I Took His Pampering and Left Him Behind Chapter 09

t sighed.

“Marcus, what you’re chasing isn’t me. It’s the control you lost.”

His pupils shrank.

“You got used to having someone revolve around you. You liked how I relied on you like a pet.”

“Now I won’t obey, and you just hate losing.”

After that day, Marcus vanished for a few days.

I thought he’d finally given up, and I relaxed completely.

Three days later, he showed up again.

Something about him was different. That towering, arrogant air had faded. He looked softer, calmer.

He’d traded his tailored designer suits for a simple white shirt and jeans, looking like an ordinary college student.

He carried an insulated food bucket and stood below my apartment building, like a regular guy waiting for his date.

“Bonnie, I learned how to make tomato soup. Will you try it?”

For the first time, I saw genuine sincerity on his face.

I didn’t turn him down this time and took the bucket from him.

Marcus was a quick learner, and cooking came easily to him.

From then on, he brought me food regularly.

He mastered all kinds of dishes, even the regional street snacks from my hometown.

I didn’t want to eat his food for free, so sometimes I went grocery shopping with him. I paid for the ingredients myself.

Selena found us one afternoon while Marcus was picking out vegetables in the supermarket

and I stood beside him scrolling on my phone.

“Mr. Parker, you abandoned your company back home just to coddle this useless little pet?”

Selena’s tone was sharp and biting, just as always.

Marcus kept his eyes on the produce in his hand and didn’t spare her a glance.

“We don’t have enough groceries for extra guests, so you can’t stay for dinner.”

His flat, distant reply made Selena seethe.

While Marcus headed to the parking lot to get the car, Selena hurried after me, burning with resentment.

“Don’t get cocky. Marcus is only infatuated for a little while. Once this phase wears off, he’ll lose all interest.”

“It’s pitiful, living off a man’s affection.”

I looked at her and smiled.

“You’ve got it backwards, Ms. Vane, He’s the one who can’t let go of me. I don’t need him at

all.”

Selena’s face turned ugly.

She had never expected the scheming woman to dismiss Marcus’s love so casually.

“If

you really like Marcus, go after him fair and square. Taking it out on me proves nothing.”

Selena had no comeback. She shot me a furious glare and stormed away.

ད་དང་ མ

After dinner that night, Marcus washed the dishes without being told.

I leaned against the sofa and watched him in the kitchen.

“Marcus, don’t come here anymore.”

“I’m flying to Edgerton the day after tomorrow. I’ve already given notice to end my lease on this

apartment.”

My tone was casual, as if commenting on the weather.

Marcus’s back stiffened for a heartbeat. He forced his voice to sound calm.

“Which city of Edgerton? I’ll arrange the private jet. I can come with-”

I cut him off.

“Marcus, we’re not meant for each other.

“If I hadn’t planned everything from the start, our paths would never have crossed.

“This tangled detour needs to go back on track.

“I have my own life and goals, and you’re not part of my future.”

That night, Marcus stood beneath my apartment building for hours. He only turned to leave

once the streetlights went out, his silhouette lonely in the dark.

I stayed in Edgerton for six months.

During those months, I studied everything I’d never had time for before. I slept in whenever I wanted, went out when the mood struck, and stayed home when I preferred quiet.

I rented a small cottage with a yard and filled it with flowers that bloomed right outside my

window.

My favorite pastime was sitting and staring out at them.

After I’d had my fill of wandering abroad, I flew back home three years later and opened a tiny flower shop in my hometown.

Marcus reappeared again after disappearing for so long. He only stood quietly under a tree a short distance from my shop.

He never walked over, and I pretended not to see him.

One day, the figure under that tree was gone for good.

Years passed. I built a modest reputation as a floral designer and was sometimes invited to

compete in international floral shows.

I neared forty. I had no partner, no marriage. I focused fully on my own life, rich and fulfilling.

Sometimes I looked up at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, and a quiet warmth of contentment washed over me.

This was exactly the life I’d always wanted.