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All Chapters of I'm Done Playing Along: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

The ring landed on the table with a sharp clink.The color drained from Declan Mercer's face. Even his parents, who had been content to watch from the sidelines, froze up.It had been six long years of living like this. Every time Declan cut me down with some biting remark, I never needed anyone to coax me.I just listened to his inner voice, and I would go running to make up with him, eager and willing.Over time, everyone had simply gotten used to it. They even joked about it, saying, "A difficult man needs a wife who won't be scared off by a little yelling."When I took off the ring, his mother, Janet, rushed forward."Wren, what's gotten into you? Are you having a bad day? You're not usually one to make a fuss over things like this."His father, Albert, turned stern. "This is a family dinner. Even if you're upset, don't joke about divorce. Put the ring back on."I let out a quiet laugh. "So you do know this is a family gathering. In that case, when exactly did Declan’s assi

Chapter 2

Declan's lips trembled. My face remained perfectly calm."Fine. I'll go."I turned toward the front door, ignoring his parents' protests. Just before I reached it, a hand seized my wrist and yanked me back.‘Are you actually angry? Don’t scare me. Are you leaving me?‘If you leave me, I'll die.‘Please don't leave me.’His inner voice rushed in all at once, wrapping around me. I turned back in shock and saw Declan's eyes rimmed red. My resolve wavered.Then, the very next second, his cold voice came crashing down."Go ahead and leave. But take off those shoes first. I bought those for you."My whole body went rigid. I looked down at the shoes on my feet, worn soft from years of washing.Declan had bought them for me when we got married. At the time, he had just left them in the living room without a word, but his inner voice had seeped through from the bedroom.‘Did you see the shoes, honey? Come ask me about them. Ask me if I got them just for you.‘I had them custom-made.

Chapter 3

Back at Declan's and my shared home, I looked at the small cuts covering the soles of my feet. I cleaned them with rubbing alcohol, numb to the sting, and glanced around the room out of habit.The home that had once felt warm had slowly been filled with Petra's things without my ever noticing."Wren, Petra gave me this stuffed rabbit. Put it on the couch for me. I want to see it every day."Wren, Petra got me this tie. Isn't it nice?"This is a scented candle Petra wanted me to keep here. She says it smells like her."Every time it drove me out of my mind, Declan’s smile only deepened. He savored my jealousy.The more I suffered, the more it proved I loved him. His response was always the same."Wren, Petra and I are just boss and employee. Don't be so petty."Day after day, the torment wore me down until I became exactly what he wanted. I stopped being petty. I even gave up my seat at the family table.Once my feet were bandaged, I began packing. There was not much left in th

Chapter 4

When our Ripley family went bankrupt, Mom sold her only heirloom, an emerald bracelet. When she passed, it became her single unfulfilled wish to get it back.After Declan learned the story, he reached out to every contact he had, tracked the bracelet down, and paid a fortune to buy it back. I had been so moved that I could not stop crying. I told him I did not know how to ever repay him.His tone was calm, but his eyes were full of love. "Just give yourself to me. That's payment enough."Wren, I want to marry you."He used the bracelet in place of a ring, sliding the only thing Mom had left me onto my wrist to ask me to marry him.Now, he held that same bracelet and said, "I gave this to you because I was going to marry you. Now, you’re asking for a divorce. You won't even be my wife anymore, so what right do you have to take it with you?"You don't actually think you're worth $30 million, do you?"The cruelty of his words shattered whatever was left of my dignity. I swallowed t

Chapter 5

"Declan, I'm bleeding. There's blood everywhere! You have to let me go to the hospital!"It hurts. My stomach hurts so much!"The dread was so overwhelming that I nearly lost my mind. I threw myself at the door, but the cold wooden panels held firm.Declan's voice on the other side was cruel in its indifference."Wren, I've known you for ten years, yet I never realized what a good actress you were."Petra's the one who got hurt. I barely pushed you, but you're screaming about bleeding."Your period isn't even due until next week."I was breaking apart, my voice cracking into sobs. "Exactly! My period isn't until next week, so why am I bleeding?"After six years of agonizing hope, I did not dare name what might be happening. All I knew was that I had to get to a hospital."Declan, I'm begging you, please open the door. I'm really bleeding!"Before Declan could answer, Petra's tearful voice drifted in from somewhere behind him. "Mrs. Mercer, would you really lie through your

