All Chapters of The Day I Didn't Stop Her: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

It was not just me who was taken aback. Shirley's parents were appalled:"Shirley! Don't be so ungrateful! Your husband has been more than fair to let you meet another man on your wedding day. How can you ask for something so outrageous?"My own family was fuming."What do they take our kid for? Whoever heard of swapping grooms mid-wedding? It's disgraceful!"Shirley, under fire from all sides, was sweating bullets. However, even so, she was not ready to back down."Anthony, this is my final plea to you. After this, I'll follow your lead, okay?"The whispers around us swelled, their message clear: if I could stomach this, then I was the ultimate doormat.However, hey, being the target of ridicule was old news to me.The taunts grew harsher, yet they paled in comparison to the physical agony I faced in my previous life.I let out a weary sigh."No worries, life's too precious, and my feelings? They're small potatoes."My cool-headedness shone next to Hank's tantrum, drawing a

When I next opened my eyes, Shirley's supervisor was there.Harriet White.I thought I was still half-asleep, so I rubbed my eyes and took a good look.I was shocked.In my previous life, the only socializing we did was when I went with Shirley to company parties.After my death, she actually came back to visit me.I just could not wrap my head around it. She was sobbing her heart out, as if her life depended on it.All that for someone she barely knew? Really?However, what threw me for a loop was finding her in the hospital room.Was it just happenstance?Before I could get to the bottom of it, Shirley burst in like a whirlwind."Honey! Honey, how are you feeling? I've been so worried!"Harriet stepped in front of her, blocking the door with outstretched arms. "What are you doing here? Upset that he's still kicking? Trying to push him over the edge?"Shirley froze; her first impulse was to lash back, but she bit her tongue, considering Harriet's position.Her face flush

Shirley was about to pop the pill into my mouth when the shrill ring of the phone cut through the silence.It was Hank.Her face twisted, caught off guard, and she almost hung up, but I said coolly, "Take it."She let out a relieved breath, and Hank's voice, charged with excitement, filled the room, "Shirley! The test results are in! You're pregnant! I'm gonna be a dad!"Shirley went pale as a ghost.The cup slipped from my grasp and shattered on the floor.I was such a fool. When two hearts are in sync, how could they not cross that final hurdle?I was the only one fooled into thinking there was just a meeting of minds, always making excuses for her.A bitter laugh escaped me, "Well, my wife. Pregnant with another man's baby, right when we're planning our wedding, Shirley, do you ever tell the truth?"No wonder she fell apart when Hank died.The child she carried was fatherless then, doomed to never be born.She kept those secrets to herself, unleashing her fury on me inste

After it was all over, I stepped out of the police station.I lit up a cigarette.The smoke curled up as a Ferrari by the curb rolled down its window.Harriet looked at me, asking, "What happened?"I gave a nod, the weight of resolution settling in my chest. "Everything's taken care of."The warmth from the car's heater wrapped around us as I handed her the USB drive."Thanks for this."Shirley, bless her heart, would never have given up her phone's password, not with all that business intel locked away on it. That's why I had to get Harriet to shoot the video.Years of knowing Shirley taught me one thing: she would cling on for dear life, and if she was going down, she would try to take me with her. I could not gamble with my family's safety. I had to take her down first.We sat in a heavy silence until I could not take it anymore. "Why'd you help me?"Her lips quivered, a tremor of emotion breaking through. "In a previous life, I did you wrong."Her words hit me like a thu