In my sixth year with Nathan Bennett.

"Nathan, I'm getting married," I said.

He jolted, suddenly snapping back to reality, looking somewhat troubled. "Hannah, you know the company is at a crucial point with our financing. I'm not in the mood to..."

“It’s okay,” I replied, my smile calm and composed.

Nathan misunderstood.

I was getting married, but not to him.

"Mom... please tell Grandpa that I agree to the arranged marriage."

"Really?!" My mother sounded delighted, then caught herself. "Wait, what about that boyfriend you've been with for years? Yes, we hoped you'd find someone from a suitable background, but if..."

"It's over. Please arrange the marriage."

My mother didn't rush to ask why. "Think it over for a few more days. Your grandfather carefully chose this match - he's managing some investment company under their family name. But marriage is a big decision, and I don't want you to be hasty."

"Mom, I'm not being hasty. I've thought it through."

Yesterday, during a call with my brother, he accidentally let slip that our family's finances were on the verge of collapse.

An arranged marriage was the best solution.

Of course, someone like me—a girl who once broke ties with her entire family for love—would never have considered this before. But things had changed.

The only explanation was that my hopelessly romantic lovesick self had died.

It was time to wake up.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I glanced in the direction Nathan had been staring earlier, a self-mocking smile touching my lips.

Once, he used to look at me that way too.

In college, he pursued me for three years. When I asked what he liked about me, he grinned like an idiot and said I was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

I didn't like fools, but his sincerity eventually won me over.

Still, I didn't give in easily.

But Nathan didn't mind. Rain or shine, he'd bring breakfast to my dorm every morning.

He'd track my monthly cycle, bringing me chamomile tea and pain relievers before it started.

If I looked twice at a necklace, he'd find part-time work to save up and buy it for me.

When I was upset, he'd rack his brain to tell jokes to cheer me up.

Even if I merely frowned, he'd ask if I wasn't feeling well.

But in the end…

Nothing could compete with a childhood sweetheart.

Two months ago, his childhood friend suddenly came to Brookshire to visit him.

From our first meeting, I noticed Nathan had no sense of boundaries when he was with Nina Smith.

I didn't think much of it, assuming Nina would leave after a few days.

Unexpectedly, she became Nathan's personal secretary and stayed in Brookshire.

When I asked about it, Nathan just said they needed someone, and it was better to hire someone they knew.

But after that, his business trips and overtime became more and more frequent.

Not coming home at night became common.

The day before yesterday, I checked the attendance records in HR and discovered they'd been inseparable for a while.

On business trips, they went together, just the two of them.

The expense reports submitted to Finance showed only one executive suite.

And overtime - well, that was even more obvious.

Seeing me leave Nathan's office, Nina stood up from her desk by the door.

She smiled brightly. "Hannah, you don't look well. Did you and Nathan have a fight?"

I had no energy to argue with her and tried to walk past.

"Hannah Jefferson!"

She called after me. "You're turning thirty next year, right? Stop being childish. LD venture capital firm still hasn't approved our funding, and Nathan's really stressed about it. If you can't help him, at least don't distract him at such a crucial time."

I frowned slightly, looking at her calmly. "Nina Smith, I co-founded this company with Nathan. If he can keep you here, I can make you leave."

"You..."

She hadn't expected my firmness. She froze, then spoke tearfully: "I was just trying to help. If you don't want to hear it, fine, but why are you threatening to fire me..."

"Who dares to fire her?"

Nathan came out, his tone cold. "Hannah, Nina’s young and she's just finding her feet in a new city. Can't you be more understanding if she says something wrong?"

Young.

I couldn't help but laugh.

Nina was only three months younger than me.

Fighting back tears, I took a deep breath. "Nathan, I'm giving you a choice. Either she goes, or I go."

"Hannah Jefferson, stop being unreasonable."

I froze.

Dazed.

I couldn't remember the last time he'd called me using my full name.

"Hannah, you must be misunderstanding my relationship with Nathan. We're just childhood friends who grew up together."

Nina's eyes welled up as she looked pitifully at Nathan. "Nathan, I heard Hannah comes from a good family. She must be used to getting her way. Please don't fight with her because of me.

"I-I'm used to dealing with people's moods. It's fine if I work at another company. If it makes Hannah happy, I can even leave Brookshire..."

"Nina!"

