All Chapters of I Wasted Three Years on a Liar: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Seth Ellington and I were the only ones left in the room. He smoked one cigarette after another. Cigarette butts littered the ground at his feet. "Since you've heard it all, I won't hide it from you anymore. I pretended to have amnesia because I wanted to be with Lillian, but after everything we've been through together, I…" He turned and met my teary eyes.Seth's expression softened in an instant. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Why don't you pretend this never happened, and we can go back to how things used to be, okay?" I avoided his touch and spat out, "Let's break up."The smile on his face stiffened. He let go of my hand, lit another cigarette, and said wearily, "I don't want to.""In that case, break things off with her." Seth looked at me in silence for a long while. "I'll be honest with you, Cali. I want to marry Lillian just to prove a point. Five years ago, she left me for money, and three years ago, she came back to me for the same reason."I want to

Chapter 2

Seth pinched the bridge of his nose, his patience running thin. "That's enough. Let's both cool off for the night. "Cali, you need to think this through. Do you really want to give up everything we've built over the years, the future we've planned together, and your parents' expectations just because of something so trivial?" The door slammed shut, and I began to retch uncontrollably. My back was taut, but nothing came out. Tears and snot ran together in a hot, ugly mess across my face. Once my tears dried, I knew what I had to do. I hailed a cab back to our place and packed my bags. I had moved in with so much hope and anticipation. Now, I was leaving with nothing but humiliation and heartbreak. I couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Right then, my phone chimed. Lillian had just posted an update. Her caption read, "My last New Year's Eve as a single woman." The photo was taken at the beach. Seth was down on one knee, proposing to her. My heart twinged.

Chapter 3

I stared blankly at Seth. The unfamiliar scent of perfume on him and the unfamiliar shade of lipstick on his collar were all traces left behind by another woman. I closed my eyes. I was just so tired. Yet, he kept going on about giving me the grandest wedding imaginable so Mom could watch me walk down the aisle in all my glory. I rested my head against the car window, too exhausted to even respond. …In the fortnight that followed, I went through the motions of preparing for the wedding while staying at the hospital under the excuse of taking care of Mom, avoiding Seth as much as I could. He wasn't bothered in the slightest. If anything, he kept his promise, broke up with Lillian, and prepared the grandest wedding for me. He went so far as to put his career on hold to stay overnight at the hospital with me, acting like the perfect son-in-law. Mom looked a little better. Holding my hand, she told him, "Seth, I can rest easy knowing Cali has you to take care of her." Seth took

Chapter 4

Lillian instantly cowered behind Seth. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice trembled. "Seth… I noticed that Mrs. Rosewood was all alone, so I came over to help and keep her company…" she sobbed. "I have no idea why Ms. Rosewood got so worked up and slapped me…" She looked so vulnerable and pitiful that she seemed like an entirely different person from the spiteful woman who had just spoken to me. "Why don't you ask her what came out of her mouth?" I trembled with rage, attempting to fling his hand away.Seth scowled as he took in Lillian's swollen cheek. He then took in my agitated state, his eyes filled with disappointment and annoyance. "Lily was kind enough to visit Mrs. Rosewood. What could she possibly have said? Even if she did step out of line, you shouldn't have put hands on her! When did you become so unreasonable, Calliope? How could you resort to violence at the drop of a hat?""I'm being unreasonable?" I almost wanted to laugh, but tears welled up despite my

Chapter 5

Screams erupted all around me when Mom collapsed. I lunged at her. My hands were ice-cold. Her body was as light as a feather. My hand trembled as I cradled the back of her head. Someone yelled for an ambulance while others frantically dialed 911. However, all their voices sounded as though they were reaching my ears through a thick pane of glass. The corners of Mom's lips were curved into a smile, though. Before she completely lost consciousness, she looked at me one last time. There was no resentment or blame in her eyes, only heartache, as if she was telling me, "Don't cry, Pumpkin."I knelt beside the altar, cradling her in my arms. My hands were covered in lipstick stains. That was the lipstick she'd insisted I put on her before she left, claiming that old age had made her complexion dull and that she couldn't embarrass her daughter. I'd told her that she was the most beautiful woman in the whole world. Mom had laughed and called me a smooth talker. That was just two

Chapter 6

Mom's caregiver handed me the box and looked as though she had something to tell me, but she didn't know how to word it.I was about to leave when she called after me. "Ms. Rosewood… there's something I don't know if I should tell you." "Go ahead.""While your mother was in the hospital, Ms. Summerfield visited her quite a few times. Sometimes, she came when you weren't around, and sometimes, Mr. Ellington accompanied her…" She looked at me cautiously and added, "She may have said some things in front of your mother. I'm not sure what they were, but every time Ms. Summerfield left, your mother always seemed to be in a bad mood." I hugged the cardboard box to my chest, my fingertips turning cold. "I understand. Thank you." I carried the box downstairs and ran straight into someone at the entrance to the inpatient department—Lillian. She was wearing a hospital gown under a knit cardigan, and her wrist was wrapped in thick gauze. The person supporting her was Seth. The three o

Chapter 7

However, Seth hadn't lost his memory. He just didn't want to remember me. I had only two suitcases, just as I'd had when I first arrived. I placed the key on the entryway cabinet, beside the wristwatch. When I shut the door behind me one last time, my mind suddenly flashed back to three years ago. It had been pouring that day. He had been sitting in the car. The car window had rolled down just a crack, revealing half of his exhausted face. "The doctor told me I have amnesia," he explained. "They told me you're my girlfriend. I don't remember you. I'm sorry." I'd told him it was okay. All that mattered was I remembered him. I thought that was our new beginning. Little did I know, it was already the end. …My high-speed train back home was at 8:00 pm. I arrived at the station at 7:00 pm, dragging my two suitcases behind me. I sat on a plastic chair in the waiting hall and zoned out.The announcements kept repeating the train schedules. The station was bustling with people

Chapter 8

I wasn't in a rush. I opened the shop every morning and closed it every evening, tending to the flowers and plants. Time seemed to slow down.Dad would drop by every few days to sit with me, helping me water the flowers. He didn't say all that much. When winter arrived, a heavy snowstorm hit. Business at the flower shop was virtually nonexistent, so I sat behind the counter, reading a novel. The door swung open, and the wind chimes rang. Without looking up, I said, "Welcome!" The footsteps came to a halt before me. I raised my head. Seth stood before me, his shoulders dusted with snow. He had lost a lot of weight. His eyes were deeply sunken, his beard was unevenly shaved, and he wore a thin black overcoat with leather shoes soaked through by melted snow. He looked as though he had run all the way from somewhere far away. "…Cali." His voice was so hoarse that I could barely recognize it. I remained silent. He stood at the entrance, as if he didn't dare to take another step

Chapter 9

Seth opened his mouth, but no words came out.I turned and walked back to the counter. Picking up the scissors, I continued trimming that bouquet of lilies. He stood rooted to the spot for what felt like an eternity. He stood there until the snow outside let up, the lilies were trimmed and arranged, and I eventually had to add water to the vase to keep them alive. "Cali." His voice was barely above a whisper, as if he was afraid of waking up a dream. "Can I ask you one last question?" I didn't look up."If we could turn back time, if I hadn't bailed on you at the altar, if I had gone through with the ceremony with you… would you be with me?" My hand froze in midair. At some point, the snow outside had stopped. Sunlight streamed through a break in the clouds and fell across the windowsill. I lowered my head and continued arranging the flowers. "No."He left. The wind chimes on the door rang for a long, long time. I kept my head down until the sound of his footsteps had co

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP