You Don’t Want Me Marrying Someone Else

Harper froze briefly before reaching for the juice on the table and pouring me a glass.

“Alright, Jayden. You can fool everyone else if you want, but there’s no point fooling yourself.”

The warmth in her voice had been replaced by a hint of coldness.

“Regarding marriage, I already made myself clear the last time we talked about it. I don’t want to spend any more energy on something I’ve already made up my mind about.”

By “the last time,” she meant our eighth anniversary two weeks ago.

After all those years together, I had thought it was time for us to move on to the next stage of our lives.

I knew Harper had spent the past two years completely absorbed in her startup. She barely ever had a moment to breathe. So, I had decided to take the initiative and propose to her.

I was willing to take care of every aspect of the wedding myself. She only had to show up on the day and be my bride.

That night, I took out the matching rings I had prepared. While blushing deeply, I had asked her if she would marry me.

However, Harper showed none of the excitement and joy I had imagined.

“Jayden, I don’t have time to get married now.”

She closed the ring box and pushed it back toward me.

“Can you wait a little longer?”

Her tone carried the same familiar warmth and intimacy as always.

But something inside me slowly ran cold.

I had already heard the word “wait” far too many times.

Harper and I had grown up together. Our families knew each other well, and they were more than happy to see us together.

As soon as we graduated, they started bringing up marriage plans.

Harper had told me we were still young, and that she wanted to focus on her career for two years before getting married.

I had agreed and told my parents there was no need to rush things.

They respected my decision and never mentioned it again.

Two years later, Harper left her job at the company and started her own business.

In the early days of her startup, she worked until two or three in the morning almost every day.

When she came home, she would hold me around the waist and promise to marry me once she succeeded, asking me to wait just a little longer.

I saw how hard she worked, so I never brought up marriage again.

It was already our eighth year together.

Harper’s company had gradually stabilized. Though she was still busy, it was nothing like the early days when she practically lived in the office.

I thought it was finally time for us to get married.

Even if she had no time to handle the wedding arrangements, I did not mind. I just wanted to marry her.

But to my surprise, her answer was still “wait.”

“We’ve been together for eight years. Don’t you want to marry me?”

I could not hold it in anymore. My words spilled out in a rambling rush.

“I don’t even care if the wedding is grand or modest. As long as it’s the two of us and our closest family members, I can–”

“Jayden Grant.”

In our eight years together, it was the first time Harper had ever called me by my full name.

All the warmth left her face, replaced by overwhelming exhaustion.

“I’m already worn out from work every day. Why do you keep pressuring me? Are you really in that much of a rush?”