Not All Love Stories Lead to Rome

On the day we got our marriage license, Ryan Miller laid down a rule: now that we were married, if we slept in separate rooms for more than a week, we were automatically considered divorced. So every time we argued, the moment he picked up his pillow and headed for the guest room, I'd immediately give in and apologize, no matter who was at fault. For three years, he used that one rule to control me completely. On my 28th birthday, he stood me up again because of an intern at work. When he got home, I didn't reach for the diamond necklace he held out to me. He frowned, studying me for a long moment before finally speaking, his voice cold. "So, in your eyes, a birthday that comes every single year is more important than someone's life? I took Katie to the hospital and came back as fast as I could, but you still want to pick a fight? Emily, your jealousy honestly scares me." With that, he turned and walked toward the guest room. But this time, I didn't follow him. Chapter 1 As usual, Ryan Miller slammed the guest room door hard. I knew he did it on purpose. He was waiting for me to come crawling back and beg for forgiveness. But I stayed right where I was on the couch. I didn't move. And for once, I didn't break down in tears or feel that familiar panic twisting in my chest. I just suddenly felt tired. So tired of this life. I hadn't done anything wrong, yet I was expected to grovel and plead like a dog begging for scraps. The villa's AC was cranked up high, but the ice cream cake sitting on the coffee table was already starting to melt. Just like my marriage to Ryan. No matter how hard I tried to hold us together, the cracks just kept growing. I reached out, scooped a little melted ice cream onto my finger, and put it in my mouth. The sweetness did nothing to mask the bitterness inside me. Ryan and I had been married for three years. The first year on my birthday, he stayed at the office all night fixing a botched proposal that Katie Jones had messed up. The second year, he had to go out of town with her for a business trip on my actual birthday. And today, he left me standing alone in the pouring rain because of one phone call from her. I was still staring into space when I heard the guest room door swing open. My heart skipped a beat as I watched him walk toward me. He noticed the little smear of ice cream still on the corner of my mouth. Ryan let out a soft, resigned sigh, then grabbed a tissue and gently wiped it away. "Babe, I'm sorry. I said some harsh things back there. I was upset. "I know you get jealous easily. From now on, unless it's strictly work-related, I'll keep my distance from Katie." All the hurt I'd been holding in came rushing to the surface. The tears just started streaming down my face. After three years, this was the first time he had ever come to me first. But before I could even say a word, he kept going. "Listen—when I took Katie to the hospital tonight, someone saw us and took a picture. They posted it in the company group chat. Now, half the office is calling her a homewrecker. She's already sick, and now she's getting dragged into our drama. So I need you to go into the group chat and clear things up for her." Every bit of hope, every tear, every ounce of hurt I'd been carrying—it all turned into a joke in that moment. Because of Katie, he had abandoned me over and over again. And now, for that same woman, he had finally lowered himself to apologize to me. I looked at the face I had been in love with for eight whole years. And I just started laughing. Ryan must have taken that as a yes. "That's my girl. I knew you'd understand. I'll add you to the company group. Once you're in, just explain what happened and apologize to Katie publicly. That should—" "Don't even think about it," I cut him off. Ryan froze for a second. Then the softness vanished from his face, replaced by that all-too-familiar anger. "Emily, there's nothing going on between me and Katie. Why do you always have to come after her? Do you have any idea how much damage a rumor like this does to a young woman's reputation? She was crying her eyes out on the phone with me just now." I shot up from the couch and looked him straight in the eye. Chapter 2 "You don't need to update me on her condition. I don't care. And if you think I'm going to help clear her name? Dream on." I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay calm, refusing to let my voice shake. Ryan let out a cold laugh. He said "fine" three times in a row. "As of today, I'll be staying at the office. Emily, don't you dare come crawling back to me." … The door slammed shut behind him. My heart felt like it was being crushed in a vise, the pain so intense I could barely breathe. Just then, my phone buzzed twice. I thought it was Ryan. But it was Katie. Katie: [Emily, my period cramps were really bad today, so Ryan gave me a ride to the hospital. Please don't get the wrong idea.] Katie: [Honestly, only insecure women feel the need to be suspicious all the time.] I stared at the screen for a few long seconds. I