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.

I’d seen it too.

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

fate was pushing us

of hands, the late–night study sessions,

as part of our

nothing to do with him.

everything to my parents or deal with the

cherry in my hand, smiling warmly: “Someone came to see you earlier,

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Bride of Velvet

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Chapter 2

bed for quite a while. Just stepped out but they’ll be back any minute.

a flutter of something I

were my favorite–besides my parents, only

my

tiny, pathetic

realized what he’d done.

and things could somehow go back to before I knew the truth.

years of my life loving someone who saw me as

hospital room door soon opened after a gentle knock, and a warm male voice called