Home / Uninvited Groom: I Turned This Wedding Down / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Uninvited Groom: I Turned This Wedding Down: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

When the refund countdown dropped to nine minutes, Celine Payton took my phone from me.She warned, "Don't do anything rash. Those train tickets were hard to get."She looked down to check the booking, and after confirming that all eight seats were still there, she visibly relaxed.I looked at her. "Are you afraid I'll cancel them?""You're angry right now. Once you've cooled down, you'll regret it," she replied."What will I regret?""Ruining everyone's trip."She closed the refund page right in front of me.My older sister, Joanne Sharp, happened to be over for a free meal that weekend. She sat at the dining table peeling an orange, trying to talk me down. "Celine will be with you every day after you get married. It's only three days. You're a grown man. Don't keep such a tight leash on her.""I never said she couldn't go," I replied."Then why are you making that face?" Joanne asked.The orange peel snapped between her fingers.She frowned, just like she always did whe

Chapter 2

The night we went to pick out an outfit for our engagement photoshoot, Celine showed up 40 minutes late.The clerk had already ironed the white dress twice.When Celine finally arrived, Mike Young was right behind her. He had been her close friend since childhood, and he was also the person she cared about the most on this trip."I ran into Mike on the way. He happened to be looking for some clothes too, so I brought him along," Celine explained.She took the glass of water the clerk handed her. "You don't mind, do you?"Before I could answer, Mike smiled. "If Henry minds, I'll leave right now. I wouldn't want anyone talking about how I don't know where the boundary is."He said he'd leave, but he was already sitting on the couch.Celine frowned. "Don't mind Henry. He's still upset about the poll."The clerk brought over two dresses, one cream-colored and the other light blue. "Your fiance picked the white one earlier. This gentleman picked out the other one. Which one would yo

Chapter 3

Celine explained that it was a divorce celebration for Mike. "It wasn't easy for him to get out of that marriage. Everyone just wants to help him feel better. It's not what you think."She wiped the footprint off the white shirt with a wet wipe, her tone patient."And he paid for the suite upgrade himself. I was worried the front desk might not treat him well, so I used my VIP account to book it for him and added the note while I was at it."I asked, "You remember that Mike likes white roses. Do you remember what flowers I don't want at our wedding?"Her fingers stilled. "Don't you hate flowers?"I didn't say anything more.Last year, Celine gave me a bouquet of lilies with a strong scent for my birthday. I was allergic to them and coughed all night.She stayed by my bedside, brought me water, and said she'd remember that from then on.Turns out, she only remembered who needed taking care of.And it wasn't me.…The next day, my company officially transferred me to Norwell.

Chapter 4

I asked Celine what she planned to do if the wedding was postponed.In the midst of packing, she didn't even look up. "What?"I put the half sheet of paper in front of her. She glanced at it and tossed it into the trash."Zoe wrote that as part of some stupid game. You actually took it seriously?" she asked."That's your handwriting," I replied."She copied it.""Celine, whenever you lie, you touch your watchband with your right hand."Celine's hand was resting on her watch.The room went quiet.She lowered her hand and finally looked at me. "Henry, do you really have to dig into every little thing lately?""I just want answers," I said."The answer is I love you. I'm still going to marry you, but that doesn't mean I have to give up all my friends." Her voice was steady.It sounded like reassurance, but also a warning not to push my luck.…The night before the trip, both our families had dinner together at a restaurant.Celine called it a pre-wedding dinner and said we'

Chapter 5

I didn't look back.As the train pulled out of the station, I put my phone on silent.The last message Celine sent me read, "Let me know when you get home. There's milk in the fridge. Don't go to bed on an empty stomach."She was still worried about whether I had eaten, and she was certain I had simply gone home to wait for her.I arrived at Norwell at 1:00 am.Eddie had booked me a temporary place to stay, with the key waiting at the front desk.After my shower, I turned on my laptop and submitted refund requests for the wedding hotel, wedding services, and my new home with Celine.The last one was our marriage registration appointment. Once the cancellation went through, the page was empty.I sent Celine one message. "Have a good trip. We're over."Then I shut off my phone.…At 6:30 am, Celine was at the station getting her ticket checked.She was carrying the medicine bag I had packed for her, with the pills sorted into morning and evening doses. There was also a note o

