Chapter 12
“You asshole!”
He threw me down hard on the grass.
Humiliated, furious, I snapped.
“Do you even realize how embarrassing that was? What th
the hell were you thinking, pulling that
ling that stunt in front of everyone?”
“You could’ve talked to me in private! Did you really have to humiliate me like that?!”
“Yes!”
He actually shouted louder than me.
He looked even angrier than I was.
And for what?
I stared at him, completely baffled.
He always did this–acted like he knew what was best for me and decided for me.
We’d talked about marriage before. I’d planned everything down to the details.
But every time I brought it up with hope in my eyes, he’d just shoot me down.
He had his own rules for how we should be
To him, I was just an accessory convenient, replaceable.
Even less important than Chloe, who could help his business.
Why?
“You hesitated back there!” he suddenly yelled. “Are you seriously thinking about breaking up with me? Being with that guy–Rolin?”
I touched my split lip, still sore from his kiss, and looked him straight in the rye.
“Mason, I am my own person. Whether it’s you or Rolin, I belong to myself first” “This is it. We’re
is it. We’re done.”
“I’m letting you go, Mason
Seven years. And I was finally letting myself go, too.
1 left him standing there and went straight to Nina’s place.
She didn’t say a word when she saw my puffy eyes and bleeding lip. She just held me and let me cry myself to sleep.
The next morning, while Mason was at work, I went back to the apartment to pack my things.
When I stepped in, I noticed something new.
The painting.
My painting
The one that was mysteriously purchased from the exhibition
He had it framed and hung in the living room, but it looked completely out of place–just like me, in his house all these y There was also the bouquet of Endless Summer from the night before. Now resting in a glass vase on the table.
years.
Chapter 12
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Funny how that flower–symbolizing eternal love–had been dropped twice.
I guess fate was trying to tell me something
One–sided love doesn’t last.
It took me seven years to learn that.
I took one last look, picked up my things, and walked out–for good.
My design draft went through hours of critique from Rolin and his team.
But it was approved.
And from that moment on, Rolin kept me busy–fabric selection, fitting adjustments, prototype revisions, model test shoots–I was part of it all
Oddly enough, it reminded me of when Mason first started his company.
Back then, he’d just graduated and turned down a big finance job to open a tiny online clothing shop.
That was also when he met Chloe–just a part–time catalog model at the time.
I’d seen them work together during a shoot.
Under the sweltering summer heat, Chloe changed outfit after outfit while Mason snapped photos, edited them, and uploaded listings all on his own
I couldn’t help much–1 was still scrambling to finish my senior project.
By the time I was ready to support him, they’d already become perfectly in sync
Soon after, the shop blew up.
Mason became “Mr. Thornwell.” Chloe became his secretary.
And I? I became the girl waiting at home.
I kept telling myself she was just a colleague, that there was nothing between them.
But the constant compromises, the emotional neglect, the way he always sided with her…
They chipped away at whatever love we had left and at who I used to be
Now, living this process from the other side, I finally saw the truth: Mason never really loved me.
He loved himself more.
So when it came down to choosing between me and his career.
He chose career.
He chose Chloe–the one who could help him climb.
After our breakup, Mason started posting on social media again. Frequently.
“Sick today. No meds at home.”
“Traveling alone for work”
“Finally framed Sabrina’s painting–It’s beautiful.”
“Bought a bunch of flowers. The balcony looks great.”
I couldn’t help wondering if those posts were set to Only Me.