Nathan couldn't hide the concern in his eyes.

I forced a smile and left.

All these years, my family had indulged me.

After college graduation, my father wanted me to return to Eastbrook to gain experience before taking over the family business.

But I was lovesick then. For Nathan's sake, I had a huge fight with my father, insisting on staying in Brookshire.

Just because my father said: "What can a poor boy like him give you?"

I stayed up countless nights with Nathan building the business, often working until dawn to secure contracts.

Who knew it wouldn't earn Nathan's loyalty and devotion.

All it earned me was a stomach that needed medicine to heal.

My mother sighed. "So when are you coming back?"

"In two weeks."

After hanging up, I looked back at the towering building, my smile bitter.

Nathan.

I gave you a choice.

You didn't take it.

So now, I'm letting you go.

Back home, I sat motionless on the couch for what felt like hours.

The cracks in my relationship with Nathan had first appeared last month.

Initially, I couldn't understand how love could change so suddenly.

Whenever I questioned his relationship with Nina, he'd say: "You're imagining things. She's like a sister to me, that's why I look out for her."

At first, I believed him.

His love had always seemed so genuine that I never questioned it.

Then came that party where he got drunk, and I went to pick him up.

That's when I learned the truth from his equally intoxicated friend.

"Nathan and Nina... they grew up together. Before he ever pursued you, he actually confessed his feelings to her, but she turned him down.

"One can't just forget first love.

"He was drawn to you because your smile reminded him of Nina's.

"But don't worry - we've all been telling him to stick with you. Nina probably rejected him because he was broke back then. Now that he's made something of himself, she's suddenly interested."

"..."

The kettle's timer jolted me back to reality.

I forced down the bitter chamomile tea, looking around the apartment I'd so carefully decorated, and marked another day off the calendar.

14 days left.

Then I started the methodical process of packing and cleaning.

Brookshire and Eastbrook were at opposite ends of the country, and I couldn’t take much with me.

Whatever I couldn’t pack, I tossed.

I couldn't stand the thought of someone else - especially Nathan's next girlfriend - going through my things.

After two trips to the dumpster, exhaustion hit. The rest would have to wait.

Fresh from my shower, I saw Nina's social media post.

"CEO by day, standing in line for my favorite cake by night. He says he wants to make up for all our lost time. Couldn't be happier!"

The photo showed a strawberry cheesecake, but what caught my eye was the men's watch loosely draped around her wrist - the match to mine.

We'd bought those matching watches after pulling several all-nighters to land the company's first major client.

That deal had put us on the map.

Despite running on almost no sleep that week, he was ecstatic. He dragged me to the mall and bought these watches I'd been secretly admiring.

I protested at the expense.

But he insisted, sliding it onto my wrist before pulling me close. "Hannah," he'd said earnestly, "everything you want, I need to give you myself."

That watch never left his wrist except for showers or sleep.

He'd even fired his last assistant for accidentally water-damaging it.

Everyone thought Nathan was devoted to me.

Looking back now, I thought it was laughable.

No one realized that all those loving gazes he gave me were really meant for someone else.

With a heavy sigh, I unclasped the watch, snapped a couple photos, and listed it for sale online.

Nathan didn't come home again that night.

The next day, I slept until noon before heading to the office to resign.

Since the company had stabilized two years ago, I'd focused solely on heading the design department.

Several people stopped to congratulate me when I was walking from Design department to HR.

Confused, I was pulled into an office by Linda Clark from HR. "Spill it - are you and Nathan finally getting engaged?"

"What?"

I was blindsided.

As a company veteran, Linda didn't mince words. "Come on! It's obvious - Nathan's making such grand gestures, everyone knows he's planning to propose!"

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

She covered her mouth. "You really don't know? Could Nathan be planning a surprise...?"

"Explain. Please."

"Well..." She hesitated, then leaned in conspiratorially. "Someone saw the florist delivering flowers to Nathan - the whole car was packed with pink roses! It's not your birthday or anniversary, so what else could it be but a proposal?"

Pink roses.

Two months ago, when Nina arrived in Brookshire, Nathan had bought pink roses to welcome her at the airport.

My fingers curled into my palm.

I stayed silent. Linda glanced at the papers in my hand. "What's that?"

"My resignation."

"Of course!" She beamed. "For the engagement, right? Ready to be the perfect wife. Here, let me sign that."

