Could You Choose Me Even Once?

Could You Choose Me Even Once?

Joy Brown · Completed · 9.6k Words

569
Hot
3.9k
Views
320
Added
Add to Shelf
Start Reading
Share:facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

Introduction

I was six years old when Mom took my brother and me by the hand, leading us into a mansion that looked like a palace. She told us this was our new beginning, after all the hardships we'd been through. But no one warned me that this so-called better life would mean giving up everything I had.

My scholarships, my prom dress, even my Stanford acceptance letter—they all turned into bargaining chips just to keep my stepfather and his daughter Sienna happy. Then, the night before my wedding, they even asked my fiancé to "temporarily" give himself to her as well.

I've always been the one giving everything, pouring myself out until there's nothing left, yet I've never heard the words, "You're enough." If love means endless sacrifice, why am I never the one on the receiving end?

Maybe only when I vanish completely will they remember my name—for the first and last time.

Chapter 1

The wedding dress hung on the door like a ghost.

I stared at my reflection in the floor-length mirror. The dress fit perfectly. I should have felt beautiful.

But I felt nothing.

There was a knock on the door.

"Emma?" Mom's voice. Soft. Careful. "Can I come in?"

I didn't answer, but she came in anyway. She always did.

She was wearing the mother-of-the-bride dress—champagne silk, elegant. Her makeup was perfect. Her smile was tight.

"Honey, we need to talk."

I knew that tone. It was the same tone she used when she asked me to give Sienna my prom dress. My college acceptance celebration. My Stanford ring.

"What does she want now?" I asked flatly.

Mom flinched. "Emma, don't—"

"What. Does. She. Want."

Mom's hands twisted together. She was nervous. Good.

"Sienna's in the hospital again," she said carefully. "She saw the wedding preparations and... she had an episode. The doctors say her depression is getting worse—"

"And?"

"Emma, please." Mom's eyes filled with tears. Real ones, I thought. Maybe. "She needs Ethan right now. Just for a few days. Just until she stabilizes—"

The world tilted.

I gripped the edge of the vanity.

"You want me to postpone my wedding," I said slowly, "so my fiancé can babysit your favorite daughter."

"She's your sister—"

"She's your do-over!" I screamed.

Mom jerked back like I slapped her.

"I gave her my KIDNEY!" My voice cracked. "Six months ago, I gave her a piece of my body. You said that would be enough. You PROMISED that would be enough—"

"Emma, please calm down—"

"WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

I was shaking now. Tears streaming down my face, ruining the makeup the artist spent two hours perfecting.

Mom's face hardened. There it was. The look I'd seen my whole life.

Disappointment.

"I raised you better than this," she said quietly. "Richard gave us everything. This house. Your education. This wedding. The least you can do is be grateful—"

"Grateful?" I laughed hysterically. "I got a full scholarship to Stanford, Mom. I paid for my own Master's degree. I don't owe him ANYTHING—"

"You owe him your sister's LIFE!" Mom shouted. "If we didn't have his money, Sienna would have died waiting for a kidney—"

"Then maybe you should have asked HIM to donate!"

Silence.

Mom's face went white.

For a second—one brief, shining second—I thought I'd finally broken through.

Then she straightened her spine.

"Tomorrow morning, you will smile. You will be gracious. And you will tell Ethan that you understand." Her voice was ice. "Sienna needs him more than you do right now. She's fragile. You're strong."

"I'm NOT strong!" I was sobbing now. "I'm falling apart, Mom. Can't you see that? Can't you SEE me?"

But she was already walking toward the door.

"I'll tell Ethan you need to talk to him," she said without turning around. "Try to be mature about this, Emma. Not everything is about you."

The door clicked shut.

I stood there, tears dripping onto the white lace.

Then my phone buzzed.

SIENNA: [thank u for understanding ❤️ ur the best big sis ever.]

I dropped the phone.

It cracked against the marble floor.

Just like my heart.

Ethan knocked softly before entering.

My future husband.

Except there was no future anymore.

"Em," he said gently. "Can we talk?"

