We Planned Nine Weddings, All Canceled For His Superstitious Childhood Friend Chapter 03

We Planned Nine Weddings, All Canceled For His Superstitious Childhood Friend Chapter 03

I was about to leave when one of Julian’s oldest friends scrolled through the old photos on his phone, clearly amused.

“Here’s another one. They lost some party game, and the penalty was a three-minute kiss.”

“And talk about bad timing—Mara’s grandmother happened to stop by with some food and saw the whole thing. She got so upset she collapsed right there. Come on, it was just a game. We never thought she’d take it that hard.”

The words hit me like a blow.

My mind went completely blank.

Grandma hadn’t simply collapsed and died out of nowhere all those years ago.

I remembered how she had looked that day, gripping my hand with tears in her eyes as she struggled to get out half a sentence.

“Julian, he…”

I had been so clueless that I’d actually tried to reassure her.

“Don’t worry, Grandma. Julian and I are going to be fine.”

Her lips had moved, but no more words came. That was the last time I heard her voice.

She hadn’t been worried about my future with Julian.

She had seen the truth with her own eyes. She had known I was being kept in the dark, and it had broken her heart to see me wasting my love on someone who wasn’t worth it.

Five years had passed.

Every year, when I visited her grave, I cried and told her, “Don’t worry, Grandma. Julian treats me really well.”

It was almost laughable.

Every single time, she had been up there listening.

How much must it have hurt her to hear me say that?

I looked at Julian, my voice raw.

“So you two were the reason my grandmother died that day?”

Julian frowned.

“We were just messing around as friends. Your grandmother was the one who took it too seriously.”

“Too seriously?”

Tears spilled down my face as I raised my hand to slap him, but Julian caught my wrist, stopping me cold.

“If you two hadn’t been shamelessly fooling around behind my back, why would my grandmother have died so soon?”

His friend kept scrolling through his phone without even looking up.

“She already had heart problems and still kept going out. How is that anyone else’s fault? She’s been dead five years, and now you’re trying to pin it on Julian. Don’t even listen to her.”

My best friend tugged at my sleeve.

“Mara, everyone knew your grandmother had heart problems. Blaming Julian and Sienna for her death isn’t fair.”

Sienna bit her lower lip.

“Mara, please don’t do this. I did a reading. It said your grandmother’s time had come. This had nothing to do with us.”

It was always another reading.

For ten years, every absurdity, every hurt, every regret had been brushed aside by some offhand pronouncement from one of her readings.

I clenched the ruined wedding shoes so hard that a broken piece of the decoration dug into my palm. The broken decoration dug into my palm, but the pain barely registered.

I lunged at the two of them, furious enough to tear them apart, but Julian grabbed me and held me back.

“Look at you. You’re acting completely hysterical. Is that how my future wife is supposed to behave?”

I stared at the man in front of me, someone so familiar and suddenly so foreign that I felt almost dizzy.

How blind had I been to waste ten whole years of my life on someone this cold?

“You’re in no state to be out there today. Stay here and cool off.”

Julian’s voice was icy as he motioned to the men around him.

Several of them came forward, took hold of me, and marched me into the lounge next door.

“Let go of me! Let me go!”

I fought against them with everything I had.

One of Julian’s friends snapped impatiently, “Are you done yet? Do you even realize what day it is? Julian and Sienna grew up together. Everyone has always known they belong together. This wedding is exactly what people wanted, so quit standing here acting like some tragic victim.”

I was shaking all over, my voice hoarse.

“If Sienna was the one he wanted all along—the one all of you thought he should marry—then why did he ever come after me?”

“Julian was just looking for something new. That’s all.

We wrecked nine weddings trying to get rid of you. You still wouldn’t go away, no matter what we did.”

Then someone shoved me. I stumbled and fell hard, pain shooting through my knee.

My best friend immediately crouched beside me, her voice full of exasperation.

“Mara, can you stop being so dramatic?”

“Just apologize properly to Julian and Sienna. I’m sure they’ll forgive you.”

I looked at her and almost laughed.

Something inside me went completely cold.

Years ago, I had done everything I could to help her escape an abusive, cheating husband. I had stayed beside her day and night, talked her through the worst of it, and helped pull her out of that nightmare.

And now she was standing here defending the people who had hurt me while dismissing my pain as me being dramatic and unreasonable.

I gave her a bitter look.

“When your ex was only exchanging flirty messages, why couldn’t you forgive him? Why did you insist on getting divorced?”

She froze, then answered without thinking.

“How is that the same? I don’t let cheating slide. Emotional cheating is still cheating. That’s my line.”

I held her gaze.

“So when you’re hurt, it’s a hard line. But my ten years and my grandmother’s life are things I’m just supposed to swallow. Is that it?”

The color drained from her face.

“M-my situation was different…”

“Enough. The wedding’s about to start.”

One of Julian’s friends cut her off.

My best friend didn’t even look at me again. She hurried to her feet and rushed toward the ceremony.

“Stay put and don’t come out here causing trouble!”

The lock clicked into place.

I was trapped inside.