Chapter 11

Nora's POVAfter I got home, I turned off my phone and rested for a few good days.I'd expected my parents to come down hard on me. Instead, when I walked out of the airport, they pulled me into an excited hug. The whole way back, no one mentioned Ryan.Dad was all smiles, telling me he'd made all my favorite dishes. Mom had already gotten my room ready. The two of them talked over each other the whole ride, and something in me went tender and sad.For years I'd given everything to that relationship, throwing myself at it like a moth at a flame. I'd never once stopped to notice how much gray had crept into my parents' hair in just five years.I watched the scenery slide backward past the window and swallowed the ache down, bit by bit.It was good to be home.A week later, with my dad's help, I started at a foreign firm.And Ryan kept texting. I'd block one number; he'd switch to another.I read every message, carefully. They were all the same: explanations that his relationship with Ph

Chapter 12

Nora's POVPity for the woman who'd had to crawl through all that pain alone.But it was over now. I'd finally clawed my way out of the swamp of that relationship.I struggled for a moment, then went still.Ryan, holding me, must have thought I'd finally taken him back. He wept. "Nora, I really can't do this without you. I can't."After a while he let me go and reached into his bag for the gift he'd brought all this way, the pigeon-blood ruby set.It was rare, the kind of thing you almost never see. When he opened the box, the stones were so exquisite I couldn't look away.Then he lifted out the ring. "You were right. That diamond I proposed with was too small.""I got you a bigger one. It's beautiful. It suits you."He held the ring up, ready to slide it onto my finger.I shook my head."Ryan, you've got it wrong.""That diamond you gave me was small, but I never once minded. That feeling behind it, I treasured it for years.""You think I was with you for things like this? I wasn't."

Chapter 13

Ryan's POVRyan stood there like he'd been struck by lightning.The words were out almost before he knew it. "Where did she go?""That's private employee information. We're not at liberty to say."His heart sank like a stone. He turned and walked out of the building, hollowed out.Then something occurred to him, and he rushed to the neighborhood near Nora's family home. She'd brought him there a few times when they were dating.Working from an eight-year-old memory, he found the complex and asked the security guard about Nora and her family.The guard listened to his description. "You mean the girl who just came back from New York, whose father's a professor over at the university?"Ryan nodded so hard his head nearly came off. "Yes. Yes, that's them."The guard shook his head. "Then you've made the trip for nothing. That girl took some overseas posting from her company and left. The old couple moved away too. Said they'd filed their retirement papers, and they're heading back to their

Chapter 14

Ryan's POVHis eyes never left Nora for a second.Every expression, every word she spoke, branded itself into him.She'd changed so much in the time apart. Her plain, straight hair was in soft waves now. Her skin was clearer, her figure a little fuller.And there was more light in her eyes.In the days without him, she'd only grown more luminous.When the event finally ended, Ryan threw himself forward, half mad. But Nora was swarmed by reporters and never had a second to spare him a glance.By the time the crowd thinned, she and the man were already walking hand in hand to a black Bentley.Ryan's heart stuttered.He chased after the car at a dead run, calling her name."Nora, it's Ryan!"Inside, the two of them were laughing, talking, neither of them turning to look at him even once.The car rounded a corner and disappeared from view.Ryan stood frozen where he was, his heart crushed in a giant fist, the pain stealing the air from his lungs.This, he thought, would be the last time he

Chapter 15

Nora's POVAn announcement crackled over the airport PA."Paging Ms. Nora Hale. Mr. Ryan is waiting for you at the information desk.""Nora, can you give me one more chance? Just one."There was a catch in his voice, even a thread of pleading.Back during our cold war, I'd imagined this exact scene more than once—Ryan in front of me, begging me to come back.But too much had changed. My heart didn't move for him anymore.I let out a soft laugh. "Ryan, it's been a long time. Don't look back. Just keep moving forward.""I'm about to get married. After this, I probably won't be coming back to New York."I hung up.Lucas was watching me with a sulky look. I grinned and hooked my arm through his."Nora, I've decided. The day we get married, I'm bringing in every camera I can find. Live broadcast.""I want the whole world to know you're my wife."Three months later, my wedding went ahead on schedule in Los Angeles.Lucas booked the most extravagant hotel. Even the rose petals on the red carp

All Chapters of Fiancé Fell in Love With Assistant, I Left: Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15