You Wanted Me to Beg Before Marriage? Too Bad, I Walked First Chapter 01

You Wanted Me to Beg Before Marriage? Too Bad, I Walked First Chapter 01

My friends all said I was dating a moody, high-maintenance boyfriend.

On the day Evan Carter and I were supposed to get married at the courthouse, the photographer I had hired was already waiting downstairs.

After finishing my makeup, I urged him, “Hurry up, Evan. Stop playing that game.”

He gave me a cold glance, started another match right in front of me, then shut and locked the bedroom door.

He was always like this. I never knew what would set him off or how long he intended to stay angry.

He would wait for me to knock on the door, figure out what I had supposedly done wrong, apologize, and buy him whatever designer item he had casually mentioned wanting.

This time, however, my raised hand never touched the door. The apology that normally came so easily lodged in my throat.

Five years of managing his moods had left me numb and exhausted. The thought of spending the rest of my life this way suddenly terrified me.

…

“Evan!” I called.

The room went quiet for a moment. I could already picture him setting down his phone and reclining in his gaming chair, ready to listen while I apologized and begged for his forgiveness.

He loved making me plead with him over and over again.

Today, though, I said in a tired voice, “Come out. We planned this a long time ago, and the photographer is already here.”

The volume of his game suddenly shot up.

Apparently, that was not the answer he wanted.

After hesitating for a moment, I took off my veil and began removing my makeup.

Water washed away the heavy foundation along with tears I had not even realized were there.

The woman in the mirror had exhaustion written all over her face.

I was so tired. I did not want to placate him anymore.

At the entryway, I put away the new heels I had bought for the courthouse wedding. Evan’s shoes were lying nearby, kicked carelessly to one side.

The new sneakers with hidden lifts had been meant for the courthouse wedding. Almost as soon as he got them, though, he wore them to a food truck and left grease stains on the uppers that would not come out.

We had argued until late the night before, so I had not had time to clean them for him.

I glanced at the shoes, stepped right on them, and hurried downstairs.

The photographer had already been waiting for a long time. The moment I saw her, I said, “I’m sorry. You can go home. We’re not getting married today.”

I paid the fifty-percent cancellation fee, so she was not upset. Instead, the young photographer pulled me aside and lowered her voice.

“When you two came in to choose the props last time, I wanted to say something. Your boyfriend acts like a spoiled man-child.”

“He wanted water, but instead of buying it himself, he ordered you to go. Then he drank both bottles as soon as you came back, including yours, and still gave you attitude.”

“I guess this shoot is off anyway, so I’m going to be completely honest with you. That man doesn’t deserve you.”

I instinctively defended him. “He wanted cold water, but the cooler at the convenience store was broken. That was why he was upset.”

When I saw the disapproval on her face, I gave a bitter smile.

She was right. Simply because the water I brought back was not cold enough, he had felt entitled to blame me. He had even drunk my bottle out of spite.

It had not mattered to him that I had already worked a full day or that I had walked so far in heels.

It had not mattered that I was thirsty too in that sweltering heat.