It was the sixth time. Six times I'd gone to the courthouse, and still no wedding ring on my finger, no marriage license for Carter Hayes and Bethany Cartwright.

Three years after the divorce, this was attempt number six to get back together.

She always had some "emergency" come up on the dates we picked. The stars weren't aligning, I guess.

I looked at the display, at our names, and I just wanted her to stay.

"We're next, Beth. It'll be quick."

"Is whatever it is that important that you can't spare, what, ten minutes?"

Bethany looked at me, annoyed.

"Carter, we've been married. What's the big deal?"

"Besides, I'm busy. Don't be so dramatic."

"I'll get around to it when I can."

...

The words felt like she was doing me a favor, like getting married was nothing but a burden for her, and I just shut down.

Bethany walked away, fast, didn't give me a chance to say anything.

I stood there, watching her back, feeling like a ghost in that place, the courthouse.

The loudspeaker kept calling out our names.

But she was gone. How could we get married when she wasn't there?

Bethany and I had been married once before. For the sake of our families and their companies.

We were both from wealthy families, so there wasn't a lot of love to begin with.

I got busy with work, and I didn't spend enough time with her. We grew apart, and we ended up getting a divorce.

After the divorce, Bethany got herself a younger man.

She was in her thirties, and he was just twenty-one.

We were the talk of the town.

It was a humiliation.

Hers was also mine.

People whispered behind my back, wondering if I was too old or something, so that's why she went for a "fresh face."

Two years after the divorce, Bethany's family's business started failing, and she and Cody, her boy toy, broke up.

I helped her. I couldn't just let them fail.

Over the next five years, I got her family back to where they were, and beyond.

Bethany finally seemed to notice that I had always been there for her. And I, in turn, started to see a new side of her. So we decided to give it another try.

But every time, every single time we made plans to get married, she'd bail.

And I knew, I just knew, she was going to Cody.

I'd seen Cody before. He'd had the nerve to add me on social media.

And then, I saw his post.

"Happy Valentine's Day! I told her I missed her, and she came right away."

"She's still the best, always there for me."

Underneath, there was a picture of Bethany putting a watch on his wrist.

Valentine's Day… and she hadn't even gotten me a thing.

It stung.