The Ruined Bride of Velvet Nights by Brick Moving Ant

Chapter 8

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital room.

Mom helped raise my bed, her face lined with worry: “How are you feeling, honey? Still hurting?”

“Sweetheart, I know senior year is crazy important, but you can’t keep pushing yourself this hard.”

“You spent your entire summer break at that competition instead of relaxing. I know grades matter, but all I care about is you being healthy and happy.”

My throat tightened with emotion, her concern washing over me like a warm blanket, and I

mumbled: “I know.”

I hadn’t told Mom about the Stanford automatic admission from winning the competition.

Before all this, I’d planned my entire future around attending UC Davis with Zephyr, or at least somewhere close by.

Zephyr and I had been in this weird almost–relationship for so long that both our families had

noticed and seemed thrilled about it.

Everyone just assumed we were endgame–that we’d naturally end up together.

how I’d seen it too.

sitting next to each other through twelve years of school, our moms being best

seemed like fate was pushing

late–night study sessions, even his bad–boy

part of

absolutely nothing

with the fallout with Zephyr. I’d just let things naturally implode and pick up

warmly: “Someone came to see you earlier, brought

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Chapter 2

while. Just stepped out but they’ll be back any minute. You should thank them when they return.”

skipped a beat, a flutter of something I hated myself

were my

tightly, my emotions

words–a tiny, pathetic part of

what

and things could somehow go back to before I

maybe, I hadn’t wasted years of my life loving

soon opened after a gentle knock, and a warm male voice