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Chapter 6
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They Voted Me Out So I Left Chapter 10
Six months later, the Jorlen rail feature won an industry award. Arthur and I headed back along the old platform.He handed me a train ticket. "We're going to Rivelle for an interview tomorrow at 7:00 am. Don't be late.""Got it.""I booked two tickets this time."I glanced at him."They're both for work. Don't read into it.""I wasn't."He smiled. "Good."We stayed somewhere between coworkers and friends. No one pushed me to move on, and no one tried to convince me to go back.Eleanor sent me a few letters after that.The first was an apology. In the second, she told me she'd found a part-time job and wouldn't ask me for money anymore. The third included her grades.I kept every letter, but I only wrote back once."Take care of yourself."Irene never contacted me again.I heard she eventually fell out with Harry and the others. They got into an argument over who was supposed to pay for decorating the ocean-view suite.Connie went back to the city where her ex-husband li
They Voted Me Out So I Left Chapter 9
Eleanor was the first to come to Jorlen to apologize. She was waiting downstairs from my office with a box of pastries I used to love."Anna, when we voted, I didn't think you'd actually leave.""So that's why you felt okay voting against me?"Her eyes turned red."Caleb said you could be controlling, but you were softhearted. He said once the trip was over, he'd smooth things over with you and everything would be fine.""And you believed him?""You practically raised me. I knew you'd never really walk away from us."I pushed the pastries back toward her. "You didn't know I'd stay. You just counted on me caring too much to walk away."She lowered her head and didn't say another word.Irene was next. She didn't come to Jorlen. She called instead."Anna, I honestly didn't know you were putting off getting married. Connie and the others put Caleb on the spot too. You can't blame all of this on him.""You abstained.""At least I didn't vote against you.""When we were kids, Mo
They Voted Me Out So I Left Chapter 8
Once the refund from the wedding venue came through, I sent Caleb his half.He called almost immediately."You really have to split everything this cleanly, even the deposit?""We each paid half.""What about our new place?""The realtor already listed it. I worked out exactly how much each of us put into the down payment and renovations. Once it sells, we'll split the money accordingly."Caleb's breathing grew heavier for a moment. "That was supposed to be our home.""Not anymore.""Anna, do you really have to reduce seven years together to dollars and cents?""This isn't about the money.""Then what is it about?"I looked down at the first draft of the route plan on my desk."Giving back what was never mine to begin with."He had nothing else to say.A week later, the Jorlen rail feature was released and got a great response. Head office decided to turn the Jorlen route into a standalone issue, and I was officially put in charge of it.At the celebration dinner, Arthur
They Voted Me Out So I Left Chapter 7
Caleb arrived in Jorlen the next afternoon.I'd been interviewing a retired station attendant at an old train station. When I came outside, Caleb was waiting at the bottom of the steps.He looked like he hadn't slept properly in days. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his shirt was badly wrinkled.Even so, the first thing he did when he saw me was hold out the bottle of milk he'd picked up on the way."You have a sensitive stomach. Don't go around without eating."I didn't take it.He set the bottle on the stone ledge beside him. "The train leaves at 7:00 pm. If you have too much stuff, I can have someone send it back for you.""I'm not going back.""We can put off getting married for a few more days.""This isn't about putting it off.""Then what do you want me to do?"His voice stayed low and controlled, just as it always did."I'll make everyone who voted against you apologize, one by one. From now on, I'll include you in every trip, and I'll keep my distance f
They Voted Me Out So I Left Chapter 6
Caleb bought the soonest return ticket he could get that same day.There were no seats left. The only ticket available was for a train leaving in the middle of the night, and it didn't come with a seat.Harry tried to stop him. "You're already here. Anna's probably just waiting for you to go running back. If you leave now, you're playing right into her hands.""She moved out.""Where could she go? Back to her family, obviously."Caleb didn't explain.Mom and Dad had died years ago, and Irene was married. I didn't have a home there anymore.Caleb used to know that. But over time, he'd come to think of wherever he was as my home and forgotten that it had never really been mine.He spent the entire ride back, more than ten hours, standing between train cars. Every time the train pulled into a station, he checked his phone.I never replied.When Caleb got home, everything looked just as he'd left it. The paperwork we'd prepared to get married was still sitting untouched on the di
They Voted Me Out So I Left Chapter 5
I didn't look back. As the train pulled out of the station, I put my phone on silent.Caleb's last message read, "Let me know when you get home. There's milk in the fridge. Don't go to bed on an empty stomach."He still cared whether I ate, and he was still convinced I'd simply gone home to wait for him.I arrived in Jorlen at 1:00 am. Robert had arranged a temporary place for me to stay, and the key was waiting at the front desk.After a shower, I opened my laptop and submitted refund requests for the wedding venue and wedding planning services. Then I started the paperwork to put the home Caleb and I had bought on the market.The only thing left was our city hall appointment. I canceled that too.Once the confirmation page cleared, I typed one last message to Caleb."Enjoy your trip. We're done."Then I turned off my phone....At 6:30 am, Caleb was about to go through the ticket gate at the station.He was carrying the medicine pouch I'd packed for him, with the doses sor
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