He Abandoned Our Wedding, I Destroyed His Life Chapter 02

He Abandoned Our Wedding, I Destroyed His Life Chapter 02

Early the next morning, I took my packed suitcase to the firm and handed in my resignation.

My performance over the years had been strong, so the managing partner tried to talk me out of it. We were still talking when Matteo walked in with a file.

I saw it in a single glance: the red mark on his neck, half-hidden by his collar. Then I caught the faint scent of peach perfume.

Chloe’s signature scent.

It wasn’t hard to guess what happened last night.

He used to hate it when I left marks on him, said it looked unprofessional in court.

So I never did.

He wasn’t afraid of marks. He just didn’t want them from me.

The moment Matteo came in, the partner sighed.

“Matteo, perfect timing. Your fiancée is trying to resign. Talk some sense into her. Did you two have a fight?”

“This has nothing to do with him.”

“You’re resigning?”

Our voices overlapped.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matteo staring, his lips a thin, hard line.

“So this is about yesterday. You’re still angry I postponed the wedding.”

Sensing the tension, the partner made a hasty exit, shutting the door behind him.

The moment the door clicked shut, Matteo strode toward me.

“I already told you, Chloe was hurt. I had to take her to the hospital. Why are you blowing this out of proportion?”

I kept my voice steady, feeding him a lie.

“I’m not angry. I’m just tired. I need a break. Maybe I’ll travel for a bit.”

He folded his arms, his eyes narrowed.

“If you need a break, take a leave of absence. If you just up and quit, everyone will think it’s because of Chloe. She’s just an intern, Adriana. How is she supposed to build a career here if people start looking at her like that?”

He’d forgotten. I’d already used all my vacation days on our string of canceled weddings.

But his only concern was Chloe’s career.

I glanced pointedly at the red mark on his neck.

He saw where I was looking and instinctively raised a hand to cover it.

“It’s a bug bite. Don’t make it into something it’s not.”

I was surprised he didn’t argue, that he actually offered an explanation.

It was such a flimsy excuse. Maybe in the past, I would have pretended to believe it.

I just nodded, saying nothing.

Matteo let out a breath, clearly thinking I’d bought it. A smile broke across his face as he slung an arm around my shoulders.

“There we go. We’re lawyers, Adriana. Let’s not be impulsive.”

“Don’t resign. I’ll take you to Gramercy Tavern tonight. My treat. Okay?”

I said nothing, which he took for agreement.

I had planned on giving him a proper goodbye. Now, I didn’t want to say another word. I certainly wasn’t going to tell him I was moving back to Boston.

“Matteo!”

Chloe pushed the door open without knocking.

Matteo dropped his arm from my shoulders as if he’d been burned.

She smiled sweetly.

“Sorry to interrupt. But I really can’t make sense of these case files.”

Matteo went to her instantly, taking the file and lowering his head to ask what she didn’t understand.

She stood so close she was practically pressed against him. Their voices dropped to a murmur, and just like that, I was invisible.

Then Chloe linked her arm through Matteo’s and led him out of the office.

Just before the door closed, she glanced back at me, a smug little smile playing on her lips.

The door clicked shut, leaving the office painfully empty.

Just then, the clasp on my gold bracelet gave way, and it fell to the floor with a sharp clatter.

The gift from our first anniversary. He’d said he hoped our relationship would be as solid and unbroken as that circle of gold.

I stood there for a long moment before I finally bent down, picked up the broken pieces, and threw them straight into the trash can.

I was done with mementos.