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Don't Marry Him
Don't Marry Him
Author: River Snapshot

Chapter 1 The Wedding Invitation

Author: River Snapshot
Clara's POV

The message disappeared into the void of silence. I waited 10 minutes, but no reply ever came.

I should've expected this. After all, the 18-year-old Clara had loved Adrian with all her heart. How could she possibly believe me?

I wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes and resumed packing.

My daughter sat on top of the suitcase and asked abruptly, "Mommy, why are we moving?"

I opened my mouth to explain, only to realize I couldn't get a single word out.

What was there to say? What could I even say? Could I tell her that I had lost the divorce case against Adrian and had been forced to leave with nothing? Could I tell her that her father was marrying someone else and would soon form a new family with another woman?

No, I couldn't. That was far too cruel for a little girl who knew nothing about any of it.

The sound of a car engine drifted in from outside. A familiar Maybach pulled up in front of the house.

Adrian got out with his arm around Avery. The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked inside.

I dragged my suitcase behind me, headed downstairs, and naturally ran into them at the landing.

Avery waved her marriage certificate in front of my face. "Leaving so soon, Clara? Adrian's so eager. We finished the divorce hearing this morning, but he's already registered his marriage with me by this afternoon."

I didn't even look at her. My gaze went past the marriage certificate and settled on Adrian.

He didn't say a word. Instead, he stepped aside to let me pass, as if I were nothing more than a stranger.

Unaware of what was happening, my daughter reached toward Avery. "Aunt Avery, pick me up."

The smiling Avery pinched her chubby cheek, pulled an envelope from her purse, and pressed it into my hand. "This is just a little gift for the little one. Please take it."

The envelope felt surprisingly heavy.

Once upon a time, I would have slapped her across the face. But now, I only tightened my grip on it and slipped it into my bag.

Adrian frowned. "This is what you've been reduced to, Clara? You couldn't get a dime in the divorce, so now you're taking money from her?"

I fell silent for a few seconds before pleading one last time. "Adrian, please think about Sadie's surgery. Could you please—"

"That's enough, Clara." He cut me off, his expression darkening.

"Haven't I given you enough money over the last 10 years? Stop using our daughter as your personal ATM. I've seen her medical reports. She's perfectly healthy. You're not getting another penny out of me."

My fingers tightened around the suitcase handle. My nails dug into my palm until the pain nearly brought me to tears.

I had told him more than once that the report was wrong. Alas, he never believed me.

He insisted the hospital owned by Collins Group was the best in the city. There was no way it had made a mistake.

He trusted Avery with every fiber of his being.

When I showed him the diagnosis from a top-tier hospital, he tore it to pieces right in front of me. Then, he snarled and accused me of trying to scam him for money.

He even hired an internationally renowned team of attorneys to make sure I walked away from the divorce with absolutely nothing.

Sadie clutched my hand. "Mommy, I'm scared."

I bent down and picked her up, pulling my suitcase with my free hand as I walked between them.

As I passed Avery, a familiar perfume reached my nose. It was the same one Adrian had given me for our wedding anniversary two years earlier.

He had told me it was the only bottle in the world, a symbol that I was the only woman in his heart. Yet, I started smelling that same fragrance on Avery shortly afterward.

That scent felt like needles piercing my heart whenever I caught a whiff of it.

I loaded the luggage into the car. Just as the engine started, the screen of the old phone lit up.

"Are you really 28-year-old Clara? I asked Adrian, and he told me he'll only ever love me. He'd never cheat on me. He said our baby will be healthy and beautiful, and he'll give her the very best in the world. Adrian loves me. I believe him."

So, it seemed that 18-year-old Clara had chosen to believe him even after everything I told her.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the gold-embossed wedding invitation. Adrian's and Avery's names stood out in stark clarity.

I took a picture and pressed Send.

"Then, ask Adrian this for me. If he swore he'd love me for the rest of his life… Why? Why did he marry someone else?"
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  • Don't Marry Him   Chapter 9 A Future Without Goodbye

    The 18-year-old Adrian died right in front of Clara. He had promised to love her with his life. He had kept that promise.After Adrian's death, 18-year-old Clara locked herself in her room for months.She stopped talking. She stopped smiling. All she did was scroll through the photos on her phone day after day.As time passed, she seemed to return to her former self. She went to college and made a lot of friends. However, that facade would come crumbling down like a castle of sand every night as she'd hide under the covers and cry.Later, she was diagnosed with depression.The first time she tried to kill herself, she'd slit her wrists. Fortunately, her roommate found her and got her to the hospital in time.The second time she tried to commit suicide, she attempted to jump from a building. Her academic advisor and classmates stopped her, but she spent three days in the hospital.She even overdosed on sleeping pills. Doctors had to pump her stomach for hours, and she nearly lost

