Semua Bab My Fiancé Took My Best Friend to the Game, So I Canceled Our Wedding: Bab 1 - Bab 10

The wedding was three days away when Derek and Natalie returned to New York.I was at the Sinclair house, setting up a new blood glucose monitor for Derek's mother, Elaine.Natalie walked in with a smile and handed out souvenirs to everyone."Mr. Sinclair, I got you the whiskey-filled chocolates you love. Mrs. Sinclair, these are those California pastries you mentioned last time."She'd even chosen the wrapping colors to suit the individual tastes of Robert and Elaine.Elaine beamed."Natalie always remembers us, even when she's on vacation."I glanced down at the monitor.Elaine had diabetes. Her doctor had repeatedly told her to watch her sugar intake.She'd called me over to help set up the device. I'd spent the entire afternoon learning how it worked. She hadn't thanked me once.Natalie brought back chocolates Elaine couldn't eat, and Elaine still saw the gesture as thoughtful.This wasn't the first time.Two years ago, when Natalie first learned that Derek's parents didn't care fo

That afternoon, Natalie showed up at the Sinclair house carrying a box of wedding favor bags."Audrey, I picked out all the candy and snacks myself. Try them. Don't let all my hard work go to waste."Derek unwrapped a piece and held it to my lips."Natalie compared hundreds of recipes. She put more thought into this than either of us."I took a small bite. A nutty flavor spread immediately."Are there peanuts in this?"Natalie blinked."I added peanut crumble on purpose. You used to love nutty flavors, didn't you?"I'd been allergic to peanuts since college.Once, I'd accidentally eaten some at a dinner and Natalie had been the one who took me to the ER.She knew better than anyone in the Sinclair family.I spat it out, but red welts were already rising on my arms and my chest was tightening."Natalie, I'm allergic to peanuts."Her tears fell instantly."I'm sorry, Audrey. I've been so focused on your wedding prep that I mixed up your allergies with Mrs. Sinclair's dietary restrictions

After Natalie's cosplay event ended, she took her time removing her makeup, dragging the process out.Derek kept checking his phone. No messages from me."Audrey isn't really upset, is she?" Natalie asked carefully. "This is all my fault.""She's not."Derek answered quickly."Audrey just likes to nitpick. Once she cools down, she'll be fine. She knows you've always supported us."But even as he said it, his unease didn't fade.By the time they reached the hotel, friends and family had already gathered in the lobby.The wedding coordinator approached them, polite but direct. "Mr. Sinclair, there's no wedding booked in this ballroom today."Derek went rigid."That's impossible. It was confirmed."The coordinator checked the system. "There was a reservation, yes, but it was canceled two weeks ago. By the bride herself, last name... Wells?""The event package, catering, and band were all canceled by her personally."She pulled up the confirmation email.The timestamp was the day after Der

A week later, I returned to New York.I didn't go back to the apartment. I stayed at Rachel's place instead.When I went to the office to wrap up a handoff at work, Derek was waiting outside the building.He looked far more worn down after just a few days."Audrey, I know I was wrong."He stepped in front of me, his voice hoarse."There was never anything between Natalie and me. At first, I just thought she was your best friend. She was good with words, good at making my parents happy. She wanted to help you, so I was a little nicer to her.""Then my parents grew fonder and fonder of her, and I convinced myself that keeping her around would help you.""I never meant to replace you with her."I looked at him and asked, "Then at the airport that day, who did you choose?"The color drained from his face."When she was wearing my wedding dress, who did you compliment?""When I was having an allergic reaction, who did you carry to the hospital?""On our wedding day, who did you take to the

The night Natalie was kicked out of the apartment, she sent me dozens of messages and showed up outside my office building dragging her suitcase behind her.Her eyes were rimmed with red, and the moment she saw me, she lost it and screamed, "What makes you so special, Audrey Wells?""You didn't have to lift a finger and still landed a boyfriend like Derek Sinclair. Now you toss him aside like it's nothing, and somehow everyone's still chasing after you?""You never deserved him."I looked at her calmly.My silence pushed her over the edge."Our whole lives, who's been out there fighting your battles?""You're so cold and blunt you don't even realize how many people you've offended. You wouldn't butter anyone up, so I had to. You couldn't say anything sweet, so I had to be the one who could. The less you tried, the harder I had to work.""Do you have any idea how much it hurts sometimes, the way you are? I've been by your side all these years. Why does everything end up being yours?"Sh