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Chapter 8
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Never Returning Home Chapter 9
A month later, everything in our joint account had been settled.Hannah transferred my half back to me, along with an additional amount she called compensation.I sent the extra money back.I did not need her compensation.Compensation suggested that what she owed me could be measured, but the seven years I had lost could not be repaid by any sum.Dirk visited me one day.He stood outside my house with a box of cake from my favorite bakery. His eyes were red and swollen.“Eric, I’m sorry.”The wind was strong that day. As I looked at him, I suddenly remembered a summer back in high school.We had stood outside the corner store, sharing a popsicle and laughing as we promised that whenever one of us got married, the other would be his best man.The friendship we had shared was real.So was his betrayal.I did not take the cake.“Dirk, I don’t hate you anymore.”A glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes, but then I continued, “But that doesn’t mean I forgive you.”His tears be
Never Returning Home Chapter 8
The next morning, I made a public post on social media.For the first time in seven years, I wrote out Hannah Levin’s full name.I did not plead for sympathy or insult her. I simply laid out the timeline of everything.Her confession in college. Our seven-year relationship. Moving in together. Our joint account. Meeting my parents. Her promises that we would marry.Then, three years earlier, she had begun dating Josh. She publicly acknowledged him, introduced him to her friends and mother, and all the while told me she was traveling for work, that she was busy, and that she was waiting for the right time.At the end of the post, I included the video I had taken at the hotel that night.In it, Hannah said, “I’ll marry you, but I’m going to give him a wedding.”After publishing the post, I turned off my phone and went with my mother to the farmers’ market.She held my hand the entire way, just as she had when I was little, and she was afraid I might get lost.She did not ask me
Never Returning Home Chapter 7
Hannah did not leave immediately.She remained outside until noon, then sent message after message from my front door.She claimed that she had deleted every way of contacting Josh.She promised that she would make up for all the years she had kept me hidden.She said she would beg every one of my friends and relatives for forgiveness if that was what it took to earn mine.I did not reply to a single message.That afternoon, Dirk called me again.This time, he no longer sounded as self-righteous as he had the day before. Instead, there was a weary note in his voice.“Eric, do you really have to take this so far?”I sat by the window, holding the mug of tea Mom had brought me. “What have I done?”“Hannah flew back overnight because of you, and Josh is falling apart. He had no idea you and Hannah were still together. He’s a victim too.”“So?”There was a brief silence on the other end.I continued, “Am I supposed to comfort him, give them my blessing, and tell him Hannah is
Never Returning Home Chapter 6
The next morning, I was awakened by raised voices at the front door.I heard Mom speaking in a low voice. Her tone was unusually cold and firm. “He doesn’t want to see you. Please leave.”A dull ache spread through me. I threw on a jacket and walked over to the window.Hannah was standing outside. She was still wearing the same dress from the day before, but it was badly wrinkled now. When she saw me standing by the window, her eyes lit with desperate hope.“Honey, please come out and talk to me.”I did not move.She kept her face turned toward the window. Her voice was painfully hoarse. “I took the earliest flight here. I didn’t pack anything. Eric, I’ve learned my lesson now. Please don’t leave me.”In the past, I could never bear to see her like this.Whenever she called me “honey” with tears in her eyes, I would always give in to her. I would remember how much those seven years meant and forget how she had hurt me, though looking at her at the moment, she felt like a strang
Never Returning Home Chapter 5
It was drizzling outside when the plane landed.I turned on my phone and found it flooded with notifications.Hannah had called more than thirty times. Her messages gradually shifted from affectionate concern to impatient questioning.[Honey, where are you?][Stop this. I told you I’d marry you.][Why did you delete all your posts?]The last message had been sent at 4 a.m..[Honey, I'm sorry. Please answer the phone.]I stared at the words “I'm sorry” and found them bitterly ironic.She didn't apologize to me when her friends humiliated me.She didn't apologize to me when she said she would marry me while promising Josh a wedding.She didn't apologize to me when I discovered that she had lied to me for three years.She apologized when I had really left.That was why she was panicking.My parents were waiting for me at the arrivals gate. The moment Mom saw me, her eyes turned moist with tears. She simply pulled me into her arms without asking any questions.The familiar s
Never Returning Home Chapter 4
I was standing on the sidewalk when my phone buzzed.It was a message from my father.[Eric, are you and Hannah going to visit anytime soon? Your mom was asking about the wedding again today.]I stared at the words until my eyes finally began to sting. I had lied to my family for far too long because of Hannah.I told them she was busy. I told them that she did love me, but she preferred to keep her private life private. By the end, I had repeated those lies so often that I had almost started believing them myself.I called my mother.Her gentle voice came through the phone. “How did it go? Have you and Hannah set a wedding date yet? Are you visiting us anytime soon?”“Mom, we broke up.”There was a long silence on the other end.Long enough for me to think she would accuse me of acting too hastily or tell me to give Hannah another chance.Instead, she only sighed.“Did she hurt you?”Her question nearly shattered the composure I had fought so hard to maintain.“Yes.”My
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