Turns Out She Was Never Mine

My girlfriend, Eloise Harper, sought efficiency in everything. She could barely tolerate anything she considered a waste of time. She decided that our wedding ceremony rehearsal was a waste of time and canceled it. When she found a long line forming at City Hall for marriage registration, she spun on her heel and left at once. On Valentine’s Day, I reserved a table for the two of us at a private restaurant known only to a few people. I arrived early at her company to pick her up. But I accidentally overheard her colleagues gossiping. "Have you heard? Ms. Harper deliberately took the service elevator every day to leave work with Mr. Pierce." In the elevator hall, I was shocked to find Eloise waiting at the back of the line. She was casually discussing work with her secretary, Matthew Pierce. Later, I caught up with them on the first floor. Eloise turned around and greeted me with a displeased frown. The reproach in her voice was obvious. "Andrew, we aren't even married yet. Are you really so desperate to show up here and taint my reputation?" I choked on her groundless accusation and could only shake my head in resignation. She had forbidden me from visiting her at the office, saying she wanted to avoid gossip. Today, I had not wanted to test her patience and risk having her cancel our date as usual, so I rushed all the way to her workplace to pick her up after work. Before I could explain, Matthew put on a panicked expression and chimed in. "I forgot my laptop. I need to go back to the office to pick it up." Then, he turned to Eloise and apologized, "I'm sorry, but it seems I can't drive you home today. You should go with him. No need to wait for me." She held his shoulder, her expression visibly softened. "I'll get it for you. Just get Andrew out of here now." Finally, she walked away and joined the crowd waiting for the elevator. At that moment, realization dawned on me. If she could not even be bothered to maintain our relationship, then we should end it now. Chapter 1 Eloise's Double Standard Eloise Harper was gone for thirty minutes. During that time, Matthew Pierce called her five times. She answered each of them and always waited for him to hang up first. I struggled to digest what I had discovered. She had established rules and made sure our call would not last longer than two minutes. As soon as the call exceeded two minutes, she would hang up without notice. … Last night, I called her to ask for the apartment's new door code. After two failed attempts, the call had also exceeded two minutes. At that moment, Eloise had not hesitated to hang up on me. I waited outside the apartment with the takeaway food I had bought for her. By the time she finally came home, reeking of alcohol, the food had gone completely cold. I demanded her explanation. After all, she posted a picture of her and Matthew on social media, yet she did not bother to reply to my message. Her frankness stunned me into speechlessness. "Andrew, just because you're a social pariah doesn't mean I have to be like you and not spend time with my friends." Matthew started the car, and Eloise slid into the passenger seat. Their colleagues' gossip rang louder in my ears. "There's no denying that Ms. Harper gives Mr. Pierce special treatment. She always waits in line to heat his meal before bringing it to him during lunchtime." "She always ends the meeting ten minutes later when he's around." "An independent woman who values efficiency turning into a caring woman for the man she loves? I'm totally shipping them!" Despite Matthew's effort to sound apologetic, he could not hold back his grin. It stung. "Don't mind them, Andrew. They're clearly joking. Did I ever tell you they photoshopped us in a wedding photo?" He found the picture in his favorites album and retold their antics as if it were all just harmless fun. I slouched in the back seat, unable to find anything funny about it. "People might mistake the two of you as a couple." Eloise immediately scolded in a low voice. "It's understandable if the outsiders don't know better, but you and Matthew were college roommates. It isn't nice to make fun of him like that." He rushed to smooth things over. "Today's Valentine's Day, and everyone is in a festive mood. Andrew has the right to be happy too. I don't mind friendly banter." Her lips pursed, seemingly unconvinced by his words. "He cared only about himself and showed up uninvited. He never thought he might trouble us." The next second? She was addressing me. "Andrew, I don't want our marriage to affect my promotion. Stop coming to my office again." I stared at the lipstick she accidentally left on the