Chapter 5

I'd even thought about what I'd do if William said no. No matter what, he was always going to be the man I'd call my husband, the one I'd spend my life with.

But he just said, "Okay."

I couldn't even put into words how I felt. It was like a little girl finding her lost doll.

I figured, even if he didn't love me now, once we got married, love would come eventually.

After all, his dream was to live a happy life.

But on our wedding night, he was drunk. He gently touched my short hair and said, "You look beautiful with a ponytail."

But my hair was way too short for a ponytail.

His eyes were on me, but his heart was somewhere else, as if he was seeing another person.

I started crying, and he could tell something was wrong.

We spent the whole night in silence.

We were married now, and there was no escaping the fact that I was part of his future.

However, he didn't love me.

*****

I grabbed the note and burst into the study, ignoring the divorce papers on the desk. I pulled out the hundred love letters stashed away at the bottom of a box.

After comparing the handwriting, all the suspicions I'd carried for years were finally confirmed.

Benjamin was a real piece of work.

When I heard he was back in the country, I couldn't wait to track him down and ask the questions I'd been dying to ask all those years ago.

But he kept dodging my questions until I finally snapped and slapped him right across the face. That was when he finally came clean.

He'd only ever written one love letter.

In that moment, I was really happy.

For the past three years, I'd always thought William didn't love me, so I always felt like I wasn't good enough for him.

And since I was the one who nearly destroyed his bright future, that guilt never left me.

All those feelings mixed together, making it almost impossible for me to face William.

He kept making sacrifices for me, but I just acted like I didn't notice.

I was afraid all his efforts weren't really out of love.

The nicer he was, the more lost I felt around him. I couldn't even bring myself to admit how much I loved him.

I just threw myself into work, trying to block it all out.

But now, I finally had something to hold onto, a reason to be honest about my feelings.

But in the end, all my years of running away had drained away his love for me.

I slumped to the floor, staring at the empty living room, feeling completely lost. Without even thinking, I kept dialing his number over and over.

No one answered.

I knew he'd blocked me.

All I got on WhatsApp were those endless red dots, each one a message he'd never read.

I wondered why I didn't realize it sooner.

I always knew what kind of person he was. Once he made a decision, he'd see it through to the bitter end.

Today's misunderstanding was just the fuse that set everything off.

It felt like I was about to lose the future that had William in it.

Tears streamed down my face again. I couldn't stop them.

*****

The day after I left Sophie, I didn't feel a thing.

It was like smoking again. It didn't bother me at all.

Thanks to the game I made back in college, I still pull in about 3 thousand dollars a month.

So financially, even without Sophie, I could still get by on my own.

Looking back, giving up my job just to support her was honestly a dumb move.

Good thing I left when I did. It wasn't too late.

I packed up all my belongings and headed to Corandorn.

This city had a long history, but over the years, countless tech companies had made it their home, breathing new life and energy into its old streets.

Most importantly, the buddies I used to pull all-nighters with, battling bugs and writing code, were all here too.

As soon as I stepped off the high-speed train, a burly figure came charging over to greet me.

"William, long time no see!"

He let out a hearty laugh and pulled me into a bear hug.

"Now that you're here, the gang's all back together!"

I sighed, set my luggage down, and pushed him off with both hands.

"Come on, Matthew, I still can't figure out how a big guy like you manages to create all those anime babes," I joked.

The burly guy in front of me was Matthew Turner, the main artist for our college game and my best friend from back then.

Now he ran his own game studio.

Matthew said, "Back then, that big company just snatched our game away from us. I've been holding onto that grudge for years.

"But you know, I'm only good at drawing.

"When it comes to game ideas, even Zoey can't hold a candle to you."

Matthew paused for a moment as he said her name.

The Zoey he mentioned was the girl who confessed to me back in college, Zoey Bennett.

Just hearing her name made that image of her bouncing ponytail pop into my head again.

Matthew noticed my smile fade and quickly changed the subject.