Nine Years Lost on the Wrong Guy

My boyfriend of nine years suddenly changed his WhatsApp name to "Peanut Love." When I asked why, he wouldn't say. Then his secretary, going by the name "Peanut," sent me their intimate photos. I understood everything. I calmly saved the photos and opened my mom's chat. I sent a single message: [Mom, I've decided to come home for the arranged marriage.] Mom immediately video-called me. "Sweetheart, we'll set the wedding for the end of this month." Fifteen days. That's all that's left between Jason and me. Chapter 1 "Okay sweetheart, I've set the wedding for the end of this month. I had a fortune teller pick the date. We're gonna have the most perfect wedding!" My mom said this cheerfully. I just nodded and murmured an agreement. After hanging up, I sat there staring at my phone. Jason Chapman came out of the bathroom and stood behind me, sounding a little nervous as he asked, "What's that about a wedding?" I knew what he was really worried about — that I was pushing him to marry me again. "Nothing. One of Mom's friend's daughter is getting married." I brushed him off and started to walk away. As I passed him, I caught a whiff of cloying perfume. Jason sensed something was off and rushed to explain, "I ran into a perfume salesperson in the mall and tried a sample. Didn't realize the smell was so strong." His excuse was embarrassingly flimsy. I just gave a small smile, hummed in acknowledgment, and kept walking toward the bedroom. Jason hates shopping. When would he ever run into a salesperson in a mall? And that was clearly women's perfume — strong and sweet. There's no way he sampled it himself at a counter. After nine years together, I could see through his lies easily. I'd just been lying to myself all along. An hour earlier, I'd seen Piper Mills a.k.a. Peanut's social media post. She and Jason were surrounded by a crowd, standing in front of a massive birthday cake, looking incredibly intimate. On her finger was the six-carat diamond ring Jason had given her. Piper was just an average girl from an ordinary college. I only hired her because she was Jason's hometown friend. But my kindness turned me into the fool in this story — the one who took in a snake and got bitten. I went back to my room and scrolled through the taunting messages Piper had sent me before. [Shae, Jason and I grew up together. His heart belongs only to me. You're the one who got in between us.] [You've stolen nine years from me. He never loved you, and he's never going to marry you.] [He's never given you a ring, has he? Take a look at this — isn't it big?] Four years of college, five years building a business together. Nine years total with Jason, and he had never once brought up marriage. I used to make a scene about it. I used to fight with him. He would always say, "I want to give you a beautiful wedding, but I'm not ready yet. Just wait a little longer for me, okay?" But I told him I didn't care about any of that. I would have been fine with just going to the courthouse and getting the paper. Because otherwise, what was I even doing for nine years? Now, of course, he has more than enough money to throw a lavish wedding. He just doesn't want to marry me anymore. Nine years, and now we have only fifteen days left. … At 11 p.m., I washed up and got ready for bed. Jason was already lying down. He got a call, jumped up quickly, and ran out to the balcony. A few minutes later, he came back and said, "Something came up at the office. I need to go on a quick business trip." He didn't dare look me in the eye. I just said, "Oh," kept my eyes on my book, and asked, "Will you be back by the 18th?" "The day after tomorrow?" Jason froze for a second, then seemed to relax as he stepped closer to me. "Of course I'll be back by the 18th. I wouldn't forget." "Our nine-year anniversary," he added. "Good." The corners of my mouth turned up slightly. But I wasn't planning to celebrate our anniversary. I was planning to break up with him that day. To put a period at the end of this nine-year sentence. Jason walked out the door at midnight. The calendar flipped to a new day. Exactly fourteen days left until I go home for the arranged marriage. The days passed. When the 18th arrived, I didn't hear from Jason. Instead, I saw a travel vlog on Piper's social media. She flashed a sweet, carefree smile as a tall figure stood reflected in the background. I recognized him instantly. It was Jason. Chapter 2 Jason was wearing the coat I gave him for our eighth anniversary last year. Before I could finish watching the three-minute vlog, my phone rang. It was Jason. "I'm so sorry, Shae. There's a lot going on over there that needs my attention. I really can't make it back. We'll celebrate our anniversary another time. It's not like we don't have plenty of it." "Okay," I said, and put down the phone. Outside the window, the once-lush trees were losing their leaves. Winter was almost here. And Jason and I were almost out of time. The clock struck midnight. I tore off the calendar page for the 18th. Twelve days left until I go home for the arranged marriage. Five more days passed. Jason and Piper's location stayed overseas. There was no sign of him coming back. With five days left on the countdown, Jason posted on social media. His location was the local airport back in town. I had already packed up my things, ready to catch my flight in five days. Four days left. I went out to throw away some things I didn't want to keep. Out of nowhere, someone grabbed my ankle. I looked down. It was Piper. Her eyes were red. She looked like she had been crying for hours. She clutched at me, her voice trembling. "Shae, you have everything. Just let me have Jason. He's been waiting for you to break up with him. His company is still growing. He can't afford any bad press. "And besides... besides, we already have a child together." The moment she pressed her hand to her stomach, I froze. So. They even had a kid together. 