center console and demanded an explanation. "And why did you allow your colleagues to put the two of you in a wedding photo?" She frowned. "Because there's nothing between us!" I let out a bitter laugh and didn't continue the conversation. She could shrug off a wedding photo of her and Matthew circulating around the office. Yet our marriage, which was never going to happen now, was a burden to her. Matthew patted the back of her hand. "Andrew has reserved a table at a private restaurant. I know the place, so I'll take you there." Her expression visibly eased at his words. She looked up and met my gaze through the rearview mirror. "You should've said that earlier. You're wasting Matthew's time having him drive around." The date I planned for two turned into a meal for three. I even let Matthew take my portion of the appetizer. … Halfway through the meal, Mom called to confirm the details of the wedding banquet. When she asked me to pass the phone to Eloise, I did as told. Eloise took the phone, and Mom asked her for the banquet date. Eloise answered coldly, "Any day is fine, Cassandra. You don't need to dwell on the trivialities. By the way, we have things to do. Talk to you later." She cut Mom off and handed the phone back to me. Then she casually voiced her request. "Andrew, you've always been obsessed with working out the details, but I want the wedding as simple as possible." Sorrow overwhelmed me. … Meanwhile, Mom profusely apologized in the series of messages she sent. 'I'm sorry, Andrew. I have no idea you're working. Please tell Eloise that I'll definitely call her at the promised time next time. The wedding can wait. We're in no rush to finalize the details, really.' At that, I lost my appetite and invented an excuse to go to the restroom. I leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette on the walkway. Matthew's laughter echoed throughout the room as he shared office gossip. Eloise paid attention to him and never interrupted once. She occasionally giggled at his antics. I remembered sharing my plan to quit my job and start a business with her. She had cut me off after the very first sentence. "Andrew, I can't care less about your trivial matters." It turned out she did not mind wasting attention on trivial things. She simply did not think I was worth her time. In the end, I replied to Mom's message. 'Mom, I'm calling off the wedding.' Chapter 2 A Burden to Eloise I paid for the meal and took a taxi home. … Eloise came home past four in the morning. She cast a glance at me on the sofa before returning to her phone screen. She casually asked, "You looked pale earlier during dinner. Is it angina again?" My heart skipped a beat at the mention of the memory. When we first arrived in Brolis to chase our dreams, I often suffered from chest pain because I stayed up late networking. During the worst episode, Eloise had continued working from my hospital room. She monitored me when I was on a drip while managing her work. From that time on, I always kept my chest pain from her to avoid delaying her work. Her concern warmed my heart and eased my frustration. I calmly began. "Eloise, about our marriage—" "Andrew, I've had enough of your untimely jealousy." She interrupted me, her brows knitting together impatiently. "If seeing the fake wedding photo of me and Matthew drives you to force marriage on me, it only proves you're dwelling on something unnecessary." After that, she headed into the bedroom to answer an incoming call. Matthew's anxious voice echoed on the other end of the line. "Eloise, the senior staff will be presented at the assembly tomorrow. I'm nervous." She readily comforted him. "Don't worry. Let's review your speech together one more time." The matter of calling off our marriage registration was left unspoken as the door clicked shut. Helplessness washed over me. … The next day after work, I received Eloise's call. "Matthew passed his presentation. I promised to give him a tie earlier. You should join us. We can take care of our business while we're at it." Frowning, I asked her to elaborate on what she meant. She chuckled as though I had asked a pointless question. "Aren't you eager to get married? You need to pick out your wedding suit for that." I countered, "So, choosing a tie for Matthew is your priority, while picking out my wedding suit is less important?" "Batch processing similar tasks enhances efficiency," she answered in unwavering confidence. I pressed her. "Do you seriously believe that getting married and spending time shopping with him are similar tasks?" "Andrew, I told you to stop dwelling on details." She dismissed my concern without hesitation. … Later