1

 Chelsea

“Appa, I didn’t come back home for a job. I just want a break.”

It was bad enough that I failed at everything that I set out to do and came back home with nothing to my name, and now my dad has made it a point to make me feel even more worthless by offering me a job.

Okay, he is doing it out of love for me, but still, I told him I came for a break, and I do plan to return to New York just as soon as I can get Owen to change his mind.

It’s not the first time we would break up, and it’s not even our biggest fight.

“Honey, I just don’t want you holed up in your bed all the time like you have been doing since you arrived a week ago. It’s a job that will keep you on your feet, and it pays really well.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at my dad and walked past him.

I went back to my room and closed the door loudly to make sure he was aware that I wasn’t pleased with him.

I flopped on my bed and sighed deeply. I covered my eyes with one arm over my face and sighed deeply.

I barely had time to start feeling bad for myself before my phone rang and I rushed to pick it up, thinking it would be Owen finally calling to make up.

It wasn’t Owen but someone from his company, Lily.

“Have you seen the news?”

She yelled out once I picked up the call.

“What news?”

I asked, wondering what could be so urgent for her to be calling me during work hours.

“Owen is getting married.”

It took a moment for what she said to sink in.

“What?”

I asked, hoping that she was making a joke.

“Owen is getting married. Didn’t you guys just recently break up? It’s said he has been seeing her for over a year now, and they got engaged four months ago.”

I scoffed.

“Are you joking? Owen and I were a thing until two weeks ago; why would he be getting married?”

I hoped it wasn’t true. There’s no way it’s true.

“Yes, that’s why I called you as soon as the news was posted on the bulletin. It’s someone you know.”

I swallowed and didn’t want to ask.

“Send a picture.”

I told Lily. There’s only one way to confirm, and it’s to see the invitation with my eyes.

“Will do. I have to clock back in; I will call you later.”

I hope she doesn’t call me again. I didn’t need to wait for long for her to send the wedding invitation.

“Helena?”

It wasn’t even Owen’s name on the wedding invitation that got me out of my bed and in shock, but the person he was marrying.

Helena, as in the woman he introduced to me as his cousin.

“Is this a joke?”

I asked out loud and quickly dialed his number. He hadn’t taken my call for the past two weeks, and I didn’t expect him to take my call again, but he surprisingly did.

“Owen? Is it true?”

I tried not to yell, but I was too over my head to stay calm.

“I see that you saw the invitation. Yes, it’s true. I am getting married.”

I opened my mouth but couldn’t get any words out.

“You are not invited, so don’t even bother coming. Don’t embarrass yourself like that.”

Wow. I couldn’t believe the bastard I dated for so long and gave all my best years just said something so cruel to me.

“You told me that she was your cousin.”

I let out, feeling like the biggest fool for believing him.

“I lied, dummy! It doesn’t matter anymore. We are no longer together, and I am marrying Helena. I took your call this time just to get this over with, but I won’t be taking any more of your calls, and I would appreciate it if you don’t call me again. I don’t want to have to change my contact information because of you.”

He ended the call without giving me a chance to respond, and I just stood still, too dumbfounded to even do anything.

I don’t know how long I stood there just staring at one particular spot and going over the timeline.

He has been with her all along. He first introduced her to me three years ago, and even though we didn’t get along, I did my best to accommodate her, seeing as she was my boyfriend’s relative.

Last year, she moved in with him, and he gave me a flimsy excuse, which I didn’t mind because I thought they were relatives.

I felt so stupid for believing him so blindly and felt stupider when tears fell from my eyes.

*One week later*

“How long are you going to continue hiding in your room?”

My dad banged on my door as he yelled the words out. My dad rarely gets mad at me, and I couldn’t even blame him for being so mad at me.

I haven’t stepped out of my room for a whole week, and I don’t ever want to leave my room.

Not after I made a fool of myself by calling Helena and asking her how she could be with another woman’s man and even think of marrying him.

I should never have called her. I turned my phone off after that embarrassing call and never turned it on again.

I didn’t tell my dad what happened, but he somehow found out. Maybe he saw the wedding invitation too.

“If you don’t come out, I am going to break your door. I don’t care if you are an adult woman who can make her own decisions or not; you are in my house, and I refuse to let you continue being so hard on yourself because of a man.”

I knew he knew, but it still hurt to hear him say it out loud.

Since I didn’t want him to break down the door, I sluggishly got out of bed and walked to the door. I unlocked it and walked away.

“Chaeyeonah,”

I couldn’t help it. I started crying again, and my dad rushed to my side and pulled me into a hug.

I felt so stupid. I felt so useless.

“Appa, I tried everything. I did everything to make it work, but I failed. I failed at everything, and I feel so pathetic.”

I cried into my dad’s arms.

“You didn’t fail.”

My dad rarely speaks his language to me, but when he does, it always makes me so emotional.

“I did. Owen is marrying someone else.”

I hated to say the words out loud, but it was the truth.

“So what? He is just a man.”

No, he wasn’t just a man. He was the man I loved. The man I was supposed to love forever. The man who told me he loved me so many times, and now he just ended it.

He broke up with me, and even before that, he was already seeing someone else right under my nose.

“A broken relationship doesn’t mean you failed.”

Of course, my dad would say that. His marriage to my mom failed, and that didn’t stop him from achieving so much.

He never remarried after the divorce, but my mom did, and I don’t hate her for it.

“I don’t think I can get out of this, Dad. My mates are married and having kids already. My mates have successful businesses, and mine failed.”

That happened nearly a year ago, but failing at two things I have held so dearly for years made me feel like it was all my fault.

It’s my fault that my business failed because I couldn’t manage it, and it’s my fault that my relationship with Owen failed because I lacked something.

Something he must have found with Helena.

“You can. You will. Listen to me, child. You can always bounce back. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s not your fault. Don’t ever think it’s your fault.”

I sobbed into his arms.

I had no idea how I was going to live my life now. I have nothing planned out.

Until I left New York, I was working as a sales rep, and it was supposed to be temporary. I was supposed to marry Owen and raise our kids while he worked.

What a fool to think that.

“What am I going to do?”

I asked my dad, and he pulled away.

“I offered you a job. We could start from there. It’s a really exciting job.”

I sighed deeply.

“I don’t want a job managing a bunch of unruly teenagers.”

I complained.

“Who said anything about teenagers? I work with grown men. You will be managing three men. Their former road manager recently quit, and they haven’t had anyone with them in a while. The new season starts in a week, and I need to send them on the road with a road manager.”

I rolled my eyes.

“But I am older than the oldest of your team.”

I don’t know those he coaches, but I know they are pretty young.

“That means you will do a good job. They need someone level-headed.”

It was funny that he would call me level-headed when I spent the better part of the past week crashing out and crying my eyes out.

“Fine. I will do it. It’s not as if I have a choice. I don’t want to be left in the house when you leave.”

I told myself that I only agreed because I didn’t want to be alone and continue mourning the past I will never have back.

Maybe it won’t be so bad to work with some testosterone and adrenaline-driven younglings.