A Heart Like Withered Wood Waits Not for Autumn

On the day I was supposed to register my marriage to my CEO boyfriend, his scheming female assistant beat me to it and handed over her ID card first. Just like that, the marriage certificate meant for my boyfriend and me became one for him and her. I only asked a couple of questions, but the assistant suddenly dropped to her knees and cried out in despair: “Jiang Ning, this is all my fault! If I hadn’t needed to get my child registered for school, I never would’ve resorted to fake marrying Lu Yan!” She even sobbed and threatened to throw herself against a wall to atone for her sin. My boyfriend, who usually knew exactly where to draw the line, not only refused to stand up for me this time, but slapped me in front of everyone. “Wanwan’s a single mother. She did this for her child. Do you really have to make such a fuss?” “It’s just a marriage certificate. I’ll divorce Wanwan once her child starts school. What difference does it make if you register later? Why are you pushing her to the brink?” “Get on your knees and apologize to Wanwan, then give her half your salary as compensation. If you cooperate, I’ll let you borrow my marriage certificate with Wanwan so you can take a picture and show off in the family group chat. Otherwise, forget about marrying me.” I gave a cold laugh. “Then let’s not get married.” It wasn’t just the certificate I no longer wanted. I didn’t want him, either.