that day, Matthew drove to my workplace to pick me up. After Matthew tried on a bunch of ties, Eloise teased him for being clumsy and personally adjusted every tie for him. By the time we entered the tailor boutique, a sense of exhaustion washed over me. "Forget about it." I turned to leave. However, Matthew dragged me into the studio. "Let's not waste the opportunity since we're already here. I've been eager to find out how it feels to be a groom." He picked out three suits and entered the fitting room. I tried on my choice as a flicker of hope sparked in my chest. I hoped that, like me, Eloise would remember the moment I dropped to one knee and proposed to her on the field during our graduation day. When I walked out of the fitting room, I only found her holding up her phone to take pictures of Matthew from different angles. She spent the entire two hours taking more than a hundred photos of him in three different wedding suits. During that time, she did not mention efficiency once, nor did she lose her patience. Finally, she put her phone away and turned to me in confusion. "Why haven't you changed?" I chuckled and shrugged. "I don't need it anyway." She furrowed her brows, apparently annoyed that I had wasted her time again. "Andrew, I'm too busy to do this with you another time." At that moment, Matthew chimed in half-jokingly. "Eloise, the groomsman will be wearing a tuxedo as well, right? You two should have me as your groomsman since I've tried out the suits, you know?" A pink hue appeared on her face. She walked away to settle the bill. I joked, "You might as well be the groom instead." He chuckled. "I'm totally up for it as long as it works with Eloise." When Eloise returned and sensed the tension between us, she immediately decided that I was at fault and snapped at me. "Andrew, Matthew was just joking, yet you got worked up over a simple joke. Sooner or later, your temperament will ruin you." On our way home, I received a call from my mom. She had traveled all the way from our hometown across the country to visit me. I understood that my decision to cancel the wedding encouraged her to speak with Eloise. "Eloise, my mom has arrived at the Central Station. Will you come with me to pick her up?" My mom was unfamiliar with Brolis. I feared that she would get lost on her way to our apartment. To my surprise, Eloise told Matthew to pull up to the curb. "Andrew, you promised me never to involve our parents' affairs in our daily lives. Both of us have complicated relationships with our parents, and most interactions that exist only for emotional support are meaningless." I froze. After Matthew unlocked the doors, she coldly ordered me to get out of the car. "Don't come home before you're done dealing with your mother." The possibility of my mother getting lost in the city meant nothing to Eloise. In her eyes, my mother was just another burden. The summer heat lingered in the air, yet I got out of the car with numb limbs. As the car sped down the road, Matthew's comforting voice slipped past the rolled-down window. "Eloise, Andrew was always high-maintenance back in our college days. You have to be patient with him. By the way, are you up for supper? It can chase your problem away." The shadow on her face vanished instantly. Giggling, she teased him, "If you're hungry, just say so." … After picking up Mom at the station, I packed a few clothes at home and stayed with her at the hotel. Eloise's cruelty was the last straw. In the hotel room, I finally decided to break up with her after she had broken my heart again and again. I struggled to draft the message. Mom reached over to turn off my phone screen. "After she hurt you all this time, you have the right to be disappointed in her. Just break up with her." It seemed the end of our relationship had come. I lifted my chin. For the first time, I found resolution in Mom's usually dull eyes. Motherly tenderness softened her expression as she said, "Let's go home, Andrew." Chapter 3 Who Am I to You? Mom was not referring to the childhood home where she had settled down with Dad. Instead, it was the scenic rural area where she grew up. … I returned home to pack my belongings. I opened the door to find Matthew and his colleagues playing a card game in the living room. Their scrutinizing gaze darted from my face to Matthew's. Someone asked, "Who is that, Mr. Pierce?" A smug grin appeared on Matthew's face. He did not answer right away, deliberately keeping them in suspense. I strode into the room and announced, "I'm Eloise's boyfriend." Matthew's grin widened as he rose to his feet unhurriedly. He challenged me, "Really? Eloise never mentioned having