365 Days of Rain, 365 Days of Her, Zero Days of Me Chapter 08

365 Days of Rain, 365 Days of Her, Zero Days of Me Chapter 08

The anonymous texts stopped. But every morning, Julian was waiting outside my office building.

And every day, something new showed up at the front desk with my name on it.

Day one — our photo, the one from the door, reframed. The glass was perfect again. Our faces looked the way they did the day we graduated, young and untouched.

Day two — a stack of prepaid gift cards and open reservations. Every restaurant I’d ever sent him, every link he’d never clicked — somehow he’d booked them all.

Day three — a bank card. The balance was a little more than what the car had cost — every dollar he’d drained from our savings, plus extra.

Day four — a ring. The one we’d picked out together, back when we still talked about forever.

Day five — the signature pastry from our bakery, the one we used to detour for on the walk home.

I took the box and went downstairs to find him.

He smiled, but there was something careful in his eyes. “What’s wrong — you don’t like that flavor anymore?”

“You don’t have to do all this. It’s over, Julian.”

“I know…” Julian’s eyes were wet. “Is there really no chance? Not even a small one?”

He said he’d put it all together. Chloe was the one who deleted the texts I sent him that night.

“If I’d seen them, I would’ve come straight home. I would’ve fought for us. I never would’ve let you go.”

“You still don’t get it. You didn’t lose me over a few deleted messages. You lost me every single time you chose her over me. Chloe didn’t destroy us. You did.”

I gave back the gift cards, the ring, and the pastry.

I took the photo out of its frame, tore my half off, and handed the rest back to him. I only kept the bank card — what he owed me.

“We’re even.”

“No — at least let me make it up to you. All those restaurants you sent me, we never went to a single one.”

“And the car — I’ll drive you. Every day, rain or shine. I’ll never let you go through that again.”

“The ring…” His voice cracked. “I should’ve given you this on our anniversary.”

I watched him fall apart and shook my head. “I don’t want any of it anymore.”

I turned to leave. He grabbed my hand. I looked back and saw him sobbing — really sobbing, his face wrecked, nothing held back.

I’d never seen him cry like that.

“One more chance. Just one — please.”

“You had five years of chances.”

I reminded him — the hospital, the promises, all of it.

After that last night in the apartment, I’d weighed everything.

Five years of us on one side, the person he’d become on the other.

At first, it was a battle.

The memories still pulled hard.

But day by day, the feelings just… faded.

He’d already made his choice a long time ago — he always chose Chloe.

So I chose myself.

Julian’s lips were trembling.

The ring slipped from his fingers and hit the pavement. He didn’t move to pick it up.

He just stood there and watched it roll away.

After that day, nothing else showed up at the front desk.

The project wrapped up not long after. At the team celebration, one of the girls was venting about her boyfriend having zero boundaries with other girls.

I smiled into my glass.

“Honestly, Audrey, staying single is the move. No drama, no dead weight.”

I clinked glasses with her and patted her shoulder.

“Hey, whatever happened to that guy who used to wait outside for you every morning?”

“Yeah — was he your ex? Pretty cute, kind of had that broody thing going on.”

I shook my head.

Ancient history.

“Forget him — tonight’s about you! Everybody raise a glass for our brand-new team lead!”

“That’s right. Men are temporary, promotions are forever.”

I grinned and raised my glass.

“To moving up.”