All Chapters of Kneel Once for His Love? Hard Pass: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Lucille's POVOf course, I wasn't going to pay my respects to Casey Clarke, of all people.Alexander York stood there, his expression already cold. "Lucille, don't make me ask twice."I removed my veil. "This wedding is off."The entire ballroom fell silent.Casey quickly broke the silence with a laugh. "Oh, come on, Lucille. You seriously can't take a joke? Al didn't even blink and called me 'Daddy'. One would think you could handle a little more than he can."The groomsmen joined in, laughing and egging me on.Alexander's mother, Mildred Smith, shot to her feet. "Lucille, do you have any idea where you are now? No matter what you're upset about, we can deal with it after the ceremony. Just finish the wedding."His father, Ethan York, remained seated, but his face had darkened. "All of the York family's guests are here. If you call off the wedding now, what exactly are we supposed to tell them?"I turned to Alexander. "So, did neither of you plan to explain to the guests or t

Chapter 2

Lucille's POVAlexander's grip tightened around my wrist.Just then, Casey's voice came from outside the door. "Al, come out. Your dad's table is full of relatives waiting for you to make the rounds."He didn't move.Casey pushed the door open and walked in. The veil, still streaked with dirt, was crooked on her head. When she saw me, she pulled it off and tossed it onto the vanity."Come on, Lucille. That's enough. There are more than 200 guests out there. Al can't leave all his friends and family hanging just to keep you happy."Alexander's voice dropped. "Leave us alone."She clicked her tongue. "Fine. I won't get involved in your fight."As she reached the door, she turned back to me. "But there's something I should warn you about. Al hates it when people threaten him with a breakup or a divorce."Back in high school, his mom tried to force him to transfer schools. He dumped his suitcase at my place and shared my bed for six months without going home."This man responds t

Chapter 3

Lucille's POVThe lock clicked. Alexander came home with Casey.The moment she walked in, she kicked off her sneakers and slipped her feet into the new slippers I had bought. "Hey, Lucille. Mind if I use your bathroom to freshen up?"She didn't wait for an answer. She pushed open the master bedroom door and walked right in.Alexander took off his coat. Seeing that I was staring at Casey's back, he casually explained, "She drank on my behalf all night. She reeks of booze."Ten minutes later, Casey came out wearing nothing but my bath towel and plopped herself onto the couch. She draped one leg across Alexander's lap and picked up the tablet the wedding photographer had sent over."Perfect. Let's pick the photos from today."She flipped through them like she was sorting through her own album.The photos of her clinking glasses with Alexander stayed. The ones of her holding his hands from behind as they cut the cake stayed. The one of her throwing herself into his arms and smearin

Chapter 4

Lucille's POVAt the sight of my tears, Alexander lost what little patience he had left. He turned toward the gravestone. "Mrs. Walker, your daughter never had the chance to learn how to be a wife from you. You left too soon."My fingers clenched, but he kept going."She gets upset over the slightest thing. She even called off the wedding and threatened me with divorce. She was like this when you were sick, too. The moment something went wrong, she cried."And the second that happened, everyone had to drop everything like their world revolved around her. You asked me to take care of her before you left. But how am I supposed to take care of someone who acts so petulantly?"I stared at Alexander, stunned.When Mom was sick, her greatest fear was burdening me. Even when the pain kept her awake at night, she would lie there quietly so she wouldn't wake me.Before she passed, she held Alexander's hand and begged him to be patient with me.Now, he was standing at her grave, turning

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVAlexander picked up the divorce agreement. As soon as he saw "I, Lucille Walker, voluntarily relinquish all rights to the marital assets," he tore the papers in half, the shreds fluttering to the floor.Casey leaned against the doorframe and clicked her tongue. "She went all out this time, cleaning the whole place out."His expression remained icy. "She'll come back."She crouched down and picked up one of the papers. "Probably. Didn't she pull the same stunt two years ago?"Back then, it was Lucille's birthday. Casey got drunk in the middle of the night and crashed her car into a guardrail.As a result, Alexander left Lucille waiting to blow out her birthday candles and spent the entire night with Casey at the police station.The next day, Lucille moved back into the old house her mother had left her. For a whole week, she refused to answer his calls.On the eighth day, however, Alexander's stomach condition flared up, and he ended up in the hospital.She cou

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVThe next morning, Alexander contacted the research center. As Lucille's husband, he demanded that they suspend her program."She hasn't recovered from her injuries, and she's not in a stable state of mind. I don't consent to her staying there."The person in charge fell silent. "Mr. York, Ms. Walker applied independently. She signed the contract herself, so you have no authority to terminate it on her behalf."Alexander's expression darkened. "When did she apply?""She passed the selection process a month ago. Originally, she turned down the position because she was preparing for her wedding. She only confirmed her place again on the night of her wedding."Alexander only heard one thing. "A month ago.""So… she'd already been planning an escape," he said. "She was preparing to betray this marriage."The person in charge turned cold. "She turned down the program the first time because she chose you. She accepted it the second time because she no longer had a rea

Chapter 7

Lucille's POVAlexander and Casey waited outside the research center for four days.For the first two days, he kept asking the staff to pass messages to me. Eventually, I had someone tell him that I would call the police if he kept harassing me.On the afternoon of the fourth day, I walked out after a project meeting and found them standing side by side at the bottom of the steps.Alexander had lost some weight. Cigarette butts littered the ground around his feet.Casey was the first to approach me. "Lucille, I went too far at the wedding and at your mom's grave. Please, stop fighting with Al."She reached out as if to pat me on the shoulder, but I stepped aside. She didn't seem bothered, a smile still plastered on her face."He was a shell of himself during the honeymoon. There was only one bed in the suite. He let me sleep there while he sat on the couch, looking at pictures of you all night."When I got a cramp while diving, he was the one who carried me back. His clothes we

Chapter 8

Lucille's POVA month later, I briefly returned home to finalize the divorce. My lawyer met me at the airport. As we drove into the city, he handed me a newly revised settlement agreement.Alexander had offered to transfer our marital home, all the money in his personal accounts, and 15% of his company's shares. He also listed the jewelry Mildred had given me as part of the settlement.I read the first page, then closed it. "I don't want any of it."My lawyer looked conflicted. "He said these assets were always meant to be yours.""Then tell him I don't need them."All I had wanted back then was for him to stand up for me instead of dismissing Casey's stupid stunt at the wedding. Now, the wedding was gone, no more recording of Mason's heartbeat, and no more feelings for him.No amount of money or property could bring any of it back.Our appointment at the courthouse was in the afternoon. Before that, I went back to our marital home to retrieve an album Mom had left me.The doo

Chapter 9

Lucille's POVJust as the clerk called our number, Casey suddenly rushed over and grabbed Alexander by the arm. It had been a month since I last saw her.Her hair was cut short, and dark circles shadowed her eyes. Gone was the carefree confidence she once exuded."Are you really going through with the divorce?" she asked Alexander.He shook her off. "That's none of your business."Casey stared at the documents in my hands and laughed. "She'll never forgive you anyway. You two might as well get divorced. We've known each other for 20 years. Why don't we just get together?"I don't want to keep stepping aside and letting other women have you."At that moment, Alexander felt as though he were seeing her for the first time. "What did you just say?""I said I love you."Her voice trembled, and her words came tumbling out. "I grew up with you. I was there when you got into fights, played hooky, and started your company. Why should I have to step aside just because you started dating

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