"Thanks."

I didn't correct her, just handed over the documents.

She signed while grumbling, "Nathan should have given me a heads up. Where am I supposed to find another Design Director like you on such short notice?"

"Just get Nathan's signature and it's done."

She returned the papers, saying warmly: "Hannah, I don't know if choosing family life is the right call, but as your friend of many years, I wish you all the happiness in the world! I hope Nathan gives you everything you deserve."

"I will be happy."

Just not with Nathan.

I hesitated for a moment before walking into Nathan’s office.

Not because I was uncertain, but because I hadn’t figured out how to get him to sign the papers without any fuss.

After the company implemented stricter HR policies, even I had to sign an updated contract.

Considering the sensitivity of my role as the design director—and the fact that my family’s business was loosely tied to this industry—I needed to ensure my resignation paperwork was complete before returning to Eastbrook. Otherwise, it could cause unnecessary trouble later.

I pushed the door open, ready to speak, but stopped short when I saw Nina sitting across from Nathan.

No wonder her desk outside was empty. She had clearly moved her workspace in here.

Nina noticed me first. She playfully tapped Nathan on the head and said in a sweet, teasing voice, “Nathan!”

Nathan’s tone was indulgent. “Alright, stop messing around. I need to finish this agreement.”

“I’m not messing around…” Nina glanced at me provocatively before putting on a well-behaved smile. “Hannah’s here.”

Nathan immediately leaned back in his chair, putting distance between them, and looked up at me, flustered. Our eyes met.

Ignoring the ache in my heart, I spoke calmly. “Nathan, I need you to sign a document.”

I handed him the folder.

Relieved that I didn’t address the obvious tension between him and Nina, he nodded. “Alright.”

“Nathan, I’ll let you two work. I’ll head out,” Nina said, standing up to leave.

As Nathan opened the folder, I was just about to explain the document when Nina suddenly cried out, “Ah—my ankle! It hurts!”

“Nina!” Nathan jumped to his feet, abandoning the folder as he rushed toward her.

I stepped in his way. “Sign this first. It’ll only take a few seconds.”

He frowned. “Hannah Jefferson, when did you become so cold-hearted? Is this document really that important?”

“Nathan…” Nina whimpered from the floor, clutching her ankle and tearing up.

Nathan’s focus was entirely on her. Without even glancing at the papers, he hastily scribbled his signature where I pointed.

That suited me just fine.

I only wanted to get this resignation done and leave this city—to return to the life I was meant to have.

Nathan lifted Nina onto the couch and gently examined her foot. “It’s not swollen, but if it really hurts, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

“It’s not that bad…” Nina pulled her foot back shyly, sneaking a glance in my direction.

Expressionless, I turned and left.

Before I could get into my car, Nathan ran after me, stopping me by the door. “Hannah, don’t misunderstand. There’s nothing between me and Nina. I’m just looking out for her because we grew up together.”

“Hmm.” I nodded faintly, gesturing for him to release the door. “I have things to do.”

He hesitated, looking unsure. “You’re not upset?”

I smiled faintly. “Should I be?”

“In the past, you would’ve been furious if I did something like this…”

“But you still did it anyway.” I met his eyes, seeing the panic he was trying to hide. “Relax, I’m just joking. Come home for dinner tonight?”

“I…” He averted his gaze, squeezing my hand lightly. “I have a business dinner, but I’ll definitely come home after.”

I wanted to laugh but couldn’t. How did it come to this, where even getting him to come home felt like begging for a favor?

After grabbing dinner outside, I returned home and resumed packing.

That's when I realized - when disappointment runs deep enough, you don't want to keep any memories at all.

I methodically erased every trace of my existence from our apartment.

I went through Nathan's room too.

But only removed the things I'd bought for us as a couple.

Toothbrush, coffee mugs, slippers, matching pajamas...

During a break, before I could finish, I received a text from Nina.

[Hannah, isn't it sweet? After all these years, Nathan still remembers pink roses are my favorite. He's even more thoughtful than before.]

[Thanks for training such a perfect man for me.]

[All those years of training him paid off... for me.]

She attached a photo.

The white luxury car I'd helped him choose, its trunk filled with roses, decorated with twinkling lights.

In that moment, everything became crystal clear.

All the genuine love I thought I'd had these past years had belonged to someone else all along.