All Chapters of The Love We Left Behind: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Noting the location on the banner, I, Julian Chase, headed straight for the wedding venue.The second I pushed the door open, I saw red roses covering every surface and blue dolphin decorations hanging suspended in the air. It was identical to the wedding I'd pictured in my head a hundred times, down to the last detail.The groom, Adrian Locke, stood at the center of the crowd, surrounded by well-wishers. He wore a tailored tuxedo that matched, stitch for stitch, the wedding suit design I'd kept saved on my laptop for three years. I'd only ever shown that design to one person—my best friend, Marcus Webb.A wave of dizziness hit me so hard the room started spinning.An older woman handling the registration for the wedding stopped me. "Excuse me, young man. Are you friends with the groom or the bride?"Heads turned at the sound of her voice. The moment people saw my face, gasps rippled through the crowd.Adrian looked at Claire Winston, confused. "Who's this?""A coworker fr

Chapter 2

But this time, the Winstons were ready for me.Claire's brother, Nathan Winston, blocked the ballroom entrance. "Julian, I know Claire's in the wrong here. But there are guests everywhere watching. Are you really going to ruin her like this?"The last time we'd all been together, Nathan had been joking about when Claire and I would get married, saying he already had a great speech ready for us.Claire's best friend, Wendy Marsh, came running after me in heels. "Julian, I know you're hurting right now, but Claire's given you a lot over these years too. Don't blow up at her right when it matters most."Just last month, when Wendy's father fell sick and she was short on cash, I lent her 8,000 dollars. She'd wiped her tears and told me that if Claire ever did anything terrible, she'd be the first one who would stand up for me.More and more people crowded in front of me. Old friends. People I promoted at work. Coworkers I used to grab dinner with.I shoved through the crowd, fallin

Chapter 3

My mind went blank, and I whipped around to look at Claire.She rushed up onto the stage and smashed the screen with a chair. That video had been recorded on her birthday last year, at her request. She'd sworn no one else would ever see it, and now it was playing in front of a room full of guests.Adrian staggered back a couple of steps, landing right next to the microphone. He pointed at me, his voice shaking as it carried through the entire room."So, you're the one who sent those private videos to seduce Claire. You're the homewrecker."Every set of eyes in the room turned on me, sharp as needles."I didn't... mmph!"A hand shot out from behind me and clamped down hard over my mouth, dragging me backward.Marcus stepped up onto the stage right on cue, apologizing to Adrian in front of everyone."I'm so sorry, Adrian. I never imagined Julian would go this far, playing something like that at your wedding. "As his friend, I apologize on his behalf, for knowing he was th

Chapter 4

I froze in place, every hair on my body standing on end.Claire climbed into the cab and moved closer, her fingers brushing against my cheek. "I'm sorry you got hurt yesterday. But Julian, you shouldn't have posted that."I yanked my hand away from her, hard. As my tears hit the back of her hand, she flinched, almost too slightly to notice. She opened her mouth, then closed it again without saying anything.The car kept driving until we reached the hospital."Adrian saw your post and it landed him in the ICU. You need to explain yourself to him today," she said, dragging me the whole way to his room.I stumbled in to find the room packed. Wendy, Nathan, Marcus, and a handful of the Lockes' relatives were all there. The second they saw me, every set of eyes cut into me like knives.Claire shoved me hard, right in front of the hospital bed. "Apologize."Adrian lay on the bed, his lips pale, tear tracks still visible on his face. "Mr. Chase, you and I have no history. Fine, you r

Chapter 5

The officer's voice boomed through the hospital room like thunder.Claire's brow tightened. "Officers, isn't there some kind of misunderstanding here? Adrian just got out of the ICU. He's still very weak..."The officer's face stayed blank as he held up the summons. "We'll sort out any misunderstanding at the station."The Lockes closed in immediately.Grim-faced, Adrian's father, Edward Locke, pulled out his phone. "Let me call Chief Watson. This is just kids having a spat. Does he really need to go to the station?""Exactly! Our son has congenital asthma. If something happens to him, can any of you live with that?" Adrian's mother, Lily Smith, shrieked.The officer didn't budge. "Mr. Locke, obstructing an investigation is also a crime. Please cooperate."In the middle of the standoff, I slowly climbed down from the window ledge, revealing, "I'm the one who filed the report."Every eye in the room snapped toward me.Claire spun around, disbelief written all over her face. "Ju

