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I’m Done Being the Bride
I’m Done Being the Bride
Author: Arya Sue

Chapter 1

Author: Arya Sue
The door clicked open, and a guy holding a professional camera walked into the fitting room—the pre-wedding photographer I'd booked.

He brushed right past me, striding straight toward Everett Prescott and Sienna Hart. His eyes lit up with genuine amazement.

"Wow, this dress is gorgeous! Fits the bride perfectly."

He raised his camera, framing the two of them in the lens. "Come on, let's get a quick pre-wedding shoot! This is going to look insane in the wedding vlog."

They posed for over a hundred photos indoors and outdoors, switching up the vibes. Nobody mentioned the dress size again.

When they finally wrapped up, Sienna strutted over, shoving the digital display in my face. She pointed at a photo where Everett had his arm draped snugly around her.

"Look, Leah! It turned out so good! This dress is insanely photogenic, and the photographer really knows his angles."

She flashed me a playful wink. "Consider me your test dummy. Now you know exactly how to pose for the real deal!"

The photographer froze, his hands faltering on his camera. "Wait... You're not the bride?"

Sienna collapsed against Everett's chest, laughing so hard she doubled over.

"He thought I was the bride! Seriously? We broke up ages ago, and people still mistake us for a couple!"

Everett didn't deny it. He just offered a quiet laugh, placing a steadying hand on her waist so she wouldn't fall.

"Alright, tone it down. We get it, you look pretty. Since you like how they turned out, let's print them off. A little keepsake, you know?"

They leaned in close, their heads practically touching as they scrolled through the gallery, picking their favorites.

The photographer sidled over to me, keeping his voice down. "I’m so sorry. I totally messed up... You're Leah Mitchell, right?"

"Yeah," I murmured.

He offered to take a few solo shots of me to make up for it, but I just shook my head. "Don't worry about it."

I pushed open the door and stepped outside, listening to the heavy click of my heels against the floorboards.

One. Two. Three.

What was I even counting?

Maybe I was counting how many times Everett had completely forgotten I was his fiancée whenever the three of us were in the same room.

A bitter chuckle escaped my throat.

Everett's voice cut through the hallway behind me.

"Leah, wait a second."

…

"Sienna's thirsty," Everett called out, "Since you're heading out anyway, grab a couple of drinks on your way back, would you?"

He paused, then added casually, "Make sure it's at room temperature. Sienna can't have anything cold right now."

I turned around to look at Everett. He didn't even bother looking up from the camera screen as he said it.

Sienna caught the weight of the moment instantly. She threw him a playful punch on the shoulder, trying to brush it off. "Chill out, Everett. Mind your boundaries."

She shot me an apologetic glance. "Leah's going to get the wrong idea."

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  • I’m Done Being the Bride   Chapter 12

    When Everett rushed to the office, an emergency board meeting was already underway.The conference room was filled with grim-faced shareholders, while Sienna sat in the corner, her face deathly pale, her hands desperately clutching the skirt over her knees. Her hands were shaking, and her lips trembled uncontrollably."Everett,” an elderly shareholder spoke up, his tone heavy and solemn, "Given our current situation, I'm afraid there's only one option left."Everett stood at the doorway of the boardroom, staring at the terrifying string of figures displayed on the projection screen.The harsh lights of the conference room shone on his face, highlighting the dark circles under his eyes and his hollow cheeks.Everett had lost a tremendous amount of weight, his white button-down hanging loosely on his frame.Suddenly, a quiet smile flickered across his lips.It was a faint, fleeting smile. Partly mocking himself, partly a sense of strange relief."File for bankruptcy," Everett s

