She Got the Marriage License and I Got 99 Broken Promises Chapter 04
A mocking smile pulled at my lips.
The day after tomorrow?
By then, I would be thirty thousand feet over the ocean.
Before I left, I wanted one last look at the gown I had chosen back when I still believed I would marry Nolan.
The second I stepped into the bridal boutique, every sales associate inside looked at me strangely.
A heartbeat later, I understood why.
Sabrina was there.
The gown she had squeezed herself into was cutting into her underarms, but the entourage of stylists showered her with hollow flattery, chanting ‘Mrs. Hayes’ like a mantra until she beamed with unearned pride.
And the dress she was wearing was the one I had ordered.
When she saw me, a victorious smile curved across her face.
“Tessa, shopping for a wedding dress too? What, already found your next man?”
I looked at her calmly, untouched by the bait.
When I said nothing, the staff around us seemed to assume I was too guilty to speak, the mistress standing in front of the legal wife.
No one dared say it to my face, not openly, not while I was still associated with Nolan, but the contempt in their eyes was plain enough.
There was never any shortage of people eager to enjoy someone else’s humiliation. Trying to explain would only have made me look worse.
After all, Sabrina was the one who had the marriage certificate.
So I canceled the gown on the spot.
Anything someone else had touched, I didn’t want.
I had barely turned to leave when Nolan blocked my way.
He was usually meticulous, he picture of corporate perfection, but today his tie sat crooked and his hair was a mess, like he had rushed over without even checking a mirror.
His face tightened as he grabbed my wrist.
“You canceled the dress? Why? You don’t like it anymore?”
Before I could answer, Sabrina hurried over and wedged herself between us.
“Nolan,” she said brightly, cutting in first, “I really love that gown. If she doesn’t want it, let me have it.”
I wasn’t in the mood for dinner theater. I shook off Nolan’s hand and tried to walk past him, but he planted himself right in front of me, immovable.
His brows drew together, and when he spoke, his tone left no room for argument.
“No. That dress belongs to Tessa.”
I cut him off, already annoyed. “I don’t want it anymore. If she likes it, she can have it.”
They already had the certificate. Whether I liked the dress or not no longer mattered.
That gown had once meant something to both of us, and I could let that go.
Nolan, apparently, couldn’t.
He stared at me with dark, unreadable eyes, his chest rising and falling as he fought to keep his emotions under control.
It was as if something from the past had caught hold of him, and I could see it flickering behind his eyes.
By the time I was well out the door, he finally seemed to snap back to himself.
He turned, grabbed Sabrina by the arm, and slapped her across the face in front of everyone.
“Who told you that you could wear that dress?” he roared. “Take it off. Now.”
His voice shook with fury. “I only married you because of the kid. It was never real. Don’t you ever mistake yourself for the woman I actually wanted.”
The only woman who was ever going to be my wife was Tessa.”
Once I got into the car, my phone started ringing.
I rejected the call. It rang again.
I rejected it again. It came back immediately, as if he planned to keep calling until I answered.
The driver glanced at me a few times through the rearview mirror, clearly wanting to say something, but thought better of it.
I still didn’t answer.
Then Nolan started texting.
Nolan:[I know you hate other people touching your things. I already had the gown sent out to be professionally cleaned.]
Nolan:[I arranged the best elder care facility in the country. They’ll come pick up Grandma tomorrow.]
Nolan:[I’ll be waiting for you at the City Hall tomorrow.]
I stared out the window until my vision blurred.
When I walked into the departure terminal, I pulled the SIM card from my phone and tossed it into the trash.
“Nolan,” I whispered, “whatever was between us is over.”
For good.
The next day, he showed up at the County Clerk’s Office right on time, dressed in a tailored suit, roses in hand.
He waited the entire day.
I never came.
When he finally pulled out his phone to contact me, all he saw were failed notifications from every platform.
I had blocked him everywhere.
That was when he finally panicked.
