I had thought she was talking about the Sullivan’s wealth, and I was just some guy driven by money.
For three years, I tried to show her that I wasn’t after her family’s wealth.
When Charles Hughes returned from abroad, Nicole eagerly made him her executive assistant. That’s when I realized what she had truly meant all along was her love for him.
I couldn’t bear the thought of those three years being wasted, so I clung to our engagement with everything I had.
But now...
I tossed the torn engagement letter into the trash can.
Just then, my phone buzzed with a new message:
[I’m leaving. If you’re really not going to say yes, then we’ll never see each other again.]
I stared at the screen for a moment before typing back:
[I accept.]
Not long after I sent the message, my phone rang.
“You’re not just saying this to get back at her, are you?” a woman’s voice asked on the other end.
Without hesitation, I replied, “I swear on my father’s name, I’m not lying to you.”
There was a pause, followed by the sound of a slow, steady breath.
Then she said softly, “I’ll treat you well.”
I smiled.
To her, that was the most loving thing she could say.
...
The flight tickets arrived soon after.