I was sitting on the bed, still in the wedding dress. I hadn't taken it off. Hadn't moved.

"Your mom told me," he continued when I didn't respond. "About Sienna."

"And?"

He sat beside me. Not too close.

"I think... maybe we should postpone. Just a week or two. Until she's—"

"Say it," I interrupted. "Say what you really mean."

"Emma—"

"You want to go to her."

Silence.

That was answer enough.

I turned to look at him. Really look at him.

Ethan Mitchell. Twenty-seven years old. Stanford graduate. Entrepreneur. The boy who kissed me under the library eaves eight years ago.

The man who was choosing her.

"Did you ever love me?" I asked.

"Of course I—"

"Don't lie. Not tonight."

He swallowed hard. His Adam's apple bobbed.

"I do love you," he said finally. "But Sienna... she needs—"

"What I needed," I finished. "She needs what I needed. Attention. Protection. Someone to choose her."

"That's not fair—"

"You're right." I stood up. "It's not fair. I gave her my kidney. You're just giving her your heart."

"Emma, please—"

"Get out."

"Emma—"

"GET OUT!"

He stood. Hesitated.

For one moment, I thought he'd stay. I thought he'd choose me.

Then he walked toward the door.

"I'll come back," he said quietly. "When Sienna's stable, I'll come back, and we'll—"

"No," I said. "You won't."

He turned, confused.

"Marry her," I said. "You already chose her. Make it official."

"Emma, you're being irrational—"

"I'm being CLEAR!" I screamed. "For the first time in my life, I'm being fucking CLEAR!"

I grabbed my phone—the cracked one—and pulled up my contacts.

600 wedding guests.

I typed:

[Wedding cancelled. Apologies for any inconvenience. - Emma]

"What are you doing?" Ethan's voice rose in panic.

"Taking back my life."

I hit send.

600 messages delivered.

Ethan stared at his phone as it started buzzing. Then my mom's phone. Then Ryan's.

The house erupted in chaos.

Footsteps pounding up the stairs.

"EMMA!" Mom's voice, shrill with panic. "EMMA, WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Ryan burst through the door first. My big brother. Six foot two. Former college athlete.

"Are you INSANE?" he roared.

Then he saw my face.

And for a second—just a second—he looked sorry.

"Emma," he said more gently. "Why would you—"

"Because I'm DONE," I said clearly. "I'm done sacrificing. I'm done being invisible. I'm DONE."

"You're being a selfish brat," Ryan snapped. "Do you know how much this wedding cost? How many people—"

"Then YOU marry him!" I shouted. "YOU give him your kidney! YOU spend your life being second best!"

Ryan's face went red. "Don't you DARE—"

Then he did it.

His hand flew up.

CRACK.

The slap echoed through the room.

My head snapped to the side. My ear rang.

Mom gasped. Ethan froze.

I touched my cheek. It was burning.

I looked at my brother.

The boy who used to carry me on his shoulders.

The man who just struck me.

For her, our stepsister.

"Get out," I whispered.

"Emma—" Ryan's face was white now. Shocked at himself.

"All of you. Get. Out."

They left.

Even Ethan.

Especially Ethan.

I locked the door behind them.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

Red handprint on my cheek.

Tear-stained wedding dress.

Cracked phone screen.

This was what love looked like in my family.

I opened my suitcase and packed.

And I left.

