Oops, Wrong Bride? Fine. No Wedding. Chapter 03

Oops, Wrong Bride? Fine. No Wedding. Chapter 03

Ethan stepped in front of Wendy without thinking, shielding her. He grunted, and two scratches opened up on his neck.

A big hand caught me.

Zach’s face went dark, and his voice was ice. “Iris, can you grow up? How many more things do you have to wreck before you’re satisfied?”

Chloe stepped in front of them, too. “Zach’s right. You have no idea, do you? Wendy and Ethan have had feelings for each other for a long time, and they couldn’t be together because of you. The game only lasts five days. You can’t even give him that much freedom? You’re so selfish.”

He was the fiancé I’d loved for years, Zach was the boy I’d grown up with, and Chloe was the friend I told everything to. Whatever I did, all three of them used to swear up and down that they’d back me. Now they were piling every bit of the blame onto me, like I was some monster.

My smile came out bleak, and I looked at Ethan. “Do you think I’m as selfish as they say?”

He was quiet. He didn’t say a word.

But all at once, I knew his answer.

I pointed at the dress, and my eyes stung. “You all knew. Every one of you knew Mom embroidered that for me.”

“Iris…” Wendy peeked out from behind Ethan, meek and small, with her hands clutching the skirt. “It’s my fault. I just… I thought it was pretty and wanted to try it on. I didn’t know your mom made it for you… I didn’t mean it. I’ll give it back right now…”

She raised her hands and fumbled with the buttons at her collar.

Outside, the wind howled against the windows.

Ethan’s eyes filled with concern, and he caught her hands. “It’s not your fault. Nobody’s blaming you.”

When he looked back at me, there was something complicated in his eyes, and a flicker of impatience. “Iris, are you done making a scene?”

I looked at them, and something blocked my chest until I couldn’t breathe. Even now, they still thought I was making a scene.

I straightened up, walked into the bedroom, and pulled out my suitcase. Piece by piece, I stripped away every trace of myself from that apartment. I couldn’t stand to be there one more minute.

On my way out with the suitcase, I swept the framed photos of the four of us off the living room shelf and dumped every one of them in the trash. The frames hit the floor, and the glass shattered.

The color drained from their faces.

Ethan reached for my wrist. I took a step back, and his hand hung there in midair. He forced the words out of his throat. “It’s the middle of the night. Where are you going?”

He knew exactly how terrified I was of the dark. After ten at night, I didn’t want to leave the house, let alone go out alone. I looked back at them and answered a question he hadn’t asked. “That dress is ruined now. I don’t want it.”

And I didn’t want them either.

The wind in Southport was fierce at night. I took my suitcase and checked into a cheap motel. The place was run-down, and the walls were thin, and I could hear a drunk cursing outside at two in the morning.

The woman at the front desk glanced behind me while she checked me in, and she couldn’t help herself. “Hon, you here all by yourself?”

I nodded.

I was still scared. But I wasn’t going to let myself lean on anyone ever again.

I didn’t sleep well that night. The next morning, a phone ringing off the hook jolted me awake. When I picked up, Grant’s voice came through the line, barely holding back his anger. “Iris, get to the office. Now!”