novelnext Chapter 1
Chapter 1
After ten years of dating, I finally earned the approval of my boyfriend Nolan Birch's parents, thanks to our child. On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, I waited outside city hall all day, hoping he'd show up. When I finally got him on the phone, he muttered distractedly, "Sorry, I forgot."
At the same time, his stepsister Aria Birch tagged me in a social media post: "My cat is sick, I'm so upset, but luckily Nolan has been with me all day." Along with the text was a picture of their hands tightly intertwined. Ridiculously, Nolan even liked the post.
I couldn't hold back. I calmly replied, "Trashy man and bitch, a match made in heaven."
That evening, when Nolan came home, dinner was already done. He frowned at the empty plates.
"Why didn't you save some food for me?" he asked.
I stood up to clear the table, not even looking at him.
"I thought you'd be staying with Aria tonight and wouldn't come back."
Nolan paused, then followed me into the kitchen and hugged me from behind, dangling a gold-diamond heart-shaped necklace in front of me.
"It's for you. Do you like it?"
Lately, every time he came back from seeing Aria, he'd bring me a gift. Sometimes a necklace, sometimes a ring, or a bracelet. But every single one was something Aria would like. I didn't take it. I pushed him away and started washing the dishes.
His expression darkened.
"Are you still upset about the marriage license?"
He continued, "The cat is important to Aria. She's devastated. I'm worried she might do something crazy."
I could feel my heart drop, my hands trembling as I reached for a dish that slipped and shattered. In a panic, I tried to pick up the pieces, cutting my hand in the process, and blood started to pour out. He quickly grabbed a tissue to help stop the bleeding.
Just then, my phone rang, the ringtone set specifically for Aria. His attention immediately shifted. Tossing the tissue at me, he said, "Hurry up and clean this, get a bandage. I need to take this call."
As he walked out of the kitchen, I heard him talking to her, his voice laced with concern.
"Aria, how's the cat doing now...?"
A bitter laugh escaped me. In Nolan's mind, even Aria's cat mattered more than me.
Aria wasn't even his biological sister, but they were incredibly close. When I fainted during a prenatal checkup, he was with her getting her hair done. When I had severe bleeding during childbirth, he was out buying cat food for her. When his parents kicked me out in the middle of the night, he was at a club dancing with her. He'd promised that it would never happen again, but here we were, on the day we were supposed to finally get our marriage license, and he stood me up for Aria's cat.
I couldn't wait anymore. Not for a second longer.
When he came back after taking the call, I calmly said, "Nolan, let's break up."