Always Almost Married

The next morning, I walked into my employer's office and submitted a transfer request to the head office.

He looked up from the paperwork and frowned. "Why the sudden change of heart? You turned this down the last time I offered it to you."

I paused.

That offer had come three months after Jaxon and I held our engagement party. Lisa had not yet joined his company. Back then, Jaxon poured everything he had into us outside of work. We were inseparable.

When the head office opportunity came up, I turned it down without hesitation. I did not even tell Jaxon. I did not want him to feel that he was holding me back.

Then Lisa arrived, and his eyes stopped finding me in a room.

I met my employer's gaze and let two seconds pass before I answered, "I just want to push myself while I'm still young. My career is what matters most right now."

He leaned back in his chair. "The head office rotation is a minimum of five years. Have you talked this over with your fiancé? You won't be able to come back during that time, and the contract prohibits pregnancy while you're on assignment."

A bitter taste crossed my mouth before I could stop it.

Pregnancy… Jaxon could not even find the time to sign our marriage papers. A child was not a conversation we were anywhere close to having.

As for talking it over with him, there was nothing to discuss. Jaxon would probably be relieved.

"Don't worry," I said, holding his gaze. "I've already taken care of everything on my end."

He studied me for a moment, then picked up his pen and signed the form. "All right. I won't say any more. I'll give you a week to get ready. Report to the head office next Wednesday."

"Thank you."

…

I got home just after noon. The apartment was quiet and empty, and the sight of it cut straight through me.

When we got engaged, Jaxon and I used to race back from our offices every day to eat lunch together. That was our routine.

After Lisa joined his company, the excuses began. One after another, he found reasons not to come home.

I told myself he was overworked. I cooked proper meals and brought them to his office.

What I found when I arrived was Jaxon and Lisa sitting side by side, laughing over a shared takeout box.

I never brought him lunch again after that. He never came home for it either. Most evenings, he was gone as well.

For a while, I still called him. Every time, Lisa's voice drifted through the line before he offered any explanation.

"Jax, stay with me a little longer. I don't want to be at the office alone."

"Jax, it's so dark out. Can you walk me home?"

He never once said no to her. To me, he would say, "Go ahead and sleep. I'll be back when I'm done."

Eventually, I stopped calling. There was no point.

I stood in the living room and looked at the framed photo of us on the wall. The smile it drew from me held no warmth.

Maybe if this home had a different woman in it, Jaxon would actually come back to it.

My phone buzzed.

Jaxon: [Anna, I need to go to Chirona City with Lisa on a business trip this week. Stay safe at home.]

I typed back immediately: [Okay.]

I had lost count of how many trips there had been.

The first time, he said she was still learning the ropes and needed him there.

The second time, he said she was afraid to sleep alone in a strange city.

The third time, he said it was too dangerous for a woman to travel by herself.

We had a real fight over it once. He told me that I was selfish and that I lacked empathy. After that, he stopped explaining. He sent texts instead, like notifications.

It was fine by me. It would make these last few days in Avella City a lot quieter.