He Took Her To The Island We Planned To Marry Chapter 09

He Took Her To The Island We Planned To Marry Chapter 09

The four of them turned and walked away.

Seraphine stayed tucked closest to Evander while his arm naturally returned to her waist.

Rowan stood frozen where he was, watching their figures disappear farther and farther into the

crowd.

“Chief…”

Brielle’s shaky voice came from beside him.

“Are you okay? Maybe we should just… go home first?”

She reached for his arm.

Rowan jerked away violently.

Brielle stumbled backward in surprise, the bouquet slipping from her hands. Pink rose petals

scattered across the airport floor.

But Rowan never even looked at her.

He walked out alone, unsteady and half numb.

The moment he stepped back into the apartment, the silence hit him like a knife.

Only then did Rowan finally realize something was wrong.

Almost mechanically, he walked into the closet and pulled open Seraphine’s side.

Empty.

Every dress, every pair of shoes, every handbag-gone.

His breathing turned uneven as he moved into the bathroom next.

Her toothbrush was gone. Her towels. Her skincare products.

Even the vanity looked unnaturally spotless, without a single strand of her hair left behind.

Then he entered the study.

The shelf where she kept her professional books stood completely empty too.

How had he not noticed any of this before?

Like a man sleepwalking through a nightmare, Rowan stumbled back into the living room and collapsed onto the couch.

The little starfish bracelet was still there. Quietly resting inside its velvet box. Beside it lay the old photograph of the four of them together.

In the picture, all four were smiling brightly.

Young.

Certain the future belonged to them.

Rowan picked up the bracelet slowly.

The silver had darkened with age, and the tiny starfish charm had become worn and blurred around the edges.

He clenched it tightly in his fist.

Then grabbed his phone again and dialed Seraphine’s number almost frantically.

Busy signal.

Again.

Busy signal.

Still blocked.

After hesitating for several seconds, Rowan scrolled through his contacts and found Seraphine’s

mother.

The call rang for a long time before she finally answered.

“Mrs. Vale…”

His voice sounded so hoarse he barely recognized it himself.

A long silence followed.

Then came a tired sigh from the other end.

“Rowan…”

“Let it go.”

“Seraphine’s married now. The wedding happened. Everything’s legal.”

Some things just come down to fate”

The line disconnected.

Slowly, Rowan crouched down onto the floor.

And finally he broke apart completely.

Rowan didn’t give up. He couldn’t even explain why.

Eight years was too long.

Long enough that he no longer remembered what life had looked like before Seraphine existed in it.

So how could she possibly let go first?

The bracelet stayed on his nightstand after that.

Every night before sleeping, Rowan picked it up and looked at it for a while.

As if confirming that those years hadn’t simply been something he imagined.

After work each day, he started driving past Northlake Media Group.

He would sit inside his car across from the glass office building and watch the lights flicker on one

by one-

then disappear one by one into darkness.

Sometimes the lights on Seraphine’s old department floor stayed on late.

Whenever that happened, Rowan lingered longer too.

Imagining her still inside.

Frowning at her computer screen.

Typing rapidly with focused fingers.

He also started writing letters.

On the backs of patient files.

On unused prescription sheets.

On any scrap paper he could find.

After writing them, he folded each page into a clumsy little heart before sealing it inside an

envelope and mailing it to her office

The first letter was over ten pages long

He wrote about the day they met in college. About how nervous he had been confessing to her. About the first time he held her hand, his palms soaked with sweat.

At the end, he asked: Do you still remember?

The second letter was shorter.

He told her he had repaired the bracelet.

The starfish charm had been professionally restored too, polished until it looked brand new again.

If she wanted it back, he would bring it to her personally.

The third letter contained only five words.

Seraphine, I miss you.

But no reply ever came.

After Brielle transferred departments, she came looking for Rowan several times.

Every single time, he refused to let her inside his office.

The last time, her eyes were red when she asked quietly:

“Chief… do you hate me now?”

Rowan looked at her for a long moment before answering flatly:

“No.”

“But unless it’s work-related, don’t come looking for me again.”

Truthfully, Rowan no longer knew what he was waiting for.

Maybe just an opportunity.

A chance to begin again.

Or a chance to finally say goodbye.