All Chapters of Her Stolen Wedding: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

My childhood friend, Mason Rowe, and my best friend, Natalie Hayes, stood shoulder to shoulder, blocking my path. They looked ready for me to make another scene like I always had before.But what did they have to be afraid of?Two years ago, on the night before my wedding, Chloe Holloway had "accidentally" smashed the sails of my bridal ship.Furious, I'd shoved her.The very next day, Mason pinned me down in the middle of downtown and slapped me ninety-nine times in front of a crowd.Last year, Chloe had "accidentally" burned the wedding gown I'd spent six months embroidering.I'd finally snapped and ripped her dress to shreds.Ethan Holloway, my brother, dragged me away, stripped me down to my underclothes, and suspended me from the ship's mast for seven straight days."Chloe's dress took seven days to make. You'll spend seven days paying for what you did. That's only fair."Even now, I could still remember the way they looked at me during those seven days.It made me wish

Chapter 2

A massive screen played a montage of Julian and Chloe over and over again.On the beach, they chased each other barefoot through the surf, Chloe laughing as she splashed water at him.At an amusement park, they held hands and laughed together on a roller coaster.When the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, Julian lowered his head and gently smoothed the windblown hair from her face.In the corner of every scene, there I was, taking their pictures and carrying their bags."You don't enjoy this stuff anyway. Just wait out here for us," Julian had always said.For the first time, I realized that sometime over the past few years, I had become the unwanted third person.Onstage, Julian slipped the ring onto Chloe's finger."One day I'll put this ring on your finger in front of everyone," he'd once promised me. "I'll tell the whole world you're my wife."My throat burned. I said, my voice hoarse. "Julian, I spent two whole months picking out those wedding bands. I even flew ove

Chapter 3

Chloe suddenly reached out and ripped the mask off my face.The foundation I'd used to hide my scars had long since washed away in the river. My scarred face was laid bare for everyone to see. Jagged bite marks stretched from my forehead all the way to my chin.A chorus of shocked gasps rippled through the room.Even Julian instinctively took a step back. It was only a small movement, but it felt like a knife plunging straight into my heart.In the corner, a little boy burst into tears. "Mommy, she looks scary!"Dad's face darkened. "Get out of here this instant! Haven't you embarrassed this family enough?"You actually had the nerve to claim credit for saving us. Audrey, have you no shame?"And even if you were the one who saved us, so what? We love Chloe because she's kind. Thank God you're the one who ended up disfigured instead of her!"At that moment, every last shred of hope I'd been clinging to disappeared.Chloe's eyes reddened with tears. "Audrey, Mom and Dad both hav

Chapter 4

By our tradition, every detail of the lead bridal ship was supposed to be crafted by the bride's parents.But Chloe burst into tears, saying she had no parents to help build hers.So, to keep things "fair," I was forced to cut every piece of lumber for my own ship myself. I bound the beams together, carved every detail, and worked until both hands were covered in blisters.Suddenly, I remembered the photo and message Preston Callahan had sent me earlier that day.[My parents and I have been getting this ship ready for you for the past eight years.]The vessel in the picture was unlike anything I'd ever seen.Julian let out a mocking laugh. "To marry who? Everyone around here knows you're nothing but bad luck. Besides me, who else would ever want you?"Tears welled in Chloe's eyes. "Audrey, unlike you, I wasn't lucky enough to grow up with my parents. All they ever wanted was to see me get married. Can you please stop making things difficult for me?"Rage flashed across Ethan's

Chapter 5

The wedding celebration aboard the Sterling family's ship was still in full swing.Inside the spacious cabin, the guests cheered and laughed."Julian, don't think you're getting off easy tonight!""That's right! You're not getting rid of us that easily!""Hope you're ready, Julian!"Julian had already been forced to drink more than his fair share. Even so, he wore an easy smile.Ethan bumped his shoulder with a wineglass. "You finally married my sister. If you ever make her cry, I'll be the first one to beat the hell out of you."Mom and Dad sat at the head table, grinning from ear to ear.Everyone was immersed in the joy of the wedding.No one noticed the wind outside growing stronger or heard the first cries for help swallowed by the crashing waves.It wasn't until a few minutes later that the doors burst open.Everyone instinctively turned.Vanessa rushed inside, her face drained of color. Her hair was disheveled, and she was gasping for breath."Something's happened! T

Chapter 6

The smile on Mom's face gradually faded. It suddenly occurred to her that if not for Chloe, today would have been my first visit home as Mrs. Sterling.She and Dad had dreamed about that day countless times.Back when I was little, every time they saw a beautiful dress while shopping, Mom would smile and say, "When our Audrey gets married, we're buying her the very best."Dad would always laugh. "Of course. When my daughter gets married, she'll have the most beautiful wedding anyone's ever seen."Ethan would inevitably chime in, "If anybody ever hurts my little sister, they'll have to answer to me first."They'd spent years talking about my wedding, my dowry, and how many guests we'd invite to my post-wedding celebration.But now...The woman sitting in the seat that should've been mine wasn't me.A sharp ache tightened in Mom's chest, making it hard to breathe.Dad was the first to stand. "I'm going to check on Audrey. She hasn't come downstairs to eat these past few days. Sh

Chapter 7

Dad was the first to reach the dock, tears already streaming down his face."Audrey! How could you leave without saying a word? Do you have any idea how desperately we've been searching for you?"Mom stumbled over a moment later and immediately began looking me over from head to toe, terrified I'd been hurt.Just as her hand was about to touch my shoulder, I took a step back. Her face instantly turned pale.But I never looked at her. Instead, I walked over and stood beside Preston. Almost instinctively, he stepped forward, placing himself between me and my family.Only then did Mom notice him. Her eyes immediately filled with suspicion. "Who is he? Audrey, tell me the truth. Did he trick you into coming here? Is he forcing you to do this? Don't be afraid. I'm here to take you home."I met her gaze calmly. "No one's forcing me. He's my fiance."That declaration left everyone stunned.Standing behind them, Julian stared fixedly at my wedding dress. "Audrey, what do you mean by th

Chapter 8

Chloe's face turned deathly pale. "It's not like that... Mom, Dad, please let me explain."Mom slapped her hard across the face. "Don't call me Mom. You don't deserve to."All Mom could think about were the years of pain Audrey had endured, the tears that filled Audrey's eyes every time she was falsely accused, and her lonely figure walking away without looking back.Terrified, Chloe threw herself toward Ethan."Ethan! You love me most, don't you? Please help me! I just lost my way. I was jealous—that's all! I never really wanted to hurt Audrey!"Ethan looked down at her before kicking her away. "You lied to us for years, and you still think you deserve forgiveness? Dream on."Chloe hit the floor with a painful cry, but this time, no one pitied her.She crawled over and grabbed Julian's pant leg. "I'll apologize to Audrey! I'll get on my knees if I have to! Julian, we're married. You can't abandon me!"Julian pulled away without even looking at her. "Did you forget? We never le

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