My Absence Teaches Better Than My Love

I gripped the brow pencil in my hand and forced a smile. "Really? You actually want to marry me?"

Asher paused, his eyes turning dark and impossible to read, before a slow smile formed. "Of course. Make sure your parents come. They shouldn't miss something this big."

I kept the smile fixed, nodded as if I were touched, and hugged him tightly. "Asher, does the feud between our families not matter to you at all?"

His body went stiff. I couldn't see his face, but the hatred rolled off him.

"I love you, so none of that matters."

Asher lowered his head, kissed my forehead, and began to move down.

I turned away and pushed him back. "I'm tired."

He froze, a shadow flickering in his eyes before it cleared. "Alright. Go back to sleep."

With that, he turned and walked into the bathroom.

I watched Asher as he headed for the shower, a bitter smile tugging at my lips. Everyone else kept their proposal plans secret, but he'd told me his right away.

If I hadn't overheard that conversation today, I would've kept waiting, happily and cluelessly, until those videos blindsided me and turned me into the town joke.

He built up my hopes just so that he could crush them. All he wanted was to drag my name through the mud and humiliate Mom and Dad.

It was vicious.

Restless and irritable, I got up and started packing.

Asher came out of the bathroom and saw every gift he'd ever given me piled on the floor. Confused, he asked, "What are you doing?"

I didn't look up. "I don't want them anymore. I'm throwing them out."

I meant to ditch the gifts the same way I was ditching his love.

Asher didn't think much of it. He figured I was just bored with them. "Fine. We'll buy new ones."

I said nothing and kept packing.

…

The next day, I received a strange text.

The message said, "I'm Asher Kline's fiancee. Meet me at noon at Serenity Restaurant. And don't tell him."

The shock drained the color from my face, and my grip tightened around the phone before I realized it. I needed to know who she was.

At noon, I arrived just as scheduled. A waiter led me to a private room in the corner.

I opened the door and spotted her right away. She was stunning, gentle, and demure. She wore a white dress with subtle makeup, and everything about her seemed effortless and graceful.

I took the seat across from her and kept my face neutral.

She looked at me, a flash of cold in her eyes. "I'm Grace Turner, Asher Kline's fiancee."

I arched an eyebrow, keeping my voice even. "So?"

Grace went still, clearly not expecting me to be so composed. Confused, she said, "You're the woman he's been seeing. Aren't you even a little curious about why he's engaged?"

I shrugged, lifted the coffee from the table, took a sip, and said nothing.

Before I came, I had been curious and braced for anger. But the moment I saw her, every question fell away, and my heart went quiet. I felt calm to my core.

I realized then that I had already let Asher go.

I gave my all whenever I loved someone. When it ended, I would walk away without a second thought.

Grace was exasperated when I stayed quiet. "Our families have already arranged the marriage. The wedding is in a month, so do yourself a favor and leave."

She pulled a bank card from her bag and placed it on the table between us. "There's eight million dollars on that card. Consider it enough to take care of you for the rest of your life."

I stared her down. My voice stayed flat. "Does he know you're doing this?"

She gave a smug smile. "Of course. In the end, he's the one who set the wedding date."

I scoffed.

It turned out that Asher had set this up from the beginning. He'd planned to weaponize those videos to get even with me. Then, he'd marry Grace and pretend none of it had happened.

I got to my feet and raised my voice. "Stop contacting me. Whether you marry him is your business, not mine."

My tone turned to pure sarcasm as I continued, "I'm doing fine financially. Your little humiliation game won't work. Quit showing off and acting superior."

With that, I turned to leave.

I had taken only a few steps when Grace hurried forward and blocked my way. "You're not leaving. You still haven't promised to stay away from him for good!"