Chapter 6

Celine bought the earliest return ticket that day.There weren't any seats left. The only tickets left were for the middle of the night, and they were standing-room only.Zoe stopped her. "You already came all this way. Henry is obviously waiting for you to go back. If you leave now, aren't you playing right into his hands?""He moved out," Celine said."Where else could he go? He probably went to Joanne's place."Celine didn't explain further.My parents had died young, and after Joanne got married, I had no home to go back to in that city.Celine used to know that.But over time, she got used to calling wherever she was my home. She forgot that the apartment had never actually belonged to me.For more than a dozen hours, she stood in the space between the train cars. Every time the train stopped at a station, she checked her phone.I never replied.When she got home, the living room looked exactly as it had when she left, with the unopened paperwork for our marriage still

Chapter 7

Celine arrived in Norwell the next afternoon.I was interviewing a retired station attendant at an old train station. When I came out, Celine was standing at the bottom of the steps.She hadn't slept well for days. Dark circles showed under her eyes, and her shirt was wrinkled.But when she saw me, she still held out a cup of hot chocolate. "Your stomach is sensitive. Make sure you eat something."I didn't take it.She set the hot chocolate on the stone railing beside her. "The train leaves at 7:00 pm. If you have a lot of stuff, I'll have someone ship it back.""I'm not going back.""We can put off the wedding for a bit longer.""It's not about putting it off.""Then what do you want me to do?" Her voice was low, and she still kept her usual composure. "I'll have everyone who voted apologize to you one by one. From now on, you'll come on every trip, and I'll keep my distance from Mike, too.""What if I hadn't left?" I asked.She froze for a moment. "What?""If I had waited

Chapter 8

Once the wedding hotel refund came through, I transferred Celine's share to her.She called me soon after. "Are you really going to split even the deposit between us?""We were each paying half to begin with.""What about the new house?""The realtor already listed it. I broke down the down payment and renovation costs. Once it's sold, we'll split the money based on what each of us paid," I replied.Celine's breathing grew heavy. "That was supposed to be our home after we got married.""Not anymore.""Henry, do you really have to put a price on all seven years?"It's not about money.""Then what is it?"I looked at the first draft of the itinerary on my desk. "It's about giving back everything that was never mine."She didn't say anything else.…A week later, the branch's railway feature went live and got a great response.Headquarters decided to turn the Norwell route into its own publication, and I was officially named its editor in charge.At the celebration dinner,

Chapter 9

The first person to come to Norwell and apologize was Yelena.She sat in the lobby of my office building, holding the pastries I used to love most."Henry, I didn't think you'd really leave when we voted," she said."Is that why you felt safe voting against me?" I asked.Tears welled up in her eyes. "Celine said you liked to be controlling, but you were softhearted. She said you'd be fine once she came back from the trip and smoothed things over with you.""You thought so too?""I grew up with you. I knew that you would never really leave us."I pushed the pastries back to her. "You didn't know I wouldn't leave. You were counting on me not being able to let all of you go."Yelena lowered her head and said nothing more.The second to contact me was Joanne.She didn't come, but she called. "Henry, I really didn't know about postponing the wedding. Celine was put in a tough spot by Mike and the others too. You can't blame her for everything.""You were the one who abstained," I

Chapter 10

Six months later, the Norwell railway feature won an industry award.After the celebration, Lana and I walked back along the old platform.She handed me a train ticket. "You're going to Lewton for an interview tomorrow. The ticket is for 7:00 am. Don't be late.""Got it.""This time, I booked two tickets."I looked at her.She continued, "They're both for work. Don't read too much into it.""I didn't."Lana smiled. "Good."Our relationship stayed somewhere between coworkers and friends.No one pushed me to move on, and no one urged me to turn back.Yelena sent me several letters afterward.The first was an apology. In the second, she said she had found a part-time job and wouldn't ask me for money anymore.The third was a report card.I kept them all and replied only once, "Take care of yourself."Joanne never contacted me again.I heard that she had fallen out with Zoe and the others. When it came to settling the trip expenses, no one wanted to pay for the decorations

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