He Chose Her, The Desert Chose Me - Chapter 3: Chapter 3
You are reading He Chose Her, The Desert Chose Me, Chapter 3: Chapter 3. Read more chapters of He Chose Her, The Desert Chose Me.
When I called Arthur, it went straight to voicemail. Frustrated, I tried his secretary—only to get the gut punch: he'd already taken Bella to Kent and was on his way to Dungeness.
It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Bella had always been obsessed with wild adventures. And Arthur—my fiancé—had dropped everything to cater to her whims like always.
What burned wasn't just that he left without a word. It was that he didn't even think to tell me, the woman he was supposed to marry. A heads-up, a "Hey, I'm taking my ex on a trip," would've stung less. But sneaking off with his first love weeks before our wedding? That wasn't just disrespect—it was a slap in the face.
So I did the only thing I could. I booked the next flight and chased them down. Maybe it was reckless, but I refused to be an afterthought in my own relationship.
When I showed up, Arthur didn't look relieved. He didn't look guilty. He looked pissed.
"See?" he snapped. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd pull some dramatic stunt."
His voice was sharp, but the disgust in his tone cut deeper. He claimed he didn't want me there because Dungeness was too dangerous for someone "inexperienced" like me. Worried about my safety—what a joke. I saw right through it.
But I was already there. He had no choice but to drag me along.
Then came the first day. Bella tumbled down a sand dune, scraping her forehead. The second she started wailing, Arthur was on her like white on rice.
He didn't ask if I'd pushed her. Didn't care what she'd said to me right before she fell.
"Miss Lilly," she'd sneered from the top of the dune, smirking. "You might have the fiancée title, but Arthur will never really be yours."
Her words still rang in my ears when a rescuer pulled me back to reality.
"Miss Lilly, sign this so we can discharge you."
I nodded, gripping the pen with shaky hands. My whole body felt like it had been run over by a truck.
The second I stood, pain shot through my legs, nearly buckling me. Before I could catch myself, Arthur's hand shot out to steady me.
"You're always so reckless," he muttered, frowning. "If you'd just admitted what you did and apologized to Bella, you wouldn't be suffering like this."
His words were salt in an open wound. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. Admit what? Apologize for what? I hadn't laid a finger on her.
But to Arthur, Bella was perfect—his precious first love. And me? I was just the stubborn, demanding woman who "always overreacted."
Seeing my pain, his voice softened slightly. "The rescuers said your injuries aren't too bad. You'll recover in a few months with proper care. But what you did to Bella… pushing her down that dune? You could've ruined her face. Do you have any idea how angry that made me?"
I cut him off, my voice icy. "It doesn't matter. I'll take responsibility."
The calm in my tone threw him off. He stared at me, confusion knitting his brows.
"Lilly… you're not acting like yourself."
I ignored him, shaking off his hand as I forced my stiff legs forward.
Dungeness had wrecked me. I'd lost 80% of my body's water—I was a walking corpse. Every step was agony. My skin, once smooth, was now cracked like old leather. My muscles barely worked.
I knew what he meant. It wasn't just my body that had changed. But the truth behind it? He wasn't ready to hear it. Not yet.
Back in Birmingham, Arthur dragged me to a top hospital for tests.
The results were brutal. Severe malnutrition. Dehydration. Organ damage. My body was falling apart.
But the real damage? That was deeper.
The Lilly who'd loved Arthur with every fiber of her being? She didn't exist anymore.
I survived Dungeness. But I left the old me buried in that desert.
It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Bella had always been obsessed with wild adventures. And Arthur—my fiancé—had dropped everything to cater to her whims like always.
What burned wasn't just that he left without a word. It was that he didn't even think to tell me, the woman he was supposed to marry. A heads-up, a "Hey, I'm taking my ex on a trip," would've stung less. But sneaking off with his first love weeks before our wedding? That wasn't just disrespect—it was a slap in the face.
So I did the only thing I could. I booked the next flight and chased them down. Maybe it was reckless, but I refused to be an afterthought in my own relationship.
When I showed up, Arthur didn't look relieved. He didn't look guilty. He looked pissed.
"See?" he snapped. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd pull some dramatic stunt."
His voice was sharp, but the disgust in his tone cut deeper. He claimed he didn't want me there because Dungeness was too dangerous for someone "inexperienced" like me. Worried about my safety—what a joke. I saw right through it.
But I was already there. He had no choice but to drag me along.
Then came the first day. Bella tumbled down a sand dune, scraping her forehead. The second she started wailing, Arthur was on her like white on rice.
He didn't ask if I'd pushed her. Didn't care what she'd said to me right before she fell.
"Miss Lilly," she'd sneered from the top of the dune, smirking. "You might have the fiancée title, but Arthur will never really be yours."
Her words still rang in my ears when a rescuer pulled me back to reality.
"Miss Lilly, sign this so we can discharge you."
I nodded, gripping the pen with shaky hands. My whole body felt like it had been run over by a truck.
The second I stood, pain shot through my legs, nearly buckling me. Before I could catch myself, Arthur's hand shot out to steady me.
"You're always so reckless," he muttered, frowning. "If you'd just admitted what you did and apologized to Bella, you wouldn't be suffering like this."
His words were salt in an open wound. I bit my tongue to keep from laughing. Admit what? Apologize for what? I hadn't laid a finger on her.
But to Arthur, Bella was perfect—his precious first love. And me? I was just the stubborn, demanding woman who "always overreacted."
Seeing my pain, his voice softened slightly. "The rescuers said your injuries aren't too bad. You'll recover in a few months with proper care. But what you did to Bella… pushing her down that dune? You could've ruined her face. Do you have any idea how angry that made me?"
I cut him off, my voice icy. "It doesn't matter. I'll take responsibility."
The calm in my tone threw him off. He stared at me, confusion knitting his brows.
"Lilly… you're not acting like yourself."
I ignored him, shaking off his hand as I forced my stiff legs forward.
Dungeness had wrecked me. I'd lost 80% of my body's water—I was a walking corpse. Every step was agony. My skin, once smooth, was now cracked like old leather. My muscles barely worked.
I knew what he meant. It wasn't just my body that had changed. But the truth behind it? He wasn't ready to hear it. Not yet.
Back in Birmingham, Arthur dragged me to a top hospital for tests.
The results were brutal. Severe malnutrition. Dehydration. Organ damage. My body was falling apart.
But the real damage? That was deeper.
The Lilly who'd loved Arthur with every fiber of her being? She didn't exist anymore.
I survived Dungeness. But I left the old me buried in that desert.
End of He Chose Her, The Desert Chose Me Chapter 3. Continue reading Chapter 4 or return to He Chose Her, The Desert Chose Me book page.