All Chapters of The Day I Proposed and Walked Away: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

...The sharp sting in my arm snapped me back to reality.I was in the hospital's surgical office, a nurse gently wrapping the final loop of gauze around my forearm.She told me to keep it dry for a few days.Across the room, sprawled in an office chair, Milton Woodard scoffed. "It's just a scratch, and now you're acting like some delicate princess?"I didn't respond, my jaw tight.The other doctors in the room exchanged awkward glances. They'd all witnessed the chaos.A burly ex-con, fresh out of prison, had stormed in, brandishing a foot-long knife. That blade was meant for Milton's heart, but I'd thrown myself in its path, taking the hit.The gash on my arm, raw and gaping, had required over 20 stitches to close.My silence seemed to rile Milton up. His face darkened, his eyes glinting with frost. "Don't be so dramatic. I said you could have anything for saving me. What's with the attitude?"Milton and I had been childhood sweethearts, inseparable since grade school. But s

Chapter 2

...Cheryl's hysterical wails pulled me back to the rooftop drama.Milton had managed to calm her and bring her down.They clung to each other, their bodies pressed so close it turned my stomach. His lips trembled as he kissed her forehead repeatedly, murmuring, "Thank God, you're okay."Cheryl shook in his arms, sobbing. "Are you marrying Claire? If you are, I should've jumped."Milton wiped her tears tenderly, his gaze flicking to me, cold and predatory. "Marriage is just a formality. In my heart, you're always number one."He sighed theatrically. "Claire has been with me for eight years. I don't love her anymore, but she saved me from drowning once. And she has been like a maid ever since, always there to care for me. I owe her that much."The onlookers gasped, their pitying stares burning into me. Yes, I'd pulled him from a frozen lake when we were kids, sparking our romance.But he acted like my sacrifice was a leash I used to chain him. If I'd known he'd become this, I'd

Chapter 3

...Milton was right about one thing. I was indeed pregnant.It happened after a fight with Cheryl. He was drunk, mistaking me for Cheryl, and we had a crazy night.Weeks later, I found out about my pregnancy.He knew it, too.In my last life, I leveraged that debt of saving his life to force a proposal.We got married, but Cheryl's suicide plunged him into a vengeful spiral. He stuffed me with food and supplements until my belly swelled unnaturally.When labor came, he refused to take me to a hospital.The baby was too big. I was torn apart, screaming. My vision went red with pain. I tried to push but could not.Blood pooled beneath me, and my child suffocated. I bled out, dying in torment.Back home from the hospital, I rested a hand on my still-flat stomach, feeling the faint flutter of life. It was time to end this cycle.I crashed hard, sleeping four hours straight. When I woke up, a text from Milton was waiting.[My mom is sick. Come to the house.]Milton was a moron

Chapter 4

...In the hospital's surgical office, Milton was flipping through patient files.A nurse burst in, clutching a surgical consent form, her voice urgent. "Bad news. It's Miss Gallagher."He cut her off, his voice flat. "We're done. Don't mention her to me."She pressed, frantic. "She's been rushed in by ambulance with a massive hemorrhage. We need to transfer blood bags from another hospital. Sign the consent, please."Milton glanced at the form, then, with a smirk, tore it to shreds. "You think I'd fall for this? Didn't expect her to bribe you all. She is obsessed with me. She'd never lose my kid. Even if she's dying, I'm not signing."He brushed off her pleading tug and strode out, flipping his phone to do-not-disturb to block any further "schemes".That night, past 10 p.m., he switched it off. His screen lit up with over 100 missed calls, including dozens from the hospital dean.Frowning, he muttered, "Claire, bugging the dean now? Talk about shamelessness."He called to apo

Chapter 5

...Before Milton could process, a police officer approached, holding a phone with a video.It showed me, my white dress soaked red, sprawled unconscious on a stretcher. Blood pooling beneath me, staining the gurney scarlet.Milton's pupils shrank, and the officer's words pinned him like a dart. "Mr. Woodard, evidence points to Cheryl Harper as the primary assailant who caused your fiancée's injuries.""What?" Milton stammered, his face crumpling in disbelief and panic. "No way. Claire loves me and wants to marry me. She'd never miscarry on purpose. This is fake."The dean gestured for the nurse to help the nearly fainting Margaret to her feet.Then he stepped forward, glowering. "She took a knife for you, and this is how you repay her? You're a disgrace. Starting today, you're suspended. We don't need a heartless doctor like you."Milton paled, ignoring the suspension. He grabbed the nurse who'd begged for his signature. "Where is Claire? Tell me."She yanked free, disgust in

Chapter 6

...Four days after the rooftop fiasco, I woke up in a hospital bed.Margaret sat beside me, recounting everything.Milton was blindly defending Cheryl, even blocking his parents when they opposed him.The suspension didn't faze him, and he even hired top-tier lawyers for her."We failed you," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I swear, even if it kills me, I'll get you justice."She looked 20 years older, her eyes hollow. Richard Woodard sat nearby, his hair turning gray overnight.But I felt oddly calm.My past life's horrors had left me terrified of motherhood. Losing my ability to bear children now might be a grim blessing in disguise.I rasped weakly, "Thank you, Margaret."The change in my appellation distressed her.For the past 20 years, I had always called her Mom.She understood then that things between Milton and me could never go back to what they once were.On the day I was discharged, they handed a thick stack of evidence to the police, formally suing Cheryl

Chapter 7

...The trial ended with Cheryl's reputation in tatters.She got five years for multiple charges, and her accomplices were sentenced for their roles.Milton, though not criminally liable, lost his job. Worse, he was vilified online as a despicable cad.I became the broken heroine, pitied and admired.Post-trial, Milton clung to me like a bad rash.His parents were so disappointed in him that they severed all ties with him.He kept changing phone numbers to apologize to me, even though no matter how many times I blocked him, it never stopped.The day before I left for studies abroad, the buyer of my condo called, claiming that my fiancé was camped outside, refusing to leave.Reluctantly, I went there.Milton looked like a ghost of himself. He was grimy and gaunt, with dark circles hollowing his eyes.His hair was greasy, and his stubble wild.He stood there awkwardly, like a scolded kid. His voice was a hoarse croak. "Claire..."According to Margaret, after being kicked out

Chapter 8

...Milton vanished from my life.Six years later, I returned from studying abroad, reconnecting with Richard and Margaret, with whom I'd kept in touch.I planned to support them in retirement.Disillusioned with Milton, they'd adopted a daughter years prior—a sweet, kind girl who brought light back to their lives, making them look younger, happier.I adored my new sister.When she aced her finals, I promised her a puppy.At a pet store near our complex, she dove into picking her new friend, while my allergies kept me outside.My eyes wandered to a clinic next door, where a scarred, limping man dispensed medicine. Something about him felt familiar.When he caught my gaze, he covered his face and bolted.Puzzled, I turned to the pet store clerk, who explained, "He is a mute. Opened that clinic last year. He used to be a doctor, getting canned for some screw-up. He is good at his job, but his voice is shot. Oh, and he married a woman fresh out of prison. Her face is all messed

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