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Chapter 4

Author: Washing Wheat
“Have you packed your things yet?”

Layla did not show up until three days later.

When she pushed open the door, Alban followed right behind her.

He slipped into the dark blue slippers, curled up on the sofa, and made himself at home as if this was his house.

I stood at the doorway of the guest bedroom, watching them.

She glanced at the suitcase in the guest bedroom.

“Looks like you’ve made up your mind. I found a studio apartment, fully furnished. I’ll cover the security deposit and the first three months’ rent.”

“I put $80,000 into the down payment for this house.”

“I’ll pay you back later.”

“What about the $120,000 in our joint account?”

“Well… Alban was booking a hotel, so I borrowed it.”

“What about the $200,000 I put into the company?”

“The company is in a tight spot right now. You’ll have to wait a little longer.”

I looked at her and realized that she did not even flinch as she said all this.

It was so natural and casual for her.

Everything was just as it should be.

My gaze fell on Alban’s neck.

He wore a silver necklace with a small star pendant.

That was the birthday gift I had bought her after saving up for two months.

She had said the style was too masculine and did not want to wear it.

Presently, it was hanging around Alban’s neck.

“I bought that necklace.”

Alban instinctively touched the pendant and turned to look at Layla.

“Layla, didn’t you say you picked this out for me?”

She frowned.

“It’s just a necklace. Let’s not make a big deal out of it. Dylan, sit down. Let’s talk.”

I did not sit down.

She sighed. Her tone turned serious.

“You’ve sacrificed a lot over the past three years helping me build this business, and I remember all of it. But you can’t force feelings. After Alban came back, I realized I couldn’t let him go.”

“So, you got married to him three days before the engagement party.”

“Alban suddenly gave in, and the timing was right. I couldn’t back out.”

“You could back out of a party with 200 guests, yet you couldn’t make a single phone call?”

She looked away and finally admitted it. “I was definitely in the wrong that day.”

Alban tugged at the hem of her shirt from beside her.

“Layla…”

She patted his hand.

I knew that gesture all too well.

Three years ago, she patted my hand just like that and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

It was exactly the same gesture, but a different person.

I looked down and chuckled.

“Fine. I’ll pack these things myself. I don’t want anything else.”

She looked taken aback.

“You… aren’t going to demand an explanation from me?”

“What you just said was explanation enough.”

I turned and went back to the guest bedroom and closed the door behind me.

Through the door, I heard her speaking softly to Alban in the living room.

He chuckled. “See, Layla? I told you Dylan wouldn’t give us a hard time.”

She said softly, “That’s just the kind of person he is. He doesn’t make a fuss. Don’t worry.”

Her words rang in my mind. ‘That’s just the kind of person he is.

‘He doesn’t make a fuss.

‘Don’t worry.’

I crouched down and pulled the suitcase out from under the bed.

That suitcase had been with me for three years. I had dragged it all the way from Southshire to Kingston Vale.

The paint was chipped off at the corner, and the zipper did not work well.

I folded my clothes one by one and put them inside. I placed the plaid shirt on top.

I had not brought much with me to begin with, so I was done packing in half an hour.

Next, I took off the keys and left them on the shoe cabinet in the entryway.

As for the necklace, Alban had taken it with him.

I did not go after him to get it back.

Perhaps that was the last trace of my existence in this house.

I did not look back as I closed the door.

I went outside and hailed a cab.

Before my phone shut down, I sent one last text.

[The keys are on the shoe cabinet. Don’t bother looking for me.]

Then, I went to the service center to get a new SIM card.

That evening, Layla returned to the apartment.

She saw the keys on the shoe cabinet. She pushed open the door to the guest bedroom.

It was completely empty inside.

She paused for a moment, then dialed my number.

“The number you have dialed is no longer in service. Please verify the number before dialing again.”

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  • I Gave Up Everything For Her   Chapter 12

    “Have they signed the divorce papers?”“Yes. Alban asked for a car and two credit cards.”Three months…Their marriage lasted only three months.She gave me up for Alban. Then, Alban gave her up just as easily.I put down my phone, feeling nothing in particular.I neither felt satisfaction nor relief at their misfortune.The only thing I felt was a sense of calm that came from knowing it was to be expected.That night, I went out alone for some curry.I ordered a double serving, half spicy and half non-spicy.Back when I used to eat with Layla, we would always order the non-spicy curry because she could not handle spicy food.I picked up a piece of meat and took a bite. The heat brought tears to my eyes, but I enjoyed the meal.When I stepped out of the restaurant, a light rain had started to fall.I stood at the entrance of the mall to hail a cab.A figure stood under a streetlight across the street.She wore a camel-colored coat and looked much thinner.It was Layla.

