They Said Man on the Ship Was My Destiny—I Said No Novel – Chapter 1 Every year in Riverbend, the unmarried women lined up at the town chapel on regatta day to draw a slip. Red meant you were chosen — your future husband’s family would come for you on a festival boat, and you’d be married before sundown. I’d drawn seven times. Seven white slips. One by one, the girls I grew up with were carried off on festival boats while I stood on the dock and watched. Twenty-three years old and running out of time. The night before my eighth draw, I slipped into Preston Vance’s house with a fistful of red slips — enough to rig the whole thing. That’s when I heard him in the courtyard, voice low, talking to his brother. “Switch Clara’s slip for a white one tomorrow. Audrey’s still too fragile. I need one more year with her.” His brother hesitated. “What if Clara snaps and gets on some other guy’s boat?” Preston laughed. The sound was brief, confident, and enough to make my stomach sink. “She’s been mine for seven years.
Who else in this town would even take her?” “She’s not going anywhere. When I pick Audrey up on the boat, just tell Clara her grandfather had an emergency — that’ll send her running home. Next year, I’ll do it for real. The whole town gets invited.” The red slips slid through my fingers and scattered across the ground. I walked home in the dark. I didn’t tell him my grandfather’s days were numbered. Or that his last wish was to see me married. If Preston wouldn’t marry me this year, I’d have to board someone else’s boat. *** The unmarried women filed toward the chapel in brand-new red dresses, each one stepping up to light a candle. I stuck out like a faded scar. Seven years of wearing it. Seven years of scrubbing it clean. The dye had bled out long ago, leaving behind a washed-out pink that looked closer to white. The morning wind came off the river, sharp and cold, and I pulled my fraying collar tighter. The other girls kept their distance. “Clara’s drawn white seven years straight. Stay away from her — bad luck’s contagious.” My dad stood at the dock, arms crossed, sizing up the young men’s boats.
I held my candle at the altar, and he stepped up beside me, his voice low and firm. “Clara. You remember what you promised at your grandfather’s bedside.” “I know, Dad. I’m getting on a boat this year.” A commotion broke out near the platform. Preston had arrived with his crew. They were crowded around a girl like she was made of glass — pale, thin, wearing a brand-new dress. Audrey Thorne. I recognized that dress. I’d watched Preston’s mother sew it stitch by stitch. Preston had let me believe it was meant for me. I’d been so stupidly happy, already imagining myself in it today. He’d told me to just wear my everyday clothes today, letting me believe he’d surprise me with that dress. If I hadn’t overheard the truth last night, I would’ve shown up in jeans, looking like a complete fool. The Mayor’s daughter, too careless to even follow the rules. My father never would’ve lived down the humiliation.
The other girls were already circling. “Why does Audrey even get to draw? She rides Preston’s boat every year and never commits.” “She’s taking up a spot, and she’s not even serious about it.” “She shouldn’t be allowed!” Audrey coughed softly into her hand, saying nothing. Preston draped his jacket over her shoulders. “It’s cold out here by the water. Take it easy.” Then he turned to the crowd. “Audrey draws a red slip every time — that’s luck. And there’s no rule saying you have to marry just because you board a boat.” “Any of you can try your luck. But don’t go blaming anyone else when you pull a white slip.” Every pair of eyes swung to me. Because of course they did. Seven years of white slips, and I was the one tied to the man responsible. Preston’s fiancée — the only woman in Riverbend who couldn’t catch a break. Every year, I had to watch him choose her instead of me. Any other time, I would’ve been in his face already, demanding they kick Audrey out of the draw. I would’ve torn into him for every unfair thing he’d ever done. Last year, I lost it completely — grabbed Audrey by the arm and shoved her into the river.
Preston rushed her to the hospital. Then he came back with a group of guys and kicked in my front door. While my dad was out, he dragged me to the riverbank, tied my hands, and forced me into the water. “You can come out when Audrey’s fever breaks.” “You want to be part of this family? Then you learn the rules. Audrey comes first. Always.” By the time my dad found me, I’d passed out in the water. My temperature hit a hundred and four that night. Preston stayed at Audrey’s side. The only thing he left me was this:
“Don’t bother me unless you’re dying.” After that, I couldn’t handle the cold anymore. Even a breeze made my whole body ache to the bone. But I still went back to him. The second the fever broke, I was at his door again. Seven years — I couldn’t walk away after investing so much of my life. I was finally done. I’d heard everything I needed to hear last night. I didn’t jump into their argument. I stepped forward, walked to the drawing box, and reached inside. “Nobody’s drawing? Fine. I’ll go first.”