My Seven-Year Ice House Marriage Was Ruined By My Family Chapter 02

My Seven-Year Ice House Marriage Was Ruined By My Family Chapter 02

The next morning, I got a photo of the ice house.

Completely intact.

My chest ached.

I’d waited three full years for Blaise.

I always thought I was just unlucky.

Now I knew the truth.

Building a proper ice house was never hard.

The hard part was that Blaise never meant to marry me.

Word that the ice house had held up reached the Town Council fast.

Within hours, the whole town was talking.

“I heard it was some guy named Mercer.”

Everyone was curious about who the bride was.

“Whoever she is, it sure won’t be Sable.”

“He got it right this year. She’s the one who’s been waiting all this time.”

When Blaise heard the gossip, he hurried over to comfort me.

“Sable, this is all my fault.”

He handed me a jewelry box.

I’d pointed it out in a store once.

One look and I went still.

Blaise didn’t know that I liked that necklace because it matched the engagement ring I’d always wanted.

The ring was the point.

Even when he tried to make it up to me, he still gave me something that felt like an afterthought.

“No, thanks.”

Blaise didn’t take it seriously.

He thought I was still upset.

“It’s okay if you don’t like it now. Next year, I’ll find something better. I’ll give you the wedding you deserve.”

Then he went to warm up a cup of coffee for me.

Watching him add milk without asking, I felt a strange pang.

He still remembered that I hated black coffee.

Like when we went to pick wild berries in the woods.

If my hands got cold, he’d tuck them against his chest.

Whenever I was afraid of the dark, he’d walk me home and wait until I turned on the lights before he left.

I never had to ask for those little things.

He always remembered.

Thinking about that, I still couldn’t hold it in.

“Blaise, do you really want to marry me?”

Blaise froze.

Guilt flickered in his eyes, but he covered it fast.

“Sable, I’ve dreamed about marrying you my whole life.”

“Just give me one more year. I’ll marry you next year. I promise.”

A scream came from inside the house.

Blaise’s expression changed.

He shot to his feet.

The mug beside him tipped over.

Coffee spilled across the back of my hand.

I pulled my hand back, startled.

He didn’t even look back.

“Maris, what happened?”

My parents rushed in, panic all over their faces.

Maris threw herself into Blaise’s arms, looking terrified.

“I think I just saw a mouse…”

There were no mice in Hollow Creek in winter.

But my parents didn’t question it.

They just soothed her.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.”

Brennan chimed in.

“Don’t worry. We’re here. I’d like to see any mouse stupid enough to come near you.”

I looked down at my hand, then quietly walked inside.

My things were all over the floor.

Even the pendant my grandmother left me was broken.

Maris said through tears, “Sable, I didn’t mean to. I was just so scared…”

I picked up the pieces carefully.

I said, “This was the only thing Grandma left me.”

“It’s all my fault. I knew I’d just be a burden here.”

Maris turned to leave, but Blaise stopped her.

When he looked back at me, his eyes were hard.

“Sable, it’s just a pendant. It’s not like it was worth anything. Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”

Brennan frowned.

“Grandma’s been gone for years. You really think she’d hold this against Maris?”

My parents blamed me too.

“Maris is frightened, and you’re still worried about some old keepsake. Where’s your heart?”

Maris looked even more guilty.

“Please don’t blame Sable. I’ll go.”

She hurried to pack.

A piece of paper slipped from her bag.

It landed on the floor and fell open.

It was a marriage certificate.

A photo was clipped to it—Blaise and Maris, side by side, matching smiles.

They looked perfect together.

And the truth finally became impossible to ignore.