I Was the Bride They Voted Out Chapter 01

I Was the Bride They Voted Out Chapter 01

My fingers shook so hard I could barely hold the tablet.

My chest tightened, cold sweat beading down my back.

My phone buzzed.

An email notification popped up.

[Your resignation has been submitted.]

I stared at those words and felt the world tilt beneath me.

I’d sent that application at noon today.

Back then, Ryan’s flowers were sitting on my desk.

He’d been trying to convince me for years.

He said his company had just gone public and needed someone he could trust.

He said no matter how hard I worked at my current firm, I’d just be building someone else’s empire.

Olivia, my best friend, had backed him up.

“You don’t have anyone else, Nina. Ryan’s the only one you can lean on.”

“Having him by your side—that’s your blessing.”

Even Ryan’s sister Rachel patted my hand and smiled.

“You’re going to be family sooner or later. Working for your own company is always better.”

But I’d never had the guts to quit. My job was my safety net.

No one should bet their entire future on another person.

But today, Ryan called me.

“On your thirtieth birthday, I’m going to give you an answer.”

“I really need you to come help me. My future only makes sense with you in it.”

I believed him.

So I put in my resignation.

I threw away seven years at my position, my year-end promotion, and the only fallback I had left.

And now, the group chat that I wasn’t in was still sharing photos from Ryan’s wedding today.

They’d chosen his wife for him. And they’d chosen my ending for me.

I doubled over and dry-heaved, coughing up the taste of rust.

Then I saw Olivia’s message in the group.

“I’ve got Nina handled. She should still be waiting at the restaurant for her surprise.”

Someone replied.

“Getting dumped on her birthday… do you think she’ll do something stupid?”

Rachel sent a smiley face.

“She’ll throw a fit for a day or two at most. Once Ryan sweet-talks her and gets her into the company, she’ll come crawling back.”

I read it all, then ran to the bathroom and threw up for real.

I hadn’t eaten a thing since morning, waiting for his birthday dinner.

My stomach had long been empty.

All that came up was bitter acid that scorched my throat.

I gripped the sink, tears mixing with cold sweat.

The woman in the mirror looked ghostly pale.

My lipstick was smeared. A few strands of carefully curled hair had fallen loose.

I looked at myself and felt like a stranger.

Had thirty-year-old Nina Bennett really lost?

The screen lit up with Ryan’s call.

I stared at his name, suffocating, my vision going dark.

Just before the call disconnected, I answered.

“Baby.”

“I’m so sorry. A last-minute overseas project came up, and my phone died. You’re not mad, are you?”

My voice came out rough.

“No.”

He laughed softly.

“Remember that necklace you couldn’t stop looking at the other day?”

“When I get back from this trip, I’ll take you to buy it.”

Once upon a time, that voice could melt me.

But now his voice overlapped with the wedding video, kissing Claire Whitmore.

My stomach twisted. My nails dug into my palm.

“Did you submit the resignation?” he asked.

“Don’t be scared. Come to me. I’ll take care of you.”

I gritted my teeth, forcing my voice steady.

“Yeah. Submitted.”

He let out a relieved breath on the other end.

“Good girl. I’ve got you.”

The moment he said it, a woman’s voice called from somewhere distant.

“Ryan, the photographer says we need reshoots for the reception dress.”

I slowly sank to the floor, hugging my trembling body.

Ryan lowered his voice. “Baby, I’ve got some work here. I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Okay.”

He hung up. The room filled with nothing but rain.

I sat on the floor, saving screenshots of the chat, the poll, the wedding video.

Then I dialed my director.

“Mr. Harrison—can I still withdraw my resignation?”

I looked at that group chat without me, voice shaking, but every word precise.

“And that overseas assignment you mentioned.”

“I’ll take it.”