Chapter 6

Three days after I walked out of the police station, I got my first real taste of what the Lockes could do.First, the residents in my building demanded I move out, claiming I was "damaging the community's reputation". Then, came the consequences for my job search. Companies that had been perfectly friendly with me the day before all sent back the same response the next day—"not a good fit".I sat on a park bench, staring at my bank account, which was down to less than three digits. I actually laughed. The Lockes really did have their hands in everything. It only took them three days to back me into a corner.A group of men in black suits walked up. The one in front stopped and looked me over."Mr. Chase? My employer would like to invite you for tea," he said, giving a slight nod.Something in me tensed, and I gripped my phone without thinking. "Who's your employer?""You'll find out when you get there," the man replied with a smile, though there was something in his tone tha

Chapter 7

The wedding was set for Saturday.The day the news broke, Ashbury's entire upper crust lost their minds.Nobody expected Sienna to suddenly get married, much less expected the groom to be me, the man the whole internet had labeled a homewrecker.The Lockes were the first to panic. Edward called Sienna directly and got shut down by her assistant. Lily showed up with Adrian in tow, but didn't even make it through the Fosters' front gate.Claire called and texted me like a woman possessed. I didn't answer a single one.The day before the wedding, Adrian finally couldn't take it anymore and planted himself right outside my hotel. He was dressed head to toe in designer clothes, but nothing could hide the exhaustion and the wild look in his eyes."Julian! Get out here!"I walked out of the hotel and leaned against the doorframe, looking at him calmly. "Mr. Locke. Something you need?""What gives you the right to marry Sienna?" He lunged at me, trying to grab my arm, but securit

Chapter 8

The wedding was a spectacle like nothing anyone had seen before.The Foster family's estate was covered in white roses, a trail leading from the front gate all the way to the ceremony hall. Dressed in a custom white suit, I walked down the aisle with Sienna, her arm looped through mine.Guests filled every seat, every eye locked on the two of us. They were filled with shock, envy, jealousy, and disdain. None of it touched me.During the vows, Sienna looked up at me, her eyes unreadable. "Julian Chase, will you marry me?"I held her gaze for a few seconds silently. Then, I nodded. "I will."She slipped the ring onto my finger, the cold metal settling against my skin. Applause thundered through the room.I scanned the crowd, spotting Claire off in a corner. She looked as pale as a ghost. Her eyes were locked on me, some emotion churning in them that I couldn't quite name. Marcus stood beside her, his eyes red-rimmed, his mouth pressed into a tight line.I looked away, a co

Chapter 9

A week later, I went to the detention center. Claire sat across from me, gaunt and pale, looking like a shadow of herself. The moment she saw me, her bloodshot eyes lit up."Julian, you came to see me. I knew you still cared!" She pressed close to the glass, desperate. "Julian, please, save me. Talk to Sienna, ask her to let me go. I'll do anything!"I looked at her and calmly asked, "Do you regret it?"She froze. "Regret what?""Betraying me. Being with Adrian. Helping him tear me apart."Her lips moved, but her eyes darted away. "I... I wasn't thinking straight back then. Julian, I know I was wrong. Can you forgive me? We can start over. I'll treat you right this time. I swear I'll never lie to you again..."Looking at her like this, I suddenly found the whole thing almost laughable. This was the same girl who used to be so full of fire, who swore she'd protect me for the rest of my life. How did she end up like this?I cut her off, "Claire, do you remember the day my fa

Chapter 10

When I got back to the Foster family's estate, Sienna was going through paperwork in the study. I stood at the doorway, watching her serious profile as she worked. For a moment, I was lost in a daze.A few months ago, I'd been a cast-off with nowhere left to go. Now, I was her husband. Life had a strange way of turning out.Noticing me watching her, Sienna looked up, raising an eyebrow. "All settled?"I nodded and walked in, sitting down across from her. "It's over."Her gaze was deep and unreadable. "Your revenge is done now. Per our agreement, we can get divorced."I froze. Divorce? I'd never actually let myself think about that.These past few months, Sienna had been good to me—good in a way that didn't feel like it belonged in a business arrangement. She remembered I couldn't stand cilantro. She rubbed my back gently when I woke up from nightmares. She stepped in and smoothed things over without a word whenever someone tried to give me trouble.I looked at her and star

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