I Thought I Was The Joke, I Was The Punishment Chapter 06

I Thought I Was The Joke, I Was The Punishment Chapter 06

Meanwhile, Callan was swamped.

He was working with a crisis PR team to contain the backlash and get the story off the trending lists.

He also had to approve every detail of the wedding venue and décor.

He didn’t get a moment to breathe until the day before the wedding.

Once things quieted down, it suddenly hit him that he hadn’t contacted Merritt in days.

He pulled out his phone and called.

The first call went straight to an automated message.

“The person you’re trying to reach is unavailable.”

The second call went unanswered.

He opened Messenger and tried to send her a message, but a notice appeared instead.

[You can’t reply to this conversation.]

He frowned, suddenly irritated for reasons he couldn’t explain.

Five days had passed since his last message to her.

However upset she got, she’d never shut him out like this.

Celeste walked by, caught sight of Merritt’s name on the screen, and scoffed.

“Why are you still calling her? Who does she think she is, ignoring you?”

“If you ask me, it’s not too late to change your mind.”

“The venue is already decorated the way Sabine likes, and even the wedding dress was ordered in her size.”

“Why not just switch brides? Sabine’s ten thousand times better than Merritt.”

Adrian nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. If you marry Merritt out of duty, imagine how dull your life will be.”

Greer agreed.

“Merritt’s so hard to deal with. I get tired just watching you put up with her.”

Tessa joined them.

Their overlapping voices made Callan’s head ache.

The more they talked, the more irritated he became, until he shot to his feet.

“Enough. All of you, shut up.”

The room went silent.

He looked at them, his expression serious.

“All along, Merritt has been the only woman I’ve wanted to marry.”

“I don’t want anyone else, no matter how good she is.”

At that moment, Sabine opened the door and heard everything.

Sabine burst into tears. Sabine covered her face and ran out.

Celeste glared at him.

“Why did you have to say it so loudly? Look what you did. Sabine ran out crying…”

Celeste ran after her.

The other three followed.

The room finally fell quiet.

Callan’s temples kept throbbing, and he couldn’t shake his irritation.

The door opened again soon afterward.

Sabine returned with red eyes while the others wordlessly stepped out.

She approached Callan, tears running down her face.

“Callan, you’re getting married tomorrow.”

“If I don’t say this today, I’ll regret it forever.”

“We were too young and proud. That’s why we lost each other.”

“But Callan, not one day has gone by since we split that I haven’t thought about you.”

“We loved each other so much. I can’t watch you marry someone you don’t love.”

Sabine began recalling their best memories.

Walking hand in hand along the tree-lined boulevards of Country M, skiing in Country D over Christmas,

kissing beneath the cherry blossoms in Country R…

Callan swallowed.

The memories came back one after another.

For a moment, he nearly wavered.

He opened his mouth to respond.

Before he could speak, his phone rang.

An old classmate from high school appeared on the screen.

Callan answered, and a warm, animated voice came through.

“Callan, congratulations on the wedding!”

“I can’t believe you’re the last of us to get married. Hard to believe with a face like yours.”

“Funny coincidence, though.”

“Funny thing, though. My wife’s first name is Sabine too…”

Callan went still.

“What do you mean her name’s Sabine? You must’ve read it wrong.”

Confused, his classmate checked the invitation several times.

“No. It says the bride is Sabine Elwood. I’m reading that right, aren’t I?”

Callan’s voice shook.

“Sabine Elwood? My fiancée is Merritt Voss!”

His classmate sounded baffled.

“Could the invitations have been printed wrong?”

“Call the planner. Mine might not be the only one.”

Callan immediately found the wedding planning company’s number and called.

Someone answered quickly.

“Thank you for calling Lark & Linen Weddings. How can I help you?”

Callan held back his anger and kept his voice low.

“How could your staff get the bride’s name wrong?”

“If your company can make a mistake this basic, maybe you shouldn’t be in the wedding business.”

The coordinator sounded flustered.

“I’m sorry, sir. May I have your name so I can check?”

“Callan Rourke.”

He heard rapid typing over the phone.