didn't reply. I didn't delete the messages either. So this was the emergency that had Ryan so panicked he left me stranded in the middle of a storm—period cramps. Something almost every woman goes through. The last time I had my period, the pain was so bad I couldn't even get out of bed. All I asked for was a glass of hot water. He called me dramatic. I laughed bitterly to myself. Love and indifference really are that obvious, even if nothing physical had happened between them yet. Three days passed. Ryan still hadn't come home. I didn't waste the time either. I started packing up my things, little by little. The house was his before the marriage, so I was the one who had to leave. On the fourth day of our "separation," my best friend invited me out for a night on the town. Before, I would have said no—I had to be home waiting for Ryan. This time, I said yes without a second thought. But of all the luck—the one night I actually went out, I ran into the two people I wanted to see least in the world. Ryan's eyes lit up when he saw me, but just as quickly, that look was replaced by annoyance. He frowned. "Did you follow me here? Don't you have any shame? Because I do." Before I could say anything, Katie jumped in with a smirk. "Come on, Ryan, don't be so hard on her. Emily's just worried you might actually divorce her. I mean, there are only three days left until that week is up, right? But Emily—" she looked at me, "—you're kind of embarrassing the rest of us women. If I were you, I would've held out until the very last day before coming to beg." The people with them started laughing and piling on. "Gotta hand it to Ryan—master of his household. He's got his wife wrapped around his finger. Take notes, everyone." Ryan looked pleased with all the praise. He turned to me with a condescending tone. "Fine, I get it. I'll come home tonight. Now go. Don't ruin everyone's night." I'd heard him talk to me like this before. Back then, it didn't seem like a big deal. But tonight, for some reason, I felt sick to my stomach. I looked up at his smug face and said coldly, "Whether you come home or not doesn't matter to me. And I'm not here for you." With that, I walked right past them and headed into the club. No one had expected that. They all just stood there, frozen for a second. Katie was the first to recover. She grabbed my wrist. "Emily, he already said he'd come home tonight. Stop pretending. If you push him too far and he gets really mad, you'll just end up blaming me again." "Katie," I said, "the only way you get your shot with Ryan is if I divorce him. So save the fake concern. It's disgusting." I yanked my hand away. I barely used any force at all, but she still let out a little shriek and stumbled backward. She didn't hit the ground, though. She fell right into Ryan's arms. Her eyes went red, her face the picture of wounded innocence. "Ryan, I think I should just quit. Because of your wife's jealousy, everyone at the office already talks about me like I'm a homewrecker." Chapter 3 "There's no one from the office here tonight. I'd take a hit from your wife and call it even. But what if one day she gets mad enough to come to the office and go after me? How am I supposed to show my face after that?" Katie said. Ryan's face went dark as thunder. He pulled Katie tightly against him and glared at me. "Emily. Apologize." His tone left no room for argument. I didn't flinch. I looked him right in the eye. "Not a chance." His lips pressed into a thin line. "If you don't apologize, we're done. For real this time." Even though I had already made that decision in my heart, hearing him say it out loud still made my chest ache. I couldn't quite stop the tremor. But I didn't let it show. I just gave him a cold smile. "Fine." … My mood was ruined, so I didn't bother going inside to ruin my best friend's night. I just went straight home. I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep at all. But as it turned out, I slept pretty well. Which is why, when I got up the next morning and saw Katie in the house, I thought I was still dreaming. She was wearing Ryan's white dress shirt, her long legs bare and on full display. And Ryan—the man who never lifted a finger around the house—was actually in the kitchen making porridge. They both turned to look at me when I came downstairs. Ryan frowned but didn't say a word. Katie jumped in first to explain. "Emily, don't get the wrong idea. I had too much to drink last night and threw up all over myself. I couldn't find my keys, so Ryan didn't have any choice but to bring me here." I let out a sarcastic laugh. "No choice? He looks pretty happy about it to me." Ryan slammed the ladle back into the pot and spun around to face me, his voice dripping with impatience. "Emily. Enough is enough." Hearing that, I just wanted to laugh. He had another woman in our house wearing his clothes, and he was telling me to back off. The only reason he dared to act like this was that he knew how much I loved him. That's why he'd been able to control me for three years with one stupid line about