fulfill this wish. We're only holding a wedding ceremony; we won't be registering the marriage." I could hardly believe my ears. I stared at Reed Carr, my voice full of disappointment and anger: "A wedding ceremony?" "Reed, what do you take marriage for? What do you take me for?" "We've been together for ten years. You said you wouldn't get married, and then we were not married. Now, for a woman you barely know, you want to have a wedding ceremony with her?" Reed frowned, as if I were being unreasonable: "Ingrid, I told you, I'm just helping her fulfill her dream. It's not like I'm actually marrying her." "On the wedding day, I'll make sure you sit at the head table. If anyone asks, I'll say you're my most important friend." "Most important friend?" I gave a bitter smile, tears stinging my eyes. "Reed, ten years of feelings, and to you, I'm just your 'most important friend'?" It felt like my heart was being ripped apart—ten years of devotion, treated as worthless in his eyes. I threw the invitation onto the table, stood up, and faced Reed Carr. "I'm not going to that wedding. And I need time to really think about what's between us." Reed Carr looked at me, his face showing a flicker of panic: "Ingrid, don't be like this, I just wanted to do something good." "Something good?" I sneered coldly, "Your 'something good' is built on my pain. Reed, you're selfish." After saying that, I turned and walked into the bedroom, closing the door firmly behind me, shutting out Reed Carr and his ridiculous words. The bedroom was silent, save for the sound of my heartbeat echoing in my ears, each thump heavy with pain. I leaned against the door, tears finally spilling down my cheeks, unstoppable. After ten years together, is it really going to end like this? I just can't accept it. But whenever I think about Reed Carr having a wedding with another woman, I feel like I'm suffocating. I don't know what to do; all I can do is let the tears keep falling. After a long while, there was a soft knock at the door: "Ingrid, are you hungry? I made you some porridge." I didn't respond, and I didn't open the door. I don't want to see him right now. I'm afraid I won't be able to control my emotions and will end up arguing with him. The knocking stopped, then I heard Reed sigh: "Ingrid, I know you're hurting, but I really can't just watch Maria leave with regret." "Once the wedding is over, everything will go back to the way it was. We'll be like before, okay?"