Last Chapters

You Might Like 😍

The Human Among  Wolves

The Human Among Wolves

677.3k Views · Ongoing · ZWrites
"You actually thought I cared about you?" His smirk was sharp, almost cruel.
My stomach twisted, but he wasn’t finished.
"You're just a pathetic little human," Zayn said, his words deliberate, each one hitting like a slap. "Spreading your legs for the first guy who bothers to notice you."
Heat rushed to my face, burning with humiliation. My chest ached — not from his words alone, but from the sick realization that I had trusted him. That I had let myself believe he was different.
I was so, so stupid.
——————————————————
When eigteen-year-old Aurora Wells moves to a sleepy town with her parents, the last thing she expects is to be enrolled in a secret academy for werewolves.
Moonbound Academy is no ordinary school. It's here young Lycans, Betas and Alphas train in shifting, elemental magic, and ancient pack laws. But Aurora? She's just...human. a mistake. The new receptionist forgot to check her species - and now she's surrounded by predators who sense she doesn't belong.
Determined to stay under the radar, Aurora plans to survive the year unnoticed. But when she catches the attention of Zayn, a brooding and infuriatingly powerful Lycan prince, her life gets a lot more complicated. Zayn already has a mate. He already has enemies. And he definitely doesn't want anything to do with a clueless human.
But secrets run deeper than bloodlines at Moonbound. as Aurora unravels the truth about the academy - and herself - she begins to question everything she thought she knew.
Including the reason she was brought here at all.
Enemies will rise. Loyalties will shift. And the girl with no place in their world...might be the key to saving it.
Surrendering to Destiny

Surrendering to Destiny

729.2k Views · Completed · Allison Franklin
Catherine is not only a rogue half-breed, she is also the result of mate-bond infidelity, was abandoned as a baby and, to top it off, she can only shift during the full moon. When Catherine left the only pack she'd ever known in order to escape the new alpha, the last thing she expected was to find her mate... let alone for him to be the mouth-watering, heavily tattooed, lead warrior of the most feared lycan pack on the continent.

Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.

From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.

Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
Shattered Girl

Shattered Girl

883.3k Views · Completed · Brandi Rae
Jake's fingers danced across my nipples, squeezing gently and making me groan in pleasure. He lifted my shirt and stared at my hardened nipples through my bra. I tensed, and Jake sat up and moved back on the bed, giving me some space.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Was that too much?” I could see the worry in his eyes as I took a deep breath.

“I just didn’t want you to see all my scars,” I whispered, feeling ashamed of my marked body.


Emmy Nichols is used to surviving. She survived her abusive father for years until he beat her so severely, she ended up in the hospital, and her father was finally arrested. Now, Emmy is thrown into a life she never expected. Now she has a mother

who doesn't want her, a politically motivated stepfather with ties to the Irish mob, four older stepbrothers, and their best friend who swear to love and protect her. Then, one night, everything shatters, and Emmy feels her only option is to run.

When her stepbrothers and their best friend finally find her, will they pick up the pieces and convince Emmy that they will keep her safe and their love will hold them together?
After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms

After the Affair: Falling into a Billionaire's Arms

1.3m Views · Ongoing · Louisa
[Dear readers, if you loved this book, be sure to read my new recommended read: Cheating Husband, Vengeful Me.]
From first crush to wedding vows, George Capulet and I had been inseparable. But in our seventh year of marriage, he began an affair with his secretary.

On my birthday, he took her on vacation. On our anniversary, he brought her to our home and made love to her in our bed...

Heartbroken, I tricked him into signing divorce papers.

George remained unconcerned, convinced I would never leave him.

His deceptions continued until the day the divorce was finalized. I threw the papers in his face: "George Capulet, from this moment on, get out of my life!"

Only then did panic flood his eyes as he begged me to stay.

When his calls bombarded my phone later that night, it wasn't me who answered, but my new boyfriend Julian.

"Don't you know," Julian chuckled into the receiver, "that a proper ex-boyfriend should be as quiet as the dead?"

George seethed through gritted teeth: "Put her on the phone!"

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

Julian dropped a gentle kiss on my sleeping form nestled against him. "She's exhausted. She just fell asleep."
The Lycan Prince’s Puppy

The Lycan Prince’s Puppy

3.2m Views · Ongoing · chavontheauthor
“You’re mine, little puppy,” Kylan growled against my neck.
“Soon enough, you’ll be begging for me. And when you do—I’ll use you as I see fit, and then I’ll reject you.”


When Violet Hastings begins her freshman year at Starlight Shifters Academy, she only wants two things—honor her mother’s legacy by becoming a skilled healer for her pack and get through the academy without anyone calling her a freak for her strange eye condition.

Things take a dramatic turn when she discovers that Kylan, the arrogant heir to the Lycan throne who has made her life miserable from the moment they met, is her mate.

Kylan, known for his cold personality and cruel ways, is far from thrilled. He refuses to accept Violet as his mate, yet he doesn’t want to reject her either. Instead, he sees her as his puppy, and is determined to make her life even more of a living hell.

As if dealing with Kylan’s torment isn’t enough, Violet begins to uncover secrets about her past that change everything she thought she knew. Where does she truly come from? What is the secret behind her eyes? And has her whole life been a lie?
Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully

252.3k Views · Completed · Xena Kessler
An original story by Xena Kessler
My back hit the desk. Pain exploded through my skull.
"Girls like you don't get to dream about guys like Kai." Bella's breath was hot on my face. "You don't get to write pathetic love letters."
She shoved me again. Harder.
"Maybe if you weren't such a desperate little—"
I fell. My head cracked against the corner.
Warmth trickled down my neck. Blood.
Their laughter turned to gasps.
The door slammed.
I tried to stand. Couldn't. The room was spinning, fading to black.
Someone... please...
Angelina, the most powerful Alpha who conquered forty-nine packs, dies in a yacht explosion—only to wake up as Aria Sterling, a fifteen-year-old Omega's daughter who just died from bullying.
The original Aria's life was a nightmare. Humiliated when golden boy Kai Matthews posted her love letter online, then shoved to death by his girlfriend Bella Morrison. But that's not all her family faces:
"You got until Monday," the tattooed gangster sneered at Aria's mother. "Ten grand cash. Or I'm taking collateral—your kids' organs fetch top dollar. That pretty daughter of yours? She could make us money another way too."
Now Angelina's lethal combat skills awaken in this fragile body. No more hiding. No more fear.
Armed with an Alpha's ruthlessness and a mysterious blood-red pendant, she'll dismantle everyone who hurt this family—one calculated move at a time.
Goddess Of The Underworld

Goddess Of The Underworld

744.4k Views · Completed · Sheridan Hartin
Left at a pack border with a name and a stubborn heartbeat, Envy grows into the sharpest kind of survivor, an orphaned warrior who knows how to hold a line and keep moving. Love isn’t in the plan…until four alpha wolves with playboy reputations and inconveniently soft hands decide the girl who won’t bow is the only queen they’ll ever take. Their mate. The one they have waited for. Xavier, Haiden, Levi, and Noah are gorgeous, lethal, and anything but perfect and Envy isn’t either. She’s changing. First into hell hound, Layah at her heels and fire in her veins. Then into what the realm has been waiting for, a Goddess of the Underworld, dragging her mates down to hell with her.

When the veil between the Divine, the Living, and the Dead begins to crack, Envy is thrust beneath with a job she can’t drop: keep the worlds from bleeding together, shepherd the lost, and make ordinary into armour, breakfasts, bedtime, battle plans. Peace lasts exactly one lullaby. This is the story of an orphan pup who became a goddess by choosing her family; of four imperfect alphas learning how to be better. Steamy, fierce, and full of heart, Goddess of the Underworld is a reverse harem, found-family paranormal romance where love writes the rules and keeps three realms from falling apart.
The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

The Pack: Rule Number 1 - No Mates

2m Views · Ongoing · Jaylee
Soft hot lips find the shell of my ear and he whispers, "You think I don't want you?" He pushes his hips forward, grinding into the back of my ass and I groan. "Really?" He chuckles.

"Let me go," I whimper, my body trembling with need. "I don't want you touching me."

I fall forward onto the bed then turn around to stare at him. The dark tattoos of Domonic's chiseled shoulders, quiver and and expand with the heave of his chest. His deep dimpled smile is full of arrogance as he reaches behind himself to lock the door.

Biting his lip, he stalks toward me, his hand going to the seam of his pants and the thickening bulge there.

"Are you sure you don't want me to touch you?" He whispers, untying the knot and slipping a hand inside. "Because I swear to God, that is all I have been wanting to do. Every single day from the moment you stepped in our bar and I smelled your perfect flavor from across the room."


