There's about half a month to our wedding when Daniel Bradshaw and I get into a horrible fight. The reason? He wants to have a child with his mentor's daughter. "We're only going to do IVF—it's not like we're doing anything else! My mentor is gravely ill now, and his only wish is to see Phoebe have someone she can rely on!" Daniel sounds indifferent, but my blood runs cold. "It's half a month to our wedding, yet you're going to have a child with another woman. Don't you find that ridiculous?" I watch as he storms off and slams the door shut behind him. Then, I update my social media. "I'm getting married in half a month, but I need a new groom. Is anyone up for it?"
View MoreWhen Silas and I took our seats at the wedding, I caught the guests around me trading gossip among themselves. Rumor had it that Phoebe was three months pregnant.If I did the math right, she would have conceived before I left Brookhelm. As it turned out, Daniel and Phoebe had been lying when they told me they would stop with the IVF procedure.I snorted, and Silas clutched my hand. A few guests noticed us and teased us openly. I looped my arm through Silas' and said, "This is my husband, Silas Langley. He's a hotshot lawyer."I hadn't come to the wedding expecting to see Daniel wheelchair-bound. The car accident had left him paralyzed, and word had it that his hand had sustained permanent injuries, too. What happened to him was a surgeon's nightmare.On the stage, Phoebe asked Daniel if he would take her as his lawfully wedded wife. However, he turned away from her, and I swore I felt his gaze on me.I resisted the urge to retch at that moment."What's wrong?" Silas asked, sen
Daniel had come to Norwald and gotten into an accident because of speeding."Ms. Winston? Are you still there?" the nurse pressed worriedly when I did not respond, pulling me out of my daze.I took a deep breath. Even as my emotions tore me asunder, I said resolutely, "Daniel and I have already broken up, and I'm getting married today. I'm afraid I won't be able to come to the hospital. Could you try reaching out to other friends or relatives of his?"I didn't bother waiting for the nurse's reply before hanging up.I had a feeling Daniel came to Norwald for me, but just as I told the nurse, he and I were broken up. I had nothing to do with him anymore. Besides, he knew plenty of people. He didn't have to rely on me.The wedding hall was abuzz with activity as guests filled up the space. The train of my wedding dress rustled as it grazed the floor behind me, and I linked arms with Grandpa as we approached Silas.Grandpa had always wanted to see me settle down. Now that I was mere
I'd tried asking Silas why he wouldn't let me in on the planning, but he simply pulled me into his arms and toyed with my fingers. "I'm the one asking for your hand, remember? It falls on the groom to do the planning."Daniel had tried reaching out to me over the last few weeks. At first, I dismissed his calls, but I grew sick of his pestering and changed my phone number. He stopped calling me after that.I did not hear from Daniel again until my wedding with Silas.…On the day of the wedding, Silas and I left for the hotel early in the morning for our styling. He had left his parents in charge of the guests while he stuck close to me, not once leaving me on my own.As I stood before the vanity, I caught Silas staring at me intently. I couldn't help my curiosity. "I must say, the wedding preparations are quite extensive, Silas. Did you plan all this only after I came back to Norwald?"He cleared his throat awkwardly when he heard my question and averted his gaze. He hadn't said
I quickly clamped my hand over Grandpa's mouth and eyed him with disapproval. "Don't you dare jinx your health, Grandpa! You'll have a long life ahead of you, and I forbid you from giving fate other ideas."Nonetheless, his words struck guilt in me. "I'm sorry for not coming back to visit you, Grandpa. I'll stay here from now on. I'm not going anywhere, okay?"Grandpa shook his head. "Oh, stop with that nonsense! I'm still waiting for you to marry. How else will I answer to your grandma and parents unless I've seen you happily married?" I couldn't help the sadness that welled up in me when I heard this. I knew Grandpa would leave me at some point, but I prayed the day would come much, much later.The atmosphere in the house warmed after Grandpa and I sat down and talked. He appraised me thoughtfully and said, "You've grown taller, but you look like you've lost weight. You look different, too.""Regardless of how much I've changed, I will always be your granddaughter," I said, lea
As I grew older, I really thought Silas wouldn't love anyone. And yet, here he was, telling me outright that he'd had feelings for me all along.He noted my expression and figured my thoughts were running rampant again. Ruffling my hair, he said, "Daphne, didn't you ever realize that you were the only person I allowed within a ten-foot radius of me? Or that I was always thinking about you?""Huh?" I stared at him in bewilderment. "I thought that was because you saw me as a sister!"Silas shot me a withering look, as if I were a village idiot. "Daphne, what person in their right mind would want to kiss their sister on the lips?"Crap! That sounded so crude that my face couldn't help heating.Silas probably sensed my embarrassment and stopped teasing me. He dropped me home instead.The Winston residence was near the Langley residence. We always took the same route home.It was quiet in the elevator as we stood side by side. I tried not to shatter the silence as my eyes darted arou
