I looked at the cake and flowers on the table, my eyes devoid of any warmth. Then, I threw them all into the trash.
‘Ross,’ I thought, ‘there won’t be a ninth year for us.’
The next day, I insisted on being discharged.
That car accident… It’s hard to say if it was good news or bad.
The good news was, I didn’t break any bones. The bad news was, I lost my baby.
Now, all I wanted was to wrap everything up quickly and leave Ross for good.
After leaving the hospital, I went straight to the company.
That building—from nothing to everything—was my entire youth.
I met Ross in high school. He was the brightest boy on campus, and I was the girl always in the corner quietly taking notes.
Later, when he started his own business, I followed him here. I stayed up late with him, drank cheap coffee, and accompanied him as clients rejected him over and over.
In eight years, his company grew from a tiny rented office to a suite in the tallest building downtown.
Every time I carefully hinted at marriage, he would ruffle my hair and say, “It’s not time yet. I want to give you a better life.”
I understood his pride.