Chapter 6
Back home, I tore up the marriage leave request I’d prepared a week ago.
I started thinking about how I’d spend these next three days.
Maybe I was just too tired today, too drained to think about anything that upset me.
The moment my head hit the pillow, I was out cold.
But my sleep was restless.
Fragments of memories about Liam kept appearing in my dreams.
I also dreamed about the girl sitting beside him.
Her name was Chloe.
She was a hardworking student Liam had sponsored while abroad.
After we got back together, we’d confessed our three years apart to each other.
I hadn’t dated anyone.
And Liam had completely changed from his usual thoughtless self, quietly studying abroad.
But Chloe was an exception.
Liam said the resilient look in her eyes reminded him of me, and that was why he chose to sponsor her.
Over time, they developed feelings for each other.
Liam said they had a brief relationship.
But ultimately, she wasn’t me.
In the end, he chose to break up with her and come back home to try and win me over again.
And it was then that I impulsively agreed to his proposal.
And he had completely cut ties with Chloe.
But then the scene shifted in my dream.
I dreamed of his hand gently stroking Chloe’s neck again.
Such an intimate and natural gesture—how could that be “cutting ties”?
Liam… he hadn’t changed at all, right from the start.
The dream turned nightmarish at that moment.
I snapped awake, as if I was trapped in a suffocating shroud of black mist.
It was four in the morning. I was wide awake.
There wasn’t much of Liam’s stuff at my place.
Most of his belongings, along with mine, had already been moved to our wedding house.
It was a new house we’d both loved, after looking at so many options, that he’d bought a month after returning home.
Now, my only comfort was that he’d paid for it in full.
We didn’t have any property division issues to sort out yet.
Thinking about this, my heart still sank.
When Liam first came back, I truly planned on making things work with him.
I thought we could both be more tolerant, more compromising.
After all, we’d loved each other for so long.
And found it so hard to forget each other.
But when Chloe reappeared by his side.
The moment those ugly words came out of his mouth.
I realized how foolish I’d been.
Liam was still Liam.
He couldn’t be tolerant, couldn’t compromise.
He couldn’t even guarantee his love.
While I was still lost in thought, my phone rang.
It was Jake.
I pulled at the corner of my lips, a sarcastic smile playing on them.
For so many years, whenever Liam and I argued, he’d come over afterward to play the mediator.
But things had been so tense last night, I was curious how he’d even try to convince me now.
“Cassie, I’m not getting involved in your business anymore. But I hope you two can really clear the air before you go your separate ways. So you don’t have any regrets later.”
“Regret? Why would I regret it? Finding out before the wedding means it’s a blessing in disguise.”
I spoke softly.
Jake fell silent.
After hanging up, I lay on the couch for a while.
It was true, I should have a proper talk with Liam.
I needed to explain things to my parents, at least.
But I couldn’t get through to Liam’s phone.
I remembered that when we first got back together, he’d linked a location-sharing app to my phone.
I dug it out and opened it.
It showed he was at a hospital.
I didn’t overthink it.
I quickly got ready and hailed a cab.
My time off was almost over—only two and a half days left. I needed to get these things sorted out quickly.
The location sharing was precise—it even showed the building and floor.
I made my way to the hospital room.
And that’s how I unexpectedly heard Chloe’s familiar voice.
“Liam, it hurts so much.”
Inside the room, Liam had his back to me.
He gently ruffled Chloe’s hair, his voice filled with remorse.
“I’m sorry. I won’t let you get hurt next time.”
Chloe’s response was to wrap an arm around his waist.
She smiled sweetly.
“I never blamed you.”
Anyone seeing this scene would assume they were a loving couple.
Even I felt a moment of confusion.
But I’d grown so much in these three years.
It hadn’t even been ten hours since we’d ripped each other apart last night.
And I could already suppress the pain in my heart, knocking on the door without batting an eye.
“Liam, step outside for a moment.”
8.
Liam frantically rushed out, breathlessly explaining to me.
“When I pushed Chloe away yesterday, I hurt her, that’s why I brought her to the hospital.”
He grabbed my hand, his voice catching slightly.