The Wedding That Never Was

My name is Ilara Vaughn. I’m a pop singer.

Today was the opening show of my Tenth Anniversary World Tour.

After finishing a song, I took the microphone and walked over to the VIP section, standing right in front of the most striking man there—a young, handsome Navy officer.

“Colonel Hayes, if I may be so bold as to ask you a question—do you have any plans to get married anytime soon?”

The entire stadium erupted in good-natured teasing and cheers.

My heart started to pound in my chest.

Then, I heard Adrian Hayes’s cold, indifferent voice ring in my ear.

“That is a decision for my family to make.”

Hearing that, my heart sank like a stone dropping into the icy depths of the ocean.

But realizing the cameras were still rolling, I quickly forced a polite smile.

No one knew that this year marked the tenth year of my secret relationship with Adrian Hayes, a commander in the Navy SEALs.

Because of our specific careers, we had never gone public with our relationship.

Before this concert, Adrian and I hadn’t seen each other for nearly six months.

Ten years ago, I couldn’t give up my career at its peak to become a housewife for him.

But now, I wanted a home.

So, I just wanted to ask him if he was willing to give our decade together an ending. A happy one.

But Adrian’s answer felt like a knife stabbing straight into my heart.

A sharp pain radiated from my chest, but luckily, no one could tell.

Just then, a soldier sitting next to Adrian shouted out a joke.

“Miss Ilara is pushing thirty! Are you in a rush to get hitched and pop out some kids?”

The shout made the stadium go quiet for a second, and the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

I pushed down the stinging pain in my heart and managed a calm smile.

“That’s a bit biased, sir,” I said into the mic.

“In this day and age, we champion gender equality. Can’t a woman have both a career and love?”

“In fact, I think I’m doing pretty well at my day job.”

The host on stage immediately chimed in. “Exactly! Ilara’s concert is a world tour, after all.”

“Welcome back, everyone, to hear Ilara sing!”

I glanced at Adrian out of the corner of my eye.

He was looking down with indifferent eyes, clearly unmoved by my situation.

The concert continued, but I didn’t dare look in Adrian’s direction again.

I don’t know how I managed to finish the last few songs.

After the concert ended, I stayed behind to sign autographs for fans.

By the time I got home, it was already ten o'clock at night.

I lived in a brand-new oceanfront apartment.

The reason I chose this place was that right across the street was the San Diego Naval Base.

Adrian’s base.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

I turned around and saw Adrian walk in, his posture tall and straight.

I was about to call his name when he closed the door and asked, “Did you not take your meds?”

I froze. When I snapped back to reality, my mouth tasted bitter.

Very few people knew that I had been diagnosed with depression two years ago.

Did he think I asked him that question publicly today because I hadn’t taken my pills?

I took a deep breath, suppressing the surging pain in my heart. “I took them.”

Not wanting to dwell on that topic, I immediately shifted the conversation.

“Are you on leave? Can you stay with me for a few days this time?”

Adrian paused for a second, then said, “The team has an urgent mission. I just came back to grab a change of clothes.”

After saying that, he walked straight into the bedroom.

Watching his back, the light in my eyes dimmed, and I slumped onto the sofa.

Just then, the front door was shoved open again.

My manager, Jessica, stormed in, looking frantic.

“Ilara, we have a problem!”

I looked up blankly as she handed me a tablet. A bold headline screamed across the screen:

[Pop Diva Ilara Secretly Dating for Years! Military Boyfriend’s Identity Revealed!]