Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 45

Chapter 5

After a flight that lasted nearly two hours, I finally touched down in Salt Lake City.

—

This was the place where Rhys and I had spent our childhood—the town that shaped us both.

When I graduated, I had dreamed of returning here, finding a steady job, and embracing a quiet, uncomplicated life.

But Rhys had been accepted into a prestigious PhD program, and with his parents’ high hopes for his future, the entire family relocated to Los Angeles.

He was convinced our hometown was stifling, that staying here too long would dull ambition and breed complacency.

So, I followed his lead, setting aside my own dream of opening a cozy bed and breakfast, and instead secured a job close to his university.

Day after day, I slowly became more like an accessory to his life than an equal partner.

Aside from him, my social circle dwindled to almost nothing; I had no real friends, no vibrant social life.

Each evening after work blurred into the next—grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, then collapsing into bed, only to repeat it all over again.

Now, standing here, I realized I had never truly been happy with that existence.

I had been constantly sacrificing my own desires to fit into his world, always compromising.

At the airport, my eyes caught sight of a familiar face holding up a sign with my name written boldly.

My childhood friend Stella was waving energetically, her smile as radiant and warm as ever.

“Yo! What’s brought you back here at such a random time?” she called out.

“Where’s Rhys? Why didn’t he come with you?” she asked, curiosity lacing her voice.

Hearing his name felt like a sharp jab to my heart.

“We broke up,” I said quietly.

Stella froze, her face a mixture of shock and disbelief.

—

“You’re probably thinking I’m crazy, right? All this over a song…”

“Just because of one damn song, I ended things with him.”

Stella shook her head firmly.

“It’s not about the song, Yo. His heart had already shifted. No one deserves to endure emotional betrayal from the person they love.”

“You did the right thing.”

Wiping away my tears, I felt a slight easing of the heaviness pressing on my chest.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed in my hand.

It was a message from the police.

Apparently, when Rhys couldn’t reach me, he had filed a missing person report.