The Bride Isn’t Me, So I’m Calling Off the Wedding Chapter 05
Jason Miller felt a sudden pang of unease as he stared at the discarded ring on the floor.
It was what Natalie Shaw cared about most; she had never even been willing to take it off to shower.
But why had she thrown the ring away herself this time?
Had she really meant it when she said she was leaving him for Claire?
But Natalie loved him so much. How could she possibly be willing to give up on their relationship?
Just then, Claire Shaw gave Jason Miller’s sleeve a gentle tug. Her eyes were red, and her shoulders
shook as she sobbed:
“Jason Miller, I heard everything you just said to Natalie. Did you make me the other woman?”
A circle of people stood around them.
Natalie’s mother tenderly wiped Claire’s tears away:
“Sweetheart, you must have heard wrong. How could he ever bear to make you the other woman?”
“Natalie was the one who didn’t know where to draw the line, and that’s what made you
misunderstand.”
Natalie’s older sister patted Claire’s shoulder and comforted her:
“Don’t cry. In our hearts, you’re the only woman Jason Miller will ever marry. How could Natalie possibly be the right choice?”
Claire shook her head, still crying:
“If all of this is true, haven’t I hurt Natalie?”
“She must be heartbroken.”
As he looked at the noisy crowd gathered around them, Jason Miller’s expression gradually darkened. The image of Natalie with her eyes rimmed in red flashed through his mind.
It seemed that no one, from beginning to end, had asked Natalie what she wanted, much less cared how deeply she was hurting.
“If you keep making a scene, I’ll fire you.”
The words Jason Miller had spoken to her himself kept circling in his mind, stabbing him to the
core.
He couldn’t understand how he could have threatened her with the job she valued so much.
He didn’t even dare imagine how devastated Natalie must have been then.
A crushing wave of guilt lodged in Jason Miller’s chest, and his throat suddenly refused to produce
a sound.
When Jason Miller said nothing, Natalie’s older sister urged him anxiously:
“Jason Miller, say something! Can’t you see how hard Claire is crying?”
Jason Miller moved his lips, but in the end he said nothing. He turned and walked away.
All along the way, Jason Miller kept calling her, but the only response was the same mechanical
female voice.
The hand holding his phone trembled, and Jason Miller kept reassuring himself:
Natalie was only furious this time. Maybe she’d calm down after a while.
As he passed a jewelry store and saw the dazzling necklaces behind the window, Jason Miller suddenly remembered something.
It seemed that he and Natalie had passed this very store three years earlier.
Natalie’s eyes had clung to one of the necklaces inside, but she had shaken her head and said she
didn’t like it to save money.
Seeing how much she clearly loved it yet stayed silent to spare his pride had broken Jason Miller’s
heart.
Back then, his eyes red, he had rubbed her head and promised that he would make it up to her
someday.
But later, he had forgotten that promise.
At the thought, Jason Miller bought the necklace without hesitation, his mind filled with the delighted look Natalie would have when she saw it.
He ran all the way home, but the moment he arrived, Jason Miller froze.
The house was empty. There wasn’t a person in sight.
He hurriedly opened the closet. Claire’s clothes filled every space that had belonged to Natalie, and
of Natalie’s things were gone.
Even the keychain lay quietly inside the trash can.
Natalie’s mother, panting as she caught up with Jason Miller, froze at the sight too and asked in
surprise:
“Where is Natalie? Why are all her things gone?”
