He Chose Her Ten Times, I Left Once Chapter 01
At the tenth blindfolded bride-selection ceremony, Elliot Whitmore, blindfolded in front of every guest, once again reached into the lineup and clasped hands with his childhood sweetheart.
And I, Avery Sterling, the woman everyone had been told would become the future Mrs. Whitmore, stepped down from the stage in humiliation.
Before the ceremony began, Elliot had promised me over and over that he would not choose wrong this time.
He had even pressed a small, textured mark onto the back of my hand so he could find me by touch.
Now, he slipped off the silk blindfold, leaning in to whisper with that terrifyingly gentle voice of his.
“Sienna is the daughter from your father’s affair. Since I already picked her, I can’t just leave her standing there. People would talk.”
He smiled and patted my arm as if he were comforting a child.
“Next time, we’ll make the mark more obvious.”
Under the roar of applause, the spotlight swung back to him and Sienna.
Just like the last nine times, he handed the bridal bouquet that should have belonged to his future wife to Sienna Sterling.
But he had forgotten the rule of the Whitmore lineage.
Ten selections meant destiny.
The woman chosen ten times would become the rightful daughter-in-law of the Whitmore family.
And I would finally stop playing his game.
…
“Avery, whatever you decide about this marriage, I’ll stand by you.”
My mother, Vivian Sterling, had stood beside me for more than ten exhausting hours. Her eyes had turned red.
For nine years, during nine bride-selection ceremonies, we had sat on the sidelines like a joke everyone was too polite to laugh at.
It was not that I had never noticed the private signals Elliot and Sienna had agreed on.
He had used those gestures to single her out from the crowd with surgical precision, year after year.
But somehow, I had still believed him when he swore he would never marry anyone but me.
Now, Sienna had her arm tucked through his while the two of them worked the room, radiating the effortless charm of a couple in love.
And my father, Charles Sterling, who had repeatedly claimed he had cut ties with Sienna, was beaming too.
I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and forced a smile.
“Mom, let’s eat first.”
Only after the congratulations died down did Elliot walk over with a glass of champagne in his hand.
“Sienna has lived with the stain of being an illegitimate daughter her whole life. Tomorrow is her birthday, and this was finally something lucky for her. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
Then he looked at me as if I were the one being unreasonable.
“And honestly, you could’ve been more proactive. I was blindfolded. I couldn’t see anything. You should’ve helped me a little.”
He was the one who had chosen her.
Yet somehow, I was the one to blame.
Over the years, I had tried everything.
I had worn a specific perfume. I had whispered his name when he passed me.
This time, I had even etched a tactile cue into my skin that was impossible to ignore.
And still, not once had he chosen me.
Nine years of humiliation surged up at once. I forced my voice to remain level.
“But you know this was the tenth…”
Before I could finish, Sienna grabbed my arm with a flawless display of feigned remorse.
“Avery, I’m so sorry. I only signed up for fun. I didn’t think Elliot would pick me every single time…”
Her lashes lowered, and her voice turned sweet enough to poison.
“How about I lend him to you tonight? Consider it my apology.”
Elliot looked at her with indulgent affection and ruffled her hair. “Since when are you this considerate, huh?”
“No, thanks,” I said coldly, shattering the saccharine moment between them.
Then I turned and walked away.
For once, Elliot actually followed me.
“Come on. It was just a game. Why are you taking it so seriously?”
He pushed me into the car and started the engine.
“Even if I picked her a hundred times, you’d still be the bride at the wedding.”
The car had barely moved a few feet when his phone rang sharply.
Sienna’s furious voice cut through the speaker.
“You actually left? You left your bride behind? Fine. Then I’ll go home with some other man.”
She hung up with a snap.
“Get out.”
Elliot slammed on the brakes so hard the seat belt snapped against my collarbone.
Before I could even react, he was practically shoving me onto the curb.
Sienna was walking ahead in her long evening gown, refusing to look back like a spoiled princess throwing a tantrum.
And in front of everyone, Elliot chased after her, playing the lovesick fool chasing his fleeing queen.
My mother hurried over to check the scrape on my arm, her face contorted with worry. “Avery, don’t marry him.”
Seeing her cry for me again, I bit down hard on my lip.
“Okay.”
A moment later, my phone buzzed.
Elliot: [Handle the wedding arrangements for the day after tomorrow yourself. I’m busy.]
I called the wedding planner and, without a second of hesitation, changed the wedding gown fitting to Sienna’s measurements.
Elliot, your bride would not be me.