Beranda / A One-Way Ticket to Better Days / Bab 1 - Bab 9

Semua Bab A One-Way Ticket to Better Days: Bab 1 - Bab 9

9 Bab

Chapter 1

I forced my eyes open to a burst of laughter.Callum Price was holding an overflowing glass of liquor. He tipped it back and drained it."I knew Callum couldn't bear to make Brielle take the drink!""Finally! This is exactly what I've been waiting to see!"Brielle Sutton grinned and made a heart with her hands.The host slapped a card down on the table."This is getting boring. Let's switch games. Everyone say something you've done that no one else here has!"Brielle immediately raised her hand."I've been proposed to sixty-five times, but I turned them all down for my best friend."The room went quiet for a beat.Then everyone looked at Callum with knowing smiles.He simply spread his hands with an indulgent smile.My chest tightened.The whole scene was humiliating.Callum and I had been together for five years.When he proposed, he'd slipped the pull tab from a soda can onto my finger.After that, I'd asked him more than once when we were finally going to set a wedding date.His exc

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Chapter 2

When the doctor cleared me to leave, I took a cab back to the apartment.The living room had already been cleaned up. The bottles, fruit platters, and scattered playing cards were all gone.It was as if last night's party had been wiped away.I went into the bedroom, pulled my suitcase out from under the bed, and started packing.Callum and I had been together for five years.Yet everything I owned couldn't even fill a single suitcase.More than half the closet was taken up by Brielle's things.Her clothes. Her blanket. Her mug. Her makeup. Her stuffed animals.Even the color of the couch cover had been put to a vote.Footsteps sounded behind me.Callum leaned against the doorframe, looking like he'd just woken up."Why are you up so early? You got back late last night. Why don't you get some more sleep?"His gaze fell on the dark bruising across the back of my hand.Something shifted in his expression."So you actually went to the hospital and got an IV just to prove you weren't fakin

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Chapter 3

Once I finished packing, Brielle ushered me into the back seat.The entire drive, she played videos out loud and chattered nonstop, jumping from pets to clothes, gossip to manicures.Callum patiently responded to everything she said.I leaned against the window and tuned them out.When we arrived, Brielle hurried off to buy the tickets.The attraction was up in the mountains, with gondolas gliding over the valley below.She waved excitedly at Callum. "Come on! I want the front seat!"Just as we were about to board, an attendant stopped us."Sorry, each gondola only seats two. One of you will have to take the next one."Callum pointed at me without hesitation."She can take the next one. She doesn't mind waiting. She'll sit there for three or four hours without getting mad."For a moment, everything around me seemed to go quiet.I thought back to our fifth anniversary.I'd waited for him at the restaurant until ten that night, then stayed until closing.I called him over and over.He fi

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Chapter 4

By the time we got back to the apartment, it was already dark.I went straight to the bedroom and zipped up my suitcase.Brielle followed me in, bubbling with the kind of enthusiasm that left no room for refusal."Addie! Don't go to bed so early. Let's have one last party before the wedding!"You're getting married in two days. Don't waste these last couple of days!"In the past, I would've given in. I would've convinced myself she genuinely meant well.But this time, I simply stood up."I'm still not feeling well. You guys have fun. I'll stay at a hotel tonight."I picked up my suitcase and headed for the door.Callum sighed."Brielle's right. It's not often everyone gets together. You already killed the mood the other night. Don't start again."Our friends are on their way. Just try to have fun, okay? Do it for me."Before long, a group of friends poured into the apartment."No one's going home sober tonight!" they shouted in unison.I was pushed into a seat in the corner while every

