He Postpons the wedding, I Marry Another

Chapter 4

Some of my friends and relatives had questions, but I handled them well enough. My parents, however, were a different story. When they found out I wasn't getting married, disappointment was written all over their faces. To them, five years of my youth had been wasted. No matter how much I tried to explain, they refused to accept it.

I patiently laid out my reasons for the breakup, but nothing I said seemed to make a difference. In the end, I stopped sugarcoating and told them the truth.

"Sonny has changed. If I stay with him, I'll never be happy."

They were silent for a long time. But in the end, they relented, because, more than anything, they wanted me to be happy.

After spending hours making calls to inform everyone about the canceled wedding, I didn't allow myself a moment to breathe. I dove straight into packing.

Truthfully, Sonny hadn't been home for days, so there was no urgent need for me to leave. But I couldn't stand to be in that space any longer. I just wanted to escape, to give my aching heart something else to focus on.

Fortunately, I didn't own much, just a few clothes, some cosmetics, all of which fit neatly into a single suitcase. We had barely lived in this apartment. It was supposed to be our marital home, but it never got the chance to become one.

As I packed, my eyes drifted toward the balcony, and my hands froze.

My money tree was gone.

In its place stood a blooming bluebell plant, its tiny bells swaying gently in the breeze.

Nicole's WhatsApp profile picture was a little bluebell.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but the tears slipped through anyway. I wiped them away quickly and took one last look around the apartment we had decorated together.

Five years. Five years of memories, of believing Sonny and I would grow old together. He had become an inseparable part of my life, woven into every vision I had of the future.

But reality had a way of rewriting the script. Life was rarely smooth sailing, and obstacles were inevitable. I just never expected that he would be my biggest one.

My hand trembled on the door handle, and my vision blurred. For a split second, I saw the younger Sonny, the boy who had once climbed a mountain with me just to hang our love token high on the wishing tree. I could still hear his voice, whispering his wish.

"I wish for Bella to be the happiest woman in the world, and for us to grow old together, year after year."

That boy had been everything. That boy had once offered me his whole heart.

But that boy was gone.

All that remained was a man full of bitterness and mistrust, a man who no longer deserved the love we had shared. If this was how it ended, ugly and painful, then maybe it was better to let go now rather than drag it out.

With that final thought, I shut the door behind me. Along with it, I closed off five years of love.

I moved into the apartment my parents had bought for me long ago. It wasn't as luxurious as the one I had shared with Sonny, but the location was great, and it was much more convenient for work. Besides, I didn't need anything too big. I was on my own now.

The wedding was off. But I wasn't ready to officially break things off just yet. I hoped that with distance, our relationship would fade away, slowly, inevitably, until there was nothing left to hold on to.

Once everything was settled, I sat by the window.

Outside, the autumn rain drizzled endlessly, coating the world in a cold, bone-deep dampness. Droplets clung to the glass, distorting the city lights.

I opened my phone and scrolled through our photos. One by one, I revisited every memory. And one by one, I deleted them.

Our first year, we traveled to Paektu Mountain to watch the snow.

Our second year, we kissed under the fireworks at Disneyland.

Our third year, we worked tirelessly, side by side, making plans to build a life together.

Delete.

Delete.

Delete.