The Anonymous Notes That Destroyed My Wedding Chapter 01
The night before the wedding, the bridesmaids and groomsmen were too keyed up to sleep, so someone suggested a game of anonymous confessions.
Each person had to write one thing they’d always wanted to say to me, the bride-to-be, on a slip of paper.
I closed my eyes with a smile, expecting warm wishes and sentimental advice.
But the second I opened the first note, I froze.
“You bitch. If you hadn’t forced my brother into marrying you, Chloe would be my sister-in-law!”
Chloe Bennett, my best friend, had called me just three hours earlier, red-eyed and apologetic.
She’d said a last-minute work trip meant she couldn’t make it to my wedding.
My hands shook as I picked up the next note.
“That engagement ring Ethan bought you? Chloe turned it down first. Said it looked cheap, so you got what she didn’t want.”
“Bet you didn’t know Ethan was in bed with Chloe the day your mom died, in the home the two of you bought to start your life together.”
“Chloe isn’t missing your wedding because of work. She just had Ethan’s baby. She’s still recovering from the delivery.”
When my gaze fell on the last note, I recognized the handwriting instantly.
“If being with you ruins this life for me, fine. Just let me go in the next one.”
Once the shock wore off, the whole thing felt almost laughably absurd.
I crushed the notes in my fist and threw them into the trash, along with the engagement ring I pulled off my finger.
Then I looked up at Ethan Carter.
“Then let’s skip the wedding tomorrow and throw your baby a first-birthday party instead.”
***
The room went dead silent.
Someone snorted from the corner. A second later, the whole room burst out laughing.
“Sienna, who are you kidding? Everybody knows you practically begged Ethan for this wedding. You really expect us to believe you’re walking away now?”
One of Ethan’s friends slapped his thigh, laughing openly at me.
“Exactly. You should be grateful Ethan’s willing to marry you at all. Quit putting on a show.”
Another bridesmaid chimed in before taking a sip of her drink.
I said nothing.
Ethan crouched and fished the crumpled notes out of the trash one by one, smoothing each one flat as he read.
Then he looked up at me, so calm it was almost as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“If you already know, there’s no point hiding it anymore.”
“The wedding is still happening. I’ll give you everything I promised. Just don’t go after Chloe.”
I laughed.
My fingertips trembled. A dull ache spread through my chest.
They were the ones who had betrayed me, yet somehow he was talking as if I were the villain.
A dozen things burned at the back of my throat, but when I finally spoke, only one question came out.
“How long?”
Had it started all those times they disappeared together, only to call it a coincidence when I caught them?
Or when the three of us went out to eat and Ethan automatically made sure everything suited Chloe’s tastes?
Ethan was quiet for a few seconds before shaking his head. “Neither.”
“It started four years ago, on that trip the three of us took to the Oregon Coast.”
I’d come down with a fever on that trip. Dizzy and exhausted, I’d gone back to the hotel early.
I left the two of them on the beach to watch the sunset.
“We had a few drinks after you left. One thing led to another, and we slept together in the room next to yours.”
“It was supposed to be a one-time mistake. But after that… we fell for each other.”
When he finished, there was something almost relieved in his eyes.
Like he’d finally unloaded a secret he’d been carrying for four years.
When he saw my fists clench and my whole body start to shake, he kept going.
“Chloe wanted me to keep it from you. She didn’t want to ruin your happiness.”
“I was the one who couldn’t keep it in anymore. Don’t go after her. She’s hurting worse than you are.”
Blood rushed to my head as I stared at him.
“She’s hurting more than I am?”
“Ethan Carter, Chloe and I grew up together. My mom treated her like another daughter!”
“And the day my mom died, you both disappeared because you were screwing each other in the home we were supposed to share. Does that not make you sick?”
I lunged forward and shoved him hard.
Humiliation and fury churned inside me.
He didn’t move. He just looked at me.
“I know I messed up. If you’re angry, take it out on me. Just leave her out of it[更口语化].”
My eyes burned as I listened to him.
There was a time when Ethan couldn’t stand to see me hurt. He used to put himself between me and anything that might wound me.
Now he was doing the same thing, only for another woman.
All the strength suddenly drained out of me.
“If the two of you are that in love, fine. I’m getting out of your way.”
“I’m not marrying you tomorrow.”
He froze.
The laughter died instantly. The room seemed to freeze with it.
He stared at me for a beat before answering, his tone softening.
“Don’t do this, Sienna. Everything’s already set.”
“Hair and makeup start at nine tomorrow. I’ll make sure the stylist’s here on time.”
With that, he opened the door and walked out.
The others exchanged uneasy looks. No one dared say a word.
Ryan Cole cleared his throat, muttered, “I’ll go check on him,” and followed Ethan out.
One by one, they filed out, the doors closing behind them.
Soon I was alone in the hotel suite, balloons still bobbing near the ceiling and tomorrow’s wedding decorations filling the room.
Just three hours ago, Ethan had been smiling as he held me in his arms.
He’d joked that no matter what the wedding party put him through the next day, nothing would stop him from standing at that altar and making me his wife.
Now the flowers and balloons felt like props in some cruel joke.
My phone buzzed.
I looked down.
It was a text from Chloe.
“Sienna, I’m so sorry. My company threw me onto a last-minute work trip. I already had my flight booked and everything.”
“Please don’t be mad. When I get back, I swear I’ll make it up to you with a huge wedding gift.”
The message sounded frantic and sincere, complete with several crying-face emojis.
I stared at the screen for a long time.
Then I sent one reply.
“Stop pretending. I know everything.”