Marrying Without My Eight-Year Boyfriend Knowing novel Chapter 4

I brushed the ash from my clothes as I got to my feet. The flames cast dancing shadows across my face, but my voice was Arctic cold.

"It's fine. I opened the album and found some water damage and mold inside. Had to get rid of it before it spread to anything else."

Seeing my composed demeanor, Nathan finally realized how extreme his reaction had been. Taking a deep breath, his tone softened.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry – I shouldn't have blown up like that. We spent ten years building that collection. Weren't we going to show it at our wedding? Why didn't you tell me it was damaged?"

"If there was a problem with it, you could've waited for me to come back, or at least texted me. I would've taken care of it," he added.

I didn't bother looking at him. The man standing before me was no longer the passionate entrepreneur who'd once promised to protect me forever.

"You've been working endless hours at the office forever. I didn't want to bother you with something so trivial."

He stood beside me, staring dejectedly at the ashes. The scene couldn't have been more ironic – he was the one who'd thrown away our decade-long relationship for another woman, yet here he was, acting like he still cared.

I turned to head back inside, but he mistook my indifference for sulking and pulled me into his arms. The overpowering scent of his cologne filled my nose, making me sneeze repeatedly, but he didn't let go, seemingly overwhelmed with remorse.

"Are you coming down with something?" he asked, his voice gentle. "I know I've been distracted lately with work. Once things settle down, let's recreate those photos, okay? We'll make new memories – twice as many!"

Before, words like these might have melted my resolve. But after an ER visit and realizing he'd forgotten my severe dairy allergy in favor of another woman, I couldn't keep pretending. I wanted nothing more to do with him.

When he finally released me, I pulled away decisively and said, "No need to apologize. If you really want to make it up to me, maybe you could throw me a proper birthday party."

Because of my dairy allergy, I'd always been excluded from my own celebrations. But since I'd be leaving soon, I wanted to experience at least one birthday with him properly by my side.

Surprisingly, he seemed rattled by my simple request. He nodded, but before he could respond further, his phone lit up with an incoming call. Glancing at the screen, he quickly explained, "It's an urgent call about a client. Don't wait up tonight – I'll make it up to you, I promise."

As he spoke, he was already backing away. By the time he finished, he was halfway across the courtyard, practically running.

In reality, I recognized the custom ringtone he'd set for Sophia, but I didn't call him out on the lie.

The next morning, no one showed up for the party. Well, it wasn't surprising – Nathan had been my entire social circle for these ten years.

When the cake arrived, I opened the box, cut myself a tiny slice, and stuck a single candle in it. Closing my eyes, I made a simple wish: "May our paths never cross again."

I couldn't even eat the cake because of my allergy. When my phone buzzed, signaling the end of my countdown, I grabbed my suitcase and walked out without looking back.

On the ride to the airport, I sent Nathan one final message.

"It's over. Don't try to contact me."

Not even a proper breakup. Just a period at the end of a decade-long sentence.

As I switched my phone to airplane mode before boarding, he was already blowing up my phone like a man possessed.