The Day They Left Me Behind, I Canceled the Wedding and Them Chapter 10

The Day They Left Me Behind, I Canceled the Wedding and Them Chapter 10

The three of them looked pained.

Ethan pleaded, “Elaine, I’m so sorry! It’s my fault!”

“You can punish me however you want, just don’t kick me out, okay? Please.”

But as soon as he finished speaking, he realized I couldn’t hear him at all.

He quickly pulled out his cell phone, typed out what he had just said, and held the screen up in front

of me.

The next second, Derek and Jason also held up their cell phones.

They were filled with apologies.

But I had stopped caring about that a long time ago.

I shook my head, opened my mouth, and tried to speak:

“Your presence here is affecting my mood and hindering my recovery.”

My voice still fluctuated in volume, and my tone was strange.

Ethan and the other two all looked up at the same time, their eyes reddening, then hurriedly

continued typing on their phones.

Ethan: [I know you don’t want to see us. Once you’re better, we’ll disappear from your life.]

Ethan: [I don’t have the face to stay here, but since you’re in the hospital right now, it’s not

convenient for you to be alone.]

Ethan: [I’ll leave as soon as you’re better, okay, Elaine?]

Derek: [Elaine, I’m sorry. You can punish me however you want.]

Jason: [But right now, your treatment is the most important thing. We can talk about everything else once you’re better, okay?]

I stared at the three phone screens, not moving for a long time.

That’s right.

I had to heal my wounds before I could leave Ethan-and all of them-for good.

I fell silent.

They breathed a sigh of relief.

From that day on, the three of them started going out of their way to be nice to me.

They presented me with everything they could think of.

Sabrina also came to the hospital, but they stopped her.

“Elaine is recovering. Seeing you might upset her, so please don’t disturb her for now.”

“Once she’s better, if she’s willing to see you, we’ll take you in.”

“Elaine wants to see the ocean-she’s been talking about taking a photo on the ocean-entry track

for seven years.”

Ethan’s expression grew somber, but his tone remained calm.

“The first time, you said you wanted to visit the forest park featured in that movie—the air is fresh

there, and it’s good for Elaine’s ears.”

“We listened to you and changed our beach plans to the forest park.”

“The following year, Elaine and I made plans for the beach.”

“Then you suggested going all the way up north to see the snowy landscape and the border. We listened to you again and changed our plans.”

After that came all kinds of mountains, lakes, and world-famous amusement parks…

Before they set off, Sabrina always found a way to persuade them to change their minds.

Ethan spoke slowly, emphasizing each word: “Sabrina, you’re very jealous of Elaine—or maybe

you hate her.”

“That’s why you’ve been trying time and again to get us to change our minds, isn’t it?”

“This year, when we finally made it to the beach and it was Elaine’s turn to take a photo, you said

you wanted something to eat.”

“She never got to take that photo she’d been longing for for seven years.”

“Why? Your family wasn’t well-off, and your dad would beat you and your mom-it was Elaine who

protected you.”

“She shared her snacks and milk with you, gave you her skirts, and whenever she bought pretty shoes, she’d buy you an identical pair too.”

“Why are you treating her this way?”

Sabrina wanted to deny it.

But when she saw the look in Ethan’s eyes, she understood instantly.

He had already made up his mind.

There was no point in saying anything now.

When she looked up again, there was a strange smile on her face.

“What did I ever do to her?”

“It’s clear that every time, I was just making suggestions-you guys were the ones making the decisions.”

Her gaze swept over the three men, whose expressions grew more and more grim.

But they couldn’t refute it.

She chuckled. “If Elaine doesn’t want to see me, does that mean she wants to see you guys instead?”

The three of them clenched their fists, unable to say a word.

“It’s true-I’m jealous of her.”

“I’m jealous of her happy family, of having people who care for and love her, and of having a boyfriend who’s completely devoted to her.”

“But weren’t all my actions tacitly approved by you? If you hadn’t agreed, what could I have done?”

“Isn’t it ridiculous that you’re all blaming me now?”

Ethan bowed his head deeply.

Derek and Jason couldn’t help but retort, “You’re making that up!”

I was standing behind them and couldn’t help but speak up: “You two know better than anyone

whether Sabrina is making that up.”

The three of them looked as if they’d been zapped by electricity; they suddenly looked

turned to face me.

Elaine, are you okay? Can you hear me?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, I’m fine. I can be discharged now.”

“So, you can go now.”

up

and

I looked at each of these three men-who had once been the most important people in my life-one by one.

“From now on, I hope I never see you again.”

Their eyes welled up instantly; they wanted to say something, but after opening and closing their mouths, they ultimately said nothing.

Carrying my suitcase, I headed once again to the train station on my way home.

This seaside city was getting farther and farther away from me.

Those past loves, family ties, and friendships-I didn’t know when they had soured-

were all left behind as I rode the train.

I knew I would never be hurt again.

Because I wouldn’t be looking back.