Library
Maghanap
Home / I Take Every Piece of Advice Literally / Chapter 2

Share

Chapter 2

Author: Isla Shaw
Holding the pen, I continued asking, "Call off what?"

Irene looked me straight in the eye and answered emphatically, as if she were personally taking apart our five-year relationship.

"Call off our wedding. It's canceled, so take off your ring. Don't come looking for me anymore, and don't put any more pressure on Zack."

I lowered my head and wrote her words down on the first page. Then, I looked up again and said, "Please confirm it once more."

The wind made the pregnancy test report in Zack's hand rustle loudly. His eyes were full of tears, but his grip on the paper was very tight.

Irene was silent for two seconds. In the end, still looking me in the eye, she said, "Confirmed. Gavin, I'm advising you to call off our wedding for good."

I drew a small check mark after that sentence.

I'd worn the engagement ring for three years, and it had left a faint indentation at the base of my finger. I twisted it twice but couldn't get it off.

Irene instinctively reached out toward me.

"If you can't get it off, go back and—"

Zack suddenly looked up at her.

She paused, then corrected herself. "Since you're calling off the wedding, it's best not to drag things out. Take the ring off right now."

I nodded and twisted the ring even harder. Little by little, the metal edge scraped my skin raw. Beads of blood seeped out, staining the silver surface of the ring.

Irene stared at my bleeding finger, her breath faltering for a moment. It looked like she wanted to come over and stop me. But in the end, she just held out her palm toward me.

"Give it to me."

I placed the ring in her hand. Then, in front of both of them, I dialed the wedding planner's number.

"Cancel the wedding on the 16th of next month."

The planner, Leslie Kirk, was stunned.

"Mr. Stone, if you cancel now, you'll lose the eight-thousand-dollar deposit."

"Then let it go."

"Does Ms. Parker know?"

I turned to Irene, who was supporting Zack. She didn't try to stop me.

"She knows. In fact, she's the one who told me to do it."

The moment the electronic invitation became invalid, the wedding guests' group chat immediately exploded.

Irene's phone kept vibrating nonstop, and question after question from relatives and friends popped up.

A frown finally appeared on her face.

"I told you to cancel the wedding, not to make sure everyone knows about it," she said sternly.

I didn't get it.

"There's no wedding anymore. If we don't tell the guests, are we just going to let them make the trip for nothing?"

"Gavin, do you have to make this so ugly?"

I looked down at the words in the notebook and asked calmly, "Weren't you the one who told me to do this?"

Irene clutched the blood-stained ring and said nothing more.

I quietly put a check mark on the back of the first page.

Patuloy na basahin ang aklat na ito nang libre
I-scan ang code upang i-download ang App
Nakaraang Kabanata Susunod na kabanata

Pinakabagong kabanata

  • I Take Every Piece of Advice Literally   Chapter 11

    A year later, I went back to my high school for its anniversary celebration.Mr. Alfred Buck, who'd once told me that I was only good enough to be a garbage collector, had already retired.He'd taken a bus for two stops just to come. Now, he was standing outside the auditorium, nervously rubbing his hands together."Gavin, I spoke too harshly back then. I've always wanted to advise you not to take it to heart."I didn't nod immediately the way I used to. Instead, I asked him earnestly, "Do you truly believe you were wrong?"Mr. Buck was stunned for a moment, and his eyes suddenly reddened."Yes.""I'll think it over, then."Mr. Buck froze for two seconds, then finally laughed."Alright, take your time."It turned out I didn't need to answer on the spot every time someone offered me advice.After the speech ended, I found Irene standing by the sports field. She hadn't come looking for me once this past year.Whenever Dominic brought her up, he only said that she'd had the ba

  • I Take Every Piece of Advice Literally   Chapter 10

    A month later, Irene sent me a list of my belongings. She didn't try to talk me into going back. Instead, she only asked, "What do you want to do with all this stuff?"After thinking it over for a night, I bought a ticket back.The apartment had already been restored to how it first looked. The list of pregnancy precautions was gone, but my photos weren't back up on the wall either.All that remained were a few patches of uneven paint, like old wounds scraped away by force.Three documents sat on the table.The first was a record of the renovation payments I'd made over the last five years, the second was half the wedding deposit, and the third was my share of the money in our joint account.Irene slid the bank card over and said in a low voice, "I should've returned this to you a long time ago. It's not compensation or me begging you to come back."I accepted it. The money was mine to begin with, and taking back what belonged to me didn't require putting on a show of being the

