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18 Delays Later: Too Late for Tears
18 Delays Later: Too Late for Tears
Auteur: That's All

Chapter 1

Auteur: That's All
My phone vibrated. It was a message from the law firm's HR department:

[Does Mr. Brooks know you're resigning?]

I walked out of the room, holding my phone. Ethan was still sitting at the dining table.

He stared at me with a strange expression, hesitating for a moment before testing the waters. "Why didn't you ask me for a reason this time?"

Only after replying to the HR manager did I finally look up at Ethan. "There's no point anymore."

I meant it literally.

The first time we had scheduled to register our marriage, his junior associate, Chelsea, suddenly claimed she had a stomachache. I waited on a bench outside City Hall from dawn till dusk, only to return home alone.

The second time, Chelsea said she didn't know how to format a case spreadsheet. Ethan pulled over and left me on the side of a busy highway, turning back to the office without a single glance behind.

Every single time we made an appointment to get our marriage certificate, Chelsea would invariably encounter some sort of emergency right on schedule.

We had been married for six months, and this same drama had played out seventeen times.

Ethan seemed choked up by my words. His Adam's apple bobbed as he remained silent for a moment. Then, he slid his phone across the table toward me.

"I notice a lot of couples hire a photographer to follow them around when they register their marriage," Ethan said. "Let's hire one too. Didn't you always love those little romantic gestures?"

So, he actually remembered that I cared about those special moments.

I thought about it and asked, "Are you free tonight? Let's have a..."

Before I could finish the words "farewell dinner," his phone started ringing.

It was his junior associate, Chelsea.

I couldn't hear what she said on the other end, but once the call ended, Ethan looked at me guiltily. "Honey, Chelsea just..."

I cut him off with a slight smile. "Just go. Drive safely."

Ethan froze, seemingly surprised by how calm I was today.

After a brief pause, he put on his coat and headed for the door. "I'll bring you a gift when I get back tonight."

The door slammed shut with a heavy thud, and soon the sound of a car engine starting faded into the distance downstairs.

I stood in the silence, staring at the closed door.

We had been in love for five years and married for six months.

In truth, I should have let go of this relationship a long time ago.

That afternoon, I went to the office and personally handed my resignation letter to the HR manager.

She looked at me, her face filled with regret and confusion.

"You and Mr. Brooks are the gold-medal duo of this firm," she said. "At your wedding six months ago, not only did the senior partners show up, but so many of our top clients came to congratulate you both. Everyone envied you two back then. Why are you suddenly leaving?"

My mind drifted back to that wedding six months ago.

There were over a hundred tables of guests, a red carpet stretching across the hall, and seas of fresh flowers. Ethan had held my hand and sworn to protect me for the rest of his life.

It had indeed been grand, and it had indeed been beautiful.

But no matter how grand and beautiful it was, there was no going back now.

By the time I finished the resignation process and returned home, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening.

The house was exceptionally cold and completely empty.

When I unlocked my phone, a social media post from Chelsea immediately popped up.

She had explicitly tagged me.

"Thank you, Mentor, for staying by my side all afternoon. To repay you, tomorrow I'm taking you to a concert!"

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  • 18 Delays Later: Too Late for Tears   Chapter 8

    I didn't offer a response."I know whatever I say right now is useless," Ethan murmured, wiping away his tears. "But I really have changed. I had Chelsea reassigned, and I've completely cut off all contact with her."Every single day, all I do is think about you—wondering what you're eating, how you're sleeping, and how your work is going. I want to call you, but I'm terrified of bothering you. I want to come find you, but I'm so scared you'll despise me."He looked up at me, his eyes entirely bloodshot. "But I couldn't hold it in anymore. Without you, I can't survive."I looked directly into his eyes. In them, I saw terror, pleading, sincerity, and overwhelming guilt."But I don't love you anymore," I said softly.The entire apartment plunged into a deathly silence. It took a long time before he spoke again, his voice sounding as raw and hoarse as sandpaper."Is there... really no chance left for me?"I didn't say a word.He stared into my eyes, as if searching for a differen

