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The Love He Left Behind Along the Way

The Love He Left Behind Along the Way

História curta · Romance
Por:  Fresh SnackCompleto
Idioma: English
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Sinopse

Tragic Love

Melodramatic

Bias

Mistress

Scumbag

Winning Back the Wife

Cheating

At the wedding reception, every place card at the last table bore an online username instead of a real name. I turned to my husband and quietly asked who these people were. Before he could answer, a young woman at the table blinked at me and said playfully, "Hey, we're not strangers. I've been hiking with Zane for three years. Every time we go out, we sleep in the same tent." The others at the table burst out laughing. "Say it. Does Zane snore in his sleep?" I stood there frozen, wineglass in hand, utterly humiliated. To my surprise, Zane laughed along with them. "They're all my friends. I bought you tickets to Caldera Bay for our honeymoon, but I'm not going. I finally have some time off after the wedding, so I'm planning to hike the Blackridge Trail with them." I was about to demand an explanation, but the young woman had already pulled Zane into the seat beside her and started drinking with him. She playfully punched him in the chest as she laughed, her tone half teasing and half annoyed. I thought about all the times over the years he'd left me behind just to go hiking, and my heart went cold. I turned and walked away, leaving Zane with a single message. [Our honeymoon is supposed to be something we share as a couple. Since you're unwilling to go, I'll just find somebody willing to.]

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Capítulo 1

Chapter 1

Sarah's POV

I had just changed out of my wedding reception dress when Zane Hayes burst into the dressing room. "Babe, why are you mad at me?"

The handsome man looked anxious as he hurried over and grabbed my hand, eager to explain himself. "Didn't we agree we'd still give each other space after we got married? Hiking is my only hobby. You know that."

I held back the tears stinging my eyes. "But you never told me your hobby involved sleeping in the same tent as other women."

Zane wiped a tear from the corner of my eye with his thumb and gave me a bitter smile. "What are you thinking, baby? When you're outdoors, there's no difference between men and women.

"If you're on a long-distance hike or climbing a snow-covered mountain, you're so exhausted that you practically pass out the second you lie down.

"Everyone's separated by sleeping bags, so there's really nothing to worry about. If you're going to be that particular about it, you might as well not go at all."

I pressed my lips together and said nothing. His explanation seemed to make perfect sense.

But even knowing they were separated by sleeping bags, the thought of him lying in the same tent as another woman still made me uncomfortable.

He took my hand again and coaxed me in a low voice. "Babe, do you know how high the mountains we climb are?

"Thousands of feet above sea level. If you're still thinking about that kind of thing at that altitude, the blood rushing to your head alone could kill you."

My tangled thoughts came to an abrupt halt. I knew nothing about hiking, and I'd never heard anything like that before.

Could it be that I'd really been overthinking things?

"Is that really true?" I asked hesitantly.

He lifted my hand and kissed the back of it, just above my diamond ring. "Truer than anything in the world. Good girl.

"I booked a karaoke bar's private room for this afternoon. I'll introduce you to everyone in my hiking group so you can meet them yourself. Then maybe that little head of yours will stop imagining things all day."

