On my 28th birthday, my grandma was nagging me about getting engaged again. I took an Uber to my boyfriend's office. Through the door, I heard him talking to a female colleague. He said I was average-looking, came from a mediocre family, and wasn't a match for his status. He said his mother had always looked down on me, so he was hesitating about marrying me. We had been together since we were 18. Ten whole years. I never thought he was weighing the pros and cons of loving me. That night, when he came home, for the first time, I didn't ask him about his day. I just ate in silence, showered, and went to bed. Lying in bed, he asked me, "Natalie, you're so quiet today. You're not throwing a tantrum and trying to break up with me, are you?" I asked him, "Do you want to break up?" Liam said, "Yeah." Then he got up, got dressed, and went to drinks with that female colleague. I didn't cry. I didn't feel sad. I just opened my chat app. I scrolled to an old classmate who was desperate to get married and typed: "Want to give us a try?" 1 It was 1 AM when I sent the message, but I didn't feel rude. I knew how much pressure Jake was under to get married. He was definitely more desperate than I was. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a reply came. "?" "Natalie, are you serious? I thought you had a boyfriend." Me: "Just broke up. Tired of trial and error with men. If you don't mind, we can make do." Jake barely hesitated. A second later, he sent: "OK." Then came a wall of text explaining his situation. "You know I'm still deployed. I'm stationed out in the Northwest, probably won't be discharged for another year." "After that, I don't know if I'll be reassigned or have to find a new job. Income is uncertain." "I have a condo right now, my mom bought it for me, paid in full. You can live there after we marry." "I have about $50k in savings, plus a severance package when I get out. But I don't have the knack for making big money like your ex." Back in the day, Jake sat behind me in class. He had seen everything between me and Liam. Since he didn't mind, I had nothing else to say. I replied "Mmh," and we set a time to get the license. He had a week of leave coming up. I still had time to pack and move. After handling the marriage stuff, I opened Instagram. Predictably, Liam's female colleague, Bella, had posted a story: [Drinking away the sorrows with my childhood bestie brother.] In the photo, Liam and Bella were clinking glasses, heads touching, extremely intimate. Their breaths were mingling, and Liam's eyes looked hazy. I liked the post. The next second, Liam texted me. [Jealous? Don't start drama. Bella is just like a little sister to me.] Right. They grew up together. Their relationship was closer than ours. Bella looked like a porcelain doll. Liam liked her, and honestly, even I liked her looks. She studied abroad and only recently came back to work at the family company, reconnecting with Liam. I used to naively treat her like a little sister. It took a long time to realize their circle was exclusive. Before Bella came back, Liam would take me to gatherings. His friends weren't warm, but they were polite. After Bella returned, she became the only girl in the group. Every time they went out, Liam said I didn't like crowds and left me behind. I knew the truth. He thought I lacked social grace, wasn't savvy, and wasn't as smart as Bella. Liam and I fought about these unspoken comparisons many times. Every time, I was the one who compromised and backed down. So this time, when Liam assumed I was throwing a tantrum, I didn't argue. I texted back: [Not drama. We broke up. Your business is none of my business.] Then I blocked him. Hours later, Liam stumbled home drunk and collapsed on the sofa. There was a lipstick mark on his neck. The person supporting him was Bella. Bella was a bit tipsy too. She kept apologizing, "Natalie, I'm sorry, I couldn't stop Liam from drinking. Don't blame him." Mmh. I'm not angry. He's an ex-boyfriend. Nothing to be angry about. I sat Bella down in a chair and poured her a glass of honey water, treating him like a guest. "It's fine. Doesn't matter." She really looked so innocent. Even if she harbored bad intentions, those misty eyes made it hard to stay mad. No wonder Liam liked her. 2 The next morning, Liam woke up with a splitting headache. He instinctively called my name. For a long time, no one answered. Stumbling out, he saw me sitting on the sofa writing on my laptop. His tone hardened. "Natalie, my head hurts." I didn't look up. "Mmh." Liam paused, then said, "My head hurts. Go make me some honey lemon water." I couldn't be bothered. My inspiration was flowing, and I didn't want to break it. "Make it yourself. I'm busy." I got up and went into the study. Liam stood there, stunned. Making a hangover cure wasn't hard. Boil water, add honey, add lemon, let it cool, drink. I had done it for him countless times. It wasn't unique. But now that he didn't have it, he felt empty. Remembering the breakup last night, anger rose in his chest. He went to the kitchen, got food, ate, then knocked on the study door. "Since we broke up, you should move out. My family bought this house." He emphasized "My family bought this house." My fingers froze on the keyboard. It felt like a stab to the heart. Together ten years. Liam knew I was an orphan who craved a family. When we moved in together, he told me that even though his name was on the deed, this was my home too. Now, one day after breaking up, he was kicking me out? I looked up. The man at the door had a stone face and cold eyes. He didn't look at me like a lover, but with annoyance. I took a deep breath. "Okay. Can I move tomorrow? I haven't packed." Liam looked smug. "No. Today. We broke up, there's no reason to live together." I looked at him like a stranger. "Okay. Whatever you say." They say girls without property don't have a home. Break up, move out. Divorce, move out. Unless your name is on the deed, one word from a man and you're homeless. I felt that deeply in this moment. After he left for work, I silently packed. Ten years. I really thought I would marry Liam, so I truly treated this place as my home. Plushies, lace curtains, cute kitchenware... packing was endless. It just got messier. My head started to hurt. Maybe just throwing it all away would be faster? Lost in thought, the doorbell rang. It was Liam's mother. 