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Chapter 6
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Not Waiting Anymore Chapter 9
A few months later."Aria, look! Completely sold out!"My partner, Julian, rushed into the gallery backroom with excitement. He slammed a freshly printed copy of The Times onto the table in front of me.The front page read in bold: [Rising Artist Aria's Solo Exhibition Sells Out First Day, Breaking Soho Five-Year Record!]"Congratulations, Aria," Julian handed me a glass of iced champagne, his eyes filled with admiration. "You are officially the hottest star in London's art scene."I took the glass and clinked it against his. "Thanks, Julian."London's harsh winter finally passed. Gentle spring sunlight streamed across the gallery's white walls, warm and comforting.At noon, a courier knocked on the back door."Miss Aria? Urgent private package from Chicago. Personal delivery required."I raised an eyebrow and signed my name.The package felt heavy, wrapped in elegant black silk. I unwrapped it, revealing a thick leather sketchbook inside.The cover had no words. Only a faint, haunting
Not Waiting Anymore Chapter 8
"I said don't call the police."In my second-floor gallery office, I stopped Julian's hand on the phone.He pushed up his glasses and pointed out the window at the tall shadow standing straight in the blizzard. "Aria, he's been standing outside your apartment and across from the gallery for a whole month. Rain or snow, every single day. He doesn't come up. He doesn't text. He's in the mafia. Are you sure you don't want security to kick him out?""Let him be." I packed up my painting tools, completely calm. "When a crazy man wants to torture himself, nobody can stop him."11:00 PM. A raging blizzard outside.I walked home from working late at the gallery, dragging my tired body toward my apartment door.From far away, a tall shadow leaned against a rusted lamppost.Dominic wore a black coat soaked through with melted snow. White snow covered him entirely, turning him into an ice statue. Hearing my footsteps, he raised his head stiffly. His lips were already purple from the cold."Aria..
Not Waiting Anymore Chapter 7
"Aria, you'll never guess who came looking for me this morning."Three months later. A dimly lit independent gallery in Soho, London.My partner, Julian, walked over with raised eyebrows. He slammed a heavy wooden box onto my desk, his eyes full of shock and curiosity."A guy in a black suit. Flew across half the globe just to get this into your hands."I didn't even blink. My paintbrush stayed steady on the palette. "Take it away, Julian. I don't deal with trash.""Don't be so quick to say no. Look for yourself." Julian dropped his voice and popped the lock on the wooden box.He lifted the lid. Inside sat a massive, beautifully restored oil painting—our wedding portrait from Chicago.An antique gold frame replaced the broken wood. The shattered glass was gone, polished clean. Even the torn canvas corner Sienna ruined was restored by a master artist.On the back of the painting sat a black card. Dominic's sharp, shaky handwriting stood out clearly:I got a new frame made. Come home, Ar
Not Waiting Anymore Chapter 6
8:00 AM. Chicago O'Hare International Airport.I stood alone in the noisy departure hall, wheeling a half-empty suitcase.No goodbyes. No one trying to stop me. And definitely not the man who swore on his life he wouldn't blow me off again.My phone screen was dead silent. No messages. No missed calls.Dominic's business partners always called him super punctual. For anything important, he prepared at least three hours early.Yet today was the twenty-sixth time.At the most critical moment of our "marriage," he disappeared again. Just like always.I sat by the gate, holding my paper boarding pass to London. That was when my phone finally buzzed twice.Two encrypted messages from Dominic popped up on the screen:*Aria, Sienna's asthma attack just stabilized. She's under observation. I have to stay at the hospital.**I can't make it to City Hall today. It's still early, so don't waste a trip. Wait for me at home. As soon as I'm done here, I'll take you to get registered. No delays this t
Not Waiting Anymore Chapter 5
I didn't see Dominic again until a week later.I never expected him to notice the missing painting the moment he walked in.He took off his coat and headed for the bathroom like usual. Then his eyes hit the empty wall above our bed—where our massive wedding portrait used to hang. His pupils shrank. He whipped around and glared at me."Aria, where's the painting? Did we get robbed?""It broke." I sat at my desk without looking up, my fingers typing fast on the keyboard. "The frame collapsed. Glass shattered everywhere. I had the staff throw it out.""You threw it out?!"Dominic stormed over. His grey-blue eyes narrowed in fury, veins bulging on his forehead. "That was our wedding portrait! It cost six figures! You just threw it away?!""Sienna pulled out fifteen of the sixteen anchor screws last week to 'test the hook quality.'" I hit Enter, then looked up, my eyes totally flat. "The butler said you knew. Since it's so valuable, what were you thinking when you let Sienna ruin it?"Domin
Not Waiting Anymore Chapter 4
"Aria! Look at Instagram right now! That bitch Sienna is literally walking all over you!"Late at night, my friend Chloe's screeching voice blasted straight through the phone speaker.I had just folded my last stack of authentication papers into my briefcase. Hearing her, I just gave a flat response. "What did she post this time?""What else? Flexing, obviously!" Chloe was breathing hard, talking a mile a minute. "She just posted a top-tier custom Cartier high-jewelry diamond necklace! And her caption says it's a 21st birthday surprise from someone special!"Hearing the words "21st birthday surprise," I pictured Dominic acting all impatient earlier at noon.That black velvet box had sat hidden in the secret compartment of my vanity for a whole month.When I first found it, I actually thought he bought it for me, since our proposal anniversary fell on that exact date.Yet that night, no matter how hard I dropped hints, Dominic stayed totally quiet. He didn't pull out a gift, and he didn
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