Boyfriend Stood Me Up Seventeen Times And Said Next Time—I Quit Chapter 09

Boyfriend Stood Me Up Seventeen Times And Said Next Time—I Quit Chapter 09

Sienna updated me on Julian after he flew back home. He was a completely different man.

He fired several high-level employees who had helped cover up the social media scandal. He personally apologized to every affected business partner. His company never fully recovered from the damage.

His shareholders were extremely displeased with him. He had always prioritized his career above everything else, but now he constantly zoned out during meetings, staring blankly at his bare ring finger.

He still found himself ordering matcha cake out of old habit. The mention of Paris would make his face turn pale instantly.

“He brought all this on himself,” Sienna said bluntly.

“You spent years putting him first, and he took it for granted. Now that no one’s waiting for him anymore, he finally feels the loss.”

I chose not to comment. Everyone must face the consequences of their own choices.

Julian’s consequence was losing me.

Tiffany tried repeatedly to reach out to Julian after being fired. Her social media accounts were flooded with hate comments until she finally deleted them entirely. No other company in the industry was willing to hire her.

She sent countless desperate messages begging for help, but Julian never replied to a single one.

She cornered him outside his office one last time to confront him.

“How can you blame me for everything?”

“You were the one who let me believe there was something between us!”

Julian stayed quiet for a long time before answering.

“That means I’m being punished too.”

But regret could not turn back time. It could not erase the lonely birthday night or wipe away those seventeen disappointments from my heart.

Six months later, Echoes won an international award for emerging fashion designers.

The award ceremony was held in Paris. I wore a custom black evening gown of my own design and stepped onto the stage beneath bright stage lights.

The audience applauded loudly. The host turned to me with a smile.

“Who would you like to thank most tonight?”

I’d been asked this exact question three years prior. Back then, I’d thanked Julian, a man who wasn’t present.

This time, I held the award and smiled sincerely.

“I thank myself.”

“I thank the part of me that got lost along the way in love, but finally found the strength to walk free.”

The applause grew louder. I saw Howard and Emma standing to cheer for me.

Sienna had flown all the way to Paris just to watch, and she cried happy tears as she mouthed “You’re amazing!” to me from the crowd.

My eyes grew warm with joy.

After the ceremony ended, I received a long email from Julian.

I had never blocked his email address. I no longer feared seeing his name appear in my inbox.

He wrote that he had watched the live stream of the awards. Seeing me shine on stage brought back old memories.

I had always been talented and bright, but he had grown used to my constant presence and forgotten that I had dreams and passions of my own.

He wrote about visiting the old diner we used to eat at together. The owner had asked where I was, and he had no answer to give.

He said he’d found my old design trophy while cleaning the house. It was covered in dust. He polished it for a long time until tears blurred his vision.

His final lines read:

[Chloe, I finally realize what I lost. It wasn’t just someone who would wait for me faithfully.]

[I lost the girl who loved me with every piece of her heart.]

[I don’t ask you to come back. I only hope you find endless happiness.]

for the rest of your life.]

I finished reading the email and did not reply. I moved it into a folder

labeled “The Past” and closed my laptop.

Sienna sat beside me and noticed the email sender’s name.

“You’re not going to soften up, are you?”

I laughed gently.

She let out a relieved breath.

I looked out the window at Paris’s quiet night. Couples walked hand

in hand along the Seine, while other people strolled alone.

I realized love was beautiful, but a life without romantic love was

never incomplete.

What truly breaks a person is losing yourself while trying to love

someone else.