After Being Reborn, I Decided Not to Love Him Anymore Chapter 04

After Being Reborn, I Decided Not to Love Him Anymore Chapter 04

Marcus POV

Marcus’s grip tightened on the discharge papers.

He didn’t say anything. Just looked at Lily.

Lily was still smiling, patting his arm. “Your little sister’s all grown up. She’s running off with someone. Aren’t you going to say something big-brotherly?”

“Yeah,” he heard himself say, flatly. “Good for her.”

His gaze drifted past Lily and landed on Nancy.

She was standing by the window with her head down. Sunlight stretched her shadow long across the floor.

She wasn’t looking at him.

Not once. Not even a glance.

“I’ll take you both home,” he said, tucking the papers away and guiding Lily toward the door.

“Doctor’s orders—you need rest. No overdoing it.”

Lily laughed and agreed, then turned and waved at Nancy. “Nancy, come on. Let’s go home.”

In the car, Lily took the front seat. Nancy sat in back.

No one spoke.

The radio played old songs. Lily leaned her head back and gradually fell asleep.

Marcus glanced in the rearview mirror.

Nancy was looking out the side window. Her profile was reflected in the glass. He couldn’t read her expression.

She’d lost a lot of weight.

These past three months, running between school and the hospital, her chin had gotten pointy.

He wanted to say something. Opened his mouth. Closed it again.

Say what?

Tell her not to move out?

He’d been the one to say it. He’d bought the damn apartment. What was he going to do, change his mind now?

At a red light, the car stopped.

In the mirror, Nancy’s phone lit up.

It was an Instagram message. His eyes were sharp—he caught the name: “Sean Sheffield.”

He couldn’t read the message, but Nancy’s lips curved up afterward.

Just a little. But yeah. She was smiling.

The light turned green. The car behind them honked.

Marcus snapped out of it and hit the gas.

He drove smoothly. At some point, Nancy fell asleep too, her breathing soft and steady.

Lily didn’t wake up until they got home. Marcus helped her out, rubbing her eyes.

Nancy followed with the bags.

At the door, Marcus said abruptly, “Leave the bags. I’ll help you move tomorrow.”

Nancy looked up at him, startled.

“Don’t bother. I booked movers. Tomorrow at nine.”

Marcus’s fingers curled. “…Suit yourself.”

That night, Lily went to bed early.

Marcus sat in his home office, staring at his computer screen. He couldn’t focus on a single word.

One name kept circling in his head like a bad penny: Sean.

Who the hell was that?

When did she meet him?

This “someone” she was interested in—was this Sean guy?

He pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Nancy.

The last message was three months ago. She’d written, “Marcus, good night.”

He hadn’t replied.

Scrolling up, it was all day-to-day stuff:

“Marcus, what do you want for dinner?”

“Marcus, I passed my exam.”

“Marcus, it’s raining. Did you bring an umbrella?”

He’d answered most of them with a single “Mm.”

Nancy never complained. Her next message was always just as cheerful.

He didn’t even notice when she’d stopped sending them.

He scrolled back further and realized the last time she’d messaged him first was two months ago.

The day he and Lily had their fight and broke up.

After that… nothing. Nancy never texted him privately again.

Every single message since then had been in the group chat.

Marcus put the phone down and rubbed his eyes.

Outside, the night was pitch black. He sat there for a long time, not sure what he was even thinking about.

The movers showed up at nine sharp.

Nancy already had everything packed. Three cardboard boxes. One suitcase.

Marcus came downstairs in his sweats and stopped on the landing, watching her.

“That all?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Nancy carried the boxes out one by one. “Most of it I’m getting rid of.”

Marcus walked over and picked up the heaviest box.

“I’ve got it.”

Nancy paused. “Thanks.”

Marcus hauled the boxes to the truck. Three trips.

On the last one, he stopped in the doorway of Nancy’s room.

It was practically empty. The curtains were pulled back, sunlight flooding in, making the room look even emptier.

On the vanity sat that lonely little jewelry box.

Nancy walked over, picked it up, and opened it.

Inside were the pearl earrings he’d given her for her eighteenth birthday.

She looked at them for a few seconds. Then she closed the lid.

“You don’t want these?” Marcus asked.

Nancy shook her head. “No.”

She set the box back on the vanity and walked out.

Marcus stood in the doorway, staring at that jewelry box.

For some reason, those earrings sitting alone in that bare room felt like they were looking at him.

“Marcus,” Nancy called from downstairs. “I’m heading out.”

He came down.

Nancy stood in the doorway, backlit by the sun. Her silhouette was edged in gold.

White tee, jeans, hair in a ponytail. Clean and simple.

“Thanks for everything,” she said with a small smile. “Lily’s still not a hundred percent. Take good care of her, okay?”

Marcus looked at her and said abruptly, “Maybe I’ll come visit sometime.”

“No need. Everything’s set. You’re busy.”

She turned and walked away.

Marcus stood in the doorway, watching the truck roll out of the complex and disappear down the street.

He stood there for a long time.

When he finally went back inside, he passed Nancy’s room. The door was open.

He walked in.

The room was completely empty. The closet doors hung open. Nothing inside.

The curtains swayed in the breeze.

On the vanity, the jewelry box was still there.

He walked over and opened it.

The earrings sat inside, the pearls glowing softly.

He picked up his phone and texted Nancy: “You forgot your earrings.”

A few minutes later, she replied: “Don’t want them. Just throw them out.”

He stared at the words. Typed and deleted. Typed and deleted.

He tried to message again.

Nothing.