Home / Where My Love Wilted / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of Where My Love Wilted: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

James Lane's face drained of color.Before he could say anything, Lily Zane rounded on me. "Who are you trying to threaten? Fine, don't marry him! You're the home-wrecking bitch who stole my boyfriend, and now you're playing hard to get?"The mood in the bridal boutique shifted instantly. Everyone around us started looking at me differently.This was hardly the first time Lily had tried to smear me.James had never dated her, not once, but she'd always treated me like the other woman. She harassed my relatives, showed up at my workplace to scream abuse at me, and spread lies online that I was some slut who slept with anyone. Random men had even started sending me disgusting messages because of her posts.For the past year, I'd been waking from nightmares, and my hair had fallen out in clumps. At my worst, I'd been diagnosed with severe depression.But James always gave me the same excuses."It'll get better. Lily's just immature. You're a good person. Don't stoop to her level."So I'd

Chapter 2

Even with his fiancée sitting right in front of him, James could think of nothing but another woman.When I continued to ignore him, his patience began to wear thin. "You know what Lily's like. Why did you have to provoke her? And then you went and posted that announcement where she could see it..."My head started buzzing. I turned and stared at him, remembering that this was hardly the first time Lily had attacked me only for James to somehow make me the one at fault.The year before, he'd taken me on a trip with a group of friends. Everyone had been acting suspiciously, disappearing for whispered conversations and keeping things from me, and I'd had a pretty good idea that James was planning to propose. I got dressed up for the occasion and posted a picture on social media, but in my excitement, I accidentally included my location.Lily tracked us down and showed up right in the middle of the romantic proposal. She slapped me so hard I went down, then grabbed at my dress, wrenching

Chapter 3

I had been too proud when I was younger to tell James what happened. I was afraid he would think less of me, so for four years, I'd carried it alone.The memory left me dazed, and when James tried to pull me toward the car, every part of me recoiled. I stumbled backward. "I'm not going. I'm not going!"Something in him finally snapped. He wrapped his arms around me and held on tight, his voice raw with anguish. "What do you want from me? Fine. I won't see Lily anymore. Is that what you want?"In the darkness, he sounded so devastated that anyone listening might have thought I was the one making unreasonable demands.Then his phone rang.I knew the ringtone immediately. He had set a special one just for Lily.Already furious, James answered with a curse. "Stop fucking calling me!"Whatever she said on the other end wiped the anger from his face. He went deathly pale, and just like that, the promise he'd made seconds ago ceased to matter."Wendy." Panic filled his face as he gripped my s

Chapter 4

Lily dissolved into tears, looking for all the world as though I'd done something unforgivable to her.James immediately helped her to her feet, his concern for her plain on his face. When he turned to me, that concern hardened into fury. "Wendy Jones, what do you get out of treating her like this? You owe her an explanation."Before I could respond, he grabbed me and dragged me toward the door.Alarm shot through me. I fought against him with everything I had, my voice shaking. "Where are you taking me?""To your stepfather's."My mother had divorced him years ago, and he'd hated me ever since. Sending me back there was no different from throwing me into a fire."No. I'm not going. I'd rather die than go there."Memories came flooding back, leaving my body rigid with fear and tears streaming uncontrollably down my face. None of it moved James. He dragged me to the car and forced me inside, his eyes red but refusing to meet mine."Wendy, I promised Lily's father I'd take good care of h

Chapter 5

James's pupils contracted. Without another word, he swept me into his arms and rushed me to the car.Lily chased after him in a panic. "James, what about my diploma? You can't just leave me..."Her protest ended in a cry as he shoved her to the ground. He didn't say a word before getting behind the wheel and speeding away.He made it to the hospital in ten minutes and carried me straight into the ER.Once the doctors took me through the doors, James was left standing outside with my blood all over his hands. His head was buzzing. For a long time, he simply stared at the red staining his fingers.Then he slapped himself across the face.He pulled out his phone to call the police, but Lily came rushing in and snatched it away before he could."James, please, think about me. If you call the police, that old man will never help me get my diploma."Her diploma was the last thing on his mind now. All he could see was my blood.His jaw tightened, his eyes turning dark. "Give me my phone."Lil

Chapter 6

"I'll apologize to her, okay? I have money. I'll cover her medical bills. And weren't you trying to get Lily her diploma? I can help with that too."George scrambled to offer anything he could think of, blood running down his chin and mixing with the spit at the corners of his mouth.James only grew calmer.It was the kind of calm that came before a storm.He stepped closer, seized George by the collar, and dragged him over to the large water tank outside. George was no match for him. James forced his head beneath the surface and held him there as he thrashed desperately."Help! Help! I'm sorry!"No matter how desperately George begged and apologized, James showed no mercy.James didn't let him up until he was barely conscious, then dumped him on the ground like a heap of mud.George lay there gasping for breath. Then, inexplicably, he began to laugh.Apparently, he'd decided he had nothing left to lose. The fear vanished from his face, replaced by open contempt."Who are you trying to

Chapter 7

James knew he'd been wrong. Horribly wrong.For years, he'd indulged Lily out of sympathy and what he'd convinced himself was a sense of responsibility. Only now did he finally stop to ask himself what right she'd had to so much of his attention in the first place.Who was Lily to him, really?If his wife had a male friend she constantly put before him, someone she repeatedly hurt him for, would he have been nearly as understanding?No.James knew exactly how he'd react. He wouldn't tolerate it for a second. He'd beat the man half to death before accepting another man having a place in his wife's heart.With that realization, James leaned down and wrapped his arms around me."Wendy, I know I was wrong. I really do. I've deleted all of Lily's contact information. From now on, whether she lives or dies has nothing to do with me. From now on, you call the shots. Whatever you say, I'll do it. Okay?"His voice was earnest, almost pleading. Anyone listening might have believed he truly loved

Chapter 8

"Wendy, are you really breaking up with James? He won't be able to handle it.""Wendy, believe me, no man will ever love you more than James does. Think of everything he's done for you. Can you really be this heartless?""Everyone makes mistakes. Can't you give him one more chance? We'll all keep an eye on him for you."I kept packing without answering.Men really did stick together. Before everything blew up, they'd all been happy to enable one another. Afterward, they were just as quick to cover for each other.They used to tell me, in their roundabout way, how incredibly lucky I was to have a boyfriend like James, that I should behave myself and be more obedient. Now that I'd finally stopped putting up with him, they were back to singing his praises.They could say whatever they wanted. It had nothing to do with me anymore.Once the last of my luggage was loaded, the driver pulled away. Only then did everyone seem to realize I was serious about leaving.A little over half an hour la

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