The Day They Left Me Behind, I Canceled the Wedding and Them Chapter 04

The Day They Left Me Behind, I Canceled the Wedding and Them Chapter 04

I grabbed my suitcase and took a taxi to the train station.

The car had just started moving.

The phone rang.

The caller ID showed “Ethan.”

I looked at it for a few seconds, but didn’t answer.

The very next second, he sent me a message.

Ethan: [Elaine, we ran into a fight at the Starlight Market near our guesthouse. I got hit on my right arm, and it really hurts right now.]

My face fell.

That summer after my senior year of high school, I ran into a criminal while out for a night run and was almost dragged into the bushes.

It was Ethan who arrived just in time to save me.

He was stabbed three times in the right arm, which left him with lasting effects.

I called back, but no one answered.

I called my older brother and Jason again, but no one answered.

Could something really have happened?

I couldn’t hold back any longer and said to the driver, “Sir, could you please turn around and take me back to the Starlight Market next to the guesthouse?”

The driver nodded and turned the car around.

I kept urging him on the whole way.

As soon as we arrived, before the car had even come to a complete stop, I jumped out as fast as I could.

I even forgot to grab my suitcase from the trunk—I was so caught up in rushing frantically through the market, shouting Ethan’s name as I searched everywhere for him.

Suddenly, I didn’t know what I stepped on, but my foot slipped, and I fell hard to the ground.

Ignoring the pain throughout my body, I rolled over and tried to get up.

Sabrina’s laughter came from above.

“Elaine really is back!”

“Ethan is the best—his plan really worked.”

Derek snorted derisively.

“Everyone knows she can’t let go of Ethan! If anything happened to Ethan, she’d definitely rush back.”

In that instant, a chill ran through my whole body.

I slowly lifted my head and saw my fiancé, Ethan, my childhood friend Jason, my older brother Derek, and Sabrina—the four of them standing in a row.

Sabrina looked at me with a smile. “Elaine, come on, get up—let’s go browse the market together.”

Derek frowned. “The fish stalls here just closed up shop—can’t you see?”

“You’re covered in fish scales, and there’s that fish-cleaning water everywhere—it stinks to high heaven.”

Jason glanced at me and looked over at the Starbucks next door.

“Sabrina just said she was thirsty, so I’m going to grab a few drinks.”

When I first started elementary school, I used to eat snacks during class, and my teacher scolded me.

Jason would always stand up and tell the teacher that he was the one who made me eat it.

I didn’t understand—how could the person who said he’d love me forever have changed like this?

Ethan walked over to me and held out his hand.

“Come on, how much longer are you going to stay crouched in this stinky place?”

I stared at that hand for a second.

The engagement ring on his ring finger had slipped off at some point.

He’d been wearing it for over a year, and it hadn’t left a single mark.

Just like our relationship.

“Elaine?”

He urged me impatiently.

I pushed myself up with both hands and slowly lowered my head.

There were fish scales on my clothes, along with a puddle of dirty water, and I reeked of fish.

Ethan took a step back and looked at me.

“You’re a grown woman and yet you managed to fall like that—I’ll let you have your little tantrum.”

“Why don’t you head back to the guesthouse first to take a shower and change your clothes? Otherwise, how are you going to go shellfishing with us tonight looking like that?”

I stared at his unscathed right arm and thought the whole thing was utterly ridiculous.

“You texted me saying you’d been beaten up—were you lying to me?”

A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes, and he looked at me with impatience.

“Would you have come back to us if I hadn’t said that? It’s your own fault for stirring up trouble for no reason!”

At that moment, the boy who had saved me became a thing of the past.

I nodded and said flatly, “I was being nosy.”

With that, I turned and walked away.

Ethan’s voice came from behind me.

“Get changed and come find us quickly!”

I ignored him.

I knew that from now on, I would never respond to this person again.