As soon as I walked out, I emailed my resignation to HR.
Whether or not the new boss approved?
Not my problem.
I didn’t even bother with my severance pay.
Instead, I packed up my things and caught the first flight out to Florida that afternoon.
I’d always wanted to travel–explore the East Coast, the West Coast, everywhere in between.
But I never had the time.
First, because I was broke.
Then, because of work and life suffocating me at every turn.
Two months.
That’s how long I was gone.
And for the first time in years, I finally remembered what it felt like to be happy.
When I got back, sunglasses on, bags in hand, ready to head upstairs, I nearly walked straight into a familiar figure.
Thin. Exhausted.
Dark circles under his eyes.
Nathan.
He’d lost at least twenty pounds, but the moment he saw me, his eyes lit up like a dying fire catching its last bit of
жxygen.
‘Madison! Let me help you with those!”
Was this really Whitmore Group’s CEO?
He reached for my bags like a stray dog desperate for approval.
I shot him a cold look, and he awkwardly retracted his hands.
“Uh–go ahead, you first.”
Chapter 10
At my apartment door, I pulled out my keys, but just as I was about to close it behind me, a hand shoved through the gap, forcing it open.
“You keep this up, and I’ll call the cops for trespassing.”
Nathan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, my old neighbor, Mrs. Cooper, popped her head out from next door, munching on sunflower seeds.
“Sweetie, he’s been waiting for you every day for the past two months.”
“Marriage has its ups and downs, honey.”
“Don’t throw it all away over one mistake.”
Easy for her to say.
ver had to live my life.
dat Nathan’s bruised fingers and let out a long sigh.
“Fine. Get in.”
“I don’t want to put on a show for the neighbors.”
I still had a copy of the divorce papers.
Might as well get this over with.
Nathan stepped inside, pulling out a paper bag and shaking it with a grin.
“I got all your favorite foods!”
I narrowed my eyes.
Since when did he ever cook?
He made a show of waving his bandaged fingers at me, like he wanted me to see how much he had suffered.
For ten years, even when we lived in that tiny, rundown apartment, this man never set foot in the kitchen.
If he tried, something would either catch fire or come out looking like pure charcoal.
And every single time, I’d be the one left cleaning up the mess.
Then, like clockwork, he’d sneak up behind me, wrap his arms around my waist, and whisper,
“Good thing I have the best, most amazing wife in the world.”
المية
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Chapter 10
“Otherwise, I’d have starved to death by now.”
“If this place wasn’t drafty as hell, and I didn’t even have a decent meal to eat–without you, I’d be done for.”
“So don’t even think about running.”
“You hear me?”
“You’ll never escape me.”
I pressed a hand to my mouth, my chest tightening as those words came flooding back.
So many promises.
So many sweet lies.
Why did they hurt so much now?
Nathan set the food on the table, sliding a pair of chopsticks toward me with a hopeful smile.
“Come on, give it a taste.”
“I’m not saying I’m a Michelin chef now, but at least I won’t let us starve if we ever open a restaurant together!”
Then, his tone softened.
“Madison… these past two months, I’ve thought a lot.”
“I was blind. Selfish.”
“I took you for granted.”
‘I don’t deserve you. I know that now.”
‘And worst of all… I hurt the person who loved me the most.”
His voice cracked.
Then, to my shock, he raised a hand and slapped himself across the face.
‘I’m a bastard. I deserve to die for what I did!”
I shut my eyes and silently picked up a shrimp.
The moment it hit my tongue, I frowned.
“It’s sour. It’s gone bad.”
Nine Years Wasted–Now I’m Marrying Your Rival
73.8
Chapter 10
Nathan immediately snatched the dish and dumped it in the trash.
“I told you–it was sitting out since this morning.”
“I’ll run to the store real quick and grab some fresh ingredients.”
“Just wait here, okay?”
He spun toward the door, like he was terrified of wasting even a second.
I watched his back as he reached for the doorknob, my voice cold and unwavering.
“You already knew it was rotten. And yet, you still tried to serve it to me.”
Nathan froze.
For a long moment, he didn’t move.
Then, finally, he sighed.
“Fine. I get it.”
He picked up the divorce papers.
And this time, when he walked away-
He didn’t look back.
I thought that was the end of our story.
But I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Nine Years Wasted–Now I’m Marrying Your Rival
