My Boyfriend & BFF Pranked Me At Our Wedding, I Dumped Both Of Them Chapter 05

My Boyfriend & BFF Pranked Me At Our Wedding, I Dumped Both Of Them Chapter 05

After the door closed, I braced myself against the wall in the entryway and slowly sank to the

floor.

My suitcase still stood in the hallway outside. I had crushed my boarding pass into a crumpled ball.

A little over 10 minutes later, my mother came in carrying groceries. Her smile froze when

she saw me.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say her name, the tears spilled over.

Without even taking off my coat, I threw my arms around her waist, buried my face in her shoulder, and sobbed so hard my whole body shook.

“Nora? What happened? Where are they?”

My father put down the groceries and helped us onto the couch.

I cried for a long time before I could show them the screenshots on my phone. I told them about everything from the prank videos to the lie about my mother’s death that Ethan had used to lure me back.

Halfway through, my father stood, his face livid. He grabbed his keys and headed for the

door.

I caught his arm.

“Dad, please stay with me for a while.”

His hand went still on the doorknob.

After a long moment, he came back and sat down. He took my phone and looked through every screenshot.

Once everyone had calmed down, I told them about the offer.

It was from a renowned design company in Belvaria. My salary and contract had already been finalized. I was supposed to fly out that day, but now I would have to change my ticket.

The worry gradually left their faces.

“Go. Of course you should go. My daughter has real talent.” Dad paused. “And if that bastard comes here, he’ll have to get past me.”

My parents made a table full of food that night. Dad opened a bottle of whiskey and drank glass after glass in silence.

I spent two days at home, letting my parents wait on me hand and foot.

Ethan appeared the second afternoon, standing outside the door with gift boxes. He said he wanted to apologize in person.

My father wouldn’t let him in.

“When

you told her her mother was dead, did you think about what that would do to her?”

Silence fell outside the door.

Ethan spoke quietly. “Sir, I just wanted to get her to come back…”

I walked over and set the ring he had given me on the shoe cabinet.

“I wasn’t finished yesterday. I’ve emailed you an itemized list of the wedding expenses I paid. I’ve also filed a complaint with the platform about the videos.”

“Nora, do we really have to do this?”

He looked at me, finally showing a little panic.

“Withdraw the complaint first. If it affects the account, the whole team will…”

I closed the door.

This time, I didn’t even waste my energy explaining.

*****

Early on the third morning, Mom packed my suitcase until it could barely close.

With red-rimmed eyes, she took me to the airport.

After a flight of more than 10 hours, I landed in Belvaria at dawn.

The apartment arranged by the company was close to the office. I unpacked, showered, and lay on the bed staring at the ceiling.

I suddenly thought of the apartment where I had lived for years.

It had been spacious and bright, yet I had always felt like an outsider there.

Only then did it truly sink in.

I was in a new place. I had a new life.

After letting my parents know I had arrived safely, I fell into a deep sleep.

I dreamed I was at my wedding.

I wore the gown I had designed with my own hands, but as I walked, the skirt turned into stained, tattered cloth.

I tripped. When I pushed myself up, I saw Ethan and Vanessa laughing on the stage.

I jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat.

Once I started work, the days flew by. I spent every day at my desk sketching designs, making patterns, and coordinating with fabric suppliers.

The designer at the next desk was Adrian Blake. He had started six months before me.

At

my first sample review meeting, a coworker raised a phone to take a work photo, and I instinctively shrank back.

Adrian noticed. “You don’t want to be in the picture?”

I nodded.

He moved the clothing rack so the camera would capture only the clothes.

After the meeting, he left the fabric swatch book he had saved for me on my desk without asking any more questions.

I sat there for a long time before picking up my pen again.

My life was quiet and steady.

About two weeks later, on a Friday night, I was curled up on the couch watching television when a message appeared from Kelly Brooks, a friend from college back home.

Kelly: Take a look. They’ve started pranking each other now.