Home / Beyond the Wasteland, Wildflowers Bloom / Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

All Chapters of Beyond the Wasteland, Wildflowers Bloom: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I picked up my phone and called Wallace Romano on FaceTime.It rang for so long that I almost gave up before he finally answered."Miley? What's up?""Wallace, how are the Alps?"He froze for a beat before forcing out an awkward laugh. "What are you talking about? Didn't we agree to reschedule the photoshoot for after my business trip?"I sent him the photo I'd just found.His expression shifted instantly, and he fired back a string of accusations. "Have you been snooping through my private files? Is this what you call trust? Do you have any faith in me at all?"He had the nerve to lecture me about trust. The irony would have been funny if it didn't hurt so much."Wallace, we're done," I said quietly."Stop being ridiculous." He sighed impatiently. "What is this, some kind of joke? We've already set our wedding date."Then, as if realizing he needed to placate me, he softened his voice. "Okay, I shouldn't have done this. Just don't hang up. Let me explain."Before he could s

Chapter 2

When I returned home after two days in the hospital, Wallace was already back from the trip.He handed me an elegantly wrapped box, his voice taking on that familiar, coaxing softness."Taking Emma on that trip was just my way of making up for the past. I never really gave her anything when we were together, so I wanted to make up for it. Besides, I brought you a local specialty as a souvenir."He opened the box, releasing the sweet aroma of freshly baked lavender shortbread. Then he picked up a piece and held it to my lips."I kept the trip from you because I knew you'd overthink things, and I didn't want you to get upset. You have to trust me, honey. You're the only one I love. I swear I'll cut Emma out of my life from now on."His expression was as tender as ever, but looking at that familiar face made nausea churn in my stomach. I was severely allergic to lavender, so it was obvious who he'd really bought the shortbread for.I felt utterly disappointed, unwilling to deal with

Chapter 3

I gathered the broken pieces of the silver pendant one by one and carefully wrapped them in a small piece of cloth.Not long afterward, a message arrived from the wedding planner.[Ms. Lawrence, I forgot to ask earlier. Were you and Mr. Romano happy with today's rehearsal? Should we stick to the same schedule for the actual ceremony?]Confused, I sent back a question mark.A moment later, he sent over a video.[Didn't Mr. Romano say you were worried about getting nervous on the big day, so he wanted to rehearse the entire ceremony in advance?]I tapped on the video and played it.There, dressed in the exact wedding attire I'd spent months choosing, were Wallace and Emma, walking arm in arm down the aisle of the wedding venue I'd painstakingly designed.From the grand entrance to the ceremony itself, right through to the bouquet toss, they went through every part of my dream wedding as if they were the real couple.There was only one difference between this rehearsal and the we

Chapter 4

I slowly gathered the few belongings I planned to take with me.Shortly after I finished packing, I received a message from the real estate agent I'd contacted earlier. He wanted to stop by the following day to photograph the property for the listing and asked if I could tidy the place up beforehand.And so, that was the last thing I needed to take care of before leaving.I grabbed my keys and headed to the house I'd spent months designing and furnishing, choosing every detail with care.But the moment I opened the front door, I froze.Only Wallace and I had keys to this place.He'd insisted that we wait until after we'd officially registered our marriage to move in together, saying our first night here should mark the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.Yet the living room looked as though a party had just gotten out of hand. The sofa cushions were scattered, and the covers lay in tangled heaps.The coffee table was buried beneath takeout containers, barbecue skewers, and

Chapter 5

Wallace immediately searched for the number of the wedding planning company's lead coordinator and called.The coordinator answered almost at once."Hello, Mr. Romano!" he greeted respectfully. "I hope the invitations arrived safely. Are you happy with how they turned out?""What the hell is going on?" Wallace snapped. "Why does the invitation say Emma is the bride? My wedding is right around the corner!"I trusted you to handle everything, and now you've made a mess of the most important detail. How am I supposed to fix this?"The coordinator was taken aback by the sudden outburst."Please give me a moment to check our records."A moment later, the coordinator returned to the line, sounding cautious."According to our records, Ms. Lawrence requested the change yesterday. After we sent her the rehearsal video, she asked us to replace the bride's name with Ms. Berry's. She explained that Ms. Berry was your actual bride and that you wanted to surprise her with the invitations."

Chapter 6

Wallace sat alone in the apartment until late that night, staring at his phone and waiting for a message that never came.When the doorbell finally rang, he sprang to his feet.But when he opened the door, the person he'd been hoping to see wasn't there. Instead, Emma, Kate, Luisa, and the rest of the group stood outside."Wallace, what's going on?" Emma asked softly, looking as fragile as ever. "Didn't we agree to watch a movie together tonight? We've been messaging you nonstop, but you haven't replied to a single message."Once you're married, it'll be so much harder for us to hang out like this. I'm sure Miley will hold a grudge against me after that."Before Wallace could respond, Luisa jumped in to reassure her."Don't worry about her. Even after they get married, you can do whatever you want. I'm not afraid of her. Besides, we're all such close friends..."The sweet, helpless tone Wallace had once found endearing suddenly grated on his nerves."Enough," he interrupted. "M

Chapter 7

High above the clouds, the plane carried me farther and farther away from everything I'd left behind.I gazed through the window as the familiar world below gradually shrank. Bright city streets and towering skyscrapers dwindled into specks of light before disappearing into the gray horizon.I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes.I'd expected leaving to hurt far more than it did. Instead of the overwhelming grief I'd braced myself for, I felt an unexpected sense of relief, as though a weight I'd carried for years had finally lifted from my shoulders.The moment I stepped off the plane, my phone began lighting up with missed calls and unread messages. Instead of opening any of them, I just cleared the notifications and moved on.I also deleted every trace of Wallace's contact information from my phone.Since I'd made my decision, there was no reason to look back. Wasting another moment mourning someone like him wasn't worth my time.I hailed a cab and headed to my parents'

Chapter 8

One afternoon at the office, I received a call from Brittany."Wallace showed up at the house. He said he wanted to apologize and make things right, but I had your father grab a broom and chase him off."That was hilarious.I left work early and headed home.The moment I stepped out of the car, I spotted Wallace standing outside the front door, alone and looking utterly miserable.He'd lost a shocking amount of weight. His jaw was sharply defined, his cheekbones jutted out, and his eyes were sunken deep into their sockets.He wore a plain black sweater that hung loosely on his gaunt frame. Whenever the wind blew, the fabric clung to his body, revealing just how thin he'd become.The moment he saw me, he rushed forward."Miley, why did you block me everywhere? I've been asking around and searching for days just to find out where you went."His voice cracked with emotion, and his words came out in a pitiful, nasal whine."What are you doing here?" I stopped a few feet away from

Chapter 9

By the time I went out for my evening walk, the front yard was empty.Wallace was long gone. The only trace he'd left behind was a patch of flattened grass where he'd been standing.The encounter barely made a ripple in my life. If anything, it reminded me how far I'd come. At last, I was free to live as I pleased, without having to worry about anyone else's lies, expectations, or drama.A few days later, a long message arrived from an unfamiliar number.I knew it was from Wallace.[Miley, it wasn't until you walked out of my life that I finally understood what it meant to be loved unconditionally, without expecting anything in return.[Emma played me for a fool. When she left me back then, it wasn't because she'd lost her temper. She'd found herself a rich man and decided I wasn't good enough for her because I had nothing.[She's come back this time because the man who got her pregnant left her for someone else. When she learned I'd built a successful business from the ground u

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP