Chapter 4 · Reciprocating Her Love Too Late

Chapter 4

In the car, Nathan, who was usually the silent type, suddenly tried to break the awkward silence. "Are things not going well with your husband?"

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to answer him.

He rubbed his nose. "There's a new salmon place by Soutinelle University. Supposed to be good. Want to go?"

I always loved fish. When we first started dating, I dragged him to every fish restaurant near the Soutinelle University campus.

Eventually, Nathan got so sick of it that he threw up and begged me to eat something else.

But after that, whenever a new fish place opened, he'd still tell me about it first.

We were young then. I thought love meant giving things up for each other.

Later, I learned that kind of love didn't last.

I looked at him with a blank face. "I'm not having dinner with my ex."

He looked disappointed but smiled anyway. "Come on. Help me out. I just got back and don't really know anyone here."

We ended up going to dinner. We talked about what we'd been doing, and I told him my problems. The perfume market was tough to break into here. I needed someone who could help me figure out my brand.

Nathan said his cousin could help.

He always knew what I needed, just like before.

Dinner was nice. When we said goodbye, Nathan said, "If you need anything, just call me."

My rational side kept telling me there was no point getting hung up on the past. It was time to be practical and chase the money.

But a voice in my head told me not to turn my back on who I used to be.

In the end, I gave him a silent wave and left.

*****

During my junior year, Nathan unexpectedly broke up with me. No matter how many times I asked him why, he wouldn't give me an answer.

Eventually, I must have irritated him so much that he finally said coldly, "I'm after a brighter future, and you're just holding me back."

Just like that, with a few sentences, he ended three years of our relationship.

But Nathan used to say I was the light of his life when we were deep in love.

But just three years, I, who meant everything to him, became nothing more than a distant memory.

After the breakup, I completely fell apart. I started skipping classes and failing tests, and it became my new normal. I was almost on the verge of getting kicked out of school. My dad couldn't bear to see me struggle anymore, so he brought one of his students to help me out.

That student was Holden Cortez.

Holden always appeared cold on the outside, but he was really a softy at heart.

Whenever I broke down in tears, he would stand there quietly watching me and then say, "This lesson costs 50 dollars. Non-refundable."

He had a knack for making me laugh, even when I was upset.

He was focused on his phone for a bit before finally looking up and saying, "Ms. Eloise Gilmore, do you realize you're wasting your life? Life is short. You should spend your time on things you actually love instead of hiding and crying at home."

His words hit me hard. What did I become because of love?

I was a mess, crying my heart out, and I shot him a glare. "You're right, but please, just call me Eloise."

Later, just for fun, I got into making perfumes. That summer, I created my first scent, Morning Dew.

Honestly, I didn't take it seriously or recognize my own talent. I roped my roommate into it and jumped into starting a business.

We were total newbies with no idea about the market, and we got completely crushed by reality.

After that, I started seeing Holden. He saw me break down more times than I could count, always there when I was upset after yet another failure.

He would pull me into his arms, his voice gentle and full of concern. "Ms. Eloise Gilmore, when life gets tough, it's okay to take a break."

Maybe it was his words that finally got through to me, or maybe it was just a series of failed attempts.

Either way, I began to step back from perfumery.

I started investing all my energy into Holden. At first, he gently pushed back against my attempts to take care of him.

He said, "You should be focusing on your own life."

But later, he said, "Fine, if that makes you happy."

Looking back, I realized he was trying to remind me to be myself.

But I stayed in my comfort zone, never daring to step out on my own.

Back then, I didn't really understand why Holden acted the way he did. He was always nice, but it felt like he was just going through the motions, never really emotionally invested.

Then, last week, I stumbled on a chat log between him and my dad.

The messages were from the year I first met him, even before we actually got to know each other.

My dad's message was clear: [If you really want to repay me, marry my daughter and take care of her for the rest of her life.]

Two days later, Holden replied: [Okay.]

A few days after that, he became my tutor.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

All those years, he ignored me after our marriage and refused to take wedding photos. His ex kept sending me messages.

It all showed me one thing. He was never really into me.

He did keep his promise to look after me, and as he became more successful, my status rose, too.

But his care felt so one-sided. I had been fooled for years, and all I was left with was resentment and a sense of unfairness.

