All Chapters of Seven Times I Came, Seven Times You Didn't: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

"There's nothing wrong with life here in Pine Ridge. Even if you really wanted to leave, you shouldn't have pinned your hopes on a man like that," the village chief, Arthur Langley, took a drag from his pipe and coughed."He carries that camera around all day, filming one woman after another from every village he visits. If he were really worth a damn, he wouldn't have let you make seven trips to town for nothing."The sharp smell of tobacco made my nose sting.For four years, Joseph Kingsley's camera had traveled to every corner of Pine Ridge, filming every woman in every village—everyone except me.I held back my tears and nodded. "I won't wait around anymore, Arthur. Let's hold the wedding in three days."On my way back to the village, I ran into Joseph as he was bringing Gemma Watson home. He carried her carefully on his back. When he spotted me standing at the fork in the road, he frowned in confusion."Caroline, weren't you supposed to wait for me at the foot of the mountai

Chapter 2

The next morning, the mountain fog hung thick over the village.By the time Joseph came back, it was already noon. He found me and pulled out his phone. The screen displayed photos of many different elegant wedding dresses."You saw these on my phone before. I remember you said you liked them," he said excitedly. "Pick one. Once we go down the mountain, you'll wear it for our wedding."I lifted my rough, chapped hand and gently brushed my finger across the screen.The women of Pine Ridge spent their days working. Year after year, we wore dark, coarse clothes stained by sun, dirt, and labor.Four years ago, Joseph had shown me photos from his best friend's wedding. That was the first time I had ever seen a white wedding dress, the first time I saw anything so pure and beautiful.Back then, all I wanted was the chance to wear one someday and walk out of these mountains with him. Now, that chance was gone."It's not needed anymore," I said, shaking my head.Joseph's grip tightened

Chapter 3

Joseph's grip tightened around the tube of ointment. The green medicine squeezed out between his fingers and spilled all over his palm. "Caroline, what did you just say?""We're over," I repeated.For some reason, he looked more repulsed than shocked. "I told you I'd marry you. Can you stop using this kind of trick to force me into doing so?"I met his distant gaze and nodded. "Yeah. I failed in forcing you to marry me, so now, I'm marrying someone else."He sneered coldly. "If you really wanted to break up with me, you wouldn't have come here and put on this act today. Weren't you humiliating Gemma just now because you wanted to pressure me into marrying you?"I said I would! Why do you have to keep getting jealous over nothing?"With that, he turned around and continued tending to Gemma's wound, ignoring the tears gathering in my eyes.I stared at his back. My legs were growing heavier by the second, trembling beyond my control. Still, I gritted my teeth and walked away as bes

Chapter 4

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.During that period, Joseph was busy finishing the documentary. He never came to see me again. Sometimes, when he saw me from a distance, all that remained in his eyes was disgust.I stopped explaining myself to him.On the day of my wedding, the sky was only beginning to brighten when Grandma woke me up. She did my hair and helped me put on my wedding clothes.The heavy, traditional Arin wedding dress settled onto my clothes. It felt so heavy that I could barely breathe.Grandma held my hand and gently patted it. "Ladies from our mountains, marriage is where we find our home. Once you live a steady life, things won't feel as hard anymore."I nodded.When I stepped out of the doorway, the loud sound of cheering filled the air. "May the bride now step into the bridal carriage!"…As the carriage was wheeled forward, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket. The screen lit up with an incoming call from Joseph.I stared at it for a long ti

Chapter 5

Joseph's camera-holding hand froze in midair. The last trace of a smile on his lips faded. "Caroline?"He looked at me in disbelief, meeting my distant gaze. Soon, that disbelief quickly turned into certainty. "What are you doing? I told you we'd get our marriage license once I wrapped up the filming."Why did you go all the way just to pull a stunt like this?"I looked at him, so confident and righteous, and almost thought it was funny. Even now, he believed I was doing this out of spite and that I should be waiting for him, as if it were natural.People along the mountain road had already stopped to watch. Murmurs rose among them."Hey, Mr. Director. In our local weddings, the marriage is considered done once the carriage moves. It's considered bad luck for you to interrupt it like this!""Shut up! Caroline is my bride! She's just doing this to get back at me!"The villagers laughed in his face. "She waited for you for four years and went down the mountain seven times for you.

Chapter 6

The wedding ceremony was solemn, held with the finest feast in all of Pine Ridge.Still, the argument with Joseph on the mountain road earlier had stirred up gossip. They slipped into my ears like thorns, prickling my eardrums."Benjamin, you're one lucky bastard getting that director's ex.""That director's from the city, isn't he? No wonder he chose a pretty, innocent lady like her.""Who knows how far she's gone with him? I mean, look at her. It's enough to make any man uncomfortable."My fingers tightened slightly around my wedding dress. Then, a warm pressure wrapped around my hand. Benjamin, who had been standing quietly beside me, stepped forward.Without warning, he grabbed the table in front of him and flipped it over hard. With a sharp crash, plates and utensils clanged to the floor, shattering into pieces."From now on, anyone who dares to talk nonsense about my wife is making an enemy of me!"The noisy room fell silent.I lifted my eyes to his tall, steady back and

Chapter 7

That whole night, Joseph waited outside without budging. He stood on the stone steps outside my courtyard.The mountain wind was biting cold. Through the cracks in the window, I could faintly see his silhouette. He was still, as if he had frozen solid.By morning, when I opened the courtyard gate, I saw him covered in a layer of pale frost. His face was pale from the cold. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up. He rushed forward and blocked my way."Caroline, let's talk."I stopped and looked at him calmly. "I don't think there's anything else to say between us.""I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have broken my promises again and again. I shouldn't have ignored your pain. I shouldn't have taken your feelings for granted."He spoke fast, as if afraid that I would disappear if he slowed down a little.I stepped around him. "As I said, I'm married. I swore in front of the mountain god that I'd never leave the mountains again.""But you can divorce him!" Joseph said desperately. "Or

Chapter 8

I turned and went back inside the house. Benjamin ultimately chased them away.Over the next few days, Joseph halted all his work. He disbanded the film crew, blocked every call from the producers, and put aside the documentary he had spent four years making.Instead, he stayed just close enough to follow me.When I went to the creek to wash clothes, he stood on the opposite bank and filmed me with his camera. When I worked in the vegetable patch, he carried buckets of water back and forth for me.When I sat in the courtyard drying herbs, he would stand nearby and shield me from the sun.At last, I couldn't take it anymore. "Can you just get out of my life?"Joseph froze. With trembling hands, he held out the wooden hairpin. "Caroline, can you give me just one more chance? Please?"I looked up, my gaze landing on the glued hairpin with cracks. My voice was calm as I turned over the herbs drying in the sun. "We're more than over, Joseph."His hand remained suspended in the air,

Chapter 9

I turned around and saw Benjamin walking over from behind the house.Following my gaze, Joseph saw him. He took a step forward and, for the first time, broke down. "You clearly still have feelings for me, Caroline! Otherwise, you wouldn't have said all that to me!"Look at me, Caroline! Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me anymore!"I met his bloodshot eyes. "I don't love you anymore, Joseph Kingsley. I admit I used to see you as the light of my life, but now…"I reached for Benjamin's hand. "I don't need a light that was always out of reach, a light that flickered on and off whenever it pleased. Not anymore."Joseph swayed where he stood, losing his balance. He bit down hard on his lip, his voice shaking with desperation. "Then, why did you break the hairpin? Why did you cry over me?""Because I was saying goodbye to the person I used to be," I replied."I wasn't crying for you. I was crying for the foolish woman who gave everything she had and ended up with nothin

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