All Chapters of The Hurricane that Reversed My Decision: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

Cold rain pelted sideways against my face.I clutched the disconnected phone, my fingertips freezing. I couldn't bring myself to accept it, or maybe I was just desperately searching for an excuse that even I didn't believe.Taking a deep breath, I dialed her number again. It connected on the first ring."Parker, why are you calling again?" Candace Richards's voice remained as gentle and smooth as ever. "Not used to being home alone?" Suppressing the tremor in my voice, I brought up the weather alert flashing on the digital billboard across the street. "The weather forecast says a major hurricane is about to hit.""I know," she chuckled, her tone dripping with reassurance. "Make sure you lock up all the doors and windows at home. Once I get through tonight's deadline, I'll pick a gift for you."A sting hit the back of my nose. My knuckles turned white against the phone before I finally said in a low voice, "Actually, I'm in Nightalmoor."Right then, a violent gust of wind howled

Chapter 2

On the eve of the hurricane's landfall, dark clouds hung so low they seemed about to crush the city.The entire metro area was under a red alert. All the trains were suspended, and incoming and outgoing flights were all canceled.This was the first time in my twenty-four years that I had ever left the inland state where I grew up. I'd never experienced weather this extreme before, and the sheer violence of it stirred an instinctive sense of dread deep in my chest.Any reasonably safe hotel in the area had long been fully booked by stranded travelers and locals seeking shelter. Ultimately, right before the wind and rain paralyzed the streets, I was forced to shell out triple the usual rate just to duck into a rundown budget hotel.Noise isolation was nonexistent. The window panes rattled continuously against the wind, threatening to shatter at any second.At 9:30 that night, with a loud, muffled pop, the entire block lost power.In the pitch black, I sat propped against the narrow

Chapter 3

In the dead of night, the storm intensified.At three in the morning, as I dozed fitfully against the headboard, a deafening crash exploded as a thick tree branch slammed into my window.Glass shattered instantly, sending sharp shards spraying into the room like bullets alongside the howling wind and driving rain.I jerked awake, reflexively throwing my arm up to cover my face. A flying shard sliced across the back of my hand, and blood gushed out immediately.The desk lamp and water glass were blown off the nightstand, and rain drenched the bed within seconds.Ducking to avoid the airborne debris, I retreated into the bathroom and threw my weight against the door to hold it shut.Trembling with raw panic and utter helplessness, I pulled out my phone. Staring at the only contact I had in Nightalmoor, I gritted my teeth and dialed her number.It rang three times before she picked up."Candace," I said, fighting to sound calm. "The window in my hotel room shattered. The storm is

Chapter 4

The cut on the back of my hand throbbed with a dull pain.This storm was unlike anything I had ever experienced. In an unfamiliar city, I needed the sound of a familiar voice just to keep myself grounded and sane.I sat there, listening to Candace's frantic, rambling voice notes and her panicked breathing."I swear, I never did anything to betray you."I felt utterly disgusted, yet painfully comforted by the familiarity of it. Before this, Candace had always been the perfect girlfriend. She was attentive, responding to every text, and able to soothe my every insecurity.Paralyzed by primal fear in the middle of a raging storm, I had to admit that I still instinctively reached for the sense of security her voice offered.I dragged myself through that horrific night listening to her recordings. As the gray sky slowly brightened into pale dawn, the storm's fury finally began to subside.First responders braved the lingering wind and rain to evacuate the terrified guests, bringing u

Chapter 5

The air in the lobby instantly froze.Bored out of their minds, the evacuees sitting around immediately turned their curiosity toward our corner.Benedict stepped into view, wearing a button-down shirt that looked painfully familiar and holding a dripping transparent umbrella.That was my shirt!Standing a few paces away, he fixed his eyes on Candace's grip on my arm. After a brief, tense silence, he walked up and rested a hand reassuringly on her shoulder."You must be Parker," he said, turning to me. "Last night, it was an emergency. Don't get the wrong idea. My floor was flooded, and my shirt got soaked."Candace didn't want me to catch a cold, so she lent me one of your clothes. Nothing happened between us, honestly."Candace instinctively stepped in front of him. "You hear him? It really was an emergency. He's all alone in Nightalmoor, and his place got flooded. As a friend, I couldn't just leave him high and dry, could I?"I remained motionless, tired of her lame excuses,

Chapter 6

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at her coldly."Just let me explain, okay?" Candace pleaded, her eyes wide. "Yes, I lied to you with the old photo, and I brought Benedict to my place last night. I only did it because I didn't want you to overthink things. Neither of us crossed any lines, I swear."She swallowed hard, desperately trying to bare her heart. "You're the only one I love. Have you forgotten everything we've been through over the past three years?"You're the man I'm going to marry. This doesn't change anything about our future. Why can't you just understand me for once?"Listening to her passionate declaration, I felt a bone-chilling cold run through me.She truly believed that as long as she hadn't physically cheated, as long as she kept calling me her real boyfriend, and as long as she dangled the empty promise of marriage in front of me, all her lies, deception, and the cheap thrill of juggling two men's devotion could just be forgiven.I let her hold onto

Chapter 7

When I heard my mother's voice, the composure I had spent the entire day fighting to maintain finally cracked, a painful sting burning behind my eyes.I squeezed my eyes shut, trying with everything I had to keep my tone steady. "Mom, I'm okay. I managed to get a train ticket, and I'm boarding soon to come home.""Thank goodness. You're fine." Kelly Hansen let out a long sigh of relief before her voice grew earnest. "Your father and I have been planning to move overseas next year, but this hurricane scared us terribly."You're all alone back home, and if anything happens, there's no one around to look after you. So, we've decided to move the timeline up and leave next month. Do you want to come abroad with us?"I clutched the phone while watching the chaotic, bustling train station around me. My mind was in turmoil. Relocating abroad meant abandoning everything I knew here.I hesitated, unsure of how to answer.Right then, a familiar voice echoed from behind me."Parker!"Canda

Chapter 8

After returning home, I quickly submitted my resignation to my company, started processing all the paperwork for moving abroad, and helped my parents pack up our belongings.Once Candace finished handling her so-called work emergency, she finally realized that I had blocked her phone number and messaging apps across the board.Over the past three years, I had been so understanding and accommodating that it gave her a total illusion. She was convinced I was just using "breaking up" and "blocking her" as leverage to force her hand.She finally laid her cards on the table with Benedict. She told him that she was heading back right away to discuss wedding plans with me, insisted they had to keep their distance from then on, and even deleted his contact right in front of him.That afternoon, while I was in my bedroom packing clothes for the move, my phone buzzed with an Instagram direct message notification.Opening it, I saw it came from an anonymous account, but a glance was all it t

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