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Chapter 3

Author: Fifteen
I opened the door, went straight to the bedroom, and pulled out my suitcase.

Alicia followed me in. "Chase, what are you doing?"

I started putting my clothes into the suitcase. "Moving out."

"Over a parking space?"

I kept packing.

She put a hand on the suitcase. "You sold it without even talking to me?"

I looked at her. "It was mine. I didn't need your permission."

For a moment, she had no answer. Then, her expression tightened. "We're about to get married. Are we really going to argue over what's yours and what's mine?"

"You bought it, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. Why shouldn't I?" She said it without hesitation. "You wanted to sell it. Was I supposed to let some stranger take it? You know Ronald has trouble parking. Having that extra space makes things easier for him."

"For him."

"Oh, Chase, please. It's a parking space. I'll buy you another one, okay?"

She made it sound so simple, as though the only problem was my refusal to accept it.

I zipped the suitcase shut and faced her. "The wedding's off, Alicia. I'm not marrying you."

Her expression hardened. "Our wedding is in two weeks. You're telling me this now?"

Ronald appeared in the doorway, looking tense. "Come on, Chase. This is on me. Don't take it out on her."

I turned to him. "Then tell me what you did wrong."

He went pale and said nothing.

Alicia stepped into my path. "If you leave tonight, don't expect me to talk things through with you later."

I took out my phone. The offer from our overseas division was still open.

[Overseas Assignment Offer. Please confirm your acceptance by the end of this week.]

I spent three days going back and forth over that email. Now, the decision was easy.

With both of them watching, I typed my reply.

[I accept.]

As soon as I hit send, Mom called.

"Chase, what are you thinking? All this over a parking space? The wedding's almost here. What are we supposed to tell everyone?"

Before I could answer, Dad took the phone. "Enough, Chase. You're about to be a married man. Start acting like one."

Neither asked why I wanted to leave. They heard enough to decide I was the problem, and keeping up appearances mattered more to them than hearing my side.

I hung up.

Ronald came over and held out a beer. "Come on, Chase. Have a drink. Let's talk."

I left him holding it. "What do you want?"

His jaw tightened. "You're really going to call off the wedding over this? Fine. I'll park somewhere else. You want the spot that bad, it's yours."

I gave a short, incredulous laugh. "You're giving me my own parking space?"

He hesitated, then tried a smile. "Come on, Chase. We've been friends for years. You're throwing all that away over a place to park?"

"Then why did you get Alicia to buy it?"

"I didn't ask her to." His answer came fast. "She was just looking out for me. You know I'm bad at parking. That's nothing new. You never used to have a problem cutting me some slack."

I nodded once. "How much slack, Ronald? Enough to let you move in on my fiancée?"

He had nothing to say to that.

I looked him in the eye. "All this time, were you parking in my space because you couldn't help it, or because you knew you could get away with it?"

His jaw tightened. "Do you really have to be a jerk about this?"

I sneered. "What do you want me to say, Ronald? You know what you've been doing."

He stopped trying to sound friendly. "I haven't taken anything from you. Alicia and I work together. We're headed to the same place. That's all."

By then, I was done listening. "You've always got an explanation, but you know exactly where you crossed the line."

Ronald didn't answer.

He set the beer down and gave me a hard look. "You'll regret this, Chase."

"I regret letting it go on this long," I retorted.

I grabbed my suitcase and walked out, shutting the door behind me.

-

The next morning, I walked into the break room at work and overheard a few coworkers discussing a meeting.

"We're going over to Sterling Enterprises today, right?"

"Yeah. Every time I'm there, Alicia's car is parked next to the same guy's."

"Ronald? Those two are always getting coffee together, too. Hold on. Isn't she engaged to Chase?"

They turned and saw me. I offered no explanation.

A moment later, my boss came out of his office. "Chase, I need you at Sterling Enterprises this afternoon. Go over the details of the new project and get everything finalized."

"Will do."

The timing almost made me laugh.

People who barely knew us noticed the way Alicia and Ronald behaved around each other. I was the one who kept giving them the benefit of the doubt.

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  • No Room for Me   Chapter 10

    Back overseas, I settled into a routine I liked.Work kept regular hours. I had a comfortable apartment and a parking space I could actually use. Every evening, I drove home and pulled into the garage without giving it a second thought.On clear weekends, I took the car out for a drive. When it rained, I stretched out on the couch and put on a movie.Some nights, I had dinner with coworkers. Other days, I drove to a nearby town and checked out the local grocery stores.It wasn't an exciting life, but it suited me. I knew what to expect when I came home.One evening after work, I parked and stayed behind the wheel for a minute. The garage was quiet, its overhead lights casting an even glow on the gray wall ahead.Sitting there, I remembered how often I used to come home and find my space blocked.Ronald's car would be angled across the line, and Alicia would tell me, "Just park outside tonight. Don't give him a hard time."I always gave in. Compromise was part of a relationship,

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    My flight landed just after dawn. A thin fog hung over the airport beneath a pale morning sky.I stood outside the terminal with my suitcase and my phone still off. After days of constant calls and messages, the quiet took some getting used to.I didn't switch it on until that afternoon. Notifications filled the screen before I could open anything.There were dozens of missed calls from my parents. Mutual friends sent screenshots and voice messages faster than the app could load them.At the top of the list was a video from the wedding. I tapped it.Alicia stood at the altar with her veil crooked, her face tight with anger. Beside her, the officiant held his microphone and struggled to keep smiling as whispers spread through the guests.Ronald stood at her side in a light-colored suit. He didn't look like a groomsman waiting for instructions or a guest who stepped up to help. He looked comfortable beside her."Did the groom actually walk out on her?" someone whispered."Wait, i

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