Chapter 4

Natalie's POV

Theodore looked at me and said, "Nat, you—"

But I pushed past him and fled out the door.

When I got home, the lunchbox was still on the table. A sticky note was attached to the side. "You should start drinking less. It's not good for your health. Theo."

It was clearly meant for Madeline.

The tears I had held back the whole way finally slid down my cheeks. I crouched on the floor and sobbed quietly.

On Madeline's wedding day, Theodore had suddenly barged into the bridal dressing room. The two of them had talked behind closed doors for ten minutes, and then, when Theodore finally emerged, he left with his head hanging low.

On the table of the dressing room, only a couple of bruschetta with the tomatoes picked off remained, and Madeline sat there with a complicated expression.

She pulled me aside and asked, "Nat, Theo wants me to leave with him. What do you think I should do?"

In that instant, I went stiff all over. I remembered that when Theodore left, he had indeed been holding a ring.

Theodore had pursued Madeline for four years in college. Even after she rushed into marriage, he still couldn't let her go.

I awkwardly lowered my head to hide my tears and said, "This is your decision to make. You should think it over carefully."

What I meant was that this was something she had to decide for herself, but somehow, it had turned into me talking her out of it and getting in the way of her happiness with Theodore.

And what about Theodore—could he have been thinking the same thing, too?

Was that why we never had a wedding ceremony or exchanged wedding rings? Was that why, the day after we registered our marriage, he had wept over that ring?

For three years, he had kept his nerves taut, treating me with polite courtesy. He never spoke coldly to me, yet he never loved me either. So that had been his punishment for me.

My phone buzzed with a message from Madeline.

"Nat, Theo put together a gathering for me tomorrow night. He says he has a surprise for me. You should come too, okay? You can properly apologize to us for getting in the way of our happiness, and the whole wedding-crashing thing will be over. We'll still be friends after."

He was going to propose again tomorrow. If that was the case, then it was time for me to leave as well.

I wiped away my tears and stood up just as someone entered the door's passcode.

Theodore was breathing heavily. "Why did you suddenly leave… Hang on. Nat, have you been crying?"

I turned my back to him, my fingers braced against the corner of the table, and said nothing.

He paused, then said, "I heard the project didn't go through. Don't overthink it. I'll help you find other projects after tomorrow."

So, he was really the one behind my job and my projects. How pathetic that I had believed I'd earned them myself, that in just three years I had been promoted three times and earned the chance to handle projects independently.

I had thought that if I made it to our third anniversary and signed my first independent project, I would finally be worthy of him. Then, I could openly confess to him and spend the rest of my life with him. But in the end, all of that was just self-deception.

"No need." I pushed open the bedroom door and went in.

Theodore sounded anxious as he asked from behind me, "Are you going to bed already?"

"Mm."

He took a few steps toward me, then stopped. "Alright. Then, let's talk tomorrow night. Nat, it's the school anniversary tomorrow, but I have something to deal with in the morning. Can you take a cab there yourself—"

I cut him off, "Do what you need to do."

Before closing the door, I paused to think for a while and said sincerely, "Theodore, I hope everything goes smoothly for you tomorrow."

He froze for a moment, then chuckled softly. "With your blessing, I'm certain it will."

"Theodore, I'm giving you back the happiness I once ruined for you," I thought.

…

Third-Person POV

On the day of their third anniversary, Theodore hurried out before dawn. After finishing his errands, he rushed to the school.

Just thinking about the proposal that evening made his mouth go dry with nervousness. Natalie had probably guessed, but he still wanted to give her a surprise.

"Theo! Over here!" One of his classmates waved at Theodore.

He smiled and waved back, striding over. But when he got closer and looked around, he didn't see Natalie.

"Madeline, hurry up. Theo's looking everywhere for you!"

Then, Madeline, blushing, was pushed in front of him.

But he instinctively dodged. "Is Nat not here yet?"

The teasing cheers of the crowd stopped.

An inexplicable irritation rose in Theodore's heart, and he pulled out his phone to call Natalie. However, before he could even dial her number, a text message popped up on his phone.

"Hello, Mr. Crawford. I'm Jenna Wright, Ms. Natalie Westbrook's attorney. I'll be representing her and handling all matters related to your divorce."

Theodore's breath hitched in that instant.