Chapter 7
The moment I nodded, my mom’s face lit up with a smile so wide, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears of happiness. She clutched my hand, her voice full of emotion. “You
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Chapter 7
don’t know how long I’ve waited for this, Fionna. I called your cousin this morning, told him to handle anything left behind on your end. You don‘ t have to deal with that boy again. Heaven knows what else he could put you through…”
At the mention of Darrel, I felt a small tremor in my heart, but I forced myself to stay composed. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ve taken care of everything. I’m done with the past–I won’t look back.”
Since leaving, I’d been bombarded by calls and text messages from unknown numbers. Each time my phone vibrated, I knew who
was on the other end. But I’d stayed strong, ignoring each one. My resolve never wavered -until the day I saw a familiar name flashing on my screen. My cousin. Figuring it was
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urgent, I pressed ‘Answer,‘ and her angry voice immediately filled the line.
“Fionna!” her barked, the frustration in her voice sharper than I’d ever heard it. “I can’t believe you‘ d just walk away like that, leaving Nate in that state! Do you even realize what you’ve done to her? She’s spiraling, Fionna. She hasn’t been able to work, barely eats, says she‘ s terrified… and it’s all because of you!”
I felt a surge of disbelief at her words, but before I could respond, she continued her rant, her anger only intensifying. “You need to come back–now. You left her in such a mess and now you just pat yourself on the back and move on? If you don‘ t show your face here in half an hour, Fionna, I swear you’ll regret it.”
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here, vi Lucsei ve…
The line went dead before I could react and I stared at my phone, trying to process the absurdity of it all. It was so easy to picture Darrel rushing to her side, consoling her, convincing himself he was the hero in this twisted little drama she‘ d crafted. The fact that he’d roped in my own cousin to reach me–it was just too much. What was he even thinking?
As I set my phone down, lost in thought, my mom approached me with a warm, almost shy smile. “Fionna, sweetheart, the photographers for the wedding photos just arrived. Let’s get you ready so we can start. You’ll look so beautiful; I want the whole world to see my girl on her happiest day.” I nodded, feeling a pang of bittersweet
omotion I had imagined this moment co
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many times, wondering what it would feel like to step into a wedding dress. But after years of waiting, it was a dream I’d nearly let slip away. Now, here it was, finally happening… and yet, everything was different. The man I’d once envisioned at my side was gone. But as I caught my reflection in the mirror, I knew the change was for the best.
The dress fit like a dream, hugging every curve, the lace delicate against my skin. I ran my fingers over the intricate patterns, almost in disbelief. Every time I’d walked by bridal shops, I’d imagined myself wearing one of these gowns, conjuring up scenes of romance and joy. And now, here I was, in my own dress
-only the groom had changed.
As I stood there, lost in thought, my mom
Chapter 7
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int
even brighter, I could see how deeply she was touched.
“Fionna, dear,” she called gently, putting her phone away. “Let’s get some solo shots first and then the groom will join you for the couple photos. You‘ 11 look breathtaking together.”
I nodded, taking one last look in the mirror before I followed her to the studio. The photographers directed me through poses, adjusting the train of my dress, perfecting each shot. As I waited between shots, I pulled out my phone, hoping to distract myself. That’s when I saw it–my mom had posted the video of me in the dress across her social media. The caption read, “A mother‘ s pride -my beautiful daughter, ready to begin her
now chanter
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-my beautiful daughter, ready to begin ner new chapter.”
For a moment, I felt an overwhelming surge of emotion. This was my mother‘ s love, her way of telling the world how proud she was of me. I stared at the video, feeling both
gratitude and a hint of sadness, knowing how long she‘ d waited for this.
But before I could dwell on it, I noticed another notification: messages from my cousin, filling my inbox one after another. Chapter 8
As I stared at the picture of Darrel and Natalie, my heart remained surprisingly