I watched Daniel leave and glanced at the mess on the dining table. I had three hours to spare before my flight, but I decided to leave after grabbing my coat and suitcase.However, when I reached the threshold, I turned back into the bedroom. I left Daniel a note that said, "This is the end, Daniel. I wish you and Phoebe all the happiness."Before boarding the flight bound for Norwald, I came across Phoebe's Instagram post. She had put up a picture of Daniel taken from the back. He was wearing an apron.I double-tapped the photo just as she texted me. "Did you think you stood a chance against me, Daphne? Don't you see how much I mean to Daniel? He dropped everything to come see me the moment I called."At that moment, a flight announcement rang out through the PA system. I chuckled and replied to Phoebe's text, "Indeed, which is why I've decided to give him to you. I wish you and Daniel all the best. Remember to invite me to your wedding. I'd hate to miss it."I then blocked her
When I got back to the apartment, I saw Phoebe's Instagram post. She had taken a picture of Daniel with his back facing the camera while he focused on the claw machine.Phoebe had oh-so-endearingly captioned the picture with, "Thanks for spoiling me!"I chuckled and double-tapped the picture to like it. She probably thought she had riled me up with her behavior today. Unfortunately, I no longer loved Daniel.Silas' text came in before I set my phone aside. He had sent me a screenshot and written, "I've booked you a 2:00 pm flight bound for Norwald tomorrow. It's been two weeks. I'll pick you up at the airport and bring you home."Daniel came home at noon the next day while I was packing up my things in the study and shredding documents I did not need anymore.He seemed to harbor some guilt toward me, for his attitude had softened considerably since the day before. "I've been caught up in too many things these days, Daphne. How about I spend the day with you?"Would you like to ea
I snatched my phone from Daniel and said breezily, "My best friend. I put her down as 'Babe' for the fun of it."I felt Daniel's suspicious gaze on me as I padded out to the balcony to take the call. I didn't know why Silas was calling me now of all times. "Is something wrong?"I heard the sound of glass hitting a hard surface, followed by Silas' tired voice. "Nothing. I'm just tired and wanted to hear your voice. Have you gone through the prenuptial agreement yet?"In truth, the prenuptial agreement Silas drew up was ironclad. A senior of mine from law school had asked me if Silas had hit his head when he sent me the agreement.It was only after I had gone through the clauses that I realized I was entitled to half of Silas' fortune if he failed to perform his duties as a husband to my satisfaction and we divorced. It was as if he was giving me everything Daniel hadn't given me, albeit in bits and pieces."I have no objections, but why did you agree to give me half your fortune if
"I'll pick you up later," Daniel said as he closed the door to the backseat and left in his black G-Wagon, not at all sparing me a backward glance.I should be used to being in second place after Phoebe. After all, Daniel only ever cared about her.I ended up waiting outside the funeral parlor for a good two hours. The sun had almost set, and it wasn't until the kind old guard stationed by the parlor asked if I was waiting for someone that I realized Daniel wasn't coming.The funeral parlor was on the outskirts of town. Cabs hardly ever drove past the area, and I could not get a ride through my ride-hailing app, either. At last, I heaved a sigh and left the parlor in resignation.The weather was fine until I had gone halfway from the parlor, and the torrential downpour started. I couldn't very well turn back, so with grim determination, I made my way down to the foot of the hill.With no small amount of luck and effort, I flagged down a passing cab.My head was heavy, and my step
I scrolled through the teasing comments under the Instagram story.Indeed, it was no secret that I loved Daniel Bradshaw to the point of losing myself. No one would believe that I would choose to leave him now that we were so close to getting married.I spent three years pursuing Daniel before finally getting what I thought was a happy ending. I became his girlfriend, and when I turned 27 years old, I accepted his proposal. Just as I thought my years of hard work were paying off, Daniel told me something that threatened to crumble my belief system.He wanted to have a child with another woman.I was never a generous person, but I had lowered myself so much for Daniel that he believed I could share my fiancé with someone else.As I spaced out on the couch, my phone suddenly rang and shattered the deathly silence around me. It was a call from Silas Langley, whom I hadn't heard from in years.Technically speaking, Silas and I were childhood friends. When we were younger, I followed ...
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