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540words2026-01-26 09:07

My boyfriend invited me onto a cruise for our pre-wedding trip, he himself was the captain.
He invited countless friends and family to witness our moment of happiness.
Everyone thought he was head-over-heels for me,spending millions on a sea voyage.

Until his first love,Emma,inexplicably had an allergy on board.
Ignoring my protests,he insisted on turning the ship around.
The ship rocked in a storm and ran aground.
Amid the blame from friends and family,he held Emma in his arms,comforting her.
He said,"Claire's a swimmer.She won't drown even if she falls into the sea."
But he didn't know that I indeed had fallen into the ocean during the accident.

Later,the renowned young captain went mad,searching the seas day and night for his lost fiancée.
...
The massive deck of the cruise ship was crowded with people.
At the center stood a young couple.

James Carter,beaming with joy,knelt on one knee,holding a sparkling ring,and said to me,
"Claire,marry me."
Instantly,countless fireworks shot up from the deck,bursting in the night sky,nearly lighting up the entire ocean in sight.
This was the proposal I had dreamed of countless times,and James made it real!
My heart pounded wildly.Trembling,I extended my hand.
"I will."
James slid the ring onto my finger,as if securing my heart.
I had been anxious because James had invited his first love,Emma Larson,onto the cruise.
I had feared they were still emotions between them and I had lost sleeps over it.
James sensed my unease,reassuring me they were just friends now,and that he only invited her so that more people would share our happiness.
Now,I finally felt at ease.
Our friends cheered,calling us a perfect match.
James hugged me tightly.
I could feel his racing heartbeat and his body heating up.
He suddenly let go,shooting a glance in a direction.
I turned to follow his gaze,catching only a glimpse of a white figure darting through the crowd.
James,as if covering something up,quickly pulled me to cut the cake.
The three-tier cake was made by himself.
For this proposal cake,James had studied baking for three months.
The result was stunning—a beautiful cake with a heart in the center,inscribed with a bold"JC."
Our initials.
Friends teased us for being so sweet after years together.
I smiled,slicing cake for everyone.
But in a blink,James was gone.
I couldn't find him anywhere.
Until I reached the door of the control room and heard Emma's sobs.
"James,are you really marrying her?Don't you love me anymore?"
James soothed her gently.
"Emma,I love you.You're the one I love most in this world.But Claire...she's a better wife for me."
My heart felt crushed,like a giant hand had squeezed it and stolen away my breaths with the pain it caused.
The ring,which was perfect in size,inexplicably slipped from my finger.
The sweet pair inside didn't hear the faint clink as the ring hit the floor.
Using my phone's flashlight,I found the ring in a dark corner.
The stunning ring was engraved with"JC"inside.
No, it was “JE”, there was a tiny horizontal line inside what seemed like the letter C.
Just like what was the cake that I thought was a smudge.
My eyes burned,tears startes falling down like pearls from a broken necklace.
Only now did I realize it wasn't"James-Claire."It was"James-Emma."