You Only Loved The Version Of Me That Needed Nothing Chapter 10

You Only Loved The Version Of Me That Needed Nothing Chapter 10

Julian had been buried in work. A new project, new headaches -the proposal had been through dozens of revisions and still hadn’t been approved. 

He hadn’t slept a full night in weeks. When his assistant walked in with the day’s schedule, the pressure behind his 

eyes felt blinding. 

“Cancel dinner tonight.” 

“Done.” The assistant paused. 

“One more thing – your friend Toby’s called a few times. Says 

he needs to talk to you.” 

Julian didn’t look up from the blueprints. “About what?” 

“He didn’t say. Just asked you to call back when you get a 

chance.” 

Julian waved him off. He didn’t call back. 

He knew it was probably about Hazel. But the project had him by the throat, and everything else could wait. 

He’d waited three years. A few more days meant nothing. 

The day of the wedding, the sky looked surreal–wide and impossibly blue, scattered with clouds so white they looked 

painted on. 

Guests started arriving. It was a small crowd – mostly Arthur’s side. His parents, his family, his friends. 

On my side, there were a few classmates, a couple of work 

friends, and Chloe. 

I turned back to the mirror. The makeup artist had finished. 

My hair was pinned half–up, a few loose strands brushing my cheeks. The makeup was soft – just enough. And the woman looking back at me was smiling without trying to. 

Chloe appeared behind me in the mirror and lowered the veil over my hair. “Let’s go, prettiest bride alive.” 

We walked downstairs together. A white carpet stretched out ahead of me, guests seated on either side, ribbons and flowers moving in the breeze. 

And at the far end – Arthur. We’d rehearsed this. I knew every step. My hands shook anyway. 

“Breathe.” Chloe’s fingers brushed my arm, her voice barely a whisper. “I’m right behind you.” 

I gripped the bouquet. The veil lifted in the wind. I took the first step. 

Chloe had asked me more than once if I wanted someone to walk me down the aisle. A family member. Anyone. I said no 

every time. 

I’d decided early on that my parents wouldn’t be here. They 

had their own families now. 

Their divorce had been ugly — every grievance dragged into the open, every bridge burned. Watching them pretend to get along at my wedding would’ve hurt more than the empty 

seats. 

Besides – I’d been navigating life on my own for as long as I 

could remember. But this time, someone was waiting at the 

other end. 

That made it easier than anything I’d ever done. 

I walked forward, and with every step Arthur’s face sharpened. 

It wasn’t until I was close enough to touch him that I realized he was crying. A single tear clung to his lashes, gleaming in the sunlight, lit up like glass. 

Like a shard of glass. For a second, I wondered if I could see my 

own reflection in it. 

The thought pulled my hand forward before I could stop it. My fingers brushed his cheek – and he caught them. Held on. 

“Thank you, Hazel.” His eyes were red. His voice barely held. 

“For what?” 

“For letting me be the one who gets to love you.”