All Chapters of Stood In The Back Row Of His Love: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The notification for my close friends' updates went off, letting me know that my best friend, Olivia Morgan, had posted something new.It was a nine-photo carousel with the caption, "Happy graduation! I can't believe we already have 132 pictures together."I stared at the photos one by one. In one, Nathaniel Carter, my boyfriend, was helping her straighten the ribbon on her graduation gown. In another, he leaned down slightly, listening intently as she talked. In yet another, he playfully flicked her forehead, his eyes crinkling with amusement. I quietly opened my own photo gallery and scrolled through it again. Nathaniel and I had known each other for 14 years, and we'd spent three of those years dating in secret. Yet somehow, after all that time, we didn't have a single decent picture together. My throat tightened as I stared at the empty space where those memories should have been. Nathaniel was leaning against the parallel bars, taking a drink of water while Olivia stoo

When it came time to move my suitcases, I didn't ask anyone for help. I had three bags, so I made three trips, dragging them downstairs one at a time before hauling all of them to the shipping center outside the school gates. By the time I finished, the handles had left dark purple marks around my fingers, and my arms ached from the strain.After filling out the shipping forms to have everything sent to Westbridge University, I shook out my sore arms and headed to the bar where our graduation party was being held that night. Nathaniel was sitting in the middle of the couch with Olivia pressed close beside him. She peeled a banana and casually held it up to his mouth. He tilted his head toward her and took a bite, a lazy smile tugging at the corner of his lips. I quietly took a seat at the far end of the couch, keeping my distance. The bruises around my palms still throbbed from dragging my luggage, while the dull ache in my lower abdomen came and went in waves, a lingering rem

It had been a week since I arrived at Westbridge University. I was sitting by the library window, going through the pathology papers my advisor had sent me. They were all written in foreign languages, so I was highlighting the sections I needed to study when my phone lit up with a call from an unlisted number in Crown City. I knew it was Nathaniel almost immediately. The moment I answered, his furious voice came through, "Evelyn, have you gotten a little too bold lately? HR submitted the new employee list today, and your name wasn't even on it. "I specifically had your desk moved right outside my office. I even got you exempted from the morning meetings you hate so much. And now you're just disappearing on me?"My hand never stopped moving as I drew a straight yellow line across the page with my highlighter. "Nathaniel, I'm not going to work for your company." There was a brief silence on the other end before he let out a cold laugh. "So those two months were just some k

At 10:00 am the next day, I'd just finished an experiment when I pushed through the glass doors and spotted Nathaniel sitting in the corner. His expression was already dark. "Did you get the 9,000 dollars I wired you? The extra 400 dollars should be enough to buy yourself a few decent outfits at Westbridge University."I stopped in front of him. "I got it. The original amount is settled. I already sent the extra 400 dollars back to you. I don't take handouts."Nathaniel's jaw tightened. The bloodshot veins in his eyes made him look almost feral. He was used to seeing me meek and apologetic, always willing to explain myself. Clearly, he couldn't stand this colder, more indifferent version of me. "Evelyn Bennett, you've gotten pretty damn bold, haven't you?" he snapped. "You applied to Westbridge University behind my back and took off without even giving me an explanation?"He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me. "So what if you got into grad school? You really think you

Nathaniel eventually went home. His mother, Catherine Parker, came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly cut fruit. She glanced past him toward the doorway, then frowned when she realized he was alone."Why are you the only one home? I haven't seen Evelyn in over six months. I thought you'd bring her home for dinner today?"Nathaniel froze halfway through taking off his shoes. His eyes drifted toward the bottom shelf of the shoe cabinet, where a pair of pink bunny slippers sat tucked away in the corner.They were mine. Every weekend, I used to come here without fail to keep his mother company. I'd arrange flowers with her, drink coffee, and listen to her talk about everything from neighborhood gossip to whatever she'd cooked that week. It had become such a regular part of our lives that no one had ever thought twice about it. Now, a thin layer of dust had settled over the slippers. "She's been a little busy lately," Nathaniel said, loosening his tie as though it wer