All Chapters of Too Late to Love Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Nigel Jackman stood in the entryway with a slight frown, looking like he was waiting for me to start a fight with him like I always did.He had every reason to expect one. For the past 20 years, whenever another woman got too close to him, I made a huge scene.And today of all days, he had finally picked up his Porsche Panamera.I'd spent three months living on boxed mac and cheese with him and helped him put together more business proposals than I could count. In the end, I helped him land the big project that paid enough for him to buy the car outright.But the second he got the keys, he let Ruby Barnett take the passenger seat and left me standing outside the pizzeria by myself."You really don't mind?"Nigel slipped off his shoes, put on his house slippers, and walked over to study my face.I kept my head down, folding clothes into my suitcase without even looking at him."Not at all. Ms. Barnett's pretty delicate. Of course you should take extra care of her."Nigel's frow

I spotted the pizzeria's wooden sign before I even reached the place. Mom had painted it herself years ago, and now it was lying in the muddy street.Ruby stood under Nigel's umbrella with one hand over her nose, looking disgusted as pans, bowls, and other kitchen equipment were carried out of the pizzeria."Nigel, this place is filthy. Are you sure you can really turn it into a pastry shop?""Don't worry, Ruby. I'll have the whole place sanitized. I'll even have them rip out the floor tiles and replace them. By the time we're done, you won't be able to smell any grease or food at all."His voice was warm and gentle, nothing like the way he'd yelled at me the night before.I pushed through the crowd and rushed toward the entrance. That was when I spotted the old wooden box sitting right on top of a pile of trash.That box was everything to me. Inside was the secret pizza sauce recipe Mom had left me, along with a wooden spatula Nigel had carved for me with a pocketknife when he w

The apartment was eerily quiet, and the sour smell of spoiled food hung in the air.Nigel frowned and called out without thinking, "Sasha, what did you leave out?"No one answered.He changed into his house slippers and walked into the living room. That was when he realized all my things were gone.The throw pillows I always left lying around, the clothes I usually hung up to dry, even my toothbrush by the bathroom sink had disappeared.His heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran down his spine.He hurried to the dining table and spotted the note beneath the apartment key."The soup's on the stove. Have it while it's hot."My handwriting was as neat as ever, but the message suddenly felt cold.His hand started to shake. He rushed into the kitchen and pulled the lid off the pot.His favorite chicken noodle soup was inside, but it had been sitting there for three full days. Green mold covered the surface, and the stench made his stomach turn.Nigel doubled over the sink and thre

I was smiling, genuinely happy in a way Nigel hadn't seen in years.The greasy apron was gone, and so was the smell of the pizzeria that always clung to me. Standing under the bright lights, I looked so different that he almost didn't recognize me."Sasha…"His voice shook as he stumbled toward me.The second I heard him, my smile disappeared.I turned to look at him. His face was covered in stubble, and his eyes were bloodshot. To me, though, he looked like a complete stranger.Nigel hurried toward me and reached out to pull me into his arms, but Luke Eyre, the Valennian head chef beside me, stepped between us."Sir, what are you doing?"Luke frowned and blocked Nigel from getting any closer.Nigel ignored him completely. His eyes stayed fixed on me, quickly turning red."Sasha, I finally found you. Please come home with me. I got rid of Ruby, and the Barnetts are bankrupt now. I made them pay for what they did to you!"He rambled on, begging me with all his usual pride gon

"Go back to that empty Porsche Panamera of yours and enjoy your high-class life where no one smells too 'low-class' for you," I said.Then I turned and strode into the restaurant kitchen, leaving Nigel behind in the snow, crying out after me.That was the last time I ever spoke to him.After that day, Nigel seemed like a different person. He stopped coming after me, but he never went back home either.I heard he sold off everything he owned back home and rented a basement apartment in Pavrelle's market district. He spent his days wandering the streets.He traded his expensive custom suits for an old coat faded from countless washes.Every day, he bought cheap ingredients from a neighborhood grocery store, went back to his basement, and tried to make pizza from scratch.Nothing ever came out right. It was either burned or so salty it was almost bitter.He forced himself to eat it anyway. He would eat until he threw up, then start eating again. Eventually, his stomach started ble