The Dress Fitting He Promised I Would Not Attend Chapter 02

The Dress Fitting He Promised I Would Not Attend Chapter 02

That was the moment I decided to end the engagement.

Maybe realizing how harsh he’d sounded, Ethan came over and put his hands on my shoulders.

He leaned down close to my ear. “It’s Grandpa’s birthday. Do we have to do this right now? Come upstairs with me. I’ll show you the present I brought back from Silverport.”

I stood up and moved out of his reach.

“There’s nothing to do. What you do has nothing to do with me anymore.”

I gave Grandpa Arthur a grateful nod. “Grandpa, I’m going to head out.”

He looked at me like he didn’t want me to go. “Alright. But if you ever need anything, you come to me.”

My eyes welled up a little as I nodded.

Ethan watched this whole exchange, confused, his brow furrowed.

Then something clicked, and he laughed.

“Grandpa, you spoil her too much. Now that you’ve given her your blessing, she’s going to be on my case every single day. I’ll never have any freedom.”

Grandpa Arthur wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

He ended the party on the spot and went back upstairs.

Lily wasn’t shy anymore. She started talking more.

“Miss Hastings, I don’t know exactly what I did to offend you, but whatever it is, I’m sorry.”

“Mr. Whitmore works really hard. You shouldn’t keep getting him in trouble with his grandpa. I—”

I held up a hand to stop her. “You didn’t offend me. And I’m not getting anyone in trouble.”

“If you care about him that much, why don’t you just marry into the Whitmore family yourself and take care of him full time? Save yourself the trouble of making excuses.”

Lily’s face twisted with humiliation. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

“I didn’t—”

“Enough. She’s just a kid right out of college. She’s not like that.”

Ethan pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Lily.

“You’re the one with the problem here. Just because you come from money doesn’t mean you can talk down to people. Have some class.”

I looked at his face. That sharp, handsome face I knew so well.

A wave of pain hit me.

Twenty years of knowing each other. Ten years together.

And this was how he saw me.

Whatever. None of it mattered anymore.

Ethan was still fussing over Lily while she sniffled.

I turned and walked out.

I made it to the front yard and stopped when I saw the swing by the flower bed.

Ethan had built it for me with his own hands when he was eighteen.

“This swing has your name on it now. Nobody else can sit here. Not even Grandpa.”

“Really? Then go make a stamp. Call it Claire’s only.”

“Done. Whatever Miss Hastings wants, Miss Hastings gets”

An arm slipped around my shoulder. I looked sideways.

Ethan was smiling, his eyes bright, and for a second he looked just like he did back then.

I almost got lost in it.

“Who said you could leave? We’re supposed to go try on dresses. You’ve lost weight, by the way. We’ll probably have to alter the size.”

I opened my mouth to speak.

“Wow! This swing is so pretty. Mr. Whitmore, can I try it? Will you push me?”

Lily was already climbing onto it as she spoke.

Ethan looked like he wanted to say something.

Then he saw my face. Calm. Blank. And he smiled again.

“Sure. I push hard, though. Don’t scream if you freak out.”

He walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Ready? Here we go.”

The same words. But in my head, a different voice echoed. Clearer. Brighter.

“Claire, do you want to go higher?”

“Yes! Push as hard as you want. I’m not scared.”

“Really? Who was it that cried her eyes out last time? Her legs went weak when she got down, and I had to carry her back inside.”

“I’m over that now. This time will be different!”

…

Lily’s scream pulled me back.

“Scared yet?”

“Yes, yes! Please stop, Mr. Whitmore!”

Ethan glanced at me, standing there dazed, and the corner of his mouth curled up.

“Get down if you’re scared. This swing belongs to someone else. I’m just letting you borrow it for a minute.”