He Married Her While I Waited at the Altar, I Called My Mother While She Called Me Back Chapter 04
“Are you almost done packing?”
Julian didn’t show up until three days later.
When he pushed the door open, Hailey was right behind him.
She slipped into those pink slippers and curled up on the couch, as naturally as if she were
returning to her own home.
I stood in the doorway of the guest room, looking at them.
He glanced at the suitcase in the guest room.
“Looks like you’ve made up your mind. I found a studio apartment for you, fully furnished. I’ll
cover the first and last month’s rent, plus the security deposit.”
“I put $80,000 toward the down payment on this house.”
“I’ll pay you back later.”
“What about the $300,000 in the joint account?”
“That… Hailey needed to book hotels, so I borrowed it for now.”
“What about the $200,000 I fronted for the company?”
“The company is strapped for cash right now. Just wait a bit longer.”
I looked at him, noticing that he didn’t even flinch or avert his eyes while saying these things.
He felt completely entitled to it all.
Everything was just a given to him.
My gaze fell on Hailey’s neck.
A dainty silver necklace with a small star pendant.
It was a birthday gift I bought him with two months of my salary.
He said the style was too feminine and he didn’t want to wear it.
Now it was hanging around Hailey’s neck.
“I bought that necklace.”
Hailey instinctively touched the pendant and turned to look at Julian.
“Julian, didn’t you say you picked this out?”
He frowned.
“It’s just a necklace, let it go. Stella, sit down, let’s talk business.”
I didn’t sit.
He sighed, his tone suddenly turning serious.
“You’ve sacrificed a lot helping me build my startup over these past three years, and I remember all
of that. But you can’t force love. When Hailey came back, I realized I couldn’t let her go.”
“So you got a marriage license with her three days before our engagement party.”
“Hailey suddenly agreed to it, the timing just overlapped. I couldn’t say no to her.”
“But you could say no to the two hundred invitations, and couldn’t even make a single phone call?”
He looked away, finally saying something honest.
“I was definitely in the wrong that day.”
Beside him, Hailey quietly tugged at the corner of his shirt.
“Julian…’
He patted her hand.
I knew that gesture all too well.
Three years ago, he patted my hand the exact same way and told me, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
The exact same gesture, just a different person.
I looked down and let out a soft laugh.
“Fine. I’ll pack my own things. I don’t want anything else.”
He looked stunned.
“You… you’re not going to demand an explanation?”
“What you just said is the explanation.”
I turned back into the guest room and closed the door.
Through the door, I could hear him talking to Hailey in a low voice in the living room.
She gave a small laugh.
“See, Julian? I told you she wouldn’t make things hard for us.”
He replied softly.
“That’s just how she is. She won’t make a scene. Don’t worry.”
That’s just how she is.
She won’t make a scene.
Don’t worry.
I locked my phone, crouched down, and pulled my suitcase from under the bed.
That suitcase had been with me for three years, dragged all the way from Bayview City to
Silverstone.
It had chipped paint on the corners, and the zipper barely worked.
I folded my clothes one by one and placed them inside, putting the floral dress right on top.
I didn’t have much to begin with, so I finished packing in half an hour.
I took my keys off the ring and placed them on the shoe cabinet in the entryway.
I also took off my necklace and placed it beside them.
Hailey was wearing the silver bracelet my mom gave me.
I didn’t ask for it back.
Maybe that would be the last trace of my existence in this apartment.
I didn’t look back as I closed the door.
I went downstairs and hailed a ride.
Before turning my phone off, I sent one last message:
“The keys are on the shoe cabinet. Don’t bother looking for me.”
Then I went to the carrier store, reported my number as lost, and got a new SIM card.
Julian returned to the apartment that night..
He saw the keys and the necklace on the shoe cabinet and pushed open the door to the guest room.
It was completely empty.
He froze for a moment, then dialed my number.
“The number you have dialed is out of service. Please check the number and try again.”