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Chapter 7
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Echoes of You in My Life Chapter 7
Ethan left town the very next day.He sent me a text with only one sentence:"I’m sorry."I didn’t reply.Life gradually settled back into peace.The bookstore was doing better and better. I hired an extra set of hands, which gave me more time to read and write.Every now and then, I’d catch news about Ethan’s company in the business headlines. From what I could tell, things seemed to be slowly improving.When spring came, I filled the yard with flowers.More tourists started passing through town, and the bookstore became one of those places people loved to visit, browse, and photograph.One bright afternoon, I was organizing a shelf when the bell over the door rang.“Welcome,” I said automatically.“Nina Bennett.”I turned and saw Chloe standing in the doorway.She had lost a lot of weight. Her complexion was drawn, and none of the glow or sweetness she used to carry was left.“What do you want?” I asked flatly.She strode toward me, her voice tight with urgency. “Where’s Ethan?”“I d
Echoes of You in My Life Chapter 6
Because of his ankle, Ethan couldn’t manage the coffee shop, so he had no choice but to close it temporarily.Every day, I brought him three meals and changed his bandages while I was there.He was always quiet.He didn’t say any of those things about winning me back anymore. Whenever I left, he only thanked me softly.Sometimes I’d catch him staring blankly at his laptop.Other times, when work calls came in, his brow would tighten.“If there’s something going on at the company, you should go back and deal with it,” I said one day before I could stop myself.He shook his head. “It’s fine. I can handle it from here.”Later, I heard from one of his former assistants that several major projects at Ethan’s company had run into trouble one after another, and the stock had been falling hard.“Nina, why won’t Mr. Cole come back?” the assistant asked over the phone. “The whole company’s starting to fall apart.”I said nothing.Ethan’s ankle gradually improved, and before long he was able to w
Echoes of You in My Life Chapter 5
Ethan didn’t leave town.He checked into the small inn across from the bookstore and started showing up outside every day like clockwork.“Nina, I brought breakfast from your favorite place. The line was insane.“Nina, the weather’s beautiful today. Want to go for a walk?“Nina...”I never responded.He was treating love the same way he treated business—believing that if he pushed hard enough and stayed persistent enough, he’d eventually get what he wanted.The same way, years ago, I had kept confessing my feelings no matter how many times he turned me down.Now that the roles were reversed, I finally understood how exhausting it was to be pursued by someone you didn’t love.One evening, about a week later, I was locking up when I saw him still standing outside.“Ethan, what exactly are you trying to do?”His eyes lit up, and he stepped toward me at once. “Nina, you’re finally talking to me.“I just wanted to let you know that starting tomorrow, I won't be coming back. A coffee shop is
Echoes of You in My Life Chapter 4
Once the message sent, I powered down my phone.Watching the city shrink outside my window as the plane took off, I felt a complete sense of calm.There was no gut-wrenching heartbreak, no dramatic collapse.Just the quiet relief of something finally ending.After seven years, I had finally learned how to let go.When I got home, my mom had already made a table full of my favorite food.My dad took my suitcase from my hand and didn’t ask a single question. He just patted me on the shoulder.“You’re home. That’s what matters.”Life in my hometown moved slowly, nothing like the city I had grown used to.I started helping my parents run the family bookstore, and once in a while, I posted reading notes and book reviews online.No endless meetings.No late-night client dinners.No work messages that never stopped coming.It felt like I had found the version of myself from freshman year of college again—the Nina Bennett who had not met Ethan yet.A month of peaceful days went by.Then one af
Echoes of You in My Life Chapter 3
He froze.His eyes flickered, and he couldn’t meet mine.After a long silence, he forced out a strained smile.“Nina, you know how things are. I’m not ready to get married right now. The company just went public, and there’s still so much to deal with...”I already knew the answer.Why humiliate myself by making him say it out loud?I covered the chill in my chest with a faint, brittle smile.“I know. I was joking,” I cut in, not wanting to hear one more of those familiar excuses.It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get married.He just didn’t want to marry me.That realization was like a dull blade, sawing through me over and over again.I should have understood a long time ago.From the way he always refused to take photos with me.From the way he never introduced me to his family.From the way, in public, I was always just his secretary.The signs had always been there.I was the one who chose not to see them.“Then what do you want?” he asked quickly, sounding almost relieved. “Shares
Echoes of You in My Life Chapter 2
The next morning, I got to the office early.My resignation letter lay quietly in the drawer, waiting for the moment I decided to turn it in.My phone buzzed.It was a text from Chloe."Nina, I heard you’ve been taking care of Ethan all these years. That must’ve been exhausting."He said that if you weren’t so capable, he never would’ve kept you around this long."Ethan and I are going to shop for wedding rings today, so I’ll have to leave the company in your hands. Thanks in advance."I read the messages without expression, my finger hovering over the screen for a moment before I decided not to reply.Then I opened the compressed file she had sent.Inside were photos of her and Ethan on trips over the years.Five years ago. Three years ago. One year ago.So they had never really lost touch.While I was drinking with clients until I landed in the hospital with a bleeding stomach, they were skiing in the Alps.While I was up past midnight revising proposals, they were kissing under the
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