He Was Never Shy, Just Not With Me Chapter 04
He picked up his glass, putting on a clumsy show.
“It was a spot bonus for top performers. Hailey felt uncomfortable accepting it directly, so I just told them it came from you.”
It was an excuse full of holes.
What kind of company hands out five women’s bracelets as an employee reward?
An undercurrent of suggestive laughter rippled through the dining room.
Eyes darted wildly back and forth among the three of us.
I felt as though all the air had been instantly sucked out of my chest.
Muttering a quick excuse, I turned and walked away from a place where I clearly didn’t belong.
Logan hurried out after me.
“You’ve had too much to drink,” he said, catching up. “Let me drive you home.”
I completely ignored him, terrified that the moment I opened my mouth, I would start sobbing out loud.
But he mistook my silence for submission.
“See? You weren’t comfortable hanging out with my friends either, right?”
“That’s exactly why I always say it’s better for both of us if we stay out of each other’s social circles.”
I would never choose to be friends with someone this repulsive.
“You never attend my gatherings, and you’ve never once bought a gift for my friends. Did you ever actually love me?”
It sounded desperate and pathetic, but I just wanted a straight answer.
His throat bobbed as he scrambled to find another justification.
“If I didn’t love you, why would I be marrying you?”
“Just because your dad used to hit your mom and you grew up unhappy, you can’t force the entire world to revolve around you!”
“I have my own life to live, and I get exhausted too.”
I had only ever wanted him to show up to my gatherings.
Was that really so difficult?
Before scrolling through Hailey’s videos, I genuinely believed it was a monumental ask, but it wasn’t.
He simply didn’t want to waste a single ounce of his energy on me.
This time, I was done. Completely done.
“Logan, we’re—”
“Mr. Reynolds!”
Hailey’s friend came sprinting over, her face completely pale.
“Hailey’s having an allergic reaction. You need to come now. You need to come check on her right now.”
Logan let go of my hand without a second thought.
“We’ll talk about whatever this is when I get back. Stay safe on the road, and remember to text me when you get— ”
I didn’t catch the rest of his sentence because he was already sprinting into the distance.
He didn’t come home all night.
When he finally returned the next morning, he quickly packed a bag and left again in a rush.
He left nothing behind but a short note.
“I’m sorry, a crisis came up with the project. I need to pull two straight all-nighters at the office.”
“Your birthday present is in the right-hand drawer of the desk in the study. Don’t forget to grab it.”
Driven by some twisted curiosity, I opened Hailey’s profile again.
The latest caption read: [Workplace perks: Boss man actually came to the hospital to nurse me back to health] Attached was a photo showing a man’s hands carefully peeling an apple.
Sharp-eyed followers instantly noticed the details.
The “boss” you’re talking about… is that the same handsome guy who’s always sitting right next to you in your videos? It really is! He’s wearing the exact same luxury watch that I could never afford . Oh my god, I honestly thought he was your boyfriend . To the comment above, who says a boss can’t be a boyfriend too ? Hailey had liked that last comment and left a reply:
Not quite yet . Well, it wouldn’t be long now.
I pulled open the desk drawer and immediately spotted a Polaroid lying inside.
It was a snapshot from Hailey’s celebration dinner; everyone in the photo was flashing a brilliant, blinding smile.
I set the Polaroid down, left the gift completely untouched, and slid the drawer shut.
Having lived together for five years, I owned a lot of things.
Yet packing turned out to be surprisingly effortless. Once I threw out everything tied to Logan, more than half of the clutter disappeared.
It took me only two days to completely pack up my life.
Logan had promised he would only be working late for two days, but he never showed up.
Years ago, when my mother was hospitalized, he was the one who ran all over the hospital managing her care.
To make sure I got enough rest, he would work his shifts during the day and spend the entire night sitting awake by her bedside.
My mother had secretly squeezed my hand back then, telling me that unlike her, I had managed to avoid finding a toxic man.
But Mom, you were wrong after all.
The moment she received the notification that I had called off the wedding, she called my phone.
“Nora, sweetie, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, just come back home for a few days. Mom will cook all your favorite meals.”
“I’m okay, Mom. My friends and I bought plane tickets, and we’re going to take advantage of the vacation days to spend some time exploring the grasslands.”
I had expected a brutal withdrawal period after the breakup.
But between my actual job, hunting for a new apartment, and moving, my schedule was entirely full.
Putting together travel itineraries with my friends, booking hotels, and reserving tickets consumed a massive amount of my time.
During that entire period, I didn’t spend any real time dwelling on Logan.
After all, my conversations with my friends had never really revolved around him anyway.
It wasn’t until the morning of what was supposed to be our wedding day.
We were already sitting on a flight bound for Montana when a relentless barrage of text messages from him started flooding my phone.
