All Chapters of Shattered Dreams: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

The last appointment before closing was a bride coming in for a run-through for her wedding rehearsal."The client's here again. Let's hope she finally makes up her mind this time," Lindsay said as she leaned against the wall, letting out a quiet sigh.This particular bride had been a real handful. We had already revised her drafts five times, but she didn't like a single draft.I grabbed my tablet and walked inside. The moment my eyes landed on the couple on stage, I froze. "What... What's going on?"Lindsay propped her face in her hands, her eyes lit up. "Honestly, they look great together. No wonder she's so picky. If my fiance looked like that, I would want every detail to be perfect, down to the color of the balloons."Our voices caught the attention of the pair on stage. "Kate…?"The man's smile disappeared in an instant, his brows furrowed together. For a split second, panic flashed across his face."What are you doing here? Didn't you say you have to work late tonigh

I had dreamed about this wedding more times than I could count.For five whole years, I revised and refined it. I stayed up countless nights to piece together my vision of perfection. Nobody knew every detail better than I did, from every angle of the lights to every shade of the flowers. I memorized them all by heart.Today's rehearsal brought out a crowd. Officially, it was just a rehearsal, but the scene was as grand as the real thing.Jason even called in a pretty well-known photographer from his circle. I knew him as well, and his name was Zeke Wood.Zeke walked over with a big smile as soon as he spotted me. "Congratulations! I knew something's up with him lately! He even asked me where to buy a Cartier ring. Said he wanted to pick the perfect one. Don't worry, I'll make you look like a movie star today. You'll be absolutely stunning!"I didn't say anything; I just gave him a faint smile and motioned toward the bride's hand.There, on her finger, was a brand-new Cartier w

Eventually, I got the truth about Wendy out of Jason.As it turned out, she had been playing all of us for fools from the start. Jason was just one more pawn in her game, and not even an important one.All that talk about planning her wedding? It was just a show for some rich man overseas whom she was dreaming of. The reason she dragged Jason for such a performance was so that when the man saw it, he would rush back to claim her—maybe even storm her wedding in a jealous fit.But he barely remembered Wendy. He had already moved on to someone new, drinking away his nights on another continent and enjoying the sunrise together. Even the down payment for her wedding was covered with the breakup money he had tossed her as a parting gift.As for stealing my wedding design? That was just Wendy's way of stepping on someone else to make herself feel superior."If I can't be happy, nobody gets to be." Those were the very words she told Jason after dropping the act.Honestly, when it

In my final days, I made one last request of Jason.He didn't ask questions. He just wheeled me out of the hospital and took me to an old church. It was the place I had always dreamed of having my wedding.I scouted this place a few years ago and even made time to come here, memorizing every corner. I was worried that things might go awry as I was setting up this place. I wanted to make it perfect.Back then, my head was full of love, like a dream made of cotton candy.Who could have guessed that I would return here three years later—not in a wedding dress, not hand in hand with him, with smiles on our faces, but quietly moving through empty aisles.Jason didn't say a word. He just watched as I wandered through the church. His eyes darkened, as if finally understanding something.To be honest, he looked worse than I did. He was so skinny that he looked bony, his face was ghostly pale, and he was so frail that a gust of wind could knock him over.When I arrived, I saw a spark o