Chapter 4
Bella frowned. “Seriously? You should’ve had a mind of your own. Why are you catering to him for everything?”
‘My hubby let me decide everything for our place. It’s super cozy now – I even make him sleep on pink sheets.”
I went quiet.
In a blur, I remembered three years ago when we lived together, I loved pink too. I bought everything in pink–even his underwear.
But he never wore them once.
Same with the sheets. He’d rather sleep on the floor than get in bed with pink sheets. I finally gave up and switched to dark gray, and only then would he sleep in the bed again.
I let out a bitter laugh. “Really? Would he sleep on the floor?”
Bella snorted and shot Atlas a look. “He wouldn’t dare.”
‘Now he wears pink underwear and everything.”
Atlas’s mouth twitched. He patted her head gently, trying to shut her up.
‘What’s wrong with pink sheets? If your boyfriend refused to sleep with you over something that stupid, it just means he doesn’t love you enough.”
‘Can’t believe you wasted all those years looking for that asshole!”
After a long silence, I finally nodded slowly.
‘Yeah, you’re right.”
‘Maybe he really didn’t love me enough.”
I could feel Atlas’s stare burning into me the second I said that.
His voice was ice cold. “If that’s the case, then Miss Wright should have some self–respect and back off.”
“Stop bothering people who’ve moved on. Preferably disappear from his life forever.”
“Your little pity party just makes everyone uncomfortable.”
His words were brutal and cruel.
A pity party… So that’s what I’ve been doing all this time–pathetically clinging to something long dead.
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Missing Fiancé? Nah He Was Just Busy Marrying My Bestie
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Chapter 4
My eyes filled with tears and my voice shook. “You seem to know him pretty well. Is that because you’re the same kind of person?”
‘You both love vanishing, making people wait–dragging them through hell with not even a damn apology. And then you have the nerve to call it a pity party when they want answers. Am I supposed to just pretend those three years
neant nothing?”
Atlas’s jaw tightened and his temper flared.
‘Nobody asked you to wait. Love and hate are your choice. If you decided to keep waiting, then you deal with the consequences yourself!”
Or what? You think just because you waited five years, he owes you a ring and a thank–you card?”
His words were still brutal and final.
I just stood there, completely stunned. Whatever hope I’d been clinging to crumbled to dust.
Tears poured down my face as every word Atlas said cut deeper than the last.
He was right though. Love and hate are your choice.
Nobody forced me to wait. Nobody asked me to. So this is on me. I have to deal with it alone!
What I thought was unshakable love in the world now seemed like nothing but dust in the wind.
‘Fine. I should disappear from his life forever.”
Bella sensed something was off. So she quickly jumped in and dragged Atlas into the other room.
Her voice wasn’t loud, but I heard every word.
‘Are you fucking serious right now? You know Celeste has depression and you still talk to her like that?”
‘Cut the crap, Atlas. Don’t push her like that, you hear me?”
Atlas let out a cold laugh, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “She’s just putting on a show.”
I stood there in silent, saying nothing for the longest time.
After a while, Atlas left by himself. I couldn’t help asking Bella, “Where’d he go?”
She pulled me over to the mirror and started doing my makeup, grinning like a lovesick teenager. “Oh, he hasn’t been back in over a year. He’s gotta handle some stuff at the office before we head out.”
I froze and got surprised. “Atlas came back a year ago?”
Why didn’t I know?
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Missing Fiancé? Nah. He Was Just Busy Marrying My Bestie
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Chapter 4
“Yeah, he came back to plan our wedding.”
My mouth opened but no words came out. My eyes went completely dead.
My numb brain kept repeating the same word: he came back, he came back.
I felt ice cold all over. I wanted to scream, but the words got stuck in my throat.
Bella’s words hit me like a slap across the face.
“Come on, come on! My hubby’s done with work. Go change and let’s go to the club.”
Bella was already pulling me toward the door.
“You go ahead. I’ll grab my things and meet you there.”
“Don’t take forever, okay?”
She didn’t think twice about it and skipped out the door first.
I watched her get in the car and drive off, then pulled out my phone.
“I’ve made up my mind. I’m coming home. Set up a meeting with that guy you wanted me to marry.”
An excited voice came through the phone.
“Finally! Sis, we’ve all been so worried about you being alone in New York. We’ll be so happy to have you back…”
Something inside me finally cracked and tears came flooding out.
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m coming back. I’ll try things out with whoever you picked for me. I won’t make you worry anymore.”
My brother Ryker sounded shocked and thrilled. “Great. Just say the word and I’ll arrange everything.”
“Whenever. I booked a flight for tonight. I’ll be back today.”
I grabbed my suitcase and headed straight for the airport.
Before takeoff, I blocked every single person connected to Atlas.
I turned off my phone and watched New York disappear below the clouds.
Atlas Knight, goodbye.
Goodbye for good.
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