  • Don't Marry Him   Chapter 8 The Truth of Three Years Ago

    Clara's POVWhen I woke up, the first thing I felt was pain. It wasn't the physical sort of pain. It was a pain in my heart. A dull, suffocating ache that made it hard to breathe.I slowly sat up and realized I was in a hospital. I found it odd. After all, I'd been hit by a truck, but there wasn't a single injury on my body."Clara, you're awake?" Someone grabbed my hand. My eyes fell on an unfamiliar girl leaning over me, her face full of concern. "You've been running a fever for two days. You scared the hell out of me."A fever? I instinctively tried to sift through my fuzzy memories, only to find my mind completely blank. "Uhm… Who are you?""No way, Clara! Did that fever really fry your brain? Do you seriously not recognize your roommate anymore?"It took me two days to figure out what had happened.I'd returned to the past and was now inhabiting 18-year-old Clara's body. Well, sort of… because it had been three years since this body was 18.It also seemed that I'd lost som

  • Don't Marry Him   Chapter 7 A Lifetime of Regret

    A nurse came in to hook Adrian up to an IV, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist.His voice was hoarse. "Where… Where are they now?""Do you mean your daughter and Ms. Bennett? Their bodies have already been moved to the morgue."He let go of her hand and yanked the IV needle out of the back of his hand. He ignored the doctors and nurses' cries of alarm as he stumbled all the way to the morgue.The morgue was freezing cold.As he stood between the two gurneys, he carefully pulled back the white sheets and stared at them for a long, long time.He remembered the last time he had seen Clara. She had burst into the glittering hall, telling him Sadie was dying. She'd been hysterical, her eyes half-wild in grief.It was the first time he had ever seen her completely fall apart. Yet, he hadn't believed her.He thought she was putting on another act, trying to squeeze more money out of him. He never realized that their daughter was indeed lying in the ICU, fighting for her life.To make

  • Don't Marry Him   Chapter 6 The Man He Used to Be

    Adrian dreamed for what felt like an eternity.In his dream, he saw Clara at 18. She was wearing a white school uniform with her hair tied up in a bun, waiting for him beneath the sycamore tree outside the school gates.When he approached her, she slipped her hand into his. She laced their fingers together as though it were the most natural thing in the world."Adrian, I came in third on our latest round of exams. I never could've done it without your tutoring. So, what kind of reward do you want?"She smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. The look on her face was so bright that he felt as though he was staring at the sun.Then, he saw his 18-year-old self lower his head and kiss her. "I don't want any reward. Having you by my side is enough."Clara blushed prettily and playfully punched his arm. Then, the two of them laughed and chased each other down the street.Later, they went to college together. He worked part-time with her and handed over every dollar he earned.Clara

  • Don't Marry Him   Chapter 5 The Breaking Point

    Third-Person POVAt the hotel, the wedding continued without a hitch.After Clara was dragged out, Adrian merely frowned and straightened his suit.Once Avery had changed back into her dress, he took her hand and led her around the ballroom to toast the guests.The crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead as everyone smiled and offered their congratulations. It was as though the commotion from earlier had never happened.Everything was perfect.Adrian's phone rang four times, and he declined every call.He knew Clara was making a scene. She had always been the same. She'd been stubborn and serious about everything ever since she was a kid.The phone rang a fifth time. This time, Adrian finally answered. The call was from the hospital."Mr. Pierce, your daughter, Sadie Pierce, suffered a sudden heart failure and has passed away despite our efforts to save her. In addition, Ms. Bennett was involved in a car accident on her way to the hospital and has also passed away despite emerge

  • Don't Marry Him   Chapter 4 Too Late to Save Her

    After I returned to the hospital, I immediately scheduled Sadie's surgery.I hesitated for a long time, but I finally called Adrian. He didn't answer until the tenth call."Adrian, can you come on the day of Sadie's surgery? She really wants to see you."There were a few seconds of silence on the other end before he finally said, "I'm busy with work. I don't have time. Just text me after the surgery and let me know how it went."After a pause, he added, "Oh, Avery and I are getting married in a few days. Don't forget to come to the wedding."A sharp pain lanced through my chest, and I hung up immediately.The entire city was buzzing on the day of their union. The wedding was broadcast live on TV, with reporters hailing it as "the wedding of the century."I stared at the invitation in my hand, wanting nothing more than to tear it to pieces.Suddenly, the machines in Sadie's hospital room began beeping incessantly. Sadie was rushed into the ICU, her face turning bluish-purple and

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