Chapter 2 A Burden to Eloise

I paid for the meal and took a taxi home.

…

Eloise came home past four in the morning.

She cast a glance at me on the sofa before returning to her phone screen. She casually asked, "You looked pale earlier during dinner. Is it angina again?"

My heart skipped a beat at the mention of the memory.

When we first arrived in Brolis to chase our dreams, I often suffered from chest pain because I stayed up late networking.

During the worst episode, Eloise had continued working from my hospital room. She monitored me when I was on a drip while managing her work.

From that time on, I always kept my chest pain from her to avoid delaying her work.

Her concern warmed my heart and eased my frustration.

I calmly began. "Eloise, about our marriage—"

"Andrew, I've had enough of your untimely jealousy." She interrupted me, her brows knitting together impatiently. "If seeing the fake wedding photo of me and Matthew drives you to force marriage on me, it only proves you're dwelling on something unnecessary."

After that, she headed into the bedroom to answer an incoming call.

Matthew's anxious voice echoed on the other end of the line. "Eloise, the senior staff will be presented at the assembly tomorrow. I'm nervous."

She readily comforted him.

"Don't worry. Let's review your speech together one more time."

The matter of calling off our marriage registration was left unspoken as the door clicked shut. Helplessness washed over me.

…

The next day after work, I received Eloise's call.

"Matthew passed his presentation. I promised to give him a tie earlier. You should join us. We can take care of our business while we're at it."

Frowning, I asked her to elaborate on what she meant.

She chuckled as though I had asked a pointless question. "Aren't you eager to get married? You need to pick out your wedding suit for that."

I countered, "So, choosing a tie for Matthew is your priority, while picking out my wedding suit is less important?"

"Batch processing similar tasks enhances efficiency," she answered in unwavering confidence.

I pressed her. "Do you seriously believe that getting married and spending time shopping with him are similar tasks?"

"Andrew, I told you to stop dwelling on details." She dismissed my concern without hesitation.

…

Later that day, Matthew drove to my workplace to pick me up.

After Matthew tried on a bunch of ties, Eloise teased him for being clumsy and personally adjusted every tie for him.

By the time we entered the tailor boutique, a sense of exhaustion washed over me.

"Forget about it." I turned to leave.

However, Matthew dragged me into the studio.

"Let's not waste the opportunity since we're already here. I've been eager to find out how it feels to be a groom."

He picked out three suits and entered the fitting room.

I tried on my choice as a flicker of hope sparked in my chest.

I hoped that, like me, Eloise would remember the moment I dropped to one knee and proposed to her on the field during our graduation day.

When I walked out of the fitting room, I only found her holding up her phone to take pictures of Matthew from different angles.

She spent the entire two hours taking more than a hundred photos of him in three different wedding suits.

During that time, she did not mention efficiency once, nor did she lose her patience.

Finally, she put her phone away and turned to me in confusion.

"Why haven't you changed?"

I chuckled and shrugged. "I don't need it anyway."

She furrowed her brows, apparently annoyed that I had wasted her time again.

"Andrew, I'm too busy to do this with you another time."

At that moment, Matthew chimed in half-jokingly.

"Eloise, the groomsman will be wearing a tuxedo as well, right? You two should have me as your groomsman since I've tried out the suits, you know?"

A pink hue appeared on her face. She walked away to settle the bill.

I joked, "You might as well be the groom instead."

He chuckled. "I'm totally up for it as long as it works with Eloise."

When Eloise returned and sensed the tension between us, she immediately decided that I was at fault and snapped at me.

"Andrew, Matthew was just joking, yet you got worked up over a simple joke. Sooner or later, your temperament will ruin you."

On our way home, I received a call from my mom. She had traveled all the way from our hometown across the country to visit me.

I understood that my decision to cancel the wedding encouraged her to speak with Eloise.

"Eloise, my mom has arrived at the Central Station. Will you come with me to pick her up?"

My mom was unfamiliar with Brolis. I feared that she would get lost on her way to our apartment.

To my surprise, Eloise told Matthew to pull up to the curb.

"Andrew, you promised me never to involve our parents' affairs in our daily lives. Both of us have complicated relationships with our parents, and most interactions that exist only for emotional support are meaningless."

I froze.

After Matthew unlocked the doors, she coldly ordered me to get out of the car.

"Don't come home before you're done dealing with your mother."

The possibility of my mother getting lost in the city meant nothing to Eloise. In her eyes, my mother was just another burden.

The summer heat lingered in the air, yet I got out of the car with numb limbs.

As the car sped down the road, Matthew's comforting voice slipped past the rolled-down window.

"Eloise, Andrew was always high-maintenance back in our college days. You have to be patient with him. By the way, are you up for supper? It can chase your problem away."

The shadow on her face vanished instantly. Giggling, she teased him, "If you're hungry, just say so."

…

After picking up Mom at the station, I packed a few clothes at home and stayed with her at the hotel.

Eloise's cruelty was the last straw.

In the hotel room, I finally decided to break up with her after she had broken my heart again and again.

I struggled to draft the message.

Mom reached over to turn off my phone screen.

"After she hurt you all this time, you have the right to be disappointed in her. Just break up with her."

It seemed the end of our relationship had come.

I lifted my chin. For the first time, I found resolution in Mom's usually dull eyes.

Motherly tenderness softened her expression as she said, "Let's go home, Andrew."