Countdown to Goodbye

I went to deliver the wedding planning contract to Lawrence Schwartz at the agreed time and heard him chatting casually with a friend in his office."Kayla's coming back soon. Are you still going to have a makeup wedding with Rebecca?"Lawrence only gave an absent-minded "Yeah" while checking his watch over and over. "Why isn't she here yet?"But I knew he wasn't checking the time for me.He was anxious to go pick up his first love, Kayla Walton. Today was the day she returned to the country.Back then, when she got engaged, Lawrence married me out of spite.Three days ago, Kayla got divorced.He got drunk that night, and when he sobered up, he suggested having a delayed wedding ceremony with me.It was nothing more than a way to provoke Kayla once she came back. My marriage was just a prop in their emotional drama.When I pushed the door open, Lawrence impatiently held out his hand."The wedding contract."I handed him the contract I had prepared long ago.The second-to-la

"This is Kayla's first project since coming back. I don't want it to fail."I watched the whole thing with a kind of emotional detachment.That night, after the negotiations ended and we got home, Lawrence hesitated on the couch for a long time.In the end, he explained, "We're still secretly married. I just haven't found the right chance to explain it yet. In the future, I'll make it public. For now, the most important thing is getting this project done properly."I nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.I didn't remind him that what should really matter most was the wedding we were supposed to have soon.A wedding he had promised but never prepared for, not even once.I also didn't remind him that by that day, the divorce cooling-off period would be over.After all, in his eyes, Kayla still mattered the most.During the project, Lawrence deliberately avoided situations where Kayla and I might meet, but Daphne still noticed something was off.She asked me with clear curio

I flipped the plane ticket over so Lawrence could see it. Printed on it was the name of a city almost 2,000 miles away.Lawrence frowned. "Why are you suddenly going somewhere that far? You didn't even tell me. What if something happens?"I shrugged and said casually, "There's no need. It's just a normal work transfer."Lawrence grabbed my wrist, clearly not buying it. "So sudden? We just worked on a project together. Are you just gonna drop it?"I gently pried his fingers off and took a step back, putting some distance between us."The project's already in its final stage. You can deal with Daphne for the rest. I have other projects to handle."But that small step back hurt Lawrence.He looked at me with a lost expression. His outstretched hand trembled slightly, yet he wouldn't let it fall.As if he sensed something, he asked quietly, "When are you coming back?"I shook my head and answered with a smile, "I'm not."Sadness took over Lawrence's face completely. He stared at

I landed in an unfamiliar coastal city feeling lighter than I had in years.I bought a new SIM card and called Daphne first.Then, I blocked everyone connected to Lawrence on every social app. I didn't watch a single one of the videos they sent about him crying at the airport.I blocked and deleted everything and everyone. My phone was spotless, and all that mess was finally gone.I focused on growing the new branch here and shifted the company's business center over.The busy schedule left me no time to think about men at all.As it turned out, life without worrying about a man felt amazing.Daphne called me for an online meeting, excitedly telling me the project back home had wrapped up perfectly.The whole process had been full of setbacks, but thankfully, the ending was good and didn't affect either of our ability to make money.I asked casually what happened after I stepped away from the project.Daphne didn't think much of it and said, "Nothing major. The previous repre

"Get lost."That was the reply I was willing to give him. Not a single extra syllable.I regretted going along with Daphne's dumb idea. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be stuck in this absolutely disgusting scene.Lawrence couldn't believe I could be this cold. He stood up and tried to grab me, but Andy stepped in and blocked him."Stop embarrassing yourself. She told you to get lost. Can't you hear?"Lawrence shrank back in front of me, but the moment he faced someone else, he got aggressive."What does this have to do with you?"He sized Andy up, then raised his voice and asked me, "Are you saying no to me because of this cake guy? What can he give you? Can he even afford the rent for his shop, selling cakes?"I was so angry that I turned around, ready to snap back, when I saw Andy calmly wag a finger in front of Lawrence."That's where you're wrong. My cake shop doesn't pay rent. This entire building is mine. Baking is just a hobby."I never expected Andy to turn out to