All Chapters of Walked Away Before Saying I Do: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Every other bride in the boutique had brought her fiancé. I was the only one there alone.The bridal consultant looked genuinely disappointed. "Ms. Graham, are you sure you want to return the dress? It looks beautiful on you."According to the contract, canceling the order meant losing half my deposit.I didn't hesitate. "I'm sure. Sorry for the inconvenience."Before I left, she said, "I'm sorry we won't get to see everything come together, but I still wish you and your fiancé a lifetime of happiness."I gave her a calm smile. "Thank you, but unfortunately, he's dead."I ignored her stunned expression and walked out of the boutique.Once I was outside, I opened the photo gallery on my phone and deleted every picture of myself in the wedding dress.I had handled the entire wedding planning process alone for the past three months, including every dress fitting. From the original design to the choice of fabric, I personally compared every option, right down to the smallest bead a

Charles frowned."It's just a gift. Do you really have to read that much into it? Beth was trying to be nice. Her intentions matter more than what direction the birds are facing."Charles had always been stubborn and overly literal. Back in high school, he once argued so relentlessly during a debate tournament that his opponent ended up in tears.Now, with the evidence right in front of him, he still accused me of reading too much into it just so he could defend Bethany.This wasn't the first time.Before Eva took the SAT, her school held a fall bonfire for seniors and their families.Everyone was writing down their hopes for the future and tossing the notes into the flames. Bethany decided that wasn't meaningful enough. She pulled the bracelet off Charles's wrist and threw it into the fire, claiming that a wish only counted if you were willing to sacrifice something you loved.It was one of the matching bracelets Charles and I had bought on our first anniversary.We had picked

Charles stiffened.He was already furious that Julia had been ignoring him, and being yelled at for no apparent reason only made his temper spike."I didn't cancel the wedding. What the hell are you talking about?"The man on the other end gave a disbelieving laugh."How are you the last person to know your own wedding was canceled? Call the venue yourself if you don't believe me. They said the reception's off. Don't tell me Julia dragged you through all this when she never planned to marry you in the first place."Charles had no idea what was going on, but he was still clearheaded enough to snap, "Shut the hell up if you don't know what you're talking about! Who are you to accuse Julia of something like that?"He ended the call, got out of bed, and opened the closet, still refusing to believe it.He vaguely remembered Julia bringing home the suit she had ordered for him, but he had been too busy tutoring Eva to even try it on.Now, the closet was empty.Before he could make s

Eva's voice was frantic. "Ch-Charles, Beth's drunk, and she's trying to leave with some guy. I don't know who he is, and I'm scared something might happen to her. Can you come?"For years, Eva had acted as though Charles was still the first person Bethany should turn to whenever something went wrong. He had always let it slide, partly because Eva was younger and partly because helping had once seemed harmless.Now, though, the assumption grated on him."Eva, Beth isn't my responsibility anymore."But Eva was crying too hard to even process what he said.Charles was already on edge, and the sound of her sobbing made him want to hang up.Still, he had watched Eva grow up and thought of her as a younger sister. Worried that she might be in trouble too, he went anyway.The moment he stepped into the private lounge, confetti cannons exploded in his face."Surprise!"His friends burst into cheers.Bethany was sitting safely in the middle of the couch with one arm around Eva. Her ey

During my first week in Ardenfall, I found a part-time job at a flower shop.Unlike Langford, the weather was mild, and life moved at a slower pace.Working among the flowers, surrounded by their soft fragrance, I finally felt the tension I had carried for so long begin to ease.The only downside was that people kept asking about the wedding.Even after I changed my number, concerned friends and former coworkers still found ways to contact me.No matter who asked, I gave them the same answer.[We realized we weren't right for each other, so we ended things. Thanks for checking in.]Most of them responded with sympathy. They all seemed to think Charles was such a great catch that I would never find anyone else like him.They didn't know the whole story, and I had no interest in explaining it.Besides, living alone was far more peaceful than my life with him had ever been.Only a week had passed, but everything that had happened in Langford already felt like another lifetime.