We had a big wedding. Everything about it felt like a grand display, as if he were showing the world how lavish a life he could afford. But deep down, I wished he would lavish me with his love instead.

The first few months of dating were sweet—perfect, even. But before I knew it, everything spiraled out of control. The relationship moved so fast that by the sixth month, we were already planning a wedding. He wanted it big, extravagant, something out of a fairytale. It didn’t matter what I said; my opinions never made sense to him. I should have pulled out then, but I loved him, so I stayed.

It wasn’t until we were married that I realized just how terrible a mistake it was. He never listened to me. Every decision he made was final, and any opinion I had was dismissed as wrong.

Then there was the way he blew hot and cold. Some days, he was all over me—attentive, affectionate, present. Other times, he was distant, cold, as if I barely existed. We could be happy for a week, and then he’d pull away for a month. He picked fights over nothing, and sometimes, it felt like my mere presence annoyed him.

I lost my glow. My sanity.

I thought it was my fault. I kept asking him what I had done wrong, but he never had an answer. So I went looking for answers myself.

One night, before dawn, I found myself going through his phone. And that’s when I saw it.

"It would have been you if you hadn’t left me for that guy. We could have been happy. We would have been together. You destroyed us."

He was messaging another woman.

"It’s all in the past," she replied. "You’re married now, so there’s no need to talk about this."

"But it could have been you," he insisted. "I wanted it to be you."

"I know you had that wedding to spite me," she said. "That was my dream wedding."

"Well, we can have ours if you want," he replied.

She didn’t respond to that, but their conversation continued. It was intimate. Familiar. I could tell they were in a good place.

And that was when I realized the truth.

I was a placeholder. He had married me to spite his ex when they were on bad terms. But the moment they repaired what was broken, he grew distant from me.

That night, I packed my bags. In the morning, I kissed him goodbye and told him to have a great day at work. He had no idea that by the time he came home, I would be gone.

I moved in with a friend, and from there, the marriage was over.

On paper, we are still married. But in every way that matters, I’m done. He can go after whoever he wants.

I’m not a rebound.