He Rejected My Future, Gave It To Her Chapter 06

He Rejected My Future, Gave It To Her Chapter 06

The review moved more quickly than I expected.

Three days later, the overseas team confirmed my place in the program was safe. Chloe’s application was under investigation.

Julian called me more than twenty times. I didn’t pick up once.

Until he showed up on my doorstep.

When I opened the door, he was holding a paper bag.

Inside was the pearl necklace, fixed.

“I found the best jeweler in the city. It’s good as new.”

I looked at the pearls.

New thread. New clasp.

But I could tell immediately. One was missing.

The last thing my mom left me, and it was missing a piece.

Julian noticed me counting. He rushed to explain before I could speak.

“One of them was lost that night. I couldn’t find it. I had the jeweler match it as closely as he could.”

“Save it.”

I didn’t take it.

His face tightened.

“Eleanor, I know I crossed a line that night.”

My face remained blank.

“It wasn’t just that night.”

He went quiet.

The stairwell light flickered, throwing shadows over the dark circles under his eyes.

There was a time I would’ve made him sit down and eat, hovering until he took some medicine for the exhaustion.

Now I just stood inside the doorframe and waited for him to finish.

Julian set the bag down by the door.

“I’ll tell the project team I made the call. My mistake. Come back to the company. Your job is still waiting for you.”

“What about Chloe?”

He hesitated.

“She didn’t know any better. I’ll have her apologize.”

I almost laughed.

Even now, he couldn’t help himself.

Every offer he made to fix things still came with a safety net for her.

“Julian, just go.”

He put his hand on the door.

“Seven years, Eleanor. We’re not throwing seven years away over this.”

I looked at his hand.

Those same hands had held mine once and promised I’d never have to fight alone.

Those same hands had pinned that handover form to the table and told me to sign away everything I’d worked for.

“We are.”

Something fractured behind his eyes.

I tried to shut the door. He didn’t let go.

“Eleanor, I’m not letting you walk away.”

“That’s not your decision.”

I shoved the door shut.

It caught his hand. He let out a low grunt of pain.

I froze. Instinct, not choice.

In that instant, muscle memory kicked in before I could stop it.

Julian caught my hesitation. Something flickered in his face. Hope, maybe.

“You still care.”

I looked at his reddened knuckles. Whatever had softened in me went cold just as fast.

“I just didn’t want you playing the victim and claiming I hurt you on top of everything else.”

The hope in his face died.

I closed the door.

It was quiet on the other side for a long time.

Finally, his voice came through the door, low and muffled.

“Eleanor, I’ll wait. However long it takes.”

But I wasn’t angry anymore. I was just done.

…

Two weeks later, I walked back into the project office.

Arthur handed me a folder.

“Your supplementary statement was accepted. And your visa interview’s been rescheduled.”

I blinked.

“Already?”

He smiled.

“You were always qualified. Someone just got in the way for a while.”

I looked down at the interview notice.

The paper was almost weightless, but it felt heavier than anything I’d ever held.

Arthur held out a small box.

“It’s not a gift. Just a document holder. It’s standard for everyone in the program.”

I opened it.

Clear plastic. Simple.

No design, no initials.

But something about it felt exactly right.

Clean. Clear.

It didn’t belong to anyone but me.