It's Time to Let Go

I quietly turned off the notifications for the group chat and turned off my phone. Then, I stared blankly at the ring box.

Just then, Charles' mother, Nora Glover, called, saying that she would be dropping by tomorrow on a business trip and wanted to see us.

I was certain that Nora would ask if we were going to get married again. I told Charles about this and mentioned that I had work tomorrow, so I couldn't take time off.

When he heard that, he frowned. "Work? How is work more important than my mother? You used to love going out with us. My mom rarely comes over. As her future daughter-in-law, you can't leave her hanging."

If this were before, I would've been overjoyed hearing this subtle hint. But now, all I could think of was that text in the group chat that read, "She's not wife material."

How laughable.

Then again, Nora had always been kind to me. She treated me like I was her own daughter. After thinking it over, I decided to ask my boss for some time off.

This time, Charles, who had always been particular about his car, surprisingly offered to give me a ride.

But as soon as I opened the car door, I saw a mess of cosmetics on the passenger seat, along with a conspicuous label reading "Reserved For Yvonne".

"Oh, uh, Cindy, I can explain. This is—"

Before Charles could finish, I interrupted him. "I'll sit in the back and keep Nora company."

With that, I closed the door expressionlessly.

Charles stared at me in surprise for a moment. He only started the car after I quietly told him to.

On the way, he kept trying to make conversation with me. He spoke more in one trip than he usually would in a whole week.

I responded to him half-heartedly as I forced myself not to look at the label on the passenger seat.

…

As soon as Nora saw us, she immediately took my hand and asked me how I was doing. Charles stood beside us, his gaze gentle. The entire scene was an illusion of a peaceful, happy life.

Just then, a sharp ringtone sounded, ruining the peace.

I could hear Yvonne sobbing on the other end of the call. She said that she had lost her passport right after getting off her plane and didn't know what to do.

After hanging up, Charles told us that he had an urgent matter at work and rushed off.

"He's always in so much hurry," Nora said, shaking her head in exasperation. "So careless. When you two get married, you must keep him in check."

I simply laughed awkwardly.

Nora's smile grew wider when I didn't object. "Cindy, you've been with Charles for a long time. When are you two planning to get married?"

She looked so expectant that I didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. "There's no rush, Nora," I said instead, dodging the question. "We're both still young."

I spent the entire day with Nora. Charles only appeared when it was finally time to see her off. He did not look happy. I figured that Nora must have also spoken to him about our marriage.

"Cindy Fischer, what did you say to my mom? Why is she pressuring me about marriage again?" he demanded. "Listen. If you keep scheming behind my back, I will never marry you!"

I looked at him sadly. It turned out that my hopes of marrying him were nothing but a delusion, a form of manipulation to him.

Realizing that he had spoken too harshly, Charles softened his tone. "I didn't mean that, Cindy. It's just… I was just annoyed by my mom's nagging. Don't take it to heart.

"You know I'm at the most crucial stage of my career now. Let's just delay the wedding a little…"

When I remained silent, he sighed. "Come on. Stop sulking."

He leaned in to kiss me. There was an unfamiliar scent coming from him. It was a woman's perfume.

I turned away, avoiding his kiss.

"What's wrong?" He sounded unusually concerned.

"I just spent the whole day shopping with Nora. I'm tired," I said quietly.

My lie was probably weak because Charles immediately caught on to my indifference. His tone changed to one of detachment. "What exactly do you want from me, Cindy?"

I didn't answer. I just closed my eyes, refusing to look at him. This was the first time I had rejected Charles' affection.

He let out a cold snort and stood up abruptly. On his way out, he slammed the door behind him.

He did not come home that night.