All Chapters of They Laughed Until I Left: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Thunder cracked outside the airport, and seconds later, rain started pouring down.Dwayne pulled the car up to the entrance. Mom and Dad climbed into the back, while Whitney lifted her skirt and slid into the passenger seat.I reached for the back door, but Whitney stopped me."Wait."She took the wedding dress from my arms and carefully spread it across the only empty seat. "We can't crush the hoop. You still need to wear this next week."I stared at the dress taking up the entire seat. "I can hold it."Whitney hesitated. "But you're all sweaty. What if you get it dirty?"Dwayne thought for a few seconds, then decided for me. "You should just get a ride home."I stared at him in disbelief. "There's a typhoon. I can't even get a car right now."He frowned. "Then pay extra. Someone will accept eventually. I'm not leaving your parents standing out here in the rain. They're getting older. And Whitney's shoes have lambskin soles. They cost 13,000 dollars a pair."If they get wet,

Just after dawn, my bedroom door was kicked open.Dad stormed in and slapped me across the face. Mom slammed her phone down in front of me.On the screen was the last video Whitney had posted before cutting her wrists. She was sobbing so hard her whole body shook."Erin leaked my messages with Dwayne to a gossip account. She also got people to call me the other woman and report my account. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have kept joking around with her, and I shouldn't have expected her to forgive me."I had no idea what messages she was talking about.But after hearing Whitney's side, everyone decided I was behind the online attacks and had pushed her to attempt suicide.Mom pointed at me. "Are you happy now, Erin? Whitney cut her wrists last night, and she's still in the hospital fighting for her life!"The note Whitney left behind was full of apologies to me.She said all she'd wanted was for everyone to have fun, but instead she'd ruined my wedding. And since I wouldn't

Dwayne walked back into Whitney's room with bloodshot eyes.The second she saw him, Whitney's eyes filled with tears. "Dwayne, Erin still won't forgive me, will she? Once I'm out of the hospital, I'll get down on my knees and apologize to her."Usually, a few tears were enough to make everyone give in. But this time, Dwayne simply placed his phone in front of her."You said Erin leaked those messages to a gossip account. What proof do you have?"Whitney went quiet for a moment."The account already deleted everything. How am I supposed to prove it now? But who else would hate me enough to do something like that?"Mom opened her mouth to defend Whitney, but Dad stopped her with a hand on her arm.Dwayne didn't argue with her. He had his assistant contact the platform.Within two hours, they had the records. The account that first posted the supposed chat logs had been accessed from the same device Whitney used for her video account.The payment to the gossip account had also co

After my flight landed, I didn't get to start my new life right away.The 13-hour flight drained what little strength I had left. I collapsed in the arrivals hall, and airport staff took me to the hospital. I ended up staying there for a full week.Mom and Dad weren't there. Neither was Dwayne.But when the pain kept me awake at night, a nurse would bring me an extra blanket. The woman in the bed beside mine was from back home, and whenever she peeled an apple, she gave me half.Every small kindness from a stranger made me think back to my wedding day.That was when I realized how little I had ever asked for. For seven years, I had put up with everything and forced myself to laugh along just to get that little bit of care in return.Six months earlier, one of our international partners had invited me to join their team in Lendora. With the wedding coming up, I had turned them down without a second thought.On my third day in the hospital, I emailed them again. They didn't ask ab

Staff eventually helped Mom and Dad back to the hotel, but Dwayne stayed behind in the rain.When I walked over to him, his eyes were already red."Erin, I'm not here to ask you to come home. The video's been taken down, and everyone knows the truth about what happened online. I'll pay you back for the project you lost and cover all your medical bills. And the baby…"His voice broke, and tears started running down his face."I'm sorry. I heard you that day. You grabbed me and told me your stomach hurt. If I'd just turned around and looked at you, maybe we wouldn't have lost the baby."He held the ring out in his palm but made no move to put it on my finger."I know saying I'm sorry won't change anything. I'm just asking for a chance to stay in your life, even if all I ever get to be is someone you know."I looked at the man I had loved for seven years and realized it didn't hurt the way I had expected it to.For a long time, I blamed everything on Whitney. I kept telling myself