Four Years Of Hair For A Wedding And He Cut It For A Scene Chapter 09

Four Years Of Hair For A Wedding And He Cut It For A Scene Chapter 09

The next morning, Julian and I packed to leave North Crest.

The sister who had taken care of me was crying before I even reached the door.

She pulled me into a hug and wouldn’t let go.

“Come back and visit, okay?”

“If things ever get hard out there, come right back.”

“This will always be home.”

My throat ached.

I nodded.

Julian waited nearby, quiet.

We didn’t say our final goodbyes until the train was pulling in, then walked together toward the platform.

I kept looking back over my shoulder.

Julian glanced at me.

“Expecting Garrett?”

I hesitated. Nodded, then shook my head.

“I’m worried he’ll show up and cause a scene.”

After last night, I was sure he’d try to stop me.

But the train was almost ready to go, and there was no sign of him.

A voice came from behind me.

“He’s not coming.”

I turned around. It was Audrey.

She was alone on the platform, eyes swollen and red-rimmed, like she hadn’t slept at all.

“What are you doing here?”

Audrey managed something like a smile.

“I came to see you off.”

She paused.

“And to tell you something.”

“Garrett’s not here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last night, the crew was afraid he’d lose it and try to stop you from leaving.”

“So they told him you weren’t leaving until this afternoon.”

“He’s at the convent right now, waiting.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Audrey reached into her pocket, pulled something out, and pressed it into my hands.

I looked down.

The breath left my lungs.

My reliquary.

The same tarnished silver. The same markings. The prayers to Saint Jude engraved along every edge.

My fingers were shaking. I was crying before I even realized it.

“The reliquary…”

“My reliquary…”

I closed my hand around it.

Something that had been missing from my chest settled back into place.

Audrey’s voice was barely there.

“I’m sorry.”

“I did throw it away that day.”

I looked up at her.

Audrey’s smile was thin and tired.

“It freaked me out, that little bone pendant. I told you that.”

“But after I found out it was your mother’s…”

“I felt awful.”

She looked away.

“But my pride got in the way.”

“So I ran.”

“After Garrett left, I went back and found it.”

I stared at her, speechless.

Audrey was quiet for a long time. Then she smiled, really smiled.

“You know, I’ve always hated you.”

That stopped me cold.

She was looking out at the Snowy Peaks, and when she spoke again, her voice had gone soft.

“I fell for Garrett in college.”

“After that, I shadowed him everywhere.”

“After graduation, I brought in his funding.”

“I’ve been chasing him for years.”

“Everyone knew.”

“He knew.”

Her eyes were filling.

“I thought if I was good enough, if I stayed long enough, he’d come around eventually.”

“And then one day, there you were.”

“You couldn’t write. You had no degree, no connections. You could barely put together a sentence in proper English.”

She let out a hollow laugh.

“You know what I felt?”

“I was furious.”

“I refused to accept it.”

“So I made it my mission to always stay one step ahead of you.”

“To prove I was the better choice.”

“I wanted everyone to see it.”

“That he should’ve chosen me.”

“Not you.”

I held the reliquary and listened.

Audrey sniffled.

“And then last night happened.”

“And I finally saw how stupid I’ve been.”

“He never liked me. Not once. Not from the start.”

“He was kind to me.”

“He gave me hope.”

“He let me believe I had a shot.”

“And all of it, every bit of it, was for the money.”

She laughed at that, a real laugh, the kind that broke into crying.

“I chased him for years.”

“And in the end, I didn’t lose to you.”

“I lost to the money.”