3 She didn't know we broke up yet. As soon as she entered, she started criticizing me out of habit. Mrs. Thorne never liked me. Every time we met, she had to act superior. I used to endure it, thinking time would make her accept me. This time, she started scolding immediately. "Natalie, you eat my son's food, use my son's money, how can you let the house get this messy?" "I don't know what Liam sees in you. Average looks, no background, can't even do housework. Useless." "I know you had no parents to teach you, but you can't be this sloppy. Look at this pigsty. How can anyone live here?" "Hurry up and clean this mess, then come home with me. We have guests coming. You need to cook and help out." She rattled on like a machine gun. I didn't even get a chance to say we broke up. Finally, when she paused for breath, I said, "I'm not going. I have things to do." Mrs. Thorne interrupted, "What things? Writing your little stories? Fine, if you come, I'll give you $1,000 as payment." The $1,000 stuck my next words in my throat. Whatever. We broke up. Might as well make some money. When I got to the Thorne estate, I realized Mrs. Thorne had ulterior motives. She had invited Bella's family for dinner and wanted me to serve them as a maid. I should have been hurt. But shrinking into the corner, watching Liam walk in with the three members of the Blackwood family, I weirdly understood what he meant by "not a match." The elegant Blackwood parents walked in front. Bella and Liam walked side-by-side behind them, looking like a perfect young couple returning home. I had been here many times. As a teenager to stand up to them, in my twenties to make Mrs. Thorne accept me. Serving tea, washing clothes, cooking. I was as virtuous as could be. But the smile Mrs. Thorne gave me was nothing compared to the beam she gave Bella over a simple gift. The ruby necklace on Mrs. Thorne's neck was a casual gift from the Blackwoods, worth six figures. To people like them, it was nothing. I laughed at myself. How naive I was to believe love conquered all, wasting half my life on Liam. Six more days, and I could jump out of this swamp. Even though it was a marriage of convenience with Jake, I was happy. I was a creature of habit, afraid of change. Unless absolutely necessary, I wouldn't leave a bad situation. But now that I was really changing my life, I felt a rush of excitement. When the Blackwoods arrived, I had to leave. Mrs. Thorne venmoed me the money and told me to leave through the back door. In ten years, to prove I wasn't a gold digger, I never accepted expensive gifts from Liam or took advantage of his family. Suddenly getting paid, I regretted it. If I knew we weren't getting married, I should have taken more. Wasted the title of girlfriend. As I unlocked a shared e-bike, Liam chased me out. Turns out he knew I was there the whole time. Liam's face was grim. "Natalie, where are you going?" Me: "Back to move out. Didn't you tell me to leave? I haven't finished packing." Liam let out a breath. He yanked me into his arms. His tone was frustrated. "Why do you have to throw tantrums with me?" He stroked my hair like he had countless times before to soothe me. "You used to be such a good girl. Why is your temper getting worse?" "Just because I refused Grandma's suggestion to get engaged, you act out? Can't you be more sensible?" I turned my head, burying my face in his neck. Allowing myself one last intimate contact. "I can, Liam. I can be sensible." Sensible enough not to put you in a tough spot, sensible enough to let you find your perfect match with Bella. He misunderstood. He thought I was compromising. He let out a long sigh of relief. "Good. My family is hosting the Blackwoods for business today. Don't mind it." "There's nothing between me and Bella. I just see her as a sister. After dinner, I'll come find you. Wait for me at home." He kissed my forehead and turned back. I watched his tall back, remembering the boy from ten years ago who walked up to me, nervous and blushing. Voice trembling, confessing, "Class President, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?" Once upon a time, the sea was deep. Only 3,000 days later, this relationship had reached its end. I sighed silently. Maybe love dying young is the norm. 4 Back at the apartment, I threw away what I could and packed the rest. Around 10 PM, Liam came back. The moment he walked in, his smile froze. He sighed deeply. "Natalie, I thought you said no tantrums?" I had waited so long I fell asleep. I rubbed my neck and looked at him. "No tantrums. We broke up. I have no reason to live in your house." Liam lost his patience, tossing his jacket aside. "Fine. Whatever. But think carefully. If we break up, I won't ask you back." Perfect. I put the keys on the shoe cabinet in front of him and prepared to leave. Liam watched for a moment, then chased after me. He blocked my path, annoyed. "What do I have to do to make you listen?" Acting like I was being unreasonable. I laughed out of anger. "Oh, get engaged to me, and I won't fuss." Liam gritted his teeth. "Natalie, give me more time to get used to the idea. Right now, I really don't think you're a suitable marriage partner." What is a suitable marriage partner? I couldn't tell. The first time I heard the term was five years ago. Grandma had heart surgery. Afraid she'd die leaving me alone, she wanted to put marriage on the agenda. Back then, Liam and I were still good. Hearing marriage, he froze, hugged me, and didn't speak for a long time. Finally, he said, "Nat, let me discuss it with my parents and get back to you, okay?" I nodded, fully believing he would plan our future. But in reality, Liam's attitude changed after that. He was still gentle, but whenever engagement or marriage came up, he changed the subject. If I pushed, he got angry. "Look, you don't have a stable job or income. Are we a good match right now? What would my parents think?" "Nat, I've been holding back, but you really aren't suited for marriage. You don't dress up, you don't network, and you don't understand business. You're no help to the Thorne family." He belittled me, but when I broke down and tried to leave, he would write long essays to win me back. I always thought the root of his hesitation was Mrs. Thorne. Until Bella returned. Liam's attitude did a 180. He showed me with actions what a "suitable marriage partner" looked like. No matter how much a man loves you, it doesn't stop him from weighing the pros and cons and pursuing a better life. I left the apartment I lived in for years. Since Jake wasn't back yet, I rented a small Airbnb. Counting my savings, I thought about putting a down payment on a place in the South End. Since Jake was rarely home, it didn't matter where we lived. I opened Zillow and actually found a few good ones. I booked viewings and finished the final draft of my third web novel while staying in the rental.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "387746", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel