They Waited for my Sister to Wake, So I Called Off my Wedding Chapter 01

They Waited for my Sister to Wake, So I Called Off my Wedding Chapter 01

On my wedding day, the wedding cars were almost downstairs, but 

my sister Iris Kensington–my bridesmaid–still wouldn’t get out of bed. 

When Adrian Shaw found out, he called me right away. 

“Elara, don’t wake Iris. I’ll have the convoy drive around Seattle one 

more time so she can sleep a little longer.” 

“It’s going to be a long day. I’m worried she won’t be able to handle it.” 

Before I could say a word, he hung up. 

My mother saw my eyes redden and hurried over. “Elara, you can’t cry on your big day.” 

Then she sighed. 

“Don’t blame Adrian. I told Iris to sleep until six.” 

“She works so hard. She finally got time off. Can’t you be 

understanding and let her sleep a little longer?” 

My chest felt like a boulder had been dropped on it. I could barely breathe. 

Iris had been sleepy since childhood. Doctors said she was frail. 

In middle and high school, she couldn’t get up for morning classes. 

Mom would still make me wait for her, even if it meant I’d get 

detention for being late. 

On my birthday, Adrian and Iris promised to go to the airshow with me. 

But because she didn’t get up, Adrian refunded the tickets without a second thought. 

Now even my wedding had to wait until she’d slept enough. 

An hour later, the wedding convoy pulled up outside in silence. 

No twelve–car honk. The firecrackers my family had laid out were taken away. 

Adrian walked up to me and explained in a low voice, “I didn’t want 

to startle Iris awake, so your mom and I agreed to skip the loud stuff.” 

I laughed. And just like that, I knew there was no point in getting married. 

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. 

When he’d first arrived, Adrian said he wanted all of Seattle to know 

he was bringing me home. 

Now, because of Iris, he wouldn’t even allow anyone to speak loudly. 

“Adrian, let’s cancel the wedding.” 

My bitter voice was cut off by a soft murmur from the bedroom. 

“Adrian, you’re already here!” 

Adrian walked past me without a glance. 

“Did you sleep well, Iris?” 

Iris rubbed her eyes and nodded shyly. 

“I was so nervous about being a bridesmaid for the first time. Thank 

you for staying on the call with me all night. 

My heart clenched. I’d been so nervous the night before that I 

couldn’t sleep. I called Adrian more than a dozen times. 

He only replied that I should rest early. The bride and groom 

weren’t supposed to see or talk before the pickup. 

But now I knew the truth. He’d been on the phone with Iris all 

night, talking her to sleep. 

I stared at our chat. No answer. I felt like a complete joke. 

Iris rolled over in bed, still not getting up. She whined, “Six is way too early.” 

Adrian smiled and crouched down patiently. 

He picked up her slippers: and held them out to her, his voice soft. 

“I’ll put your shoes on for you. Just get up, okay?” 

Behind us, my mother’s eyes lit up. She immediately told the 

photographer to aim the camera over there. 

The shot that was supposed to capture me leaving was turned toward the bed. 

To get the angle, the photographer even motioned for me to step 

aside so I wouldn’t block the groom putting shoes on the bridesmaid. 

I stood frozen in my wedding gown, like an outsider who’d wandered 

into someone else’s wedding. 

Only after Iris went into the bathroom did Adrian stand up. 

He met my eyes and said, like it was nothing, “Elara, you know Iris 

has always been cranky when she wakes up.” 

“If you want to save time we can skip the games and traditions.” 

A sour ache spread through my chest. 

When Iris had been dragging her feet about getting up, he hadn’t just put on her slippers. He’d also grabbed the breakfast tray set aside for the bride and groom and handed it to Iris. 

He just didn’t want to go through the whole process again. 

Seeing the awkward silence, my mother tugged at my wrist. 

“We’ve already missed the pickup time anyway. What difference does a little longer make??” 

Adrian said nothing, as if he agreed. 

I said it again. “Adrian, I’rn not waiting anymore… because I don’t want to get married.” 

Before I finished, my relatives cut me off. 

“Elara, we’re all family. Why are you making a big deal out of 

something so small? You’ve gotten so unreasonable as you’ve grown 

up. When you were little, you always gave in to your sister.” 

I smiled bitterly. 

I’d thought that if I kept yielding, my mother would appreciate how sensible I was. 

But twenty–some years had only taught them to take me for granted. 

Adrian frowned and sighed. 

“Elara, we’re doing this for your own good. Weren’t you the one who 

said family should be together? You don’t want your only sister to 

miss your wedding, do you?” 

“I don’t want that anymore.” 

The words flew out of my mouth. I was done keeping up a fake 

peace for the sake of family. 

The moment I said it, Iris burst out of the bathroom. 

She’d been in there almost an hour and still hadn’t changed out of her pajamas. 

Tears filled Iris’s eyes. She apologized and looked wounded at the same time. 

“I’m sorry, Elara. It’s all my fault you missed your wedding time.” 

“I really tried to control it. I drank three cans of Red Bull this 

morning, but I just couldn’t get up.” 

She pointed at the empty cans in the room and sobbed until she could barely breathe. 

“Adrian, you guys go. Don’t wait for me.”