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Chapter 11
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Returning the Keys, Taking My Freedom Chapter 11
I stood in the doorway without turning around.A gust of wind swept in, and my eyes burned for a moment, but I didn't let the tears fall."Julian, you're right. I do deserve to be loved. So I'm choosing to go somewhere I will be loved. And that place isn't beside you.""Ms. Whitmore, you have a package." The receptionist at my office came over carrying a cardboard box with a return address from my old city. The sender was Julian Harrow.Hesitating, I lifted the lid and found a formal agreement ending our engagement right on top. On the last page, Julian's signature was pressed heavily into the paper, as though he'd borne down with all his strength. It was dated three days ago.Underneath the envelope were several things.My renovation journal, carefully wrapped in bubble wrap with a card tucked inside. "I'm giving this back to you. It holds four months of your hard work. I don't have the right to keep it."Underneath the journal were the five fridge magnets; he hadn't th
Returning the Keys, Taking My Freedom Chapter 10
Julian's hand dropped to his side, and the necklace slipped through his fingers, hitting the ground with a soft metallic clink. I didn't look back."Take the necklace with you. It isn't mine.""He stayed downstairs all night," one of my coworkers told me the next morning. "Security said he sat in the lobby all night. He didn't leave until sunrise."I walked over to the window and looked down, but the entrance was empty.Early that morning, Julian sent me a message. "I'm not giving up. Whenever you're ready to talk to me, I'll wait."At noon, Tessa called. "Julian asked me to tell you something.""What?""He deleted all of Rosalie's contact information, turned off location sharing, and cleared their chat history too.""And?""He went to that little diner you two used to go to."My hand stilled. That diner—the place where Julian had confessed his feelings to me during our first year together. He'd promised we would come back every year on our anniversary. We never did."He
Returning the Keys, Taking My Freedom Chapter 9
I sat at my desk and looked at him through the glass door.He'd lost weight, neglected to shave, and dark circles shadowed his tired eyes as he clutched a paper bag. The receptionist glanced at me, and I gave a subtle shake of my head. "Ms. Whitmore isn't in the office today.""She's not? When will she be in?""I'm not sure. Would you like to leave something for her?"He stood there for a moment before taking something out of the paper bag and placing it on the reception desk. "Could you give this to her, please?"Then he turned and left.The receptionist brought it over to me. It was a cashmere scarf—dark blue, completely devoid of initials or markings. Tucked inside the box was a note."You told me last winter that you wanted a cashmere scarf. I said you didn't need one. I'm sorry. I'm a year too late."A year too late.Last year, I'd told him I wanted one, and he'd dismissed it; this year, he'd come all the way to another city just to hand-deliver it. But sometime dur
Returning the Keys, Taking My Freedom Chapter 8
I replied, "Ask him."Rosalie said, "I did. He won't tell me. Elena, did you two have a fight or something?""It wasn't a fight. I left.""Left? Where did you go?""I left him."The typing indicator appeared and stayed there for a long time before a long message came through. "Elena, I probably shouldn't say this, but Jules has always treated you well. He's just softhearted, and he's like that with everyone. Please don't get jealous because he's good to me. We really are only friends. If that's why you left him, you're throwing away five years for nothing."She thought I'd left out of jealousy and was making a big deal out of nothing.I replied, "Rosalie, what exactly has he done that makes you think he treats me so well?"It took her three minutes to reply. "You've been together for five years. He bought a house with you, and he was going to marry you. Whenever he talks about you, he always says you're independent and capable. He really admires you."He admired me. He didn'
Returning the Keys, Taking My Freedom Chapter 7
I replied, "You're too late.""Elena, please. I'm begging you. Just meet me once."That was his 51st message.On my third day in the new city, I started applying for jobs and lined up two interviews that helped my days slowly settle into a new rhythm. I was having lunch when Tessa messaged me again. "Julian went back to the house yesterday.""What for?""He asked the realtor for the key, saying he wanted to go inside and look around. They told him the place had already been put back on the market, but he insisted he only wanted a few minutes.""And?""He stayed for two hours."I set down my fork."He told me he just stood there when he first opened the door.""Why?""He said he had no idea you'd made the place look like that. The living room walls were cream. The bedroom curtains were that misty blue you love. You'd designed a wall-to-wall bookcase for the study and had a carpenter build it from your drawings."You picked out every tile in the kitchen yourself, and the mi
Returning the Keys, Taking My Freedom Chapter 6
There was no one waiting for me when I stepped out of the station in a new city. This time, I didn't care.I turned on my phone, and messages flooded the screen. The last two were from Julian."I saw the five fridge magnets on the coffee table.""Elena, call me back."That was his 27th message.Tessa called before I could read the text."You really left? Julian's been looking everywhere for you. He even went to your office. Your boss told him you'd taken an extended leave.""I quit.""You… You quit your job too?""I'm starting over somewhere else.""He's called me eight times asking if I know where you went.""What did you tell him?""That I don't know." Tessa paused. "He didn't even sound like himself. He kept saying he doesn't understand why you suddenly left. He said everything between you two was fine."Fine.Julian thought we were fine.His fiancée had handled the new house by herself, backed out of the purchase by herself, packed her things by herself, and left by
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