Seventeen Times She Came, Once I Stopped Caring Chapter 05

Seventeen Times She Came, Once I Stopped Caring Chapter 05

Almost eight hours later, I was resting in my new apartment when Ethan’s text came through.

[The rain here is insane—mudslides everywhere. But I found Megan, thank God.]

In the photo, he was covered in mud, holding an unconscious Megan who was equally drenched.

I didn’t want to imagine how he’d carried her out.

Another text.

[Megan has a fever. I’m taking her to the hospital. The wedding might be delayed a few hours tomorrow.]

[Tell the guests to go ahead and eat—order whatever they want. I’ll cover it when I get back.]

[Don’t worry about me. I’m safe.]

I didn’t reply to a single one.

I compiled the evidence from the private investigator—proof Megan had no brother—and scheduled an email to send to him at a set time tomorrow.

Everything was ready.

And I was ready to go.

…

The next afternoon, Ethan got Megan settled and rushed back to Crestwood.

He’d taken a cut to his face from a rock while rescuing her—a little scar, a little blemish.

Looking in the mirror, a Band-Aid on his left cheek, he felt a pang of regret.

Leah cared so much about the wedding being perfect.

But he shrugged it off. “I’ll explain. She’ll understand.”

He remembered how kind Leah was.

The first time they met, on the bus, she gave up her seat to an elderly woman with a cane.

The moment she stood up, some creep pressed against her.

Ethan’s fist swung before his brain caught up.

At the police station, she was trembling but still found the courage to testify—and took all the blame to make things easier.

That was the beginning.

Another time, walking by the river, she saw a puppy fall in and didn’t even hesitate to jump after it.

“Are you crazy? You can’t swim!” he yelled, pulling her back, then ripping off his jacket and diving in to save the dog.

She clung to him and the wet puppy, both of them sobbing.

Even after the rough days recently, at least Megan was handled. Now he could focus on marrying Leah.

He imagined her in her wedding dress, waiting for him, full of hope.

“Leah, wait for me.”

He checked his phone.

No messages from her.

A flicker of panic, but he steadied himself.

“She’s probably busy with the guests. I’ll get to the hotel fast.”

He rushed to the venue—only to find the staff clearing the ballroom.
All the decorations were gone.

He ran up and grabbed a worker. “The wedding hasn’t started. Who
told you to take everything down?”

The worker blinked. “Sir, the wedding is already over.”

Ethan’s ears rang. “Over? I’m the groom! I wasn’t here—who did she
marry?”

The worker looked at him like he was insane. “Sir, are you trying to
crash the reception?”

“The ceremony’s over. The bride and groom took off in the limo about
an hour ago.”

“You wanna see the video? It was gorgeous.”

He pulled out his phone.

In the video, Leah was a vision in white, walking down a flower-filled
aisle toward a tuxedoed man at the altar.

Ethan’s hands shook, but he laughed it off. “Ridiculous.”

“How much did Leah pay you to stage this?”

The worker’s expression soured. “Sir—”

“Enough.” Ethan took a deep breath and jammed his hands in his pockets.

“Fine. If she wants to act out, we’ll just call it off.”

“Tell her to find a better actor next time—that guy looked like a cheap hire. She’s not ashamed? Fine.”

He turned and left.

The worker looked at his colleagues. “Is this guy for real?”

“No kidding. Everyone knows the groom today is the son of the Brooks Group chairman.”

“Cheap hire? That’s Owen Brooks. Worth a billion.”