He Told Me to Wait While He Was With His Cheating Ex — I Sold Our Home That Night Chapter 05

He Told Me to Wait While He Was With His Cheating Ex — I Sold Our Home That Night Chapter 05

“Chloe, you…”

Julian’s smile had not yet faded when the door opened.

The stranger stood there holding a tape measure while the sound of furniture being moved came from inside.

“Can I help you?”

Julian froze for several seconds before looking down at the apartment number.

It was correct.

Then he looked at the keypad.

The code he had entered was Chloe’s birthday.

For three years, whenever he came home drunk, he would enter that code with his eyes closed.

“This is my home.”

The man frowned.

“You must be looking for the previous owner. She moved out yesterday.”

Julian’s fingers went rigid against the doorframe.

“Then do you know…”

“Do you know where she moved?”

“No.”

The man glanced back into the apartment.

“The sale has already closed. Please stop entering codes. My wife is home alone, and you’re scaring her.”

The door closed in Julian’s face.

All that remained in the hallway was the click of the lock.

From inside, a woman asked, “Honey, who was that?”

“Some guy had the wrong apartment.”

So now he was just some guy at the wrong apartment.

Julian lowered his gaze to the doormat beneath his feet.

There used to be a pair of men’s slippers beside it, ones Chloe had bought for him.

He had complained that the color was too light and would show every speck of dirt.

Chloe had crouched by the entryway, removing the tags as she laughed.

“It’s not like we live on a construction site. How dirty could they possibly get?”

He had eventually worn those slippers until they lost their shape.

Now even the doormat had been replaced.

His palms were slick with sweat by the time he reached his car.

He sat behind the wheel and sent Chloe a message.

Julian: [Chloe, stop this.]

The message did not go through.

A notice appeared beneath the chat.

[This person is unavailable on Messenger.]

Julian stared at it for a long time before typing another message.

Julian: [How could you sell the place where we were supposed to build a life together?]

His finger stopped above the screen.

He immediately called her.

The call did not connect.

He tried again with the same result.

Only then did he finally understand that she had blocked him.

Julian got out of the car and began calling their mutual friends as he walked.

The first person answered quickly.

“Chloe? I can’t reach her either. I think she unfriended me.”

The second person hesitated.

“I think she left the group chat. I can’t see her Instagram anymore either.”

The third lowered his voice.

“Julian, did something serious happen between you two?”

“She blocked all of us. My wife said yesterday that Chloe must be genuinely heartbroken this time.”

Julian gripped his phone.

“No. Chloe has always been so understanding!”

“She’s just angry with me. She must have gotten someone to stage the whole thing.”

“That’s it. That has to be it.”

Half an hour later, he stood outside Chloe’s parents’ house.

He rang the doorbell for a long time before Chloe’s mother opened the door a few inches.

“Mrs. Parker, I want to see Chloe.”

She stared coldly at him without stepping aside.

“Chloe doesn’t want to see you.”

Julian lowered his voice.

“I know I was wrong.”

Mrs. Parker kept one hand on the door. After a long silence, she said, “She waited seven years for you. Now you suddenly want to see her?”

Julian’s throat tightened.

“Mrs. Parker, I only want to say a few things to her.”

“When she wanted to talk to you, did you ever listen?”

She slammed the door.

Julian stood outside, raising one hand before slowly lowering it again.

By the time he returned to the condo complex, it was already dark.

A building maintenance worker was loading several clear storage bags from beside the dumpster onto a utility cart.

Julian had already walked past when a flash of gold caught the corner of his eye.

He stopped.

Inside the bags were the boxed ivory satin duvet set, a gold “Just Married” window decal, wedding invitation samples, matching his-and-hers slippers, and an unopened pair of champagne flutes.

A small label was stuck to the base of one flute.

[For our wedding toast.]

Julian bent down and lifted the unopened pair from the bag.

The tape sealing the package was still intact.

His reflection in the glass was ghostly pale.

The maintenance worker sighed.

“The previous owner said she didn’t want any of it. Most of it looks brand-new. It’s a shame.”

Julian crouched beside the dumpster, clutching the boxed champagne flutes.

He did not move when his phone began to ring.

He answered only after it rang a second time.

Sabrina’s amused voice came through the phone.

“Julian, I’m meeting some friends for drinks. Are you coming?”

Julian said nothing.

Sabrina laughed again.

“What, did your little live-in maid finally dump you?”

Julian stared at the champagne flutes in his arms.

After a long silence, he ended the call.