Ditching Me for His 'Soulmate'? His Loss. Next Stop: My New Life novel Chapter 61

Chapter 3

Ryan never returned my call.

Instead, all I received was a brief text message.

“Pick up some herbal supplements for Mrs. Caldwell and drop them off at her place.”

Mrs. Caldwell. That’s how he always talks about his mother—like she’s some kind of queen or untouchable figure.

She never liked Jessica, his ex. In fact, Jessica was the very reason he ended up marrying me in the first place—nothing more than family pressure pushing him into it.

He still held a grudge over that.

But once his mother’s kidneys began to fail, he backed off.

That’s when I became the stand-in wife.

No proposal.

No wedding ceremony.

No flowers, no rings.

Just two dry signatures on a marriage certificate that felt more like a business contract than a vow of love.

On our wedding night, he vanished.

He claimed his parents wanted some family time.

But the truth? He spent the entire night in a recording studio with Jessica.

When he finally came home at dawn, he found me wide awake, eyes red from sleeplessness, and said coldly, “As long as you don’t stir up drama and keep away from Jessica, I won’t make your life harder.”

I forced a smile, my mind racing with thoughts of my mother’s mounting medical bills, and nodded silently.

Yet, no matter how quiet I stayed, I was always dragged into their endless fights.

I was the villain no matter what.

Looking back now, it all feels so pitiful.

Five days after being discharged from the hospital, the first thing I did was call a lawyer friend.

I paid her to start drafting divorce papers.

Then I went home to pack my things.

It didn’t take long.

In that luxurious beachfront condo, nothing truly belonged to me.

Within half an hour, I’d squeezed everything I owned into two suitcases.

I opened one of Ryan’s dresser drawers and stopped dead.

Right there, in the middle, lay the leather bracelet I had given him—the only gift I ever gave.

He’d been slashed by a crazed man in the ER once, and I’d bought that bracelet for him, hoping it would offer some protection.

I’d assumed he’d tossed it somewhere to gather dust.

I never expected him to keep it.

I was still debating whether to take it back when the door lock beeped.

Ryan stepped inside.

The bedroom door stood wide open behind me.

We stared at each other, both caught off guard.

He glanced down at my packed bags.

I looked at the soft yellow duck he held in his arms.

Jessica’s, of course.

She’d posted about it just last night.

“Caught this with my love—life’s finally starting to feel whole again.”

Ryan frowned and dropped the duck onto the couch.

“What happened to your arm?”

Without warning, he pushed me down onto the couch and yanked at my shirt.

The bandages came loose, revealing angry red burns spreading across my chest and shoulder.

“You weren’t lying. You really did have an accident?”

I pulled away and smoothed my clothes back into place.

“No one else is around, Ryan. You don’t have to pretend to care. It’s disgusting.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between us like a heavy fog.

“You should’ve stayed away from that lousy job. I told you not to go to that damn meeting.”

I looked up, stunned by the sudden flare of anger.

“Does this make you feel better? Like you’re proving a point?”

He’d always looked down on my $3,000-a-month marketing job.

But I never needed his approval. I made that clear before we even got married.

There was no point in arguing anymore.

I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

Ryan stepped in front of me, blocking my path, a sneer curling on his lips.

“Divorce? Without me, what the hell do you think your life’s going to be?”

“You still think you’re Daddy’s little princess?”

My heart skipped.

I didn’t look back.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Caldwell. I’ll manage just fine.”