He Chose Her, So I Chose to Disappear Forever Chapter 13

He Chose Her, So I Chose to Disappear Forever Chapter 13

The day before the wedding.

Luca called, his voice thick with apology.

“Elena, I’m so sorry. I can’t make it back today. Bianca came down with a sudden high fever, and we missed our flight.”

I said nothing.

“I’ve already booked the earliest flight out tomorrow

morning,” Luca continued. “We land at eleven-thirty, and I’ll come straight to the venue. The wedding, the family ceremony-it will all happen exactly as planned. I promise.”

He still didn’t understand. The wedding would indeed begin

as scheduled.

The bride just wouldn’t be there.

My silence seemed to unnerve him.

“Elena, what’s wrong? You’ll wait for me, right?”

No.

I would never wait for him again.

But for the plan to work, I still had to say it. “Okay.”

He let out a breath, audibly relieved.

“After the wedding, I’m drawing a hard line with Bianca.

She’ll still be under family protection, but she will never-”

He cut off abruptly.

A sharp, stifled gasp came through the line.

Then Bianca’s voice, husky and close.

“Luca, hurry up. I don’t feel good.”

Luca muttered something to her, his voice rough, and then

the call disconnected.

I listened to the dead air for a moment before opening Instagram.

Two hours earlier, Bianca had posted a hotel selfie.

In the photo, Luca was lying in bed, his eyes closed. Bianca was curled into the crook of his arm, a sweet, triumphant

smile on her face.

The white duvet covered most of their bodies, but not their

bare shoulders, and not the fresh bruises blooming on their

necks.

[Countdown: 1 day. One last indulgence to say goodbye to twenty-plus years of “what if.” This is my wedding gift to you. From now on, go live your life with my blessing.]

The comments section had exploded.

“This is basically a public confession.”

“Someone tell the bride, now.”

“She’s declaring war.”

“How is his family letting this happen?”

My stomach clenched violently.

I shut off the screen, ran to the bathroom, and threw up until there was nothing left.