No More Birthdays Together

After ten years of wasted time, I felt surprisingly light once I made the decision to leave.I booked the next flight back to Glufford.Before I left, I contacted the lawyer to handle the company Mom and Dad had set up for me here.They were worried I'd struggle when I came here, so they set up this new company for me. Dad hand-picked every project, so it was a guaranteed success.At the time, my boyfriend, Frankie Sutton—who had the title of top graduate—was all proud and insisted he'd never rely on handouts.To spare his fragile ego, I ended up living with him in a rural cave-like house where even the toilet was open-air. We scraped by and made a living by raising and selling pigs.Now that I was finally leaving, there was no point in keeping the company running anymore.I used the gold card Mom and Dad gave me and contacted the lawyer. Things went smoothly.Looking back, I realized how foolish I'd been. I could've used money to solve my problems, but instead, I stuck it out

Frankie's expression, which had been as dark as thunder, softened the moment he saw Evie. "Evie, didn't you say you weren't feeling well? Why are you here?"My hand, which had been resting on the windowsill, froze. In the ten years we'd spent together, Frankie had never spoken to me with such concern. Even when I had a miscarriage and was bedridden, he still found the time to remind me to vaccinate the new piglets.The moment Evie saw Frankie approach, her sharp, venomous expression vanished. In a sweet voice, she cooed, "I just didn't want you to be too overwhelmed with both the pig ranch and the company. I thought I'd come help out to take a little load off your shoulders."Standing behind the crowd, I silently watched their affectionate interaction. A mix of emotions surged within me."You're not listening again. I've told you so many times already. Let me handle the company stuff. When are you going to start listening to me, huh?"As Frankie spoke, he flicked Evie's nose as if

I let out a sneer and quietly looked at the two people outside the elevator.When Frankie saw the indifference on my face, he froze. For the first time, he realized I meant it when I said I was leaving.Up until this moment, he must have thought I was just acting out for his attention. This time I was louder, but that was all. He had always been that confident. For ten years, he'd had my every emotion mapped out. He was convinced he had me completely under control.However, when he saw me walk away without looking back, panic finally crept into his eyes.The elevator kept beeping, warning that the doors couldn't close, yet Frankie still refused to move his hand."Renee, where are you going? We promised we'd stay together for life. We promised to build something new together. How can you leave before we even get there? I won't allow it! I won't!"The elevator kept ringing. People downstairs were probably already cursing whoever was holding it up.I frowned impatiently and poked F

I sighed and closed my textbook.When I arrived at the scene, a huge crowd had already gathered. Many women in the crowd stared with sparkling eyes, just like I once did.After pushing through the crowd, I finally stood in front of Frankie. When he saw me, his eyes lit up."Renee, I knew you'd come!"He rushed toward me in a few quick steps, and the crowd leaned in closer to watch."Frankie, did I not make myself clear enough? Our relationship ended months ago. Stop this childish stunt. It's honestly annoying."My voice wasn't loud, but it reached him easily.His eyes turned red as he kept shaking his head. "No, Renee. I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once. I'm begging you."I stepped forward and looked at the man I had loved for ten years. A strange mix of emotions washed over me."Frankie, go home. Even if Evie never existed, we still wouldn't have worked. All these years, the only person you've ever loved is yourself. You enjoyed my devotion and the help I gave yo