He Canceled My Ticket for Her Again, So I Bought My Way Home Chapter 08

He Canceled My Ticket for Her Again, So I Bought My Way Home Chapter 08

My hands paused briefly.

But I didn’t turn around.

“I found them,” he continued hoarsely. “The divorce papers… and the medical report.”

Every word seemed painfully difficult for him to say.

“Our baby…”

His voice cracked.

“Our baby died because of me.”

His shoulders shook.

“I’m sorry. I failed both of you.”

He lowered his head.

“My mother…” he continued. “She suffered a stroke. She’s bedridden now. She can barely speak.”

I remained silent.

The news stirred absolutely nothing inside me.

Not his regret.

Not his grief.

Not his family’s downfall.

None of it mattered anymore.

The Clara who once felt her heart race at a single text from him…

The Clara who lost sleep over every frown on his face…

She was gone.

She had died on the operating table alongside our child.

When he received no response, he looked as though all the strength had drained from his body.

He leaned heavily against the doorway.

“Clara.”

His voice broke.

“Yell at me. Hit me. Do anything.”

His eyes pleaded with mine.

“Just… don’t ignore me.”

I finished organizing the final ingredient jar and dusted off my hands.

Then I turned to face him.

My voice was calm.

“Julian, you’re not welcome here.”

I met his gaze steadily.

“Leave.”

He stared at me in disbelief.

As though he couldn’t comprehend how cold I had become.

His lips parted.

He looked ready to say something else.

Before he could, my father stepped out of the house.

A broom was still clutched in his hand from cleaning the porch.

“Get out.”

Dad pointed toward the road.

His voice thundered across the yard.

“You’ve got no business being here.’

His eyes blazed with anger.

“If I ever see you bothering my daughter again, you’ll regret it.”

Julian looked at my father.

Then at me.

Finally, he lowered his head.

Without another word, he stumbled back to his car and drove away.

Dad immediately turned toward me.

Concern filled his face.

“The nerve of that guy showing up here.”

He shook his head angrily.

“Don’t worry, Clara. Nobody’s going to hurt you while I’m around.”

A smile finally touched my lips.

I stepped forward and hugged him.

“Thanks, Dad.”

My voice softened.

“You’re the best dad in the world.”

Julian disappeared for several days afterward.

I assumed that was the end of it.

I was wrong.

A few days later, he came back.

And this time, he stayed.

Every single day, he parked across from my studio.

He never approached.

Never interrupted.

Never spoke.

He simply sat there.

Watching.

When I opened the shop in the morning, he was there.

When I locked up at sunset, he was still there.

Rain or shine.

Our town wasn’t large, so it didn’t take long for people to notice.

Neighbors whispered.

Some criticized him.

Some mocked him.

Everyone had an opinion.

My parents were furious.

More than once, they grabbed brooms and tried to chase him off.

Each time, I stopped them.

“Dad. Mom.”

My tone remained calm.

“Leave him alone.”

I glanced toward the road.

“If he wants to stand there, let him.”

I shrugged.

“He’s just a stranger now. He can’t affect our lives anymore.”

So I continued living exactly as before.

I created fragrances.

Met with clients.

Worked in my garden.

Built the future I’d chosen for myself.

As for Julian?

To me, he was nothing more than part of the scenery.

A silent object in the background.

Nothing else.

One afternoon, a violent storm swept through town.

Rain hammered against the windows.

Through the glass, I saw Julian standing outside.

Completely soaked.

Motionless.

Mom sighed.

Her expression softened.

“Clara… if he keeps this up, he’s going to get sick.”

She hesitated.

“Maybe we should tell him to go home.”

I walked over and closed the curtains.

The outside world disappeared.

“Mom.”

My voice was steady.

“Whether he gets sick or not has nothing to do with me.”

I looked away.

“The moment I collapsed in agony and he chose to carry another woman instead of helping me…

My chest tightened briefly.

“…that was the moment everything between us ended.”

After that storm, Julian did get sick.

For several days, he never appeared.

Later, I heard through town gossip that he’d developed severe pneumonia after being caught in the

rain.

The fever had become so serious that he spent more than two weeks in a private hospital.