sleeping apart for a week meaning divorce. I used to think that if I loved him enough, if I gave him enough, he would give the same back. But I forgot—constantly making yourself smaller so someone else can feel bigger doesn't earn you their respect. It just makes them look down on you even more. When I didn't say anything, Katie bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry for causing trouble again, Ryan. I should just leave now." She made a move toward the door. But before she could even turn around, Ryan grabbed her wrist. "You can't go out dressed like that. What if something happens to you? Finish breakfast first. Once your clothes are dry, I'll drive you home." Then he looked back at me, his patience visibly gone. "Emily, it's barely morning and you already have to make everyone miserable? This is exactly why I regret marrying you." The room went dead silent. Ryan seemed to realize he had gone too far. He opened his mouth like he wanted to take it back. But I didn't give him the chance. "Ryan, you're not the only one who regrets it. Neither of you has to leave. I'm the one who should go." I turned and went upstairs. Ten minutes later, I came back down with my suitcase already packed. Ryan's pupils contracted slightly when he saw the luggage in my hand. A flicker of delight crossed Katie's eyes before she quickly put back on her usual innocent look. "Emily, please don't leave. Ryan and I are really just coworkers. I honestly had nowhere else to go last night and no clean clothes to change into. He only took me in because he felt sorry for me." I didn't want to waste my breath on her. But the act was just too much. I couldn't help myself. "Nowhere to go? No clean clothes? So every single hotel and store in this city just shut down overnight? Is that it? You had no choice but to come to someone else's husband's house and spend the night in his shirt?" Chapter 4 Katie's face went stiff. She couldn't find a comeback, so she just looked up at Ryan with those pitiful eyes. "Emily—" I didn't even let him get a word out. "Save it. I don't want to hear it from you either." And with that, I walked out without looking back. … Three days passed in a blink. Soon it was the one-week mark—the deadline Ryan had set. My phone would not stop ringing all day. Text after text poured in from our mutual friends. [Hey, are you still mad at Ryan? You know he's all bark and no bite. He's not even angry anymore. Just say something nice, and this whole thing blows over.] [Emily, Ryan moved Katie to a different department. If you keep this up, you're the one taking it too far.] [Today's the last day, girl. Don't be stubborn. A man like Ryan doesn't grow on trees. If you actually divorce him, you'll just be making room for all those other women circling him like vultures.] Reading through all those messages, I just started laughing. Ryan was the one who had crossed the line. And yet, somehow, everyone thought I should be the one to apologize and make the first move. I sent out a mass reply. Me: [Ryan and I are in the process of divorcing. Anyone texting me to patch things up can go ahead and unfriend me now. Thanks.] Then I deleted and blocked every single mutual contact I had with Ryan. I had my lawyer send over the divorce papers. After that, I checked out of my hotel room, called a cab, and headed straight for the airport without a single look back. Across town, Ryan was in a conference room, but he couldn't focus. He kept glancing at his phone. Nothing. No messages from the one person he'd been waiting days to hear from. The second the meeting ended, he stepped into the hallway and found himself looking toward the visitor's lounge. Empty. In past fights, Emily would always cave within three days. But this time, a whole week had passed. Not a peep from her. Had he really pushed her that far? Come on. It was just a birthday. She'd have another one next year. Was it really worth getting this upset over? Then it hit him. His eyes went wide. Last year. The year before that. He'd missed her birthday both times. And both times, it was because of Katie. Oh. Guilt crept up on him. Okay. Maybe he'd been out of line. He pulled out his phone and typed: [Emily, you've always wanted that beach vacation. I'll take you as soon as things slow down at work.] Sent. And rejected. She'd blocked him. His jaw tightened. He tried her number. A cold automated voice told him the line was no longer in service. Blocked there too. The air in his office turned ice-cold. He was about to have his assistant track down where she'd been staying when the assistant knocked and walked in. "Mr. Miller, we received a delivery for you. From your wife." Ryan's face instantly relaxed. The tension in his shoulders melted. A smug little smile even tugged at his lips. "See?" he said, taking the envelope. "I knew she'd come around eventually." He was already thinking ahead. "Get a nice piece of jewelry from the boutique. And book that French place in the west end. Tonight, I'll—" His voice died in his throat as he opened the envelope and read the first line.