Chapter 3

After hanging up, I went back home.

My phone suddenly buzzed with a new notification. I glanced at it, realizing it was a new post from Soren's company's official account.

I clicked on it and saw a photo of Soren fixing the wiring and plumbing at Thea's place.

The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up, and he was focused on his work. Thea stood beside him, gazing at him with pure gratitude as she held a glass of water.

The caption read, "Our boss Soren is truly a man of many talents. Being amazing at work is one thing, but being able to fix wiring and plumbing too? Incredible!"

Soren's employees all flocked to the comment section, leaving messages full of admiration.

"Boss, you're amazing! I wish I had such a thoughtful boyfriend!"

"Thea, I can't believe our boss is fixing your house himself. You should totally marry him!"

My chest tightened. I scrolled through the comments quickly, an indescribable surge of emotions rising in me.

I thought back to when I had just joined the company after graduating. Back then, Soren often used that same company account to share snippets of my work life.

Everyone at the office knew he was into me, and I used to feel so happy because of it.

But ever since Thea came along, everything had changed.

Back at home, I walked into the bedroom and began packing.

I had lived here for six years, and every corner held our memories.

I picked up a thick photo album and flipped it open. Inside were photos of every gift he'd ever given me.

From the first bouquet of roses, to necklaces and bracelets, to dinners he'd cooked himself—each picture captured our happiest moments.

A wave of sorrow washed over me as I ran my fingers over them.

Six years ago, Soren had promised to give me a thousand surprises before we got married. He even had this album specifically made to hold exactly a thousand pictures. He said once it was full, we would get married.

Now, there were 999 photos. Only the last page was left blank—it was meant to hold our proposal photo.

But now, it would remain forever empty.

I gently closed the album, tears blurring my vision. We did make it to 999, but in the end, we were still one surprise short.

Wiping my tears away, I carried the album downstairs. I lit a fire in the yard and threw the album in.

The flames crackled, their glow dancing across my face as I watched the photos turn to ash.

Oddly enough, I felt… peace.

This album held the memories of the past six years. It had witnessed everything Soren and I had been through. We were once hopelessly in love, but now, we'd fallen apart.

As it turned to ash, it marked the end of our relationship too.

When the fire finally died, an unexpected calm washed over me.

Just then, Soren burst through the door. As soon as he spotted the album in the fire, his face turned pale.

He gasped and rushed over to save it, but the flames were too hot. The moment he got close, the searing temperature made him jerk back.

Glaring at me, he roared, "What the hell are you doing, Lyra? Why did you burn our album?"

I looked at him coolly and replied, "Some of the photos had gotten moldy. They couldn't be restored, so I just burned the whole thing."

He froze, clearly caught off guard by my answer.

Trying to control his temper, he took a deep breath and said, "Sorry, I overreacted. But we've worked on that album for years. I was planning to show it on our wedding—"

"We'll see about that." I cut him off.

I turned to go back inside, not wanting to look at Soren anymore. But then, he suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me into his arms.

"Lyra, I'm sorry," he murmured. "Things have just been so hectic lately. Once everything is settled, I'll take you to retake the photos. Is that okay?"

He was begging me, desperate to return to how things used to be.

I broke free from his embrace and looked him in the eye.

"Soren, you once promised to give me a thousand surprises. We're still one short.

"I missed out on the Christmas party last time. Can you make it up to me?"

That was the last thread of hope I held on to. I was hoping he'd remember that he had promised to propose to me this Christmas.

If he proposed, I wouldn't leave.

Soren nodded solemnly. "Okay. I'll make it up to you."

Just as he said that, his phone rang. It was Thea's custom ringtone.

He shot me an awkward look, then picked up the call.

"What is it?"

I didn't know what she said on the other end, but he quickly responded, "I'll be right there."

Hanging up, he turned to me with an apologetic look.

"Something urgent came up at work, and I need to take care of it. Let's talk about the party once I get back, okay?"

With that, he turned and left without hesitation.

I stood there alone, watching him disappear through the door. I was utterly heartbroken.

That night, I sat quietly on the couch, waiting for him to return. Time ticked by, but even as dawn crept in, he still wasn't back yet.

I knew he wouldn't make it up to me for what happened during the Christmas party, nor would there be a proposal. We were completely over.

As morning light stretched across the sky, my phone chimed with a reminder. Three days were up, and it was time for me to leave.

The private jet Mom sent was already waiting at the airport.

Before boarding, I sent Soren one final message.

"Soren, we're over. Don't try to contact me again."

He called me right away, but I ignored it. Instead, I turned off my phone and boarded the plane.