Nine Years of Love Ended

I came out of Chief Drew’s office and waited for an hour before Patty hurried out of her office.

“Let’s go, let’s go! We can’t keep Ivan and the others waiting!”

Ivan was downstairs in the car and as I stood by the vehicle, I heard a meow coming from inside. I turned to Patty and asked, “Did you give him the keys?”

“Yeah, I just really missed Chamo and couldn’t wait to see him. Don’t mind it, okay, honey?”

I didn’t say anything and slid into the backseat.

This wasn’t the first time Patty had done this.

I had raised a fuss about it before, only to be scolded afterward.

She told me I was being overly suspicious, explaining that giving Ivan the keys made it easier for him to grab things from her place.

Maybe she was right; perhaps I was just too paranoid.

But that no longer mattered.

I sat in the car, quietly reflecting on what Chief Drew had just said.

He mentioned that spots for the overseas training program were highly competitive and that his recommendation might not carry much weight.

I understood the implication—he wanted me to ask Patty for a recommendation.

But as I watched Patty, laughing with Ivan while holding Chamo, I had no desire to bring it up.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Patty turned to me and asked, “Honey, you seem a bit off today. Is something wrong?”

I shook my head. “No, everything’s fine.”

Ivan’s parents, sister and brother-in-law greeted us as we entered the private room. Cleo smiled and said, “Patty! You finally made it! Is this your friend?”

Patty quickly explained, “No, no, he’s my boyfriend. We’re getting married soon.”

At this, Ivan’s mom looked surprised. “Oh, he’s your boyfriend? I thought you were my son’s girlfriend since I arranged for you both to share a room during the wedding days and you didn’t refuse.”

“No, you misunderstood, Mrs. Drake,” Patty said, her face filled with panic as she glanced at me, clearly worried that I might react badly and create an awkward situation.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. Ivan’s family home isn’t big and I didn’t want to be a bother.”

Ivan chuckled, “Exactly. Ms. Patty isn’t staying with me; she’s staying at a hotel during nighttime.”

I smiled nonchalantly and looked at Patty. “Actually, you don’t need to explain.”

She seemed surprised, clearly not expecting me to say that.

“Aren’t you upset?” she asked.

I replied, “Not at all. I understand; you’ve already explained it.”

But Patty wasn’t letting it go.

“Do you really trust me that easily? Don’t you want to ask more questions?”

Hearing that made me want to laugh.

In the past, when she would stay out late with Ivan, I’d ask her about it and she would say I was too suspicious and didn’t trust her.

Now that I believed her, she wanted me to question her again.

But I didn’t want to ask anymore.

Did it even matter if she was living with Ivan?

Arnold, Ivan’s brother-in-law, stepped in to lighten the mood. “Waiter, please bring out the dishes.”

Patty didn’t press further and turned to chat with Cleo and Arnold, pulling me into the conversation as well.

“Honey, you should listen too! Our wedding will be just like this!”

I had zero interest and quietly ate my food.

Ivan kept serving Patty dishes and occasionally chimed in with suggestions.

It looked like he and Patty were the couple discussing their wedding plans.

Eventually, Patty noticed that I hadn’t said a word.

“Honey, why don’t you share your thoughts? What do you think of Ivan’s sister and brother-in-law's wedding?”

“It’s great, but I don’t need to.”

Patty seemed a bit annoyed.

“Honey, how can you say that? We’re here to learn from them! Don’t you want us to have an unforgettable wedding?”

I looked at her calmly.

“We’re not having a wedding. I’ve canceled it and decided to break up with you.”