  • I Gave Up Everything For Her   Chapter 11

    The table was set with a spread of food.There was steak, seafood, vegetables, and so on.They were some of my favorite foods when I was a kid.My father was seated at the head of the table. He looked better than I expected. He had put on a little weight and seemed full of energy.He glanced at me and muttered, “Sit.”I sat down, and my mother piled my plate high with food.No one mentioned those three years.No one even mentioned Layla.It was as if nothing had ever happened.But that was not quite true.My father’s hand trembled slightly as he served me some steak. The piece nearly fell onto the table.His hands had not been steady since his heart bypass surgery.I looked down as I ate. My eyes stung with tears.This was the most peaceful meal I had in three years.Halfway through the meal, my father suddenly blurted out, “That Weiss girl came by again last month.”My hands paused for a second.“Oh?”“Your mom didn’t open the door.”“Mm-hmm…”“She left a box at the

  • I Gave Up Everything For Her   Chapter 10

    I called Aidan.“That investor met with her last week and asked how you have been lately.”I fell silent.That investment was a deal I had arranged for her behind the scenes.I had stayed up three nights in a row to write the business plan.She never knew about it because she did not like men meddling in her business.I never did anything that she did not like, and not a word was ever said that she did not already know about.“How did she react when she found out?”Aidan paused for a moment.“My girlfriend said that after she got back, she locked herself in her room and tried to call your old number 37 times.“Obviously, the call didn’t go through even once.”‘37 times…’ I thought.It was just like the 37 missed calls she left me that day.She really liked that number, but she had never asked what number I liked the most.My phone rang again.It was not Aidan. It was a local Southshire number.“Is this Mr. Dylan Cruise? I’m Louis, an attorney from Concordia Law Firm. A

  • I Gave Up Everything For Her   Chapter 9

    I pulled my cap down low, averted my gaze, and handed my boarding pass at the security checkpoint.The machine beeped, and the gate opened.I walked through.The plane landed in Southshire at 8:40 p.m.Outside the window, the city was ablaze with lights. It was a brightness unlike anything I had seen in Kingston Vale.When I turned on my phone, there were no notifications whatsoever, except for a text from Aidan.[She waited at the airport for six hours. From morning until dark, she kept her eyes on the arrivals gate for every incoming flight. She didn’t see you.]He had sent another text.[She posted something on her Stories. A picture of the empty arrivals hall, lit by a harsh, pale light, with just one word in the caption: “Waiting.”]Finally, Aidan sent a voice note.I hesitated for a moment, then tapped on it.His voice sounded a bit muffled, as if he were speaking with his hand over his mouth.“Dylan, she cried at the airport. A friend of Crystal’s happened to be pass

  • I Gave Up Everything For Her   Chapter 8

    “Now, there’re no personal reasons anymore.”He glanced at me, did not press the issue, and nodded.“You start next Monday. The company will arrange for your flight and temporary housing. Once you arrive, report directly to HR.”Aidan had been listening the whole time. As soon as the video call ended, he jumped up.“An annual salary of $300,000! Dylan, you are flying high!”“Let’s see how it goes first. Don’t hype me up too much. It’ll hurt when I fall.”He snorted and looked down. Then, he continued to stuff things into the suitcase.The night before I left, we ate takeout in his living room.We ordered chicken tikka masala, with double the amount of meat and sides, with the spice level cranked up to the highest.Back when I was with Layla, I did not dare eat this. She would frown at the sight of chili peppers, saying they were bad for her stomach.No one was there to frown at my food choices anymore.My brow was beading with sweat from the heat. Just as I was about to reac

  • I Gave Up Everything For Her   Chapter 7

    “’She doesn’t want to hear the truth, but she can’t help but check to see if anyone mentioned me,” I answered.He tutted and swiped the screen again.“There’s something else. Do you want to see it?”“What?”“She and Alban had a fight.”He turned his phone screen toward me.Alban had posted a long message on his Stories.Against a dark background, there was a selfie of him looking very upset. Tears glistened at the corners of his eyes.The gist was that life was tough for him. He said Layla’s temper had been getting worse lately. She snapped at him over the slightest thing.She did not do housework, cook, take out the trash, and even refused to buy him the watch he had his eye on.The original post was quite long, but the message boiled down to just one sentence he wrote at the end.[I’ve given up so much for you. Is this how you treat me?]I wondered what exactly he had given up for her.I gave up a job that paid $300,000 a year, along with my parents, three years’ worth o

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