'Jason. God. If that's how you felt, why didn't you just tell me sooner?' I gave a bitter smile and pulled my arm free. "Go talk to the father of your child. That has nothing to do with me. "But be careful. What happened to me will happen to you. "I helped him build his company. I was there when it went public. And he still betrayed me. You think a baby is going to keep him in line?" Then I turned and walked away, leaving Piper crying behind me. When I got home, I stood quietly and looked around at everything. Every plant, every piece of furniture — I had chosen it all. I had wanted so badly to build a home with Jason. And now I hated every bit of it. I was ripping the last plant out by the roots and throwing it in the trash when my mom called. "Shae, I booked your ticket! Three more days and you'll meet your fiancé!" "I know, Mom." I was tired. My voice came out soft and thin. She sounded worried. "Did Jason do something to you again?" "No," I lied. He hadn't done anything. He wasn't even here. "Sweetheart, Jason was never good enough for you. When you come home, I'll pull our funding. He'll lose everything — the money and you." I laughed through the tears starting to form. "Okay." Three days left. … Back when Jason was starting his company, my mom gave him his first investment. He got down on his knees in front of her and swore that if he ever treated me badly, he would die a horrible death. And for a while, he did treat me well. But that was before he made it. Maybe I was just tired from scrubbing every trace of myself out of that house. I fell asleep on the couch. In my dream, I was back in college, the day we first met. But when I woke up, I was alone in that big, empty house. I checked the clock. Six in the morning. My flight was tomorrow, first thing. I needed to leave around six. That meant I had twenty-four hours left before saying goodbye to Jason for good. But he still hadn't come home. Ever since he got back from that trip, he hadn't spent a single night here. I decided I might as well just call him and break up over the phone. "Shae? What's up?" Jason was actually awake early for once. That was rare. I opened my mouth to speak — then heard someone else in the background. "Back again to buy breakfast for your girlfriend? Now that's a good man." Fresh breakfast, straight out of the kitchen at six in the morning. Something he had never once done for me. I couldn't make out the rest of the conversation. The line went dead. He hung up first. A few minutes later, a text came through: [Sorry, I was in a meeting. I'll be home this afternoon.] Chapter 3 A meeting at a breakfast stand? That's a new one. By eight in the morning, Piper had posted again on social media: [The man who buys you diamonds might not love you — but the man who gets up at six to buy you breakfast? That's love.] 'Great. She's got the diamond. She's got the breakfast. I hope they're happy.' I got up and started packing. It didn't take long — just one suitcase. I didn't have much. Everything I didn't want was already thrown out. You couldn't find a single trace of me left in that house. At six in the evening, Jason actually came home. This might have been one of the few times he'd ever kept his word. But now, I had only twelve hours left before my flight home. He was carrying a box, out of breath. "Shae, I'm so sorry I've been so busy. I got you something. Happy ninth anniversary." I looked inside. It was a designer handbag — the one I'd once mentioned I liked. But there's a difference between something you can buy with money and something you have to put your heart into. Breakfast at dawn versus a bag from a store. I could still tell which one was love. "Thanks," I said flatly. Jason let out a long breath. "See? I knew you'd love it." He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. "Shae, once things calm down at work, I'll take you to Scandinavia. You've always wanted to see the northern lights, haven't you?" "Mm-hmm," I said softly. But I didn't believe him anymore. The northern lights thing was a dream from when I was still in school. Then life got busy. The dream got shelved. Every little wish I'd mentioned to him over the years — none of them ever came true. We stayed close for a little while, just like that. Then Jason said he had to leave again. Ten hours before my flight took off. I watched his back as he walked away. Then I called out to him. "Jason." He stopped and turned around. "What is it?" I looked into his eyes — those beautiful eyes — and asked one last time, "Do you still love me?" He laughed like I'd said something funny, came back over, patted my head, and answered without missing a beat. "Of course I do. Don't overthink it. I'll be back tomorrow. We'll celebrate our anniversary then — I already made a reservation." He sounded so sure of himself. I nodded. "Okay. I'll wait for you." For the first time in nine years, I lied to him. I turned and started walking back to my room. But Jason — who had been in such a hurry to leave — was still standing by the door. He hadn't moved. "Shae..." He could sense something. He just stood there staring at me, unable to walk away. I stopped at the turn of the staircase, halfway up to the second floor. "Go on," I said. "Someone's waiting for you." He looked at me for a long time after that. He didn't leave until I had gone all the way up and back into my room. From the second floor, I watched his back as the door closed behind him. Nine years of loving the wrong person. It was finally over. Nine hours before my flight. I couldn't sleep. I knew I was leaving first thing in the morning. Three hours left. I printed out all the evidence — Piper's taunts, the intimate photos of her and Jason — and left them on the coffee table. Two hours left. I took off the necklace I'd worn for nine years. It was the first gift Jason ever gave me — back when we were eighteen. He'd worked five part-time jobs to buy it. Back then, he said he would turn that necklace into a ring and put it on my finger. One hour left. On top of the pile of evidence, I left a white sheet of paper. On it, I had written: [Nine years of loving the wrong person. No need to say goodbye. — Shae] Then, alone in that huge house, I waited until six in the morning. The car I'd booked was waiting outside. I took one last look at the place I'd called home. Then I turned and left. In the car, I deleted and deactivated every account tied to Jason. Every single one. I snapped my SIM card in half and tossed it out the window. Just like that, my story with Jason reached an end. I made it to the airport, checked in, and walked toward security with my ticket and passport in hand. Past that gate, my new life was waiting. I lifted my chin and started to smile as I walked forward. Then I heard a voice behind me, a very familiar voice. "Shae!"