Todos os capítulos de Seven Days Before the Wedding: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Helen Howell froze for a second, then stepped closer and reached for my hand. I moved out of the way, leaving her hand hanging awkwardly in the air.The smile on her face faded. "Are you really this mad?"By then, Martin Miller had gotten dressed and come back out. He took one look at us, then headed for the door. "Helen, this is on me. I'll get out of here so Lawrence doesn't have to feel awkward."Helen frowned. "Lawrence, we're getting married. That doesn't mean I suddenly have to cut off every guy I know. Martin and I have been friends for ten years. What's wrong with him coming over?"I didn't feel like arguing. "Do whatever you want."She stared at me. "What's that supposed to mean?"Martin looked between us. "Alright, Helen, I'm leaving. Don't get into a fight over me."After he left, the living room went quiet. Helen watched me for a moment, then walked up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist."Fine. Next time he comes over, I'll let you know first. Happy?"

This time, Martin didn't say anything else. I didn't bother arguing with him either.He wasn't the one who kept letting himself into our relationship.Helen was.By the time I got to my car, she had already sent me several messages.[Why did you leave without me? My parents want to go out for drinks after this.]I ignored them and texted Ellie instead.[Are you free tomorrow afternoon? I need to stop by.]She replied almost right away.[Yes. Are we finalizing the remaining details?][No.]I typed out another message.[I'm coming in to cancel the wedding.]It took her a while to respond.[The wedding is only six days away, and some of the deposits are nonrefundable. Are you sure?]I stared at the screen for a moment.[I'm sure.]-The next afternoon, I got to Ellie's office early. When I walked into the conference room, Martin was already there.The table was covered with schedules, place cards, and two copies of our vows. Helen's place card was sitting right next to M

"Do I really have to ask you about something like that?" Helen asked.When I didn't answer, her tone softened. "Lawrence, I'm not trying to disrespect you. Martin's place just isn't livable right now.""So you decided to tear apart my study without asking me?""It's temporary." She frowned. "Your studio's only 15 minutes away. If you need to work, you can just go there."Martin set the tape measure down. "Forget it, Helen. I'll get a hotel. I'm not sticking around if it's going to cause problems."Helen turned to him right away. "For two months? That's ridiculous.""I can handle a hotel.""This isn't on you. Let me handle it."I stood there, watching them go back and forth, and whatever I had left to say died in my throat.After a moment, I looked at Helen. "What if it were me?"She turned back to me. "What?""What if it were the other way around? What if a woman I'd known for ten years walked out of our bathroom wearing your towel? What if I had her helping plan our weddi

Helen was quiet for a long time. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft."We've been together for seven years. Are you really ready to just walk away from us?""It's not just about what happened this week.""Then what is it?"I looked out at the dark sky beyond the window. "Seven years of me telling you when something wasn't okay with me, and somehow, I'm always the one who ends up backing down."She went quiet again.I didn't say anything else about it. "I already told my parents the wedding's off."I heard her breath catch. "You told them already?""Yeah."That was when the panic finally hit her. "Why would you tell them so soon? We haven't even worked this out yet. You should've talked to me first...""I have. Plenty of times."She went quiet.I ended the call.A little after 7 a.m. the next day, someone knocked on the studio door. When I stepped out, Helen was standing there.She looked like she hadn't slept much. There were faint shadows under her eyes, and she w

Helen's voice was starting to shake.I looked at her for a long moment. "You're only willing to change now because I actually walked away.""That's not true...""If I hadn't come home early that day and seen Martin coming out of our bathroom, would he be moving into my study after the wedding?"She didn't answer. She didn't have to.I stood up.Helen quickly stood, too. "Lawrence...""You don't have to fix anything anymore."The color drained from her face.I looked her in the eye. "We're done."-Over the next two days, Helen stopped showing up at the studio, and the texts came less often.Word slowly got around that the wedding was off. A few friends asked what happened, but I gave everyone the same answer.We just weren't right for each other.I never mentioned Martin.Calling off a wedding wasn't some public trial, and I had no interest in dragging Helen through the mud just to prove I had a reason to leave.On the third afternoon, I went back to the house to pick u