On My Wedding Day, I Married Someone Else Chapter 03

On My Wedding Day, I Married Someone Else Chapter 03

Derek came home to me wrapped in a towel, hair dripping onto the oak floors.

He saw me standing there, soaked, and stopped short. His steps were unsteady.

“You look like a drowned rat. Your hair’s not even dry—I just waxed these floors.”

“I went to the hospital.”

His hands froze on his tie. The impatience on his face flickered into something guiltier.

“Hospital? What for? Your back again?”

I let out a quiet laugh. It sounded hollow even to me.

“Routine follow-up. I’ve told you so many times. I left a sticky note on the fridge, Derek.”

He raked a hand through his dark brown hair, annoyed, and headed for the kitchen. Pulled a Coors Light from the fridge.

“Been busy. Forgot. Anyway, your injury’s healed. Skipping one appointment won’t kill you. Don’t be so dramatic.”

I watched his back. The man who once swore he’d protect me.

“Dr. Miller said if I don’t keep up with physical therapy and proper care, the old injury could press on the spinal nerve. It’ll get complicated.”

My words hit him. He didn’t speak for a long moment. Tipped his head back and drank deep. When he looked at me again, there was defensiveness in his eyes, edged with anger.

“You trying to use that scar to guilt me again?”

My reminder about my own health. In his eyes, it was leverage. A leash of moral debt around his neck.

I said nothing. Just watched him. Derek’s temper spiked. He slammed the beer can onto the granite island.

“There’s that face again. Like I owe you a million dollars. So I didn’t go to the hospital with you. Is it really that big a deal?”

My gaze drifted across his shirt collar. A small, faint pink stain. Almost invisible. I murmured.

“The cream on your collar. You missed a spot. Red velvet.”

Derek’s hand flew to his collar on instinct. Then froze. Panic flashed through his eyes.

“You—”

I added, unhurried, walking to the other end of the kitchen.

“The new watch on Tiffany’s wrist. It suits her. Rose gold’s her color.”

Derek’s face went crimson. He pointed at me, his finger shaking. Veins bulged in his neck.

“You followed me? What the hell is wrong with you, Savannah? She just moved to Nashville. She doesn’t know anyone. I was showing her around, helping her get familiar with the city. That’s it!”

“Her parents divorced. She’s been on her own since she was a kid. No one to rely on. She’s alone. Now she only has me!”

“You have to be this petty? Following me like some detective? You know how pathetic this is?”

I finally laughed. The sound cut through the empty living room, harsh and wrong.

“Followed you? Don’t flatter yourself. I saw my doctor, stopped for coffee. Public place. As for how I noticed—maybe because I took a knife for a worthless bastard and nearly died, and God decided I deserved to see what ungrateful really looks like.”

Derek’s mouth opened and closed. Words stumbled out.

“She’s not like you… She needs someone to look after her. And I do care about you. Have I ever missed your birthday? Haven’t I always gotten you gifts? You want me glued to your side twenty-four seven? You’ve always said you’re the most independent woman alive.”

Before he finished, his phone lit up on the island. Same pink heart emoji.

Derek grabbed it. Tiffany’s tearful voice came through, fragile.

“Derek, I think I caught a cold from the rain. My head’s spinning… my forehead’s so hot. I’m all alone at home. I’m scared…”

“Stay there. I’m coming. Don’t move.”

He hung up, snatched his keys, and didn’t even glance at me. At the door, he spun around and threw one cold sentence over his shoulder.

“Stay home. Think about your behavior. Tomorrow, noon. Cathedral of the Incarnation. Meet me there. We’re finalizing the flower arrangements with Father Phillips.”

“And no more of this sneaky tracking crap. It’s beneath you. Doesn’t look like you at all.”

Derek’s taillights flashed through the window and vanished into the rain. His words buzzed in my ears. Flies that wouldn’t leave.

Beneath me?

He was right.

What took me so long to understand—the only thing truly beneath me was my own bottomless, self-sacrificing devotion.

My heart had gone blind a long time ago.

The drive to the church. The silence in the car was suffocating.

I put in my AirPods, cranked the volume, and turned toward the blur of streets outside my window.

Derek’s fingers tapped impatient on the F-150’s steering wheel. The truck drifted.

“The apartments over in the Gulch are actually pretty nice. New construction, industrial vibe, easy access. Ten minutes to downtown.”

He kept glancing at me sideways.

When I ignored him, he coughed hard and raised his voice.

“I hear it’s a brand-new development. Braxton something. Top-tier amenities. Rooftop pool, gym. Lots of young professionals rent there. Great atmosphere. Maybe we can check it out this afternoon?”

I didn’t open my eyes. Just made a sound through my nose so he knew I’d heard.

Derek’s brows knotted. Suppressed anger in his voice.

“Savannah. I’m talking to you. Take those earbuds out.”

I opened my eyes slowly. Removed one bud.

“I’m listening. And? What do you want me to say?”

Like a punctured balloon, all the force went out of him.

“Nothing. Just… thinking out loud. Wanted your opinion.”

Wind slipped through the window crack. Cleared my head a little.

I faced the rain-streaked glass and let a mocking smile pull at my mouth. Then I hit the gas and drove home through the downpour.