He Always Said Yes, But Never Heard Me Until I Left Chapter 01

In the five years I’d been dating Reid Callahan, the question I’d asked most often was, “Did you hear me?”

He worked in venture capital, constantly taking calls about deals worth tens of millions of dollars.

I’d ask if he could come visit my family with me over the weekend, and he’d say, “Yeah, sure.”

I’d tell him my stomach hurt and ask him to come to urgent care with me. Same answer. “Yeah, sure.”

But after I’d gotten dressed and waited by the door for half an hour, he’d look at me and ask, “Where are you going this late?”

There had been times when I’d pulled out his earbuds myself, fighting back tears.

He’d draw me into his arms and kiss me.

“I didn’t catch that. Come on, baby. Whatever you want.”

Eventually, I stopped saying so much.

He loved that. He was always telling people how easygoing and understanding I was.

Even at the company dinner, he was wearing his earbuds, listening to a meeting overseas.

Across the long table, someone was pressuring his executive assistant to drink. She barely got out half a sentence.

“These past few days, I’ve…”

Reid suddenly looked up and muted his call.

“Since when do we pressure women into drinking at company dinners?”

The entire table fell silent.

He stood, took the glass from her hand, and replaced it with a glass of water. His voice softened.

“If you don’t want to drink, don’t. I’m right here. You’ve got nothing to be afraid of.”

So he could understand her even when she hadn’t finished speaking.

After dinner, I said, “Reid, I want to break up.”

He kept his eyes on his laptop and reached over to stroke my hair.

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you want.”

This time, I didn’t bother taking out his earbuds.

…

After answering me, Reid held out his hand, as he always did.

Whenever we’d had an argument in the past, that was all it took. I’d go to him and let him hold me.

This time, I stayed where I was.

His hand hovered for a moment before he withdrew it and went back to typing.

“And the wedding…” I started.

He raised his hand, palm toward me, signaling for me to stop.

Then he pointed to his earbuds and silently mouthed, “Go home. I’ll make it up to you later.”

I watched him turn back to his work. There was no point finishing what I’d been trying to say.

The walk-in closet was at the other end of the hall.

I pulled out a suitcase and started packing my clothes. At the back of a cabinet, I found the watch I’d given him for his birthday last year.

I’d spent ages picking it out.

When I gave it to him, he’d wrapped his arms around me and kissed me.

“I love it. You always pick the best gifts, baby.”

But the ribbon was still tied around the box, and the watch was still secured inside its packaging.

He hadn’t even known what was in the box when he told me he loved it.

Then I heard him laughing in the study.

“What do you want for your birthday?”

Paige Bennett was on the other end of the call.

She said anything would be fine, and Reid laughed as he pressed her for an answer.

“What’s ‘anything’ supposed to mean? You’ll get upset again if I buy you the wrong thing.”

I gave a humorless laugh and put the watch back where I’d found it.

By the time I’d finished packing, it was past midnight.

I carried my pajamas to the bedroom and tried the door.

It was locked.

It wasn’t the first time.

Reid always claimed he’d gotten so used to living alone that locking his bedroom door before bed had become a habit he couldn’t break.

The first time he locked me out, I’d knocked for ages.

When he finally opened the door, he’d pulled me into his arms and said in a hoarse voice that he’d forgotten and it wouldn’t happen again.

After that, whenever it happened, I’d call him.

Eventually, he complained that the sudden ringing of his phone disrupted his meetings, so I stopped calling altogether.

After standing there for a while, I remembered a light blanket in the walk-in closet. I went back for it and took it into the study.

The study shared a wall with the bedroom.

I’d barely lain down when I heard him ask, “Still not eating?”

I couldn’t make out Paige’s reply, but Reid sounded endlessly patient.

“Think you’ve been giving too many treats?”

A little later, he laughed again.

“The cat knocked over your cup, and you couldn’t even bring yourself to get mad? Don’t spoil it too much.”

I pulled the blanket higher around myself.

Their conversation continued on the other side of the wall, with no sign of ending.

I unlocked my phone, went through the apartment listings I’d saved, and started sending inquiries about them one by one.