All Chapters of Love Me Now or Lose Me Forever: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Zeke suddenly found the woman in the photo a stranger. He'd studied Nikki's face for four years, knew every detail: the fine lines that formed at the corners of her eyes when she laughed, the way she unconsciously bit her lip when thinking, how her eyebrows lifted slightly when angry.But this Nikki in the photo, smiling at another man without any reservation at all, felt like a different person entirely from the wife he remembered, the one who loved to be babied, who depended on him, who wanted only him at her side when she was sick.Or maybe she'd always been like this. He'd simply never seen this side of her before, the one she showed to someone else.Outside the window, the sky had begun to pale. The deep blue receded, giving way to gray, then slowly tinged with a faint orange. The morning light was soft, filtering through the blinds in stripes of light and shadow across the desk.The printer had stopped, and the study had gone quiet again. Only the distant sound of an early bu

Friday evening, the sky darkened earlier than usual.Zeke got home right at six, and the moment he opened the door, he was surprised to catch the smell of cooking. The sound of something sizzling drifted from the kitchen, the range hood humming away. He changed his shoes and walked into the living room to find two dishes already set out on the table, both things he loved: honey-glazed ribs and sautéed broccoli.Nikki came out of the kitchen carrying the last plate and broke into a smile when she saw him. "You're back? You actually got off on time today, so I picked up some groceries and cooked."She wore comfortable house clothes, her hair loosely tied back, a few loose strands falling over her forehead. She looked like she was in a good mood. This kind of warm, domestic scene hadn't happened in their home in a long time."Mm," Zeke said, setting down his bag and heading to the bathroom to wash his hands.By the time he sat down at the table, Nikki had already served two bowls o

Nikki's expression shifted. The easy, happy smile vanished, replaced by an offended, displeased look. She stood, her voice rising. "Zeke, are you blaming me right now? Blaming me for working too much? Blaming me for not having enough time for you?""I'm not blaming you for working too much." Zeke's voice stayed even, though something pressed hard beneath that calm. "I'm just asking you, in your mind, between work and family, which one actually matters more?""Do you even need to ask?" Nikki said, like she'd heard something absurd. "Of course I have to work! If I don't work, who's going to make money? Did you think we could live off your paycheck alone? We've got a mortgage to pay, and we're going to have a baby someday; none of that comes free. Zeke, can you be a little more realistic?""Realistic?" Zeke repeated the word, and let out a short laugh. It was faint, bitter. "So in your eyes, being realistic means it's fine to keep ignoring your family's feelings for the sake of work?

Wednesday evening, the sky hung low and heavy, like it was about to press down on the city.Zeke left work early and stopped by the mall to buy his father a wool sweater for his birthday. At checkout, the cashier asked with a smile, "Would you like this gift-wrapped? Is it for your father?""No need, thanks," Zeke said. He remembered how, in the past, Nikki would always wrap gifts carefully in pretty paper, tie a ribbon around them, and tuck in a handwritten card.Now she wasn't even coming.The drive to his parents' place was slow going, traffic thick the whole way. The rush-hour flow crept along like a clogged artery, red brake lights strung together into one long, glaring band. Zeke gripped the wheel, watching the endless line of cars stretch ahead, feeling strangely calm inside.Or maybe it wasn't calm. Maybe it was just emptiness.He got to his parents' place close to seven. He'd barely parked when the rain started, spattering against the windshield, just a few scattered d

Zeke watched the whole thing play out clearly from inside the car.The wipers kept sweeping back and forth, left, then right, working hard to clear the rain off the windshield, but the water kept coming, no sooner wiped away than it covered the glass again.Just like his mood right now.He wanted to get out, wanted to walk over, wanted to ask Nikki why. Why she could accept an umbrella from Tyler, why she could stand there and watch him leave like that, why she could show another man an expression like that.But in the end, he didn't.He just sat in the car, gripping the wheel, his knuckles going faintly white with the pressure. He watched Nikki hold that blue umbrella, walk to the parking lot, find her electric scooter, unlock it, get on, and disappear into the rainy night.Only then did he start the car, turn around, and head for home.The rain kept falling harder, drumming against the roof in a dense patter. The neon signs along the street blurred in the rain, smearing into h