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.

to each other through twelve years of school, our moms

fate was

brushing of hands, the late–night study sessions, even his bad–boy

it all as part of our journey together.

wanted absolutely nothing to

strength to explain everything to my parents or deal with the fallout with Zephyr. I’d just let things naturally implode and pick

my hand, smiling warmly: “Someone came to see you earlier, brought a huge box of these black cherries–they’re your favorite, right?”

12.47

Ruined Bride of

35.0%

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

many people knew cherries were my favorite–besides

the blanket tightly, my emotions a chaotic

everything–the humiliation, the bathroom, the cruel words–a tiny,

realized what

somehow go back

I hadn’t wasted years of my life loving someone who saw me

and a warm male voice called