All Chapters of Not About Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I picked up my phone and called April Neville. It rang for a long time before she answered."Oliver? What's wrong?""April, how's Miravel?"There was a pause on the other end, and when she spoke again, her voice was stiff. "What's that supposed to mean? We agreed we'd reschedule the shoot after I got back from my business trip."I did not answer. I sent her the live photo.What came back was an accusation."You went through my private stuff? Is there seriously no trust left between us?"I almost laughed. She was the one lecturing me about trust. "We're done, April."She did not believe it. "Stop it. What are you even talking about? The wedding's already booked."Then her voice went soft. "Alright, this is my fault. Don't hang up. Just let me explain, alright?"Yet the very next second, Sebastian Pratt's voice drifted through from the background, followed by the photographer."April, come on! Time for the next set!""Don't keep the groom waiting, sweetheart!"April did not

Chapter 2

After two days in the hospital, I came home to find April already there. She held out a beautifully wrapped box and spoke in a soft voice."Oliver, I only took Sebastian to the shoot to make up for lost time. I never gave him anything when we were together before. Look, I even brought you back a souvenir."She opened the box. The rich scent of lavender shortbread drifted out. She picked one up and held it to my lips."I kept it from you because I knew you'd overthink it. I didn't want to upset you. Believe me, you're the only one in my heart. I swear, after this, I'll cut things off with Sebastian completely."That same tender expression she always wore made my stomach turn.I was allergic to pollen. It was obvious who she had bought those pastries for.A wave of exhaustion settled over me. I did not want to go back and forth with her anymore, so I kept my voice flat."I believe you, April. I'm just not hungry right now. Put them away."She did not pick up on a single thing. If

Chapter 3

I picked up the scraps of the charm one by one and wrapped them carefully.Not long after, the wedding planner sent me a message: [Mr. Penn, I forgot to ask. Were you and Ms. Neville happy with today's rehearsal? Should we go ahead with the same arrangement for the ceremony in a couple of days?]I sent back a confused emoji.The planner replied with a video.[Ms. Neville said you two wanted to get a feel for it beforehand, so she asked to do a full run-through. That's all it was!]I tapped the video open.April and Sebastian were wearing the wedding outfits I had spent weeks choosing, arm in arm, walking step by step into the venue I had personally decorated.From the entrance procession to the ceremony itself to the bouquet toss, they had gone through every part of the wedding like a real engaged couple.The only difference from the wedding I had imagined was the vows.I had once asked April, "What if we wrote our own vows? We could put in all the little moments from when we

Chapter 4

I packed up what little I wanted to take with me.Not long after I was done, the real estate agent I had contacted earlier sent a message saying he wanted to come by the next day to photograph the apartment. He asked me to tidy things up beforehand.It was the last thing I had to do before I left.I grabbed the keys and headed to the apartment I had furnished piece by piece for our married life together.The moment I pushed the door open, I froze.Only two people had keys, me and April. She was the one who had insisted we wait until after the ceremony to move in, saying it would mark a fresh start.The couch cushions were rumpled and shoved out of place. The coffee table was covered in takeout containers, half-eaten bags of chips, and empty cups. Beer bottles and wine glasses littered the tile floor.A sound came from the main bedroom.I walked over. Through the door that had not been shut all the way, I could see April and Sebastian lying side by side on what was supposed to b

Chapter 5

April immediately looked up the wedding planner's number and called.The line connected almost right away."Ms. Neville, hello! The invitations were sent out via same-day courier. Were you happy with everything?"April's voice shook with anger. "What's going on? Why is Sebastian Pratt listed as the groom? My wedding is in a few days. I trusted your company with this, and now what am I supposed to do?"The outburst left the planner completely lost. "Ms. Neville, one moment please. Let me pull up the records."There was a slight pause. When he spoke again, his voice was uneasy. "Ms. Neville, the name change was requested by Mr. Penn. Yesterday, after we sent him the rehearsal video, he asked us to replace the groom's name with Sebastian Pratt."Mr. Penn said that Mr. Pratt was your real fiancé, and that this was meant to be a surprise for you. He's always been our main point of contact for the wedding, so when he asked us to send the updated invitations directly to you today, we we

Chapter 6

April sat alone in the apartment until late into the night. I never came.The doorbell rang.She shot up from the floor and rushed to the door, only to find Sebastian, Toby, Jamie, and Leah standing outside."April, what's going on? We made plans to see a movie tonight, remember? We've all been texting you, and you haven't answered a single one."Sebastian's voice was low, almost cautious. "Once you're married, it'll be hard enough getting you to come out with us. Oliver would definitely blame me for it."April had not even opened her mouth before Leah jumped in."Don't worry about that, Sebastian. When the time comes, just do whatever you want. I'm not scared of Oliver. Besides, between all of us friends..."Words that had never sounded wrong before now grated against April's ears in a way she could not explain.She cut her sister off, saying, "Oliver's gone. He left. I can't find him anywhere."Not a single one of them reacted the way she expected.Toby waved it off like it

Chapter 7

Thousands of miles above the ground, the plane cut through the clouds and carried me farther and farther from the city.I leaned against the window and looked down. The lit-up streets and towering buildings shrank little by little, dimming until they disappeared entirely into the gray horizon.I settled back into my seat and closed my eyes. The pain I had expected from cutting everything loose never really came. What rose up in its place was relief, the kind that came with finally letting go.The moment I landed, my phone exploded with missed calls and unread messages. I did not open a single one. I cleared them all and deleted every platform that April could reach me on.I had made my decision. There was no point in looking back, and drowning in sadness over someone like her was not worth it.I hailed a cab and headed home.The view outside the window shifted as I watched in silence. Rolling green grasslands gave way to snow-capped mountains, and those gave way to vast stretches

Chapter 8

One day at work, I got a call from Mom."April showed up at the house. She said she wanted to find you and apologize. Your father and I didn't let her in."I just laughed.I left the office early and headed home. The moment I looked up, I saw April standing outside the front door. She was alone, looking lost. She had gotten noticeably thinner. Her jawline was sharper, her cheekbones jutted out, and her eyes had sunk deep into their sockets."Oliver, why'd you block me? I asked so many people. It took me forever just to find out where you were."The second she saw me, she rushed forward. Her voice cracked, laced with a trembling, almost wounded edge.I stopped walking. "What are you doing here? I thought I made myself pretty clear."April's eyes went red almost instantly. "I came to bring you home."I could not help but laugh at that. "This is my home."The hope on her face vanished without a trace. The color drained from her skin."Oliver, don't say things you don't mean. I n

Chapter 9

By the time I went out for my evening walk, there was no one outside. April had left without a trace. The only sign she had ever been there was a patch of flattened grass near the door.The whole episode did not leave much of a mark on me. If anything, the only good that came out of it was knowing I could finally live my life without anything hanging over me.Some time after that, an unknown number sent me a long message. It was from April.[Oliver, it wasn't until you left me that I realized you were the only person who ever loved me unconditionally and without wanting anything in return.[Sebastian lied to me. When he broke up with me back then, it wasn't because of some argument. He left because he found a wealthy older woman and didn't think I was worth his time anymore.[The only reason he came back was that she found someone new and dumped him. I was his fallback.[Oliver, I was the one who couldn't see people for who they really were. I deserve every bit of what's happened

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