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Too Late, I’m Not Yours Anymore 7
Just another day at the Elite Casino. The lobby buzzed with the usual crowd—guests in sharp suits, champagne flutes clinking, chips being cashed. Everything gleamed like always.Until the Reeds stormed in. Mr. and Mrs. Reed. Royal in their own minds. Loud in everyone else’s.“Nathan Brooks!” Mr. Reed’s voice thundered. “You’ve got some nerve, boy. Talking to my daughter like that! Are you not afraid I’ll ruin you? Shut down your little playhouse of a casino?”Heads turned. Murmurs started. Mrs. Reed scanned the room like she owned it. Her eyes landed on me.“So this is her? The woman you claim you must marry? An assistant?” She spat the word like it was a curse. “Whose father was just a guard?”Before I could respond, Jake stepped out from the crowd and planted himself firmly in front of me.“If you say another word about Emily, I’ll have you escorted out of the casino,” he said calmly, like he was talking about the weather.Mr. Reed squinted at Jake’s tailored suit. “And who are you s
Too Late, I’m Not Yours Anymore 6
While I was in the hospital, I hadn’t just rested. I’d done what any woman with a brain and some resources would do: I hired a private investigator.Chloe Reed’s medical records? Fabricated. Her ‘heart condition’? Nonexistent.What was real? A marriage. In France. Quiet. Convenient. Likely for business or family arrangement. The divorce was finalized just before she returned to the States.So much for the fragile ex-girlfriend narrative.I handed Nathan the file. “Take a look. Read it. Don’t say a word until you finish. And if you don’t believe me, go ahead—verify it yourself. You’ve got the power. Use it.”He opened the folder. Page after page, his face tensed. Each line dug deeper.Finally, he looked up, his voice barely a breath. “Is this real?”I met his eyes, unwavering. “More real than whatever she told you. If you don’t believe me, go ahead. Do your own digging,” I folded my arms. “Or, better yet—just ask Chloe yourself.”He didn’t hesitate. He pulled out his phone and dialed. “
Too Late, I’m Not Yours Anymore 5
Chloe’s voice wavered on the other end of the line. For once, she didn’t have the upper hand. I was the one in the hospital bed. I was the one Nathan had stayed for.Not her. But she recovered quickly, layering her words with sweetness like perfume over rot. “I can come visit you at the hospital. How about this afternoon?”“There’s no need, Chloe. But if you’d like to take Nathan with you, I’d be glad—”Before I could finish, Nathan yanked the phone from my hand and hung up.“Why don’t you want me here?” he asked, wounded, as if he had any right to act like the victim now.I gave him a cold look. “No reason. I just think seeing your face might be what’s making my heart hurt.”“Emily,” he groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “How many times do I have to apologize? I didn’t cheat on you with Chloe.”I didn’t answer—because I didn’t need to.Just then, the door opened and Jake stepped inside, holding a takeout bag. “Hey, Mr. Brooks,” he said with a nod. Then, to me, “Emily—I heard you w
Too Late, I’m Not Yours Anymore 4
The call went through. For a split second, I was relieved Nathan picked it up. Then his words sliced through me like a blade.“Have you calmed down? Do you regret giving me back the ring? I told you, Emily, don’t play any more games. You will always come back to me, why the drama?”I couldn’t even muster the strength to argue. My chest tightened again—worse than before. My vision swam.I ended the call.Then, with the last strength in my hands, I dialed 911. “I… I’m having a heart… attack…”The operator’s voice blurred, but I knew they could find me. GPS would trace the call. I’d done everything I could.The world faded. Blackness curled in at the edges.And just before it took me, I felt myself being lifted.For a moment, I thought it was a dream. Or maybe a hallucination.Because the voice shouting my name?Was Nathan’s.“Emily—what happened? Why did you faint? Emily—look at me!”I coughed. This had to be a trick of my brain. There was no way Nathan was here. Not when Chloe could’ve
Too Late, I’m Not Yours Anymore 3
Nathan blinked, then scoffed. “You? Fragile? Emily, I’ve seen you work through a 103-degree fever and show up to the casino at six a.m. Don’t make this about competition. Chloe’s not built like you.”That was it, wasn’t it? Nathan only saw the version I built for him—efficient, tireless, too strong.“Well,” I said, calmly, “you’re right about one thing. I am strong. And thanks to my strong, I didn’t break down when I saw you left our engagement party with another woman.”I reached into my purse and pulled out the engagement ring. The same one he slipped onto my finger with a promise he clearly never meant to keep.“I loved you, Nathan. For years. But I won’t tolerate being abandoned on one of the most important nights of my life while you play out your second-chance fantasy with someone else.”I handed him the ring. “I’m not here for drama. I’m here to end it. Congratulations on reuniting with the love of your life. Clearly, she’s the only one you’ve ever loved.”He didn’t speak right
Too Late, I’m Not Yours Anymore 2
The next two weeks passed like a blur. Nathan disappeared. Not just from my life—but from the office at Elite casino as well.People kept asking where he was. As if I, his supposed fiancée, should know. But I didn’t. I still showed up to work every day. I wore heels and lipstick like the professional I was. There was time I only allow myself to be sad in bathrooms, behind locked doors, when no one could see.And just when I thought I could breathe, the internet found me. Somehow, they didn’t express any empathy for me, just pure hatred.Every one of my posts, flooded.“How does it feel watching your fiancé carry another woman out of your own party?”“Were you the third wheel the whole time?”“Nathan and Chloe are endgame. You were just the assistant.”“Dreaming of marrying your boss? How pathetic.”I deleted all of them and blocked them.They came back the next day. And the next. Like weeds in spring.But the worst part? None of it hurt as much as Nathan’s silence.While I was busy d