  • I’m Done Being the Bride   Chapter 11

    Just because I chose not to actively demand my due didn't mean the debt was forgiven or wiped clean.Yet Everett's biggest problem was never Tristan but himself.Sienna later reached out through a mutual acquaintance to pass along a message, claiming she had warned Everett countless times to put his focus back into his company.Even with the overseas channels severed, there were still opportunities to pivot domestically.He simply refused to listen.Everett drank all day, drowning himself in alcohol, and spent every waking, sober moment hunting for me.He drove over to the gated community where Tristan and I lived, waiting near the entrance for days at a time.When security chased him away, he'd just move to another spot and keep waiting.There was one evening when he ambushed me down in my office building's underground parking garage.I had stayed late working overtime. The moment the elevator doors slid open, I saw Everett leaning against the wall. He was unshaven, his eyes

  • I’m Done Being the Bride   Chapter 10

    I rested my head against Tristan’s shoulder and closed my eyes.I didn't tell him "I love you."In my heart, I quietly thought that maybe very soon, I would be able to.…Every now and then, rumors about Everett would reach my ears.At first, he started waiting downstairs outside my office building.When security called to ask how I wanted to handle it, I simply asked them to send him away.When he refused to leave, he sat by the flower bed outside for three solid hours.In the end, security had no choice but to escort him off the property. Looking down from my office window, he looked like an absolute wreck sitting by that planter. His suit was rumpled, his hair unstyled, looking like a completely different person from the pristine, polished Everett of the past.Later on, he tried calling me from various random numbers.Whenever I picked up and heard his voice, I immediately hung up and blocked the number.He'd swap to a new line, and I'd block that one too.We went back

  • I’m Done Being the Bride   Chapter 9

    Two blisters had puffed up on my heels, throbbing in pain all day, but I couldn't bring myself to kick off my shoes in front of everyone.Now that I could finally breathe, I pulled my feet up onto the couch and let out a long, heavy exhale.Tristan pushed the door open, carrying a glass of water.He had shed his suit jacket, leaving just his crisp white button-down with the sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, revealing the sharp, lean lines of his wrists.He walked over and handed me the glass."Exhausted?""A little."He glanced down at my raw, reddened heels, a slight crease forming between his brows.Without a word, he dropped to one knee, pulled a pair of hotel slippers from the entryway closet, unwrapped the plastic, and set them gently beside my feet.The gesture was so natural, so effortless, like he had done it a thousand times before.I blinked, momentarily caught off guard.Tristan looked up at me, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "What is it?""Nothing," I s

  • I’m Done Being the Bride   Chapter 8

    All at once, Everett realized that he didn't have an answer to a single question Tristan asked.“Leah,” Everett called my name again.This time, the fury in his voice was completely gone, stripped of all its self-righteous edge, leaving behind only a desperate, hoarse plea."Come with me."He put the choice entirely in my hands.Every single pair of eyes in the ballroom shifted to me. Even my mom tightened her grip on my wrist, holding her breath.The air froze solid, thick and heavy like transparent amber as everyone waited for me to speak.I looked at Everett.He stood just a few steps away, his eyes bloodshot, his lips trembling slightly.For five years, he had always been polished, proud, and completely in control, never once losing his composure in public.Yet right now, he looked like an absolute wreck.His eyes seemed to say that he messed up, and he wanted me to give him one more chance.Then, I looked at Tristan.He stood rooted to his spot, making no move to grab

  • I’m Done Being the Bride   Chapter 7

    The wedding march echoed through the entire grand ballroom.I stood at the edge of the floral archway in a sleek satin gown, my veil cascading from my crown down to the aisle runner in a soft, sweeping white river.The waistline was tailored to perfection, and the pearls stitched along the skirt caught the warm light with a quiet, lustrous glow.It fitted like a dream, flawless in every sense. Nothing like that other dress, the one that spent five whole years being altered and still never fit right.Tristan stood beside me, immaculate in a tailored suit, his posture effortlessly straight.His lips were pressed together into a subtle line, a slight giveaway of his quiet nerves.Noticing my eyes on him, he turned his head and offered a gentle, faint smile as if afraid to disturb the moment.The officiant beamed from the altar and cleared his throat, adjusting his microphone."Do you, Leah, take this man—""She doesn't!"A deafening crash shattered the peace of the grand ballroo

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