Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 41

Chapter 1

The evening before we were meant to pick up our marriage license was filled with unexpected tension.

Rhys Brennan had invited me to join him at a casual gathering with his PhD classmates. The room buzzed with laughter and playful teasing, everyone eager to see us sing together. The crowd kept urging us to perform “Marry Me,” their voices rising in hopeful anticipation. Rhys merely chuckled, shaking his head in amusement, and instead chose to sing “Runaway” by Kayden.

“We could just leave, escape L.A., I don’t care what anyone says…” His voice carried the wistfulness of the lyrics, filling the room with a bittersweet mood.

When the song finished, polite applause scattered through the group. Rhys blinked rapidly, as if waking from a daze, then pulled me close with an almost protective gesture. I asked casually, trying to sound lighthearted, “’Runaway’? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sing that one before.”

He glanced at me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Oh, and I noticed you have ticket stubs for a Kayden concert in your wallet. Since when did you get into him?”

His hand holding the microphone trembled slightly, and he forced out a laugh, attempting to brush off the question. “Marcus really wanted to go, so I just tagged along for fun.”

Without meeting my gaze, he quickly stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.”

Watching him walk away, a strange tightness grew in my throat, making it hard to breathe. Unease settled deep inside me. I turned to Marcus, catching him off guard.

“How was that Kayden concert? Rhys said it was incredible.”

Marcus blinked, confusion flickering across his face. “What? Rhys never went to a concert with me.”

The moment he spoke, regret washed over him. “Oh wait, the concert… yeah, yeah, we did go.”

But it was too late to cover up. Whoever had been at that concert with Rhys wasn’t Marcus.

So then, who was it?

My eyes instinctively drifted toward the quiet corner of the room, where a girl sat alone—Mia. She was a graduate student Rhys had mentored during his doctoral studies. Stunningly beautiful, she held the microphone now, singing “Heart Open” by Kayden with a voice that captured everyone’s attention.

I glanced at the song list. Three Kayden songs in a row—all chosen by her.

The answer was clear.

Rhys returned to the room, his eyes immediately flickering back to Mia’s corner.

Someone suggested changing the mood. “Let’s stop singing and play some games instead,” they said, pulling out dice for a drinking game.

Rhys’s gaze darted nervously as he cleared his throat. “Are any of you girls on your period? If so, maybe skip the drinking.”

Everyone looked at me, assuming he was being thoughtful. I shook my head, but Mia raised her hand hesitantly. Rhys nodded smoothly and then called the server over to order warm water.

“No lemon,” he added firmly.

What he didn’t realize was that I followed them quietly upstairs, hiding in the shadows of the stairwell.

From there, I watched as he stumbled slightly, then knelt down to tie Mia’s loose shoelaces. Her soft sobs echoed through the empty corridor, raw and heartbreaking.

Rhys gently wiped her tears away, his touch tender but uncertain, like a lost teenager trying to comfort someone in pain.

“Hey… don’t cry,” he whispered.

“Congrats on the wedding, Rhys. Can I… can I get one last hug?”

A heavy silence stretched between them.

In the end, Rhys didn’t hug her. He simply patted her head and brushed the tears from her cheeks.

Mia’s voice trembled as she asked, “Will we still go to Kayden concerts together?”

“When I can’t sleep at night, can we still listen to music online?”

“Will you still walk me back to the dorms in the rain?”

Rhys didn’t answer her questions. Instead, he spoke hoarsely, “You’re such a dummy.”