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Chapter 5

Callum stood frozen in the hotel lobby for several seconds before the manager's words finally sank in.His voice rose."Canceled? How could she cancel it?"The manager gave him an apologetic smile."Yes, sir. Ms. Warren called three days ago to cancel."The venue deposit and catering charges have already been refunded to the original payment method. You... didn't get a notification?"Callum didn't answer.He looked around the empty lobby.There wasn't a single wedding decoration in sight.Nor was Addie standing there in her wedding dress, smiling at him the way he'd imagined.Anger surged through him.He pulled out his phone and started typing.Callum: [Adeline, where are you? Wasn't the wedding supposed to be today?]Callum: [Stop messing around. Where are you? I'm worried about you.]Callum: [Send me your address. I'll come get you.]He stood there with his phone in his hand, waiting.The screen eventually went dark.Still no reply.She'd never done this before.Whenever he texted he

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Chapter 6

Callum went completely still.After a long moment, he finally managed, "How is that possible? Today was supposed to be our wedding day. We agreed on today..."Mr. Warren's expression turned cold."Did Addie ever agree to that herself?"Callum opened his mouth, but no words came out.He searched his memory, but he couldn't find a single moment when Addie had smiled and nodded.She'd never actually agreed to that date.But he'd gotten used to assuming she would.Used to her waiting.Used to her coming back.Used to how much she put up with.Just then, Brielle slipped her arm through his, her voice soft and sweet."Cal, maybe this is all just a misunderstanding."Addie probably only wanted some time to herself. She loves you so much. How could she ever really leave you?"She pulled up the venue calendar on her phone and held it out to him."Look, I checked. The venue's still available today, but after this, the next opening isn't for another three months."Her eyes lit up as if she'd just

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Chapter 7

The weather in Westhaven was mild when I arrived.A light rain was falling outside the airport.I changed my phone number.Over the next few days, I wandered around the city on my own.The walls of Mural Alley were covered in layer upon layer of paint, yet somehow, all that chaos had a strange sense of order.I stood in front of a massive whale mural for a long time.No one rushed me.No one texted to ask when I was coming back.I'd never had this kind of freedom before.Every time I went somewhere, it had felt like I was on someone else's clock. All I could do was wait.Wait for Callum to finish whatever he was doing.Wait for him to remember me.Wait for him to finally give me permission to do what I wanted.I'd lived that way for so long that I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to go somewhere on my own.Now I remembered. It felt incredible.The paperwork for the training program went smoothly.I found a small one-bedroom apartment.Every morning, sunlight streamed through the wi

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Chapter 8

Autumn came quickly.I walked the same route every day.I passed a bakery filled with the warm, buttery smell of fresh-baked pastries.At the park on the corner, older people strolled by with their dogs.I got into the habit of stopping at the same coffee shop for a latte.Life was calm and fulfilling.One evening, I got off work early, and it wasn't quite dark yet.A podcast was playing through my headphones.The host was telling a story about whales.I happened to look up.Callum was standing about thirty feet away.He'd lost a lot of weight.Dark circles shadowed his eyes, as if he hadn't slept properly in a long time.He took a step toward me, his voice hoarse."Addie, I'm here to take you home."When I didn't answer, he started speaking faster."I know I've put you through a lot over the years."But I never wanted us to break up. Never."He took a deep breath, and his voice began to shake."Brielle moved out. She... she's not who I thought she was."All those votes... I never mean

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Chapter 9

Three months later, Kieran and I got married.It was a simple wedding with only a small group of guests.Nora flew in from back home and filmed the entire ceremony on her phone, though her hands were shaking so badly the whole time.Kieran was even more of a nervous wreck.His hand trembled as he slipped the ring onto my finger, and it took him two tries to get it on.He looked at me, completely earnest."I'm so nervous. Just thinking about marrying you makes me so happy."Addie, I love you. I promise I'll make you happy for the rest of our lives."My eyes suddenly grew warm.I nodded firmly.I didn't know why, but this time, I believed every word.That same day, Callum had someone deliver a box to me.Inside were all the things he'd owed me over the years.A necklace he'd bought but never given me.A pair of matching rings he'd ordered but never picked up.Letters he'd started but never finished.There was also paperwork transferring some of his shares and savings to me.On top of eve

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