Chapter 4

He paused for a moment, then rubbed his forehead. "Sorry, I got caught up and forgot. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

"It's too late for that," I said softly.

He either didn't hear me or he didn't care.

Just then, his phone rang.

The screen flashed with the name: Stellie.

He answered it right in front of me, not even trying to hide it.

"What's up? Your stomach hurts again? Okay, I'm coming over right now," Wyatt said.

He grabbed his car keys and headed for the door.

I blocked his way, clinging desperately to his arm.

"Wyatt, Stella has a fiancé. She's got plenty of people to take care of her when she's sick. Today's our sixth anniversary, can you please stay with me tonight?" I asked softly.

He looked at me, his eyes brimming with annoyance.

"Bella, don't be so childish. Stella's really sick. This is an emergency," he snapped.

He shook my hand off, hard.

I stumbled, my knee slamming into the corner of the entryway cabinet, pain stabbing straight through me.

But he didn't even look back.

When the door closed behind him, I sat on the freezing floor and let out a bitter laugh.

For six years, all I ever wished for was his happiness and peace.

But I never once thought about my own.

The next day, Wyatt didn't come home.

He showed up in the news, by Stella's side at a doctor's appointment in the private hospital owned by the Ward family.

In the photos, Wyatt was carefully putting his coat around Stella's shoulders, his eyes so gentle that I barely recognized him.

Turns out, he wasn't incapable of warmth after all.

He just never gave me any of that warmth.

I called Nova.

"Nova, I've made up my mind," I said.

"About what? Are you finally dumping that jerk?" Nova asked.

I looked at the table piled with cold food and said quietly, "I'm leaving him."

"I'm leaving him."

This wasn't just a breakup. I was really leaving.

I was going to erase myself from Wyatt's world for good.

Wyatt came back on the third day.

When he walked in, he was carrying a designer shopping bag. It was the newest limited-edition purse; word was that they had to spend tens of thousands of dollars to get one.

I was sitting out on the balcony, clipping my nails. The sharp snap of the nail clippers cut through the silence of the living room, almost jarring.

"Still up?" he asked, tossing the bag onto the couch and coming over, trying to wrap his arms around me from behind.

I leaned away, avoiding his arms.

His hand froze in midair, and he instinctively frowned. "Still mad? It really was an emergency that day. Stella had a little accident on her way back, and she doesn't have any family over there."

"I'm not mad," I said, putting down the clippers and looking up at him, my voice steady like I was just discussing tomorrow's forecast. "The bag's really nice. Thanks."

Wyatt stared at me for a long time, like he was searching my face for any trace of hurt or anger.

But I showed him nothing.

Wyatt let out a sigh, rubbing his temples, looking exhausted. "Bella, you've always been so sweet and thoughtful. That's my favorite thing about you. Don't be like those drama queens who freak out over every little thing."

I smiled, saying nothing.

Sweet? Thoughtful?

That was only because I used to believe that if I were mature enough, I'd have a spot in his heart.

"By the way, there's a charity gala in a couple of days. Get ready, you're coming with me," he said, then turned and walked into the bathroom.

As the water started running, I got up and walked over to the sofa, opening the expensive bag.

Inside was a receipt from a luxury store, dated this afternoon.

And this afternoon, I happened to see on the news that Stella Ward had been shopping at the same mall.

This bag was probably just a token hush gift he grabbed for me, the obligatory family member, while paying for Stella Ward's stuff.

I stuffed the bag deep into the closet, locking it away with my heart that was already in pieces.

I used to believe that if I just waited, he'd eventually turn back to me.

But now I got it, when he looked back at me, he didn't really see me. He saw the version of himself that was stronger because of me, the one who could go and love Stella.

To make up for the anniversary he missed, Wyatt actually did something rare, he canceled a meeting and suggested we visit the church together.

When he said it, there was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.

I knew the real reason: business hadn't been going well for him lately, and he was hoping to ease his mind. Deep down, Wyatt only believed in himself, but when things got out of hand, even he would look for help from above.

The wind on the mountain was really strong, and I wasn't dressed warm enough. I shivered.

Wyatt took off his jacket and put it around my shoulders. That bit of tenderness almost had me fooled into thinking he still cared about me.