Chapter 6

Declan threw himself at me like a man unraveling, his voice shaking beyond control. "Blood... Where did the blood come from?""From when I fell yesterday." I pushed his arms away, my smile bitter. "I told you at the time, but you were so sure I was lying."The color drained from Declan's face. "I-I didn't know. I thought—""You thought I was making it up?" I laughed, though it was aimed entirely at myself.He could take every word out of Petra's mouth at face value without a shred of doubt. With me, even after ten years, all he had was suspicion.Sometimes I wondered whether what he felt for me was love or hatred. Even a stranger would not have treated me so poorly.It did not matter anymore. I was done caring."I'm going upstairs to shower and change."Declan grabbed my wrist. My coldness had thrown him off balance, and he did not know what to do with it. His eyes were red. "Go to the hospital first.""No." I pulled free. "Relax. It's just my period. I haven't been sleeping w

Chapter 7

I went to the entryway to put on my shoes. Declan was suddenly on edge. He strode over and blocked the door. "Where are you going?"Between the divorce talk and the packed luggage the day before, I had left him deeply shaken. I could see the wariness in his eyes. I did not want a repeat of yesterday, so I came up with an excuse."Work. There's a meeting at the office today, and I have to be there.""Yeah?" The tension in Declan's brow slowly eased, and for the first time, he offered to help. "I'll drive you."I did not refuse. I could always take a cab to the airport once I got to the office.In the car, Declan brought up Petra. "Do you really hate her that much?"Petra had joined Declan a year ago. In that time, I had told him I hated her more times than I could count. Every time, he dismissed it by telling me not to be so petty. I had no idea what answer he was looking for now.I turned to the window. "I wouldn't say I hate her. If anything, I'm grateful to her nowadays."Dec

Chapter 8

Declan watched the taxi disappear down the road. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles ached, and the emotions surging through him were more than he knew what to do with.He had no way to process them. For years, I had loved him without reservation. No matter how viciously he spoke to me, I would trail after him, eager to make things right, impossible to drive away.No one had ever taught him how to apologize or earn forgiveness.The only thing he could think of was the broken bracelet. If he had it repaired, would that make me happy? It had to be about the bracelet. That was why I was upset. That was why I was shutting him out.Once the thought took hold, he turned the car around without hesitation and went back to the house. He got down on his hands and knees and searched every corner of the room until he had gathered every last fragment.He was just feeling a flicker of relief when the smell of blood hit him.I was already gone. Where was it coming from?Almost with

Chapter 9

"That's impossible..." Declan's eyes were wide with disbelief."There's no way Wren agreed to a transfer. She promised me a long time ago that she'd always stay by my side. She would never agree to something like this."You're in on it, aren't you? She put you up to this. Get her out here to explain herself right now, or I won't forgive her."The receptionist looked at him the way someone might look at a person who had lost his mind."No wonder she didn't tell you. You're her husband. Instead of hoping she does well in her career, you're standing here saying you won't forgive her unless she explains herself. What exactly did she do wrong that she needs your forgiveness for?"The bluntness of it hit Declan like a slap across the face. It was humiliating, stinging, and terrifying all at once, because it forced him to realize the receptionist might be telling the truth.He suddenly remembered that I had seemed distracted in the days before the family dinner. When he asked what was

Chapter 10

That had been Declan’s and my first child.Just the day before, while I was on the other side of that storage room door begging him to let me out, I lost the baby.If Declan had believed me, if he had pulled me out of there and taken me to the hospital, the baby might have had a chance.He gripped the test report until his knuckles went white and broke down completely."Wren... Wren..."The child he had longed for, the child he would have loved more than anything, was gone because of what he had done.On the back of the report, I had written three words.‘Let me go.’It was a sincere request. In our ten years together, it was the only thing I had ever asked of him.Not long after, in a city far from his, I received the signed divorce agreement in the mail. A note was tucked inside with a date and location, asking me to meet him at the courthouse on the first of the following month to finalize everything.The word ‘divorce’ at the end of the note was slightly smudged, as thoug

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