Eventually, I came to terms with it and understood why Holden's words during our marriage never matched his true feelings. Did he love me? Maybe he did.

But mostly, I felt like I was just a duty to him.

Chapter 4

In the car, Nathan, who was usually the silent type, suddenly tried to break the awkward silence. "Are things not going well with your husband?"

I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to answer him.

He rubbed his nose. "There's a new salmon place by Soutinelle University. Supposed to be good. Want to go?"

I always loved fish. When we first started dating, I dragged him to every fish restaurant near the Soutinelle University campus.

Eventually, Nathan got so sick of it that he threw up and begged me to eat something else.

But after that, whenever a new fish place opened, he'd still tell me about it first.

We were young then. I thought love meant giving things up for each other.

Later, I learned that kind of love didn't last.

I looked at him with a blank face. "I'm not having dinner with my ex."

He looked disappointed but smiled anyway. "Come on. Help me out. I just got back and don't really know anyone here."

We ended up going to dinner. We talked about what we'd been doing, and I told him my problems. The perfume market was tough to break into here. I needed someone who could help me figure out my brand.

Nathan said his cousin could help.

He always knew what I needed, just like before.

Dinner was nice. When we said goodbye, Nathan said, "If you need anything, just call me."

My rational side kept telling me there was no point getting hung up on the past. It was time to be practical and chase the money.

But a voice in my head told me not to turn my back on who I used to be.

In the end, I gave him a silent wave and left.

*****

During my junior year, Nathan unexpectedly broke up with me. No matter how many times I asked him why, he wouldn't give me an answer.

Eventually, I must have irritated him so much that he finally said coldly, "I'm after a brighter future, and you're just holding me back."

Just like that, with a few sentences, he ended three years of our relationship.

But Nathan used to say I was the light of his life when we were deep in love.

But just three years, I, who meant everything to him, became nothing more than a distant memory.

That student was Holden Cortez.

Holden always appeared cold on the outside, but he was really a softy at heart.

Whenever I broke down in tears, he would stand there quietly watching me and then say, "This lesson costs 50 dollars. Non-refundable."

He had a knack for making me laugh, even when I was upset.

His words hit me hard. What did I become because of love?

I was a mess, crying my heart out, and I shot him a glare. "You're right, but please, just call me Eloise."

Later, just for fun, I got into making perfumes. That summer, I created my first scent, Morning Dew.

Honestly, I didn't take it seriously or recognize my own talent. I roped my roommate into it and jumped into starting a business.

We were total newbies with no idea about the market, and we got completely crushed by reality.

After that, I started seeing Holden. He saw me break down more times than I could count, always there when I was upset after yet another failure.

He would pull me into his arms, his voice gentle and full of concern. "Ms. Eloise Gilmore, when life gets tough, it's okay to take a break."

Maybe it was his words that finally got through to me, or maybe it was just a series of failed attempts.

Either way, I began to step back from perfumery.

I started investing all my energy into Holden. At first, he gently pushed back against my attempts to take care of him.

He said, "You should be focusing on your own life."

But later, he said, "Fine, if that makes you happy."

Looking back, I realized he was trying to remind me to be myself.

But I stayed in my comfort zone, never daring to step out on my own.

Back then, I didn't really understand why Holden acted the way he did. He was always nice, but it felt like he was just going through the motions, never really emotionally invested.

Then, last week, I stumbled on a chat log between him and my dad.

The messages were from the year I first met him, even before we actually got to know each other.

My dad's message was clear: [If you really want to repay me, marry my daughter and take care of her for the rest of her life.]

Two days later, Holden replied: [Okay.]

A few days after that, he became my tutor.

Suddenly, everything clicked.

All those years, he ignored me after our marriage and refused to take wedding photos. His ex kept sending me messages.

It all showed me one thing. He was never really into me.

He did keep his promise to look after me, and as he became more successful, my status rose, too.

But his care felt so one-sided. I had been fooled for years, and all I was left with was resentment and a sense of unfairness.

Eventually, I came to terms with it and understood why Holden's words during our marriage never matched his true feelings. Did he love me? Maybe he did.

But mostly, I felt like I was just a duty to him.