The Anonymous Notes That Destroyed My Wedding Chapter 04
I took a cab home from the hotel.
My phone buzzed the entire ride. I didn’t look at it.
I shut it off and leaned against the window with my eyes closed.
When I got home, signs of the wedding were everywhere.
Ivory ribbons hung across the living room, and wedding signs and decorations covered the walls.
The plants on the balcony were ones Ethan had brought home from a garden center after noticing I was down.
He’d said a little greenery might make the place feel lighter.
I went into the bedroom, crouched beside my suitcase, and started packing.
When I pulled open a drawer, I saw a photo album buried at the bottom.
The first photo was from the day we’d moved into the condo we’d planned to share after the wedding.
I was standing in the middle of the living room in a white dress, Ethan’s arm around my shoulders, his grin bright and triumphant.
He looked like a man coming home after winning a war.
He’d said, “Sienna, I finally gave you a home.”
I didn’t turn another page. I closed the album and put it back where I’d found it.
I was halfway through packing when the door opened.
Ethan rushed into the bedroom. The second he saw what I was doing, he grabbed my wrist.
“Where are you going?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
A bitter laugh escaped me.
“Your mom doesn’t want me here, so I’m moving out and making room for you and Chloe.”
His face darkened instantly.
“Sienna, seriously? How long are you going to keep this up?”
“Do you have any idea how many guests are waiting at the venue? And now you’re packing a suitcase?”
“Do you really have to blow everything up today?”
I stared at him without saying a word.
He took a breath and softened his tone a little.
Then he said the one thing that cut deeper than anything else.
“Sienna, your dad cheated on your mom. She still stayed, married him, and had you.”
“If she could live with it, why can’t you?”
My whole body went rigid.
“Ethan Carter, say that again.”
He looked away, irritation edging his voice.
“Am I wrong? Your mom stayed with your dad. Why can’t you do the same with me?”
“Shut up!”
My voice shook.
“My mom stayed because she was softhearted. Because of me. Do you have any idea how much that cost her for the rest of her life?”
“I’m not going to make the same choice she did.”
“I promised her I would choose a life that made me happy.”
Ethan opened his mouth, but footsteps sounded in the hall.
Chloe.
She came in breathless.
The second she came in, she rushed over and grabbed my arm.
“Sienna, don’t leave. This is all my fault. I’ll go!”
“I’ll disappear. You’ll never have to see me again. I’ll give back everything I took…”
“Chloe, what good is any of that now?”
I tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip.
“You slept with him. You had his baby. And you think I’m supposed to pretend nothing happened and keep calling you my best friend?”
She shook her head desperately, her nails digging into my skin.
“Sienna, no… that’s not what I mean…”
“Please listen to me. I know I was wrong. Don’t leave…”
“Enough. Let go of me!”
I yanked my arm free.
She lost her balance and crashed backward onto the floor, crying out when she hit.
Ah!
“Sienna, what the hell is wrong with you?”
Ethan shoved me away.
Hard.
I stumbled back several steps and slammed my lower back into the edge of the vanity. Pain shot up my spine.
He didn’t even look up.
He only crouched beside Chloe and helped her up, worry all over his face.
“Chloe, are you okay? Where does it hurt?”
Chloe sobbed against his chest.
“My back hurts so bad, and my stomach doesn’t feel right.” Ethan said, “Don’t be scared. I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Ethan lifted her into his arms and headed for the door. When he passed me, he stopped for a moment.
“Sienna, no matter what happened, she was still your best friend. You went too far.”
“We’ll call off the wedding for today. When you’ve calmed down and thought this through, we’ll get married.” Then he slammed the door behind him.
The bedroom fell silent. All I could hear was my own breathing.
I braced a hand on the vanity and slowly straightened, my lower back still throbbing.
Then my eyes landed on the framed portrait from our engagement shoot, and I laughed.
Somewhere in the middle of that laugh, tears spilled down my cheeks.
I wiped my face, picked up my suitcase, and walked out of that home without looking back.
When I got into the cab, the driver asked where I was headed.
I looked back once at the condo building before answering.
“The airport.”