"One, two, three. Surprise! Happy 20th Birthday, Lily. Make a wish!" Lily was so happy and hugged her boyfriend, Marcus. He bought a cake and bought presents for her.
"I'm so lucky to have you, Marcus. You love me so much and I don't know how to thank you enough." Lily had tears in her eyes but they were just happy tears.
"Lily, I love you. Oh yeah... blow out the candles otherwise the wax will drop onto the cake." Lily blew out all of the candles and she looked at Marcus with her innocent eyes. Marcus smiled and gave her the knife to cut the cake.
"Do you want a small one or a huge piece?" Lily leaned close to Marcus. Marcus moved away a bit and told her to give him a small piece.
"I'll gain too much weight overnight. A small piece should be enough." Marcus laughed a bit. Lily giggled, "You won't gain that much. Fine, here's a small piece." The cake was filled with whipped cream and it was decorated with happy birthday on there. She felt so lucky. She has to be the luckiest in the whole world.
"The cake is so yummy." Lily took a huge bite and Marcus laughed. He wiped some of the whipped cream off her face.
"You have whipped cream mustache, Lily." He laughed until his stomach hurts.
"Oh, oops... the cake was so good that I didn't notice it." She carefully wiped it away. They talked until they finished their piece.
"Oh, a text. Someone texted you?" Lily saw the text notification on his phone.
"Just a spam text. Nothing to worry about. You should take a rest. It's been a busy day. I'll tidy up." Lily nodded and went upstairs. She waited in their room after a while.
Marcus made sure Lily was upstairs and he checked his phone.
"Marcus. Our wedding is coming soon. Dad said we can go and see the wedding dress and after, our wedding reception." Marcus smiled and texted back, "I'll be sure to come tomorrow and we can choose your wedding dress. I love you, Lizzy."
He will be free from Lily soon. She hindered him. Lily was his burden. He never cared for her. He cannot wait to get married to Lizzy. Her family was rich and money wasn't a problem for them. Lily, on the other hand, was an orphan. They were together since they were young but at that time, they were just playmates and nothing else. Lily was too naive, she believes in everything that he says. Sometimes, she was too kind and nice to other people as well.
~
"Do you have another meeting today? You are up so early." Lily rubbed her eyes and was mesmerized by Marcus' physique. Hw was totally her type. Goodlooking, strong, and smart. Most of all, she was glad he was hers.
"Hm. I have another meeting today. I'll have to come back late. Okay? Give a kiss so I'll have a good day at work." Lily got up quickly and gave a kiss on his cheek.
"Come back soon." She smiled and waved farewell. He looked back at Lily and nodded. Then, he turned around and smirked, "What a useless bitch." He went out his way without telling Lily. He despised her in everything she does. She was not even attractive as Lizzy.
~
"Lily! Come here and try out this dress! It looks so pretty on you. Marcus will definitely be head over heels for you." Lily was on lunch break with one of her best friend, Rachel. Lily was just a normal office worker and saved up her money for her future wedding with Marcus.
"Rachel, do you think he will like this tie?" Rachel looked at it and immediately approved.
"I heard this design is very popular among young guys. He will definitely like it." Lily smiled and bought the tie for Marcus. It was a present just in time for Christmas.
She smiled as she thought about his reaction.
"Lily! Look, she's the model I was talking about. Remember... few days ago, I showed you her photos and she was drop-dead gorgeous. Her name was Elizabeth if I remembered it correctly. She's only two years older than you and she's already so famous. I'm so jealous. But... why was she at the mall?" Rachel looked at Lily and she shrugged.
"Hey, look. Isn't that Marcus? Elizabeth's fiance?" One passerby immediately recognized them.
"Miss. Elizabeth, I heard you are going to get married to Marcus. Please explain it to us." There were so many reporters and cameras inside the store.
Lily stepped back and looked at Marcus. She clenched her fist and looked at them.
Elizabeth smiled and came out.
"Good afternoon Everyone, yes. This is my fiance, Marcus Li. We loved each other for a long time. In a few days, you will be updated with our wedding photos." Elizabeth looked at Marcus and he smiled at her.
Marcus looked at the cameras and the reporters, "Elizabeth and I shared the same feeling and we loved each other deeply. Elizabeth, I love you." The camera flashed as Marcus kissed Elizabeth. Lily felt her knees weak and wobbly. Rachel looked confused as well.
"Lily, let's go back. Don't just sit here and do nothing. We need to think of something." Rachel pulled Lily's arm but she won't move.
"Rachel, why didn't he tell me? He loved me. He told me he was going to get married to me. Why Elizabeth? Rachel, did I do something wrong? I never hurt him." Rachel looked at Lily's red eyes filled with tears.
"Lily, listen to me. You can't just sit here. We need to go before they see us. Can you stand? We can talk more after we get back home." Rachel carefully helped Lily up and called her boss that Lily was feeling a bit sick. Lily stayed at home for the rest of the evening.
Rachel brought some warm tea for Lily. Lily was tugging a picture of Marcus and her close to her chest. She cried non-stop. Rachel hugged her and whispered, "Lily. It's not your fault. From now on, don't trust anyone. They may lie or hurt you. You can't be nice to everyone you see. You need to take it slowly. You are a strong girl, Lily. You can get through it. Don't cry." Rachel tried to comfort Lily but it was useless.
"Lily, let's think of something. We can't just let this happen." Rachel begged her but Lily shook her head.
"It's already too late. They are going to get married soon." Lily sighed and stopped crying.
"Rachel, all these time. Thank you for your help. I'm just thinking, I want to pursue another career path. I want to study something that I was interested in for a long time." Rachel looked at her and smiled, "Lily, I have a friend in Berlin, Germany. He studies medicine. Do you want to go into medical field?" Lily's eyes lit up, "Just what I was thinking. Thank you so much, Rachel."
Lily hugged her friend.
"Lily, it won't be easy. Do not give up. Don't think about Marcus or Elizabeth. It will pass. For now, focus on your new journey. You need to be on your guard." Lily nodded and replied, "I won't be naive anymore. I will definitely come back differently."