Not A Dream Wedding

At eighteen, Dawn Norris believed she would marry the young man she loved.

But at twenty-five, she heard him say dismissively, "Dawn? She is just a fishmonger. I can't even be bothered to touch her at night. She smells fishy."

Dawn naively thought he was just tired of their relationship.

But she completely gave up hope on him after he drew blood from Maya White, the woman who adopted Dawn and raised her, for his new girlfriend, Erin Lambert, and after he even scattered Maya's ashes.

Perhaps Blaine had changed in the summer many years ago.

At twenty-eight, Dawn found herself in the bed of Blaine's sworn enemy. She never imagined that she would spend the rest of her life with him.

...

While Dawn was cutting fish, she was absent-minded. Then she felt a sharp pain in her finger as blood seeped out.

Mindy Lawson, the woman at the next stall, said while handing her a tissue, "Dawn, be careful. You're about to marry that young man who plays the piano. Everything will be fine. You've been working hard to fund his education. You helped him overcome his autism. You went through so many hardships all these years. Now that he's successful, it's time for him to repay you. How can you leave him?"

Dawn's nose tingled. She looked at the fish in the sink and thought of Blaine's words from yesterday evening. She felt heaviness in her chest.

"Did he cheat on you?" Mindy asked cautiously.

Dawn wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "How could it be? He's not that kind of person. It's just that our future plans differ."

She never spoke ill of him.

She numbly scaled and cleaned the fish, and her heart ached with sorrow.

She remembered that Blaine was a transfer student from the city when she first met him.

He was strikingly good-looking and had exceptional talent. He instantly became the talk of the town among the girl students.

They put on their fanciest dresses, adorned their hair with bright clips, and shyly slipped love letters to Blaine.

Yet he remained as cold as ice and had never been gentle to any girl. He only looked soft when he played the piano.

Dawn seldom paid attention to others' things.

She had been kidnapped when she was a little girl and stayed with Maya. The latter treated Dawn exceptionally well.

She had gotten used to life by the sea and loved fishing barefoot at night. Then she returned to Maya's home and worked on her assignment.

But one night, Dawn didn't catch any fish but found Blaine.

His handsome features were outlined by the mist, and his chest heaved. He looked so thin.

Dawn took him home and heard him speak for the first time. Then she realized he wasn't mute.

She learned the true reason for his transfer to their town from the city.

Blaine's father was framed as a corrupt official by a powerful figure.

And his mother was a college teacher. She was framed and accused of having an affair with a student.