Chapter 5

"Hannah, no matter how desperate you are to get married, you can’t resort to forcing it."

"Do you think buying a wedding dress will make Nathan marry you?"

"He promised long ago that he’d only ever marry me. Stop dreaming."

On the drive, I glanced at the texts from Nina. Her words left me feeling drained. I circled Brookshire for hours, driving aimlessly. By the time I got home, it was past midnight, and the chilly autumn air had seeped into my bones.

To my surprise, the house was brightly lit when I opened the door.

Nathan was sitting on the couch. He stood and walked toward me. “Why are you back so late?”

“I went for a drive.”

I was leaving soon. I wanted one last look at the city where I’d spent so many years of my life.

He nodded, reaching out to pull me into his arms, but I instinctively stepped back.

His brows furrowed slightly. “Still upset?”

“I might’ve been too harsh earlier. If you don’t want to work, you don’t have to, okay?” He softened his tone. “As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

I caught a hint of irony in his words but chose not to escalate things. “Okay. Your birthday is coming up—what’s the plan?”

It was only earlier today, when I glanced at the calendar, that I realized my planned departure was the day before his birthday. It also happened to be the anniversary of our relationship.

“Of course, I want to spend it at home with you—just the two of us.”

He reached out cautiously again. This time, when I didn’t pull away, he seemed to relax. Hugging me tightly, he mumbled, “Hannah, I feel like… something about you has changed lately.”

“You’re overthinking.” I gently stepped out of his embrace. “It’s a bit cold. I’m going to take a shower.”

In the past, he would’ve noticed immediately that my entire body was ice-cold. I wasn’t sure anymore who had changed—him or me.

“By the way, what happened to my toothbrush and mug?” he asked suddenly from behind me.

I lowered my gaze.

Those weren’t the only things missing from this house. But it was no surprise he hadn’t noticed—his heart hadn’t been here for a long time.

I replied casually, “You’re supposed to replace those things regularly. There are new ones in the bathroom cabinet.”

I headed to my room and took a shower. My phone buzzed non-stop on the bed while I was in the bathroom.

When I came out, I saw more messages from Nina.

Her earlier taunts had been enough to ruin my mood, so I hadn’t replied. But she clearly wasn’t willing to let it go. Now she’d sent screenshot after screenshot of her conversations with Nathan.

The timestamps on the messages weren’t from the past few months—they stretched back years.

Most of the time, it was Nathan pouring his heart out to her.

"Nina, I started dating someone like you suggested. She’s great, and her smile reminds me of yours."

"Nina, whenever I’m with her, it feels like we’re back to the days when we were inseparable."

"Nina, how have you been lately? I dreamed about you last night. I miss you."

"Nina, I might get married soon. I can’t let her down."

"She’s been through so much with me. Everything I’ve achieved—my career, buying a house and a car in Brookshire—I owe it all to her…"

That was when Nina finally started replying. Once she learned he’d bought two properties in the city, including a luxury apartment that was still being renovated, they fell into each other’s arms.

The messages became an endless exchange of daily updates.

The hangover soup I had made for Nathan after a night of heavy drinking? He sent her a photo. "Look, I’m having soup this morning. What about you?"

The lemons from the tree I nurtured finally bore fruit. His first instinct was to share it with Nina. "See this? Amazing, right? Once they’re bigger, I’ll bring the best one to the office for your tea."

My hands shook as I held the phone. Knowing I was just a stand-in for her was one thing. Reading these messages was something else entirely.

Even after a hot shower, the cold seemed to seep into my bones.

I wanted to laugh but couldn’t stop the tears from welling up. I wasn’t crying because I felt betrayed—I was crying because it hit me just how long I’d been living as someone else’s shadow.

Every sweet moment I thought I’d shared with Nathan had been passed along to her.

I forced back my tears and replied, “Find better things to do at this hour.”

She replied instantly, "Hannah, don’t push your luck. Even if you stay, Nathan will only marry me. I know you don’t want to let go now that the company’s about to go public, but for the sake of what you’ve done for him, I’ll make him give you $10,000 as a breakup fee."

"Let’s face it—without Nathan, you’ll never find someone this rich again."

Ten thousand dollars. I wasn’t sure that would even cover the cost of one wedding table at the Henderson family’s banquet.

Just as I finished reading her message, my door burst open.

“Hannah, why did you put the watch I gave you up for sale online?” Nathan asked, his voice sharp.