Chapter 4

The day before the thirty days were up, Tyrus sent me a message.

[Come by my family's house tomorrow night.]

[My mom wants you to bring your ID and your birth certificate. You'll get the deed, too.]

[We'll talk about the wedding while you're at it.]

I stared at that last message and did not reply right away.

My parents left the house to me.

I could skip seeing him. But I had to get what belonged to me.

The next day, I went to Tyrus' family home with a document folder.

When I arrived, the living room was already filled with people.

Tyrus' mother, Margie Aberg, sat at the center.

Claire sat beside her, wearing the dress I had picked out, with the Aberg family's heirloom bracelet on her wrist.

On the table sat the Thanksgiving gift basket I'd prepared.

Margie opened the gift basket and praised Claire with a smile, "Claire, you're always so thoughtful. You know exactly what I like."

I looked at Tyrus.

"You said we'd be talking about a wedding. Not ours, apparently?"

Margie patted Claire's wrist.

"Some people just aren't the right fit. It doesn't matter how long they've been together.

Claire glanced down at the bracelet and deliberately held her wrist out in front of Tyrus.

"Tyrus, is this too flashy for me to wear?"

"Not at all."

He took her hand and pushed the bracelet further up her wrist for her.

As I looked at them, I asked, "So where's the original deed?"

Tyrus' expression darkened.

"You came all the way here just to ask me that?"

"Didn't you tell me to come get my things?"

He stared at me, his tone growing heavier with every word.

"I brought you here so you could see it for yourself.

"Claire's standing right here. Why aren't you saying anything?

"Aren't you supposed to be crying and asking me why I brought her to meet my parents?"

I put the documents on the table back into my bag.

"I've seen enough."

My calmness made Tyrus' expression turn even grimmer.

He pulled a ring out of his pocket. It was the one I had asked him about in our fourth year together.

Back then, I asked him when he would consider marriage.

He simply said, "We're still young. There's no rush.

"Once you stop throwing tantrums over every little thing, then we can talk about it."

But this time, Claire had only needed thirty days.

She did not even need to wait for him to be ready.

He took her hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger.

"So what if she was with me for five years?

"Not everyone who sticks around deserves to be treasured.

"As of today, you're not just my girlfriend. You're the woman I'm going to marry."

I looked away from the ring.

"You two go ahead. I'm leaving."

Tyrus' hand froze in midair.

He looked like he did not expect me to walk away without even asking him to stay.

I went back home. I had already moved most of my things out.

This time, I only went back to get my laptop from the desk, along with the will and property documents my parents had left behind.

Tyrus' travel booking account was still logged in on the computer.

I meant to log out.

I saw Claire's name in the hotel order history on the site.

Every guest name was Tyrus and Claire, and every room type was a king bed.

I closed the laptop.

I did not confront him or send a message.

Starting today, whatever was going on between him and Claire had nothing to do with me anymore.

I called a renovation company. "I want a full renovation."

This house was what my parents had left me. It was also the place Tyrus and I had turned into a home.

I was going to restore it to a version without him.

That evening, when Tyrus came back, the house had already been cleared out.

He stood in the empty living room.

For the first time, he did not find me waiting for him to come around.

He called out instinctively, "Lay-lay?"

No one responded to him.

He finally realized that I had not just let Claire take my place as his girlfriend. I had also left his life for good.