Bride Number Ninety-Nine: My Groom Married Her First Chapter 03

Bride Number Ninety-Nine: My Groom Married Her First Chapter 03

The whole room was counting down as I pushed open the ballroom doors.

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

Under the flower arch, Grant was holding Hazel’s left hand.

My wedding ring was already sliding onto her finger.

The band was too small.

Hazel winced, her face scrunching with pain, but she kept smiling through it, eyes wet.

“It doesn’t quite fit.”

Grant didn’t let go.

“Just bear with it. The experience needs to be complete.”

I crossed the guest aisle and grabbed his hand.

“Take it off.”

Every camera in the room swung toward me.

Grant showed no sign of panic. He simply pulled me to his side, lowering his voice.

“Just borrowing it for a minute. Once the ceremony’s over, it’s yours again.”

“That’s my mother’s diamond.”

My voice shook and I couldn’t stop it.

The blue diamond at the center of that ring was the last thing my mother left me before she died.

When he proposed, he’d set that diamond into the band with his own hands, held me, and promised:

“Something this important—I’ll keep it safe for you, for the rest of your life.”

And now, that ring was stuck on Hazel’s finger.

Her knuckle was already swelling purple.

The jeweler rushed over, examined it, and shook his head.

“We can’t force it off. The only way is to cut the band.”

“No.”

The words were barely out of my mouth when Grant took the cutting pliers.

A single click.

The band snapped in two.

Something in my chest broke at exactly the same moment, and it never went back together.

For a moment, the ballroom was dead silent.

I stared at the ring, split into two pieces, my ears ringing.

“You knew that diamond was from my mother.”

Grant took the ring off her finger, pressed it into my palm, and there was finally a trace of impatience in his voice.

“The diamond’s fine. Only the band broke.”

“We’ll fix it. What’s the big deal? If it matters that much, I’ll have a hundred diamonds set for you.”

I clutched the broken ring. The sharp edges cut into my palm. Blood dripped down my fingers.

He reached for my hand on instinct.

But Hazel suddenly cried out, clutching her own finger.

“It really hurts…”

Grant turned immediately, lifting her swollen, reddened hand.

“The doctor’s on the way.”

He bent down and blew gently on her fingers. The worry on his face looked real.

I stood behind him, blood dripping onto the white train of my dress.

Not one person asked if I was in pain.

Hazel leaned into his chest, choking back tears as she looked at me.

“Eleanor, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know the ring meant that much to you.”

“It’s Grant’s fault. He kept saying you’d be willing to share anything with me.”

Grant turned back, his eyes landing on the cut across my palm.

He pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and held it out.

I had embroidered that myself.

Every stitch had been a promise I thought would last forever.

I didn’t take it.

“Grant. What’s left?”

He frowned. “What?”

I looked at him, and found I couldn’t even manage to cry anymore.

“The dress went to her. The ring went to her. The groom went to her.”

“What’s left in this wedding that’s mine?”

He was silent for a moment, then reached up and wiped a smear of blood off the side of my face.

The gesture was still tender, but what came out of his mouth cut sharper than anything.

“You’re already Mrs. Calloway.”

“Haze has nothing. What’s the harm in giving her one day?”

“Eleanor, we have the rest of our lives. She only has today.”

Voices around us began to murmur in agreement.

“Grant and Hazel grew up together, they’re practically siblings.”

“Miss Eleanor, you already has the marriage certificate. Why fuss over someone who doesn’t even believe in marriage?”

“The more someone’s loved, the more unreasonable they get.”

I looked at Grant.

He didn’t stop any of it.

Instead, he pressed the handkerchief into my bleeding palm and squeezed gently.

“Go back to the lounge.”

“Don’t let everyone see you like this.”

But I was the real joke of this wedding.

I was about to turn when the officiant raised the microphone.

“And since we’re doing the full experience—of course the groom must kiss the bride!”

Cheers rose to the ceiling.

I stopped walking.

Hazel went red and shoved Grant lightly.

“Stop it, Eleanor’s really going to be upset.”

Grant looked at me, as if waiting for me to be reasonable and back down.

But this time, I didn’t move.

I stood there, said nothing, and waited for him to choose.

Then, the next second, Hazel rose on her toes and kissed him.