  • 18 Delays Later: Too Late for Tears   Chapter 7

    I looked up at him. "But that day, you only said those exact words."He froze."You never actually swore to make me your wife."The expression on his face completely shifted."You said you would protect me for the rest of your life, and you said you would love me forever. You said a great many things, but you never once said the actual words, 'I take this woman to be my lawfully wedded wife.'"I pulled my hand out of his grasp."I didn't think much of it at the time. I figured you were just nervous and forgot. But looking back now, I think maybe you never truly intended to bind yourself to me in marriage.""I did!" His voice suddenly spiked. "I wanted to! I prepared for that day for so long...""Then why didn't you show up to get the certificate?"He opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out."It's because in your mind, I was already yours. You figured whether we legally registered it or not wouldn't change that fact," I said quietly. "But you forgot that in the eyes

  • 18 Delays Later: Too Late for Tears   Chapter 6

    My French became more and more fluent, and I grew increasingly comfortable with my responsibilities at the office. Pierre even mentioned that by next spring, he would let me handle a case entirely on my own.That evening, after finishing some overtime work, I walked back to my apartment building and spotted a familiar figure waiting downstairs.He was bundled up in a black overcoat, standing beneath a streetlight with a bouquet of flowers cradled in his hands. The moment he caught sight of me, he walked over with quick, urgent steps."Summer."It was Ethan.He had lost so much weight that he looked entirely unrecognizable. His eyes were deeply sunken, his cheekbones protruded sharply, and his lips were dry and cracked. He looked like someone who hadn't eaten a proper meal or slept a full night in months.I stood completely still, making no move toward him. "Why are you here?""I came to find you," he said, his voice incredibly hoarse. "I couldn't wait any longer.""Wait for wha

  • 18 Delays Later: Too Late for Tears   Chapter 5

    "Summer!""Ethan, let me go."I hung up the phone and shut it off.The colleague picking me up came running over, apologizing in fluent French for being late. I shook my head with a smile, following him out of the terminal.The Parisian night was cooler than back home, and the breeze carried an unfamiliar scent. I took a deep breath, feeling as though I were exhaling the entirety of the last five years.A month later.In the ninth arrondissement of Paris, inside a small café called Le Marais, I sat by the window with a croissant and a latte in front of me. On the street outside, pedestrians rushed past—some walking dogs, some pushing strollers, and others lingering by the roadside bookstalls."Summer?"I looked up. A blonde, blue-eyed French man stood before my table, holding a file."Pierre," I said, rising to greet him in fluent French. "Please, have a seat."Pierre was a partner at the law firm and my current direct supervisor. In his early forties, he was elegant and char

  • 18 Delays Later: Too Late for Tears   Chapter 4

    The moment the plane broke through the heavy layer of clouds, I turned off my phone.Outside the window lay a blinding expanse of white, so sharp it made my eyes ache. I closed them, and fragments of the past five years flashed across my mind.The first time I saw Ethan at the law firm, he had been wearing a dark gray suit, speaking eloquently during a mock trial. On our first date, he had taken me to a casual roadside food stall, telling me that was where real life happened. The first time I met his parents, he had squeezed my hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid. I'm right here."On our wedding day, he had drunk a bit too much. He held me tightly and murmured, "Summer, being able to marry you is the greatest blessing of my life."A blessing.I opened my eyes and smiled faintly. Blessings, it seemed, also had an expiration date.After a twelve-hour flight, I finally landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport at seven o'clock in the evening, local time.The moment I turned my pho

  • 18 Delays Later: Too Late for Tears   Chapter 3

    "I said yesterday that I'd make up your gift to you, but I didn't make it in time. Today... consider it made up."I froze for a moment.Only then did I remember his words right before leaving the house yesterday: "I'll bring you a gift when I get back tonight."I hadn't expected him to actually remember.However, looking at the receipt, the timestamp showed it was printed just half an hour ago.Most likely, he had seen that I liked Chelsea's social media post and felt a twinge of guilt. He had probably just grabbed a bag at a counter along the roadside on his way home as a form of compensation.I didn't reach out for it, nor did I say a word.Ethan placed the bag on the bed, hesitating for a moment. "By the way, regarding next month's selection for the law firm's Star Employee... could you...""Let Chelsea have it?"He hadn't expected me to speak first and nodded awkwardly. "She's just starting out in the industry and really needs this kind of recognition. You've already won i

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