I Tore The Marriage Form In Half And Walked Away Forever Chapter 02
The ballroom doors swung open.
Miles strode in carrying an enormous bouquet of red roses. The moment he spotted me, a smirk spread across his face.
“Well, if it isn’t Clara Winslow.” He looked around theatrically. “What are you doing here?”
A few of his buddies followed behind him, laughing and exchanging knowing glances.
Without a second thought, Miles tossed the bouquet onto a nearby couch.
“Julian asked us to come early and help set everything up,” he said. “Kaylee just got out of the hospital after having her stomach pumped. She’s still pretty weak. Julian wants to throw her a party tonight and cheer her up.”
His gaze swept over me.
“You know, Clara, you’re too controlling. You push people too hard.”
He shook his head as if he were some relationship expert.
“Kaylee’s depression got so bad she almost lost her life. That’s heartbreaking. You’ve been with Julian for seven years. Waiting another day or two won’t kill you.”
I stared at his smug face.
Then I turned around, grabbed a glass of red wine from a nearby table, and walked back toward him.
Miles was still rambling.
“Kaylee told us her biggest regret is never getting to wear a wedding dress. So tonight Julian plans to…”
I threw the wine straight into his face.
Miles shrieked.
“Jesus Christ! Clara!”
He stumbled backward, clutching his eyes while his friends rushed over with napkins.
I let out a cold laugh.
“Go tell Julian I’ve already canceled the venue.”
I stepped closer.
“If he wants to throw a party for his mistress, he can pay for it himself.”
Then my eyes narrowed.
“And as for you, if you ever come running your mouth in front of me again, the next thing hitting your face won’t be wine.”
Ignoring the string of curses he shouted after me, I walked straight out of the hotel.
The second I reached the front steps, rain came crashing down from the sky.
I stood beneath the awning and pulled out my phone to call a rideshare.
Two hundred and thirteen people were ahead of me.
I stared at the screen for a moment before putting my phone away.
The company headquarters was only a couple of blocks away.
I’d walk.
Rainwater soaked through my heels as I crossed one intersection after another.
Then, halfway through the next block, a violent cramp twisted through my lower abdomen.
My breath caught.
I grabbed the bus stop pole for support as darkness crowded the edges of my vision.
My legs gave out.
I collapsed into the rain-soaked street.
Just before consciousness slipped away, I heard panicked voices nearby.
“Call 911!”
“Someone passed out!”
When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was a white hospital ceiling.
A doctor in a lab coat approached my bed, chart in hand.
“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
I struggled upright and pressed a hand against my aching stomach.
“What happened to me?”
The doctor opened my chart and adjusted his glasses.
“You’re six weeks pregnant.”
My mind went blank.
The room seemed to ring.
The doctor continued.
“You didn’t know?”
I couldn’t speak.
Pregnant.
On the very day Julian abandoned our wedding plans to run to his first love…
I was pregnant.
“Pregnant women shouldn’t be out in cold rain,” the doctor said firmly. “Combined with severe emotional stress, you’re showing signs of a threatened miscarriage.”
He closed the chart.
“You need to stay hospitalized for observation.”
Then he glanced toward the door.
“Where’s your husband?”
My lips parted.
No sound came out.
Before I could answer, the door suddenly flew open.
Julian rushed inside, breathing hard. He was still wearing the same white dress shirt from that morning.
He strode straight to my bedside.
The second he saw me sitting up, his expression darkened.
“Clara, are you done yet?”
Not “How are you?”
Not “What happened?”
Not even “Are you okay?”
His first words were an accusation.
“Kaylee finally calmed down, and then you went and liked Miles’s Instagram post.”
His voice rose.
“She saw it and got upset all over again. She started crying and tried to rip out her IV!”
Julian pointed toward the hallway.
“Come downstairs with me right now.”
His tone left no room for argument.
“You’re going to apologize to Kaylee.”
I stared at him.
“And while you’re at it, explain that we didn’t get married today. Tell her there was no wedding registration. She needs to stop worrying and focus on recovering.”
I looked at the man I’d loved for seven years.
His face was still familiar.
Everything else felt like a stranger.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
“Julian.”
I met his eyes.
“I’m in the hospital.”
He paused.
His gaze finally flickered toward the IV in my hand.
His tone softened slightly.
“I know you got sick after being caught in the rain.”
Then he sighed.
“But Kaylee’s depression is serious. She could hurt herself at any time.”
He pulled over a chair and sat down.
“You’ve always been healthy. You’ll be fine after a few bags of fluids.”
His voice became almost coaxing.
“Clara, you’ve always been understanding. Just help me out this one time.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“Kaylee doesn’t feel secure right now. I’m thinking about buying her a condo downtown and putting it in her name.”
My stomach churned.
Julian continued as though everything he was saying was perfectly reasonable.
“If she has a place of her own, she’ll feel safer. Her recovery will probably go a lot faster.”
Then he delivered the final blow.
“As for our wedding…”
He paused.
“Let’s postpone it for a year.”
A year.
“When Kaylee’s condition is completely stable, we’ll talk about getting married again.”
I stared at him.
Nausea rolled through me.
Seven years.
Seven years together.
From college classrooms to corporate boardrooms.
We’d shared a tiny run-down apartment.
Lived on discounted groceries.
Counted every dollar.
Dreamed together.
Saved together.
Built a future together.
I thought we were each other’s one and only.
Slowly, I pulled my hand from his grasp.
Then I pointed toward the door.
“Julian.”
My voice was calm.
“You don’t love me anymore.”
His expression changed instantly.
He shot to his feet.
“Can you stop being unreasonable?”
Frustration flashed across his face.
“I told you, Kaylee is sick!”
He dragged a hand through his hair.
“She needs me right now. I can’t abandon her.”
Finally, he let out an irritated breath.
“Just calm down.”
He turned away.
“I’ll come back later.”
Then he walked out of the room.
Without looking back once.
The door clicked shut behind him.
I lowered my hand to my flat stomach.
And sat there in silence.
