Falling for Me, Then Judging My Past

After my ex-boyfriend Adrian Pruitt cheated on me, I ended up with Samuel Marlowe, who had been in love with me for three years.

He held me tightly, his voice full of pain as he promised he would never betray me.

But the night before the wedding, I accidentally overheard him say, "The thought of Tessa Harlow sleeping with someone else for two years just disgusts me."

I immediately tore up the custom-made wedding dress and threw away the diamond ring Samuel had bought for me.

When he asked me to transfer to the branch office, I agreed. I needed to distance myself from him—far, far away.

...

"Ella Thorn, I've made up my mind. I agree to take the management position at the branch office," I said, my voice firm.

Ella looked at me in surprise. "Didn't you say you were getting married soon and didn't want to be apart from your boyfriend? Why the change of heart?"

She paused, then added, "Although your position and salary will improve at the branch, it's quite a distance away. Maybe you should talk it over with your boyfriend first."

I shook my head gently, biting my lip. "Ella, I've already made my decision."

With the wedding approaching, I found myself working longer hours, hoping that once the wedding was over, I could take a proper break.

So, when I came home yesterday and heard the noise from the room, I didn’t think much of it. Samuel is a freelancer, and he often invites friends over to hang out.

I opened the door, changed my shoes at the entryway, and overheard Flora Vale asking him, "Samuel, weren’t you supposed to wait for me? Why is the wedding already happening?"

I held my breath, eager to hear his response. Samuel's voice came back, indifferent. "Honestly, just thinking about Tessa sleeping with someone else for two years makes me sick. It feels like she's slowly pushing me to marry her."

I froze. I couldn’t believe those words were coming from Samuel.

My heart, once warm, seemed to freeze with the cold wind from outside. I shuddered involuntarily.

Not long ago, when he found out that my ex-boyfriend Adrian had cheated on me, Samuel confessed his feelings for me. I turned him down more than once. I said, "I don’t want to fall in love again so quickly. I’m scared of being hurt."

But he didn’t give up. He warmed me with his kindness, showing me how deeply he loved me.

The day I finally agreed to be with him, it was snowing. Samuel had waited downstairs with a cake for three hours just to celebrate my birthday with me.

When I saw him, he hid his red, frozen hands and smiled, asking me to try the cake.

In that moment, my heart softened.

I had tears in my eyes, and it wasn’t until he hurriedly wiped them away that I realized I had been crying without even noticing.

I cried out, "Samuel, you bastard! Why do you have to be so good to me?"

He gently cupped my face in his hands, looking at me seriously. I heard him say, "Because you deserve it."

It was those words that made me agree to be with him.

Samuel embraced me excitedly, swearing to me, "I will never betray you. I will always love you, always care for you."

But those words, still echoing in my ears, already seemed hollow.

I placed the keys on the entryway table, the sound breaking the silence.

It was enough for those inside to hear.

The chaotic chatter suddenly fell silent.

I walked in, keeping my expression neutral, and greeted his friends with a smile.

I saw Samuel relax slightly, a sigh of relief escaping him.

Flora stood up with a grin. "Tessa, you're back!"

My eyes stopped. I froze when I saw the watch on her wrist. It was the one I had given Samuel for his birthday—the one I had carefully engraved with his initials.

I had painstakingly carved it with my own hands.