90 Days After Getting Dumped in New York, I Became My Ex-Fiancé’s Boss
Chapter 1In our seventh year together,he told me I’d changed, that he didn’t know me anymore.If you are going to make up an excuse, at least pick a better one.He stood there with a younger girl who looked a lot like me and said quietly,
“Just go. I don’t need you in my life anymore.”So I left.Later, he swallowed his pride and begged me to come back.There was no going back.The weather had been strange lately.It would be clear and sunny in the morning, then by afternoon the clouds rolled in like a giant curtain,
shutting out the sun in an instant.My chest felt just as changeable as the sky, heavy and tight,
so tight that even breathing started to feel a little rushed.Once I finished the last bit of work, I headed straight home.It was the cozy little place that belonged to the two of us.For once, Liam Hayes had made it back earlier than I did.The moment I stepped through the door, I heard pots and pans clattering in the kitchen.A wave of long-lost warmth rose in my chest.
All the annoying things that had happened at work seemed to fade with that homely sound.While I was still spacing out, a pair of long, slender hands slipped around my waist.
A moment later his head rested against the side of my neck, his hair brushing my skin, warm and a little ticklish.“Baby, you must be wiped out after a whole day at work.”The second he said that, my heart softened.
The weight that had been pressing on me for days vanished,
replaced by a light, floating kind of happiness.“I can smell the soup already. If it keeps cooking, it’s not going to taste as good.”Only then did Liam let go of me, a little reluctantly.On the dining table, three dishes and a bowl of soup were set out neatly.
They looked so good that just seeing them made my mouth water.Liam’s cooking had always been something people talked about.
Every dish was done just right.Over that meal, I stopped thinking about all the unpleasant things that had been happening lately.Maybe for the two of us, staying calm like this was the best way to deal with our problems.After my shower, I didn’t notice the window was still open.
Cold wind was pouring into the room, making me shiver.I glanced over at the window.
The breeze lifted one corner of the curtain and, through the gap, I caught sight of half a bouquet of deep red roses.The thing is, I’ve always been allergic to fresh flowers,
and right then that bouquet felt especially harsh on the eyes.
Chapter 2I went out to the balcony to hang up the laundry.Liam was on the phone with someone, smiling, his voice low and gentle.“Who are you talking to?”I asked it casually, my tone completely flat.His hand jolted for a second.
There was a flicker of panic in his eyes, then his face smoothed out again like I had imagined it.“The company has some issues,” he said. “I have to travel for a few days, so don’t wait up for me.”I lowered my head.
My bangs fell forward and hid my eyes, along with the disappointment there.Maybe he sensed it, because his voice softened, which didn’t happen often.“Once I get everything sorted,” he said, “we’ll get married.”I nodded.
I could understand that his work was busy.His company was still in the early stages, and he often had to deal with things until the middle of the night.
It was one of the things I admired about him.
His family had money, but he still turned down their help and chose to build something from scratch.“What are you thinking about so hard?” he asked. “You look miles away.”Liam leaned in until his face filled my vision.
His eyes always had that soft, smiling look, like still water on a lake.Tonight, though, it felt like someone had dropped a stone into that water.I brushed my fingers over the tiny mole above his brow.
He shifted toward me, ready to kiss me.On impulse, I pressed my index finger to his lips.
Only the corner of his mouth brushed against something warm.Liam looked puzzled.He moved my hand away.
Just as our breaths mingled, I turned my head, and his lips landed on my cheek instead.His expression became hard to read, and I was pretty sure he was upset.The warmth that had been building between us scattered all at once.A bitter taste rose in my chest, like the herbal medicine my family used to trick me into drinking when I was a kid.Liam went back out to the balcony and stayed there until I was half-asleep.When he finally came in, the cozy bedroom suddenly felt colder.I heard the shower running in the bathroom.
A little while later the mattress dipped beside me, yet I couldn’t feel any warmth from him.That night we lay in the same bed, our minds in completely different places.
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Chloe Miller – Extra StoryI grew up in a family that was never really well-off.My parents met through a blind date.
Their relationship was not good, but not exactly bad either.They were more like two people sharing a life out of habit, so of course I did not grow up surrounded by love.Being ignored felt like something I had been born into.Because they did not really care, I spent most of my childhood wearing my older cousin’s hand-me-down clothes.That built-in sense of inferiority meant I never learned how to talk to my classmates.
Little by little I became the one who was pushed aside and picked on.After I turned eighteen, things between my parents grew even colder.They stopped giving me any money, so I started working part-time.Those days were tiring, but every dollar I earned with my own hands gave me a real sense of pride.I no longer had to beg them for a bit of cash just to buy something simple to eat and get yelled at for it.I could buy clothes I liked, eat what I craved.To blend in, I started copying people.
I copied the girls everyone liked, copied how they talked and moved.Luckily, I had a face that was still decent enough to work with.Slowly, I stopped being invisible and slipped into their circle.But in any group, sooner or later people start comparing everything.Every time that happened, the old, buried inferiority inside me clawed its way back up.I was greedy.
I wanted more.More money.
By chance, I met Liam.He was, without a doubt, the best catch I had ever been around, and more importantly, he had money.The first time he glanced in my direction, I knew he was the ladder I wanted to climb.I studied him, tried to figure out what kind of girl he liked, and did my best to become that.The more I learned about him, though, the more jealous I became.He had parents who loved him and a life without financial worries, and he treated all of that like it meant nothing.Then Emily appeared, and for the first time my feelings shifted.I saw her the day I was having dinner with Liam.The look in her eyes was so full of hurt that, for some reason, my own chest tightened.I should probably admit this.
That day I asked Liam certain questions on purpose, loud enough that she might hear.Part of me hoped she would give up on him after that.Even so, I kept learning what Liam liked and kept playing the part.He was generous and did give me a lot of money.I never thought the next time I ran into her would be in that kind of scene.Liam had his arms around me and said those words to her.In that moment, I actually wanted to slap him.Someone who treats love like that, what makes him think he deserves someone who loves him so completely.I held back.
Maybe I could not let go of such a “big tree” to lean on, or maybe I simply did not know what right I had to interfere.Later, when Liam finally woke up and realized the one he truly loved was her, all I felt on her behalf was disgust.Regret that comes that late is worth less than weeds by the road.
For a while I could not sleep well.Liam had once introduced me to some of his friends.Through them I heard that he and Emily had always wanted to go to a certain place together, but for one reason or another they had never made it there.I had a hunch she would go.I could not explain it, only that if I did not say certain things to her now, I might never get the chance.Even if a place is small, finding one person there still feels like searching for a needle in the ocean.I walked almost every corner of that little town, and in the end, heaven did not let me down. I found her.I had thought she would refuse to see me, but she actually agreed to meet.I could not help asking if she hated me, and the question slipped out before I could stop it.She stayed quiet.I was a little disappointed, but did not show it.It made sense.
Things had turned out this way partly because of me.She was sharp enough to see that I did not love Liam.She asked me why.Why?
For the money, of course, but I could not bring myself to say that to her face.Maybe my pause gave her the wrong idea, so she changed the subject.I do not know why, but in the end I still told her about the darkness I had been hiding in my heart.We fell silent for a long time.I had no idea what she thought of me then.Even so, I still found myself hoping she would be happy.(The End)
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