  • I Take Every Piece of Advice Literally   Chapter 9

    The second family dinner was in the same private room, at the same table, and with the same crowd.Even the temporary chair I had sat in last time was still placed beside the serving hatch.Instead of taking that seat, I walked over and grabbed another chair by its back. Then, I dragged it to the center of the table. The chair's legs scraped across the floor tiles with a harsh grating sound that drowned out all the chatter.Mr. Parker could barely keep the smile on his face."Everyone's here. If you have something to say, say it quickly."I set the yellow notebook on the table."Last time, I told you all Irene and I had broken up and that it was my fault for pestering her. Today, I won't say anything. Irene, you'll do the talking."When Irene's eyes fell on the third page of the notebook, her face slowly drained of color.I looked at her and asked, "First question. Did we break up seven months ago?"The whole table went quiet.Irene swallowed before answering, "No."I opened

  • I Take Every Piece of Advice Literally   Chapter 8

    Half an hour after the door shut, there was another knock.I assumed it was Irene. But when I opened it, Zack was standing there.His face was pale, and his eyes were burning with something close to madness.He held his phone up to me. On it was a drafted message."I have never loved you, and I didn't leave out of spite. I'm never coming back. You're better off with Zack and the baby. I advise you to marry him."Gazing at me, Zack said in a trembling voice, "Send this to Irene. As long as you tell her you never loved her and advise her to marry me, she'll give up."I didn't take the phone."And then what?""Irene and I get married, the baby grows up in a whole family, and people finally stop talking about me behind my back.""What about me?"Zack froze for a moment. "You've already left. What difference does it make if you give in one last time?""It does." I stared at the words "I have never loved you", feeling as if a needle were slowly piercing through my heart. "I've lov

  • I Take Every Piece of Advice Literally   Chapter 7

    Three months later, my friend, Dominic Hooper, sent me a wedding invitation. Unlike the others, he didn't push me to go back.Instead, all he wrote on the back of the invitation was, "Gavin, do you want to come?"I mulled it over for two days. In the end, I bought a ticket back.On the day of the wedding, the moment I walked into the ballroom, I heard people whispering behind me."How does he still have the nerve to come back?""Didn't he admit that he was pestering Irene?""Irene's here today too. He's not going to cause a scene again, is he?"Across the room full of guests, I lifted my head.Irene stood at the other end of the ballroom. Her baby bump was already showing. The wine glass in her hand tipped, spilling sparkling water across the sleeve of her gown. When she saw me, she froze.After the wedding ended, I went back to the hotel.The moment I swiped the door open, Irene came chasing after me from the end of the hallway."Gavin, come home with me."I stared at he

  • I Take Every Piece of Advice Literally   Chapter 6

    At 12:54 am, Irene hurried into the waiting hall.She was breathing hard. Her face was pale, and her forehead was slick with cold sweat.The boarding gate had already started its countdown. I'd barely put my ID to the scanner when Irene grabbed me by the wrist."Gavin, don't go." She held on tightly, her eyes rimmed red. "Come back with me."I looked at her and didn't move."Are you seriously advising me to go back with you?""Yes. Gavin, I'm seriously advising you to come back with me."I turned to the fourth page. "Please confirm it once more."Just then, her phone rang, and Zack's name popped up on the screen.The ticket inspector urged from the side, "Sir, you're the last passenger. Please board as soon as possible."I ignored him and repeated, "Please confirm it once more."Irene looked at me, then at her phone vibrating madly.In the end, she let go of my hand."Gavin, give me a second."I stood there watching her take the call."Calm down, Zack. Where are you? Don

Higit pang Kabanata

Maaari mong magustuhan

Galugarin at basahin ang magagandang nobela
Libreng basahin ang magagandang nobela sa GoodNovel app. I-download ang mga librong gusto mo at basahin kahit saan at anumang oras.
Libreng basahin ang mga aklat sa app
I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App
DMCA.com Protection Status