He Promised To Be My Right Ear But Failed Chapter 08

He Promised To Be My Right Ear But Failed Chapter 08

The news got out anyway.

The group chat blew up all day.

Someone asked if we’d had a fight.

Someone told me not to do anything rash.

[I got a DM from someone.]

[Honestly, Blair really was out of line.]

I stared at the message and didn’t reply.

That night, Miles’s mother called.

“Audrey, I’m not trying to pressure you. I just want to know, is there any chance for you and Miles?”

I held my glass.

“Eleanor, I’m sorry.”

She sighed.

“You don’t owe me an apology. Miles has been spoiled. You were too good to him for too long.”

That stopped me.

She went on.

“He always thought that whenever he turned around, you’d be right there. But nobody stands in one place forever.”

Miles’s voice came through in the background.

“Mom, who are you talking to?”

Eleanor Sterling paused.

“Audrey, take care of yourself.”

The line went dead.

I set the phone down. The water in my glass had lost its chill.

The next day, I went to the planner’s office to settle the final bill. Blair was sitting in the waiting area.

“Audrey, I’ve been waiting for you.”

I didn’t stop.

She followed.

“Wow, good for you, canceling the wedding just like that. You know what Miles is doing to me now?”

“He shipped me off to the Westridge branch. Happy now?”

I didn’t look up from the paperwork.

“I didn’t have you transferred.”

“But it’s because of you.”

Her voice turned cold.

“If you hadn’t played the victim, Miles would never have felt guilty.”

I finally looked at her.

“Blair, you knew from day one that he had a fiancée.”

Her expression shifted.

“So what? You weren’t married yet.”

I didn’t raise my voice.

“And now we won’t be.”

That shut her up. I walked out with the receipts.

Blair raised her voice behind me.

“You think he’s crawling back because he loves you? He just can’t stand that you walked away first.”

My steps slowed.

She stepped in front of me with a thin, bitter smile.

“See? We both lost.”

“You held onto him for twenty years, and he still came to me. I chased him for a month, and he turned around and went right back to you.”

I looked at her.

“You’re wrong.”

“I didn’t lose to you.”

“I just don’t want him anymore.”

Whatever was left of her smile vanished.

The wind chime at the door rang.

Miles stood in the doorway. He’d heard everything.

Blair went white.

“Miles, I…”

Miles didn’t look at her. His eyes were on me.

“Audrey.”

I slid the receipts into my bag.

“Why are you here?”

His throat worked.

“I came to see if the wedding could still happen.”

The staff member glanced at me, uncomfortable.

“Mr. Sterling, the cancellation has already been finalized. The date has been released.”

All the color left Miles’s face. Behind him, Blair called his name softly.

“Miles.”

He finally turned to Blair, and the look in his eyes made her step back.

“Blair, didn’t I tell you to stop making jokes about Audrey’s hearing?”

Tears sprang to Blair’s eyes.

“You’re blaming me?”

Miles’s voice dropped. He turned and walked to me.

“I blame myself more.”

“Audrey, I’ve already had her transferred.”

“If the venue’s gone, we’ll book another one. I’ll find a new place, and you can rewrite the vows. I swear, this time nothing will go wrong.”

I looked at him.

“Miles, you still don’t get it.”

“I didn’t cancel because the wedding wasn’t good enough.”

“I canceled because the groom wasn’t.”