I Cleaned His Fridge For Three Years For Nothing Chapter 06

I Cleaned His Fridge For Three Years For Nothing Chapter 06

Kai found his way to Willowspire two months later.

I was helping Marnie set up decor for a new guest suite when the rolling sound of a suitcase echoed through the courtyard gate.

I turned to see him standing bathed in bright sunlight.

He’d lost a little weight, but his tailored dress shirt was still perfectly pressed and wrinkle-free.

His gaze swept over the entire courtyard before landing on the cleaning rag clutched in my hands.

“This is what you left a design career for?”

A bitter huff escaped me; his first comment was still judgment, no warmth, no concern.

“This is my job now.” I leaned the rag against the plastic bucket at my feet.

Kai stepped closer, his forehead creased deeper with disapproval.

“Sage, you spent four years studying vintage space styling. You weren’t meant to spend your days scrubbing tables for tourists.”

Marnie stepped out of the kitchen the second she sensed conflict brewing.

“Young man, clean tables make guests feel welcome. Good design isn’t only digital renderings on a computer screen.”

Kai nodded politely at her, but refused to acknowledge her point.

His manners were always flawless.

That distant, perfect politeness only drove a bigger wedge between us.

Rhys walked out from the backyard, holding a half-finished oak cabinet frame in his hands.

“Sage, I measured the cabinet door dimensions we discussed.”

Kai’s eyes turned icy cold instantly.

“Sage?”

Rhys glanced over at me, waiting for an introduction.

I spoke up quickly. “This is my friend, Rhys.”

Kai’s jaw tightened, and he took another step forward.

“Just a friend?”

“Sage, you left me to live this kind of small-town life with him?”

Rhys set the timber frame down gently, his voice calm and steady.

“She’s employed here. Your tone’s disrespectful to her workplace.”

Kai let out a hollow laugh.

“This is a private matter between her and me. It doesn’t concern outsiders.”

I stepped firmly in front of Rhys, shielding him from Kai’s glare.

“He’s not an outsider.”

Kai’s face crumpled with shock.

No matter how vicious our fights had gotten before, I’d always stood at his side.

Not this time.

He stared at me, his voice softening into something raw and desperate.

“Sage, I came to bring you home.”

I dropped my gaze, stepping sideways to walk past him.

“I don’t have a home waiting for me with you anymore.”

The words landed like a physical blow to his face.

He refused to let go, grabbing my wrist hard to force me to meet his eyes.

“Is this all because of him?”

Rhys broke into a harsh coughing fit.

I spun around to steady him, and he waved me off, signaling he was alright.

Kai watched the small gesture, his grip tightening painfully around my wrist.

“ou’ve only known him two months. Do you know his full medical history, his family support system, and what his chronic heart condition means for a long-term relationship?”

“Kai, you’re acting like you’re evaluating a risky design project.”

“But love isn’t a blueprint. You can’t sign off on it just because you deem it feasible.”

He froze, mouth opening and closing without a single word coming out.

Rhys spoke quietly. “Sage, I’ll head back to my room for a bit.”

I watched his retreating back, and Kai’s exhaustion suddenly crashed over him.

“I didn’t come here to fight. I just… couldn’t find you anywhere.”

Kai pulled a faded photograph out of his jacket pocket.

It was the three of us back in Havenbrook University Design Lab during college.

I stood off to the side, glue smudged across my palms, grinning without a care in the world.

I took the photo, its edges worn thin from constant handling.

“Kai, you can’t survive only clinging to old memories.”

We stared at each other, silent, everything unsaid hanging heavy between us.

Before he left that day, Kai booked a three-night stay at Marnie’s Rest Retreat.

Marnie asked if I wanted to turn away his reservation.

I shook my head.

Willowspire didn’t belong to me, and it didn’t belong to him either.

That night, Elara’s phone call came through, her voice hoarse and worn thin.

“Did Kai come out to Willowspire to see you?”

“He did.”

“Don’t misunderstand-I didn’t give him your address. He tracked it down from the job application you submitted here.”

I stayed silent, and she rushed to explain herself.

“I never intended to wedge myself back between you two. I just needed to ask if you’re doing okay”

I glanced out the courtyard window.

Rhys was mounting wooden support stakes around a flowering bush, moving slow and careful.

“I’m doing really well.”

Elara’s breath softened over the line.

“Sage, I’m stepping down from my second designer position at the firm.”

I finally spoke up. “Why?”

A bitter, tearful laugh filtered through the speaker.

“Sitting at that desk every day, all I can see is your termination letter sitting under my chair.”