The Wedding Rehearsal Game Broke Me Completely Chapter 05

The Wedding Rehearsal Game Broke Me Completely Chapter 05

Dead silence.

The officiant froze with the mic in hand, unable to find his next line.

Grayson’s head snapped up, disbelief written across his face.

Whatever composure he’d had cracked instantly.

Just as he opened his mouth, Sienna grabbed his sleeve.

She mouthed the words.

The game’s not over.

Grayson shook her off without a second thought.

“What did you just say?”

I looked at him, the faintest curve tugging at the corner of my mouth.

“You lose.”

He stood frozen for a few seconds before it landed.

For the first time since the game started tonight, he’d finally reacted to me.

“This is about that?”

Grayson let out a furious laugh, fury churning behind his eyes, a vein jumping at his temple.

“This is our wedding! You said no in front of everyone we know, over some stupid game?”

“Lucy, are you done making a scene? Have you thought about what this is going to cost us?”

Murmurs broke out through the crowd.

Sienna’s face darkened too.

“Everyone’s watching. Your whole family’s here. Do you really need to embarrass Grayson like this?”

“Humiliating him in public, trampling his pride underfoot, and putting me through this humiliation too. Does that satisfy you?”

I ignored the two of them tag-teaming me.

There was no point explaining. They’d never understand.

I pulled off my veil, slid off the ring I’d just been given, and set it gently back on the officiant’s tray.

It slipped off my finger like a shackle that had held me for twenty years, finally gone.

I gathered my skirt and walked down off the platform, step by step, right through the crowd’s stunned stares.

The officiant snapped out of it and instinctively moved to stop me.

But Grayson bit out through gritted teeth,

“Let her go.”

I didn’t slow down.

Behind me, his voice came out low, thick with barely contained rage.

“You walk out that door today, don’t you dare regret it.”

“Let’s see how long you can keep up the attitude.”

I pushed open the doors to the reception hall.

The wind outside cut like knives. In my thin wedding dress, I shivered.

But I’d never felt more clear-headed in my life.

My phone was buzzing so much it had gotten warm in my hand.

A dozen or so missed calls from Grayson.

Sienna kept texting too.

I didn’t read a single one.

The cab drove straight to the airport.

I spotted Mom from a distance, already waiting at departures.

She’d packed a bag for me.

When I stepped out of the cab still in my wedding dress, she didn’t ask a single question.

She just draped a coat over my shoulders and handed me a backpack with a change of clothes already packed.

“Getting away for a while isn’t a bad thing.”

“When you’re tired, come home. I’ll be waiting.”

I choked back tears and hugged her tight.

“Mom. I’m sorry.”

She patted my back.

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Not to anyone.”

The boarding announcement came over the speakers.

I took the bag and headed toward security.

Grayson’s call came in again.

The screen lit up, went dark, lit up again.

Through the crowd, I looked back at Mom one last time, then powered the phone off.

Then I popped out the SIM card and dropped it in the nearest trash can.

Game over.

Goodbye.