Fifteen Years Wasted, Now I’m Done Chapter 14

Fifteen Years Wasted, Now I’m Done Chapter 14

Morning. I walked into the conference room as scheduled.

Ryan sat at the far end of the table.

Fresh shirt. Hair carefully styled. But his complexion was still terrible. Lips cracked. Deep purple shadows under his eyes.

I looked away. Sat across from him.

“Let’s begin.”

The meeting lasted an hour and a half.

He was professional. Not a single personal word.

Introducing products. Discussing strategy. Locking details.

Clean. Efficient.

Except. Ryan’s gaze occasionally dropped to my left hand.

The ring finger had been empty for a long time.

Meeting over. Everyone cleared out.

Ryan blocked me at the door. Like he’d gathered every scrap

of courage he had a Waley Canige wyto

He rushed to add, before i could

“I don’t mean anything by it, just a megl

“Stay with me a little… I’ll agree to anything you ask…

I pulled a folder from my bag.

Handed it to him.

“Divorce papers”

We Dreddy signed

Fyrom froze.

Red rimmed his eyes again. He looked away fast. When he spoke, kis voice was tricker. Nosal

Not yet. Okay?

“Let’s eat”

It was that Denny’s. The one we always used to go to.

Over a decade later, Still standing.

I sat down. Looked at the faded photos on the wall. The ketchup bottle on the table.

Exactly like I remembered.

Ryan walked to the counter. Ordered from the server.

“Hey! You two. Long time no see.”

The server wiped her hands on her apron. Came around

the counter. Grabbed a single fresh flower and handed it to

Ryan.

Back then, he always bought a flower for me here.

“No charge”

She smiled.

“At your age, you must be married by now, right?”

“Any kids? Bring them by sometime. I bet they’d-”

“We broke up,” I said.