After Leaving A Loveless Marriage, Ex-husband Regrets

I sat up in bed, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on my chest. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw that it was already twelve o'clock, midnight.

Whatever Grayson was doing, at this hour, it was clear enough.

I felt the cold night breeze sneaking in through the window, carrying with it a sharp chill that seemed to cut through the fog in my mind. The chaos and pain that had gripped my heart for so long were slowly giving way to clarity.

My eyes drifted to the bedside table. There, resting innocently, were the gold-plated invitations. I had spent two weeks meticulously choosing the perfect design.

With a deep breath, I picked up my phone and dialed my uncle's number. "Uncle, I want to come find you, Grandpa and Grandma."

On the other end, my uncle's voice was immediately filled with concern. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

His words were tinged with worry, but then he remembered that I could not hear him. Silence filled the line, broken only by the faint "click click" sound of his typing on his phone.

"No, nothing's wrong. I just miss you."

I responded, though as the words left my mouth, I felt a sudden sting in my eyes and my voice trembled with unshed tears.

Years ago, when my parents passed away, my uncle had been overseas, working and taking care of my grandparents.

As soon as he heard the news, he rushed back to Washington, ready to take me with him.

But back then, I could not bear to leave. My heart was still trapped in the small house that smelled like my parents.

And later, it was Grayson that I could not let go of. So, even though my grandparents had expressed their longing to see me again, time and time again, I had stubbornly refused.

"As long as you are fine, that's all that matters. As long as you are fine…"

My uncle's voice on the other end was filled with emotion, his excitement almost incoherent and then he paused. His tone was surprised.

"Nao, your hearing..."

"Yes, Uncle. I can hear you."

After a few more exchanged words, I hung up the phone.

My uncle wasted no time. He booked a flight for me immediately and it was set for the same day as my wedding.

As I read through the dozens of messages he sent me, offering reassurance and love, my nose stung with the familiar feeling of tears building up again.

All these years, I had distanced myself from him and my grandparents who truly loved me, all because of a man like Grayson Kingsley. Looking back now, I had been blind, foolish even.

Grayson did not come home until late into the night. He slipped into bed with the chill of air-conditioning clinging to his skin and the unmistakable scent of perfume lingering on his clothes.

Ever since my parents passed away, I had carried a deep sense of insecurity, one that often kept me on edge. But somehow, wrapped in his arms, I used to find the peace I needed to fall asleep.

As time passed, though, things changed. Lily's late-night calls for him became more frequent. Being a light sleeper, I was often jolted awake in the middle of the night. Eventually, I stopped trying to sleep at all, keeping my eyes wide open until dawn broke through the curtains.

Tonight, when Grayson's arm instinctively stretched out to hold me, I avoided it, sliding further away from him. To my surprise, for the first time in a long while, I managed to sleep well through the night.

The next morning, as soon as I woke up, I saw a set of black lace underwear in the dirty laundry basket that I had never worn before.

My heart sank as the memory of their conversation from last night replayed in my mind. Without a second thought, I walked over and threw the underwear into the trash.

I was not so sure if it was my cold demeanor the previous night or something else, but Grayson seemed to notice a shift. The man who had not shared a meal with me in over six months suddenly decided to make breakfast for the two of us with his own hands.

I sat at the table, staring down at the bowl, gently stirring the seafood pasta with my spoon, but I could not bring myself to take a bite.

Across from me, Grayson's phone kept buzzing, lighting up with a constant stream of messages.

In the voice message, Lily said good morning to him playfully, followed by a mock complaint about how he had not been gentle with her last night, leaving her sore. She teased that he would have to massage her waist, using his own hands to make up for it.

Grayson chuckled softly, not even bothering to look at me. He pressed the voice button to reply, his tone light and teasing, "Is it that I don't know how to treasure such beauty, or is it that my little junior just can't get enough of you?"

"Oh, and Naomi bought some massage cream for me last time. I'll bring it over for you later."

I watched him in silence, taking in the way he spoke so naturally, so comfortably, as if this exchange was nothing new. This had likely played out countless times over the years right in front of me.

They kept exchanging voice messages for a while.

After what felt like an eternity, Grayson finally noticed that I had not touched my breakfast.

"You don't like it?"

I set my spoon down carefully and replied, "I'm allergic to seafood."

His phone, still in hand, finally stilled for a moment. A flicker of impatience crossed his face.

"Annoying."

Without waiting for my response, he asked in sign language if I would prefer a sandwich instead.

I simply shook my head as an answer.

As I walked past the calendar hanging on the wall, I could not help but notice the marked date for trying on wedding dresses. It had already been over a week since the scheduled fitting.

There was a time when I did not understand how anything could be more important than preparing for our wedding. What kind of job was more important than our future together?

But that was before. Before I had scrolled through Lily's social media and before I learned the truth of how Grayson had truly spent his time. While he claimed to be swamped with work, too busy to take wedding photos with me, he somehow managed to find the hours, even days, to accompany his assistant on vacations. I saw photos of them climbing mountains, watching sunsets by the sea and soaking in hot springs.

Calmly, I reached up and tore the page from the calendar, crumpling it into a tight ball before tossing it into the trash.

Then, without another glance, I turned back into the house. The soft thud of the paper ball hitting the bottom of the trash can must have finally caught his attention, pulling him out of whatever world he had been lost in.

I could feel his eyes looking at the closed door, sensing the shift, the change. Unease flickered across his face.

"Shall I accompany you to try on wedding dresses today?"

I was sitting quietly, flipping through the pages of a visa application process. His question startled me for a brief moment. In the end, I only nodded with a faint smile.

I recalled the day when the eighteen-year-old version of him had stood outside a bridal shop as we gazed through the glass at the beautiful gowns. He said that Naomi would be his most beautiful bride in the future.

Fifteen-year-old me just smiled and nodded. From that moment on, my birthday wishes each year had always been the same. I wanted to marry the man of my dream.

It was just a way to put an end to a lingering dream of the past between Grayson Kingsley and Naomi Blakemore.