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13 Capítulos
Chapter 1
Sarah's POVI had just changed out of my wedding reception dress when Zane Hayes burst into the dressing room. "Babe, why are you mad at me?"The handsome man looked anxious as he hurried over and grabbed my hand, eager to explain himself. "Didn't we agree we'd still give each other space after we got married? Hiking is my only hobby. You know that."I held back the tears stinging my eyes. "But you never told me your hobby involved sleeping in the same tent as other women."Zane wiped a tear from the corner of my eye with his thumb and gave me a bitter smile. "What are you thinking, baby? When you're outdoors, there's no difference between men and women."If you're on a long-distance hike or climbing a snow-covered mountain, you're so exhausted that you practically pass out the second you lie down."Everyone's separated by sleeping bags, so there's really nothing to worry about. If you're going to be that particular about it, you might as well not go at all."I pressed my lips t
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Chapter 2
The playful young woman was named Samantha White.The moment Zane and I walked through the door, she called out in her loud, cheerful voice, "I told you his wife was mad! Zane just wouldn't believe me!"Then she turned to me with a sweet smile, clearly pleased with herself. "Sarah, right? I'm the one who told Zane you were upset. That's why he went after you."Otherwise, you'd still be sitting there sulking while this clueless man had no idea what was going on."She gave me a playful wink, as if we'd been best friends for years.But all I felt was a wave of discomfort. Since when did the relationship between Zane and me need an outsider sticking her nose into it?I didn't respond. I simply walked past her and sat down.Samantha's attempt at friendliness hit a wall, and she stuck out her tongue. "Okay, so you're mad at me too. You still haven't forgiven me."The other members of the hiking group looked over."What did she do to make you mad?""Just because Zane slept in the sa
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Chapter 3
Samantha stuck out her tongue and muttered, "If Zane didn't always take care of me, I wouldn't act like this."The others at the table burst out laughing again."Zane definitely takes care of you!""You've been hiking for three years, and you still can't even carry your own one-person tent. Every time we go out, Zane has to haul all sixty pounds of cookware and gear, plus your tent."And now it's gotten even more ridiculous. Samantha just posts whatever she needs in the group chat, and Zane buys everything and brings it along for her."My fingers tightened around my wineglass.I'd lived with Zane for five years. I didn't want him eating takeout all the time, so I bought groceries and cooked for him every day after work.Once, we'd run out of salt, and I asked him to pick up a bag on his way home. He acted as though I'd asked him to carry a boulder."Babe, I'm an executive, for God's sake. I go to work in a suit every day, and you want me walking around with some cheap bag of sa
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Chapter 4
I went back to our new home to pack my things.Zane returned soon after, and this time, he was furious. "Sarah, what the hell are you doing? I already told you that you don't understand anything about hiking, so what gives you the right to judge?"Samantha is such a sweet-tempered girl, and you actually made her cry! Are you happy now?"I set down the clothes I'd just folded and stood to face him. "If you think she's so sweet and you like her that much, then we can get divorced. She can have you."Zane's anger caught in his throat.The veins in his forehead throbbed before he spun around and kicked the suitcase. "Why have you become so unreasonable?"You know damn well that hiking is my only hobby. My job puts me under so much pressure, and hiking is how I cope with it. Are you seriously going to take even that away from me?"I stared at the suitcase he'd knocked over. The wedding dress and reception dress I'd carefully packed spilled across the floor again.There had been so m
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Chapter 5
Zane hesitated, as if he wanted to say something.Just then, his phone rang. The moment he answered, his expression turned grim.He got to his feet and immediately began gathering his hiking gear."You hurt Samantha's feelings at the karaoke bar, and she isn't answering my calls or replying to my texts. I heard she's planning to hike the Blackridge Trail alone. That route is deadly for someone at her skill level! I have to find her and bring her back!"With that, he slung his hiking gear over his shoulder and walked out without looking back.The room suddenly felt empty and silent. I forced a pale smile.Compared to his love of hiking, I had always been insignificant.I sighed and picked up the wedding gown he'd kicked across the floor again.But no matter how hard I tried, the stain wouldn't come out.…By the time I returned the rented wedding dress and made it home, a message popped up in the family group chat.Several relatives who had traveled from out of town for the w
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Chapter 6
Third-Person POVIt was a full week before Zane finally returned from the Blackridge Trail.With Samantha constantly cracking jokes in the group chat, the hiking group had settled back into its usual easygoing atmosphere. Everyone seemed to have swept the unpleasantness at the wedding under the rug.Even after they got home, Samantha still remembered to text him.Samantha: [Go home and make it up to your wife. You brought the bracelet I asked you to buy, right? Not every girl is as easygoing as me, and you're already married. Sweet-talk her a little, and she'll definitely forgive you.]Zane smiled and replied.Zane: [You're such a little schemer. If my wife were even half as understanding as you, I'd have so much less to worry about.]Samantha sent back a playful tongue-out emoji.Samantha: [Then take me out to dinner in a few days. No wife, and don't invite anyone else either. I want the kind of fine dining that costs over 500 dollars per person!]Zane replied with an indulge
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Chapter 7
Samantha's message popped up without warning.Samantha: [So? Did your wife forgive you when she saw the bracelet?]She'd even included a "Tell me how amazing I am" sticker.But for the first time, Zane wasn't in the mood to joke around with her.The thought of Sarah going on her honeymoon with another man sent a sharp pang through his chest.Then he considered how his own actions must have looked from her perspective.He'd gone off on their honeymoon and spent it with another woman.A vague sense of unease crept into Zane's heart. He picked up his phone and sent Sarah a series of voice messages."Come back and explain yourself.""Samantha and I aren't what you think. Stop sitting there making up scenarios in your head every day!""I didn't sleep in the same tent as her this time. And it wasn't just the two of us on the Blackridge Trail. Everyone in the group can vouch for that. Just come home first!"He sent all three messages, but the signal wasn't great.Three little circ
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Chapter 8
That day, Zane received a call from the bridal shop."Mr. Hayes, we'd still like to discuss compensation for the wedding dress with you."When he arrived at the bridal shop, he saw the wedding dress he'd stepped on and stained. It was the same dress he'd picked out with Sarah.Back then, he'd wanted to give her a grand, unforgettable wedding, and he'd fallen in love with the dress at first sight. "Babe, this one. You'll look beautiful in it."The bridal shop attendant had told them it was from a celebrity designer brand, one of the most expensive wedding dress labels in the country. A custom-made gown would cost 28,000 dollars.Zane had been more than willing to pay for it. He had the money.But Sarah had been horrified by the price. "I'm only going to wear it once, and you want to spend 28,000 dollars? That's more than two years of my salary."He'd only laughed, slipped an arm around her as she stood in the wedding dress, and leaned down to kiss her. "Silly. Your husband makes
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Chapter 9
Zane began asking everyone he knew for news of Sarah.But there was still no word from her. It was as if she'd vanished off the face of the earth. She had even quit her stable nine-to-five job, leaving her coworkers baffled."Our company is so stable. The pay isn't great, but she gets off work early. She could still make it home every day to cook for you. Who knows what she was thinking."Zane drove home. As he waited at a red light, the answer suddenly came to him.Sarah had once had dreams of her own.When they'd first met, she'd been a photographer who constantly traveled for different shoots.After injuring her leg, she'd taken that stable job and devoted herself to being the perfect homemaker, spending all her time taking care of him.Even his love of hiking had started because of her.Back then, Sarah had wanted to photograph the northern lights. He'd followed her all the way to Northvale, and beneath the dazzling aurora, Zane had confessed his love."Sarah, I'll take yo
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Chapter 10
After blocking Samantha, Zane posted in the hiking group.Zane: [I'm leaving the group for a while.]He handed the admin role directly to another veteran hiker.People kept tagging him in the group, while others messaged him privately to ask why. He didn't reply to a single one. Eventually, he grew so fed up with the questions that he left the group altogether. All he wanted was to win his wife back.But even after he'd gone this far, why wouldn't Sarah respond to him? Where was she? Why wouldn't she turn around and give him another look?He had changed!Zane searched for Sarah like a madman.Whenever he had time off, he rushed to Caldera Bay. Other times, he contacted Sarah's relatives and friends to ask if they knew where she was. But no one had any idea where she'd gone. No matter where he looked, he came up empty-handed.When someone didn't want to be found, they could always find a way to disappear. He knew that better than anyone.Back then, whenever he found Sarah too n
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