My Best Friend Feared Marriage, but Wanted My Boyfriend as Groom Chapter 01

My Best Friend Feared Marriage, but Wanted My Boyfriend as Groom Chapter 01

A year ago, my best friend, Natalie Brooks, posted a rant on X about how terrified she was of marriage.

The irony was that she had a best friend who was absolutely desperate to get married.

The post went viral.

A year later, Natalie suddenly updated it with a second post:

[After meeting Mr. C, I finally understood why my best friend had been dying to get married for the past eight years. I think I’ve lost my mind. I actually want to get married now. Being with him makes me so happy.]

I practically screamed when I saw it.

After running from marriage seven times in three years, the most commitment-phobic woman I knew had finally found her true love.

That night, I dragged her to a bar, kept pouring drinks for her, and interrogated her about who Mr. C was.

Natalie refused to tell me.

Not even after I threatened to keep buying her drinks until she talked.

Finally, inspiration struck.

I snatched her phone, found the contact saved as Mr. C, and hit call.

The phone was answered almost immediately.

A warm, familiar male voice came through the speaker.

“Idiot, look up. I knew you’d get drunk, so I’ve been sitting at the table up front watching you.”

My heart warmed at how thoughtful Natalie’s new boyfriend seemed.

I instinctively turned around with her.

And there he was.

My boyfriend of eight years.

The man I was supposed to marry.

Ethan Carter.

…

The glass in my hand slammed onto the table.

Ethan’s expression barely changed.

He scooped Natalie into his arms and said softly, “Let’s go home. I’ll explain everything.”

Eight years.

Maybe I should have slapped him right then.

Maybe I should have screamed at him, demanded answers, and made a scene.

But eight years was eight years.

It was a quarter of my entire life.

How was I supposed to cut something like that off in a single night?

My eyes burning with tears, I got into his car.

The moment Ethan carried Natalie inside, her phone automatically connected to the car’s Bluetooth.

A second later, Siri’s unmistakable female voice filled the enclosed cabin in its usual calm, emotionless tone.

[VIP passenger Natalie Brooks connected. Activating “Mr. Carter’s Romance Mode.” Starting romantic playlist. Driver, please remain focused on the road. Excessive heart-eyes directed at passengers are strictly prohibited while driving.]

I froze.

This was the first time I’d ever ridden in Ethan’s car.

He always said he used it to drive clients around and couldn’t have it smelling like women’s perfume.

Even when I promised I wouldn’t wear any perfume, he’d just laugh helplessly.

“Claire, you’re practically marinated in perfume already. Have some shame.”

But now the car was filled with the sharp smell of Natalie’s absinthe, mixed with the faint scent of roses.

Ethan didn’t even wrinkle his nose.

I couldn’t hold my tears back anymore.

One slipped onto my hand.

It was hot enough to make my heart flinch.

And yet I still couldn’t bring myself to confront him.

I was terrified of what would happen if I really tore our relationship apart.

Part of me even wanted to pretend tonight had never happened.

Maybe I could wake up tomorrow and realize it had all been a nightmare.

But nightmares ended when you woke up.

And some things didn’t.

A drunken Natalie murmured, “Mr. Carter…”

Ethan leaned over to fasten her seat belt.

Natalie suddenly threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard.

Ethan only sighed and gently pulled her hands away.

“Behave.”

Something inside me shattered piece by piece.

The pain finally reached somewhere deeper than my heart, tearing through me like it wanted to rip me apart from the inside.

Ethan was a germaphobe.

There was no way he would have tolerated me kissing him after I’d been drinking, reeking of alcohol.

Hell, even if I hadn’t just used alcohol sanitizer, he’d pull his hand away if I tried to hold it.

I stared down at my own fingers.

I could almost still smell the rubbing alcohol I’d used earlier, now mixing with the heavy scent of liquor filling the car.

It made me nauseous.

I rolled down the window, desperate for some fresh air.

Ethan immediately rolled it back up.

He looked at me disapprovingly.

“Natalie’s drunk. She could catch a cold.”

I gave a bitter laugh.

“So you can be considerate after all.”

Ethan frowned.

“Don’t get sarcastic with me. I told you. I’ll explain.”

The car continued down the road.

Then Natalie suddenly reached over and grabbed Ethan, trying to kiss him again.

At that exact moment, a car behind us pulled out to pass.

The other car was about to slam straight into the passenger side.

Ethan jerked the wheel.

The rear of our car smashed into the other vehicle.

I was thrown violently against the back seat.

The impact shattered the glass.

My head slammed against the frame.

Blood immediately ran down my face.

But the pain in my head was nothing compared to what was happening inside my chest.

That was when I realized something.

I didn’t need his explanation anymore.

I didn’t need to wait for anything.

The driver of the other car got out, cursing loudly.

Natalie acted as if nothing had happened.

She was still clinging to Ethan.

Ethan frowned and carefully pulled his arm free.

Then he looked toward the back seat.

“Can you walk?”

I stared at him.

He got out of the car and opened my door.

“Take Natalie to the hospital. Make sure she’s okay.”

I looked at myself, blood running down my face, and laughed bitterly.

“Ethan, are you blind? Look at me. You really have the nerve to say that?”

Ethan stared at me in shock.

I had always been quiet and soft-spoken.

This was the first time I’d ever spoken to him like that.

His expression hardened.

“Someone could have died. Stop saying things just because you’re angry.”

Then he shut the door.

I struggled out of the car, opened the passenger door, and helped Natalie out.

I stood on the side of the road and flagged down a cab.

But the moment we got inside, before I could even catch my breath, Natalie’s voice came from beside me.

It was completely calm.

“Claire Bennett, you saw everything for yourself. Can you finally walk away from this relationship?”