Chapter 4

Audrey's hand froze in midair.

"I'm trying to do something nice for you, and this is how you react."

I ignored her, got to my feet, and headed for the bathroom.

With a sigh, she handed me a towel. "Alright, stop sulking. Tomorrow, I'll take you to see our future home."

Property prices in Northbridge were outrageously high, and I'd been doing everything I could to scrape together the down payment. For six months, I'd gone without replacing my phone or buying a decent jacket, and I'd even booked an economy-class train ticket instead of a sleeper berth to save money on the trip to see her.

I'd made all those sacrifices simply because she'd said she wanted to settle down in Northbridge after we got married.

…

In the middle of the night, a weather notification lit up Audrey's phone, warning that rain was expected in Southport the following day.

I froze when I saw it. No wonder she'd always reminded me to bring an umbrella the day before it rained over the past three years.

I swiped down to check her saved locations, and the second city on her favorites list appeared.

It was Rosehaven, where Nathan worked.

Two cities. The same rain forecast.

So, all that thoughtfulness I'd once believed was meant just for me had simply been divided between two people.

Audrey stirred beside me and wrapped her arms around me from behind, burying her face in the crook of my neck.

I didn't push her away, but neither did I close my eyes.

…

The next day, we went to see the new house in the northern part of the city, where the real estate agent greeted us with an enormous smile.

"Ms. Collins, Mr. Cole, here are the deed and the keys. Congratulations to you both!"

My breath caught in my throat.

Nathan, meanwhile, beamed with delight. "Thank you, Mr. Reed. And thank you for bearing with us over the past few days."

I stepped forward and snatched the document envelope from Audrey's hands. She instinctively tried to pull it back, but she was a fraction of a second too late.

I pulled out the deed and stared at the name clearly printed on it.

Nathan Cole.

My voice trembled as I asked, "Why is his name on the deed to the home we bought for ourselves?"

A flicker of panic crossed Audrey's face as she reached to put the deed back into its envelope before I could look any further.

"Nathan has had a hard time getting settled here. He asked me to put the property in his name, just temporarily. We're still the ones who'll live here."

She hurried to reassure me, "Once we're married, I'll go to the property office and have your name added. This won't affect you in any way."

Nathan put on a wounded expression as he explained, "Vincent, don't blame Audrey. I was the one who asked her for this."

I trembled with anger. "I paid the down payment!"

Three years ago, Audrey had held my hand and traced our plans on a map, her eyes filled with hope as she said, "Vincent, let's save up together and build a home for ourselves in Northbridge."

Now, we finally had a home, but the man who was supposed to be its master had been replaced by someone else.

Audrey's gaze darted away for a moment before she frowned, her voice growing sharper. "Vincent Pierce, watch your tone. You're the one who's going to live in this house in the end. Nathan's name is just on the deed. What exactly are you making such a fuss about?"

Shaking with anger, I pointed a finger at her. "What do you think I'm making a fuss about?"

She stepped backward, missed the edge of a step, and fell hard to the ground.

"Ah! My stomach!"

She clutched her lower abdomen, her face turning deathly pale as blood began streaming down her thighs.

I stood frozen, staring at the pool of blood spreading beneath her.

Nathan rushed forward and held her, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at me. "Vincent Pierce, have you lost your mind? She's pregnant!"

So, she was even carrying his child.

Nathan hurriedly lifted her into his arms and rushed out of the building, while Audrey turned to look at me as he carried her away.

"I'll explain everything later. Just take some time to calm down."

I slowly crouched, picked up the property deed, and placed it on the front desk.

There would be no later for us.

…

The following morning, I returned to Audrey's apartment and packed my things.

That afternoon, Audrey came back from the hospital with a coat draped over her shoulders and her face still pale. But the moment she spotted my suitcase, she grabbed the handle and refused to let go.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm breaking up with you."

Audrey's expression turned panicked. "I won't agree to that. What happened that night was an accident. I was drunk and mistook him for you. It only happened that one time!"

Her voice trembled with desperation as she pleaded, "I'll cut ties with him completely. I'll never contact him again. Can we just start over?"

Before I could answer, her phone rang, and Nathan's tearful voice came through the speaker, "Audrey, my foot is really swollen. The doctor says I might have injured a ligament, and I'm all alone at the hospital. Can you come and stay with me?"

Audrey glanced at me, then at her phone, visibly torn between us. Finally, she let go of the suitcase handle.

"Vincent, wait for me. I'll get him settled and then come straight back."

"Audrey," I called out.

She stopped and turned to look at me.

"If you walk out that door today, there will never be another chance for us."

She hesitated for a moment, but her expression gradually turned cold.

"Vincent, do you even have a heart? Nathan got hurt when he fell trying to protect me, and now he's alone in the hospital! I just lost a child, too, and you still have to make an issue out of this right now?"

She looked at me as though I were the one being unreasonable. "Wait for me. I'll make it up to you when I get back."

With that, she hurried off to the hospital.

I'd always believed the 2,000 miles between us were what kept us apart. Only now did I realize that distance had never really been about the miles.

On my way to the airport, a notification popped up on my phone—it had started raining in Southport.

I removed Northbridge from my weather app's list of saved cities and booked the earliest available flight home.

As the boarding announcement echoed through the terminal, I typed out one final message to Audrey.

"Don't rush back to meet me. I'm never coming back, either."