New to the world of shifters, Draven is human on the run. A beautiful girl who no one could protect. Domonic is the cold Alpha of the Red Wolf Pack. A brotherhood of twelve wolves that live by twelve rules. Rules which they vowed could NEVER be broken.

Especially - Rule Number One - No Mates

When Draven meets Domonic, he knows that she is his mate, but Draven has no idea what a mate is, only that she has fallen in love with a shifter. An Alpha that will break her heart to make her leave. Promising herself, she will never forgive him, she disappears.

But she doesn’t know about the child she’s carrying or that the moment she left, Domonic decided rules were made to be broken - and now will he ever find her again? Will she forgive him?
Invisible To Her Bully

Invisible To Her Bully

487.9k Views · Ongoing · sunsationaldee
Unlike her twin brother, Jackson, Jessa struggled with her weight and very few friends. Jackson was an athlete and the epitome of popularity, while Jessa felt invisible. Noah was the quintessential “It” guy at school—charismatic, well-liked, and undeniably handsome. To make matters worse, he was Jackson’s best friend and Jessa’s biggest bully. During their senior year, Jessa decides it was time for her to gain some self-confidence, find her true beauty and not be the invisible twin. As Jessa transformed, she begins to catch the eye of everyone around her, especially Noah. Noah, initially blinded by his perception of Jessa as merely Jackson’s sister, started to see her in a new light. How did she become the captivating woman invading his thoughts? When did she become the object of his fantasies? Join Jessa on her journey from being the class joke to a confident, desirable young woman, surprising even Noah as she reveals the incredible person she has always been inside.
From Substitute To Queen

From Substitute To Queen

1.2m Views · Completed · Hannah Moore
For three years, Sable loved Alpha Darrell with everything she had, spending her salary to support their household while being called an orphan and gold-digger. But just as Darrell was about to mark her as his Luna, his ex-girlfriend returned, texting: "I'm not wearing underwear. My plane lands soon—pick me up and fuck me immediately."

Heartbroken, Sable discovered Darrell having sex with his ex in their bed, while secretly transferring hundreds of thousands to support that woman.

Even worse was overhearing Darrell laugh to his friends: "She's useful—obedient, doesn't cause trouble, handles housework, and I can fuck her whenever I need relief. She's basically a live-in maid with benefits." He made crude thrusting gestures, sending his friends into laughter.

In despair, Sable left, reclaimed her true identity, and married her childhood neighbor—Lycan King Caelan, nine years her senior and her fated mate. Now Darrell desperately tries to win her back. How will her revenge unfold?

From substitute to queen—her revenge has just begun!
Alpha Twins' Mate's broken Human

Alpha Twins' Mate's broken Human

172.7k Views · Ongoing · dragonsbain22
Chiara was raised in the orphanage of the Silver Aspen pack. Not an overly large Pack, but a strong Pack. As a human, she takes the brunt of the pack's bullying, especially the "Ranked Squad" as she calls them. When she turns 18 earlier than she thought, and gets a wolf, will she be able to accept what she is after all the abuse? Accept her wolf? And accept the Twins as her mates? Or will she retreat into herself and leave the Twins struggling to reach her to make things right? Read along to find out.
A Lesson in Magic

A Lesson in Magic

246.1k Views · Completed · Kit Bryan
One day I'm dealing with cranky toddlers and parents who work too much to actually parent, the next my life is turned upside down and I'm working in a bar for supernaturals. I might not know how to mix drinks, but strangely enough the skills needed to deal with misbehaving children seem to work well enough on vampires, werewolves and even witches. The good news is this job is interesting and hey, my boss might be a demon but I'm pretty sure that under all the grumpy expressions he is a total softie. The bad news is that humans aren't supposed to know about all this magic stuff and so now I'm magically bound to this bar until I can convince them that I won't go telling everyone. Or I die, whichever comes first. Sadly dying is seeming more and more likely because someone is after me. I don't know who or why but they are dangerous and they have magic. So I'll domy best to survive, and if that means spending some extra time with my scary but gorgeous boss then so be it. I'll convince him to trust me if it's the last thing I do.