No to Marriage? Goodbye, Then

"You're more fun than your uncle ever was," Emily said playfully, her voice teasing and low. "Shame I married him instead."

Graham froze with her foot still in his hand.

I had always known Graham was Dean Wagner's nephew. I used to think he hesitated to marry me because I had once loved his uncle. But the truth was, he hesitated because his uncle had married the woman he wanted.

I let out a bitter laugh and turned to leave, but that fake-sweet voice called after me.

"Are you Nora Fields?"

I turned and gave her a polite nod. "Hello, Ms. Caldwell."

Graham and I locked eyes. His jaw was tight, and he quickly released her foot.

Emily slipped her heel back on and strolled toward me with a smirk. "You look like you've been doing well. My husband made the right call back then, helping a struggling scholarship student like you.

"You used to stop by Dean's place all the time, but I haven't seen you around lately. Is it because I'm there now and you feel awkward?"

It was true. I had once been a scholarship student Dean sponsored, and I had admired him for years.

After he got married, I disappeared from his life completely.

I looked her dead in the eye. "You're overthinking it. This has nothing to do with you."

She smiled like she knew better. "If you say so. You're welcome to drop by anytime."

Graham, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His brows were furrowed, clearly showing his displeasure. "It's getting late. You should head home."

He cut the conversation short and helped her into her car. Only after she was gone did he turn to me.

"You saw that?"

I nodded.

He hesitated, then explained, "She got blisters on her feet, so I just gave her a quick massage. She's my uncle's wife now. Don't take it the wrong way."

I kept my expression cool. "I'm not taking it the wrong way. You don't need to explain. You look guilty when you do."

Graham's jaw twitched slightly, then he chuckled. "Why are you so worked up? Are you jealous?"

He leaned in and tapped my nose gently. "It's Naomi's birthday today. I'll go pick up a cake. You head home first."

That caught me off guard. For four years in a row, Graham had missed Naomi's birthday because of work.

But then I thought about the way our daughter lit up whenever she thought he might come home. So, I said, "Okay."

Three more days and I'd be gone. One last dinner together wouldn't hurt.

...

At home, I cooked dinner while Naomi put on her favorite dress.

Every few minutes, she ran to the front door to check, then came back to sit quietly on her chair.

"Mommy, when will Daddy be home?" she asked.

I glanced at the food growing cold on the table. Then, I picked up my phone and tried calling Graham again, but he didn't answer.

A sinking feeling settled in my chest. I forced a smile and said softly, "Sweetheart, let's eat first. Daddy might be caught up with work, okay?"

Her eyes turned red, but she nodded obediently.

She pulled a small cake out of her backpack and placed two tiny candles on it. "My teacher gave me this. She said I was the most well-behaved kid in class.

"I wanted to wait for Daddy so the three of us could eat together. But now..."

I looked into those teary eyes, and my heart cracked. I felt heartbroken for her and so disappointed in Graham.

Graham could treat me however he wanted, but how could he be so thoughtless with his own daughter?

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "No matter what Daddy does, you'll always be my precious girl."

Naomi gave me a bright smile. "I know! As long as you're here, Mommy, I'm the happiest kid in the world!"

After dinner, Naomi quietly went to do her homework, and I started packing.

I found the stack of love letters Graham had written to me back when he was pursuing me. I struck a match and watched the pages curl and burn to ash.

Standing on the balcony, I happened to glance down and saw three familiar figures.

Emily was crying hysterically, her voice echoing up to my floor.

"You really think I can't live without you? I should've said yes to Graham's proposal back then instead of being blind enough to pick you!"

With that, she turned to Graham, tears streaming down her face.