\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 7\u00a0<\/p>\n
We stepped out of the restaurant into the cool evening breeze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damien reached for my bag instinctively and asked softly, \u201cYou cold?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head, studying his gentle profile under the streetlamp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It reminded me of Vincent asking the same question years ago, though back then, he didn\u2019t seem genuinely concerned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Damien, I saw nothing but genuine care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We walked down the sidewalk in a comfortable silence, neither of us feeling the need to fill the dead air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we passed a convenience store, Damien stopped. \u201cWait here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He came back a moment later with a cup of warm milk, peeling the paper off the straw before handing it to me. \u201cFor your sensitive stomach. Drink this. It\u2019ll warm you up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I held the cup, feeling the heat travel from my fingertips and settle deep in my chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From then on, Damien became a constant in my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He never pried into my past; he was just there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I worked late, he\u2019d order my favorite takeout and wait on the sofa outside my office, never interrupting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I felt terrible during my period, he quietly left heating pads and warm honey water on my desk with a note, \u201cRest up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On weekends when I just wanted to hide, he showed up with fresh bread\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11.06\u00a0<\/p>\n
from the bakery and sat through chees movies with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent, on the other hand, hadn\u2019t disappeared after that dinner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, he stopped trying to approach me and started watching from the sidelines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019d often spot him sitting alone on the bench outside my apartment complex.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He would wait until he saw me come home with Damien, then slowly stand up and walk away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On my birthday, a courier delivered a bouquet of red roses with a card, \u201cBecca, Happy Birthday.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I recognized the handwriting immediately-Vincent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Staring at the flowers, I felt a mess of emotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
These were some of the only flowers he had ever given me-once out of guilt after he cheated, and now as some post-divorce gesture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back when we were actually together, he never thought to buy them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I guessed that was how people were; they only valued things once they were gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned and tossed the bouquet into the trash.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Too little, too late.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t need it anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t show up again after my birthday, as if he had finally accepted reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, one evening when I got off work early, I saw him standing under\u00a0<\/p>\n
31.03%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:06\u00a0<\/p>\n
the streetlight across from my building\u00a0<\/p>\n
He watched Damien and me walking together and opened his mouth, looking like he had a lot to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when his gaze dropped to our hands-fingers laced together-he simply murmured, \u201cTake care of yourself, Becca.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t answer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damien, however, gave my hand a squeeze and nodded at Vincent. His tone was calm but firm. \u201cDon\u2019t worry. I\u2019ve got her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The light went out of Vincent\u2019s eyes. He turned and walked away slowly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Watching him go, I felt a deep sense of closure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I learned later that Vincent sold his apartment nearby and left the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He sent me one final text, \u201cBecca, I\u2019m sorry. I wish you happiness.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I deleted the message without replying\u00a0<\/p>\n
A year later, Damien proposed on my birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He dropped to one knee, holding a velvet ring box, looking so earnest it made my heart race. \u201cBecca, I missed your past, but I want to be there for every part of your future. I can\u2019t promise perfection, but I promise to give you everything I have. Will you marry me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked into his bright eyes, thinking of all the small ways he had brought comfort to my life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I nodded hard, and the tears finally fell-not from sadness this time, but from joy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sun was shining on our wedding day.\u00a0<\/p>\n
59.34%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11.06\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter\u00a0<\/p>\n
1288 Vouchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damien held my hand as we walked toward the altar, surrounded by the cheers of our friends and family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced back toward the entrance and spotted Vincent in the distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t come closer; he simply watched the ceremony in silence, then turned to leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, he had learned to let go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I had found the happiness I deserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
91.07%\u00a0<\/p>\n
11:061\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Nothing Fell Apart by Mark Twain 7 \u00a0 Chapter 7\u00a0 We stepped out of the restaurant into the cool evening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-unfaithful-husband-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22840\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}