a boyfriend." His friends snapped out of their trance and seconded him. "That's right. We all know Ms. Harper and Mr. Pierce are dating." "I remember you! You're the suspicious guy in the elevator the other day! You're stalking Ms. Harper, aren't you?" In their eyes, Matthew was the true master of the house. "Mr. Pierce, he's a psychopath! What should we do with him?" I paid them no mind and walked into the bedroom to pack my things. I did not expect to hear Eloise scold me. "Hey! Get your hands off people's things. Get out of here right now, or I'm calling the police." I turned around to look at her. The absurdity of the situation dawned on me. We had been dating for ten years and bought the apartment with a joint mortgage. Now, she was chasing me out of my own house. "Eloise, do you swear you don't know me?" I looked straight into her eyes. She choked on her words, but after Matthew whispered something into her ear, she regained her composure. She confidently met my eyes. "I don't know you." He came over to nudge me and whispered a warning. "Get lost already, you troublemaker. Stop causing Eloise any trouble." His male colleagues rushed to drag me into the corridor. In the end, the security guard threw me out of the building. I waited outside for six hours. The sweat stung the scratches on my arms, but the more painful it was, the clearer I could see the situation. Eloise and Matthew only found me after seeing off their colleagues. Matthew smiled innocently and said, "I'm sorry, Andrew. It's all my fault. Please don't blame Eloise." He explained that the photo of him in a wedding suit on his social media led to the wedding date leakage. "When I posted the photo, I didn't notice Eloise's reflection in the fitting room mirror. When they pressed us for the wedding date, I blurted out that it would be soon." A wave of nausea hit me as I stared at his fake smile hidden in the shadows. "Matthew, you know very well whether it was an accident or not." He let out a sad sigh as though my accusation wronged him. "Andrew, how could you possibly think I could do anything like that?" Eloise tossed a tube of wound healing ointment in my face. The guilt and regret on her face had vanished. "I'm sick of your game, Andrew. What's wrong with letting people misunderstand? In the end, the man I'm marrying is you. Pretending to be a couple with Matthew saves us from having to explain every time. I don't see any problem with it." It was unfair to the efforts I had poured into the relationship over the past ten years, unfair to my sacrifice to play her secret lover to avoid causing trouble for her. "Eloise, what will I become even after we get married? Is the marriage certificate meant to appease me? Will I still be your secret? Do you even want to introduce me to your friends?" "Andrew, admit it. All this drama is just an act to force me to make our relationship public." She dared to look disappointed. Her accusation did not stop there. "You always complicate simple matters to feed your ego. You could really learn a thing or two from Matthew. Despite all the office rumours over the years, he always shrugs them off and never dwells on them." She hooked her arm around his and started walking into the building. "Let Andrew play the victim. We don't need to waste time entertaining him." Matthew kept looking back at me, pretending to be concerned. "Maybe I should move out and return the apartment to its rightful owner?" It only fueled her determination. "No need. The two of us living together will make people believe that we're a couple. Next month, we'll announce our marriage and promotion at once." I blocked them on every social media platform before hailing a cab to the office to submit my resignation. Chapter 4 The Final Straw Just as I boarded the train home, hoping to start a new life, the security officer at the station stopped me. "I'm sorry, Mr. Reed. You're currently the main suspect in a burglary case. You're not allowed to leave the city for the time being." I stared at her in bewilderment. "You must've made a mistake." She replied sternly, "That's for the police to decide." The officer waiting behind her handcuffed me and escorted me to the police station. Eloise and Matthew were already waiting there with a private settlement agreement. … After a series of mishaps, Eloise brought me home. She forced me to wait at the dining table before she went into the kitchen to prepare a meal for me. Matthew sat across from me. As soon as the cooker hood buzzed in the kitchen, a smug grin split across his face. "Andrew, if you know better, you should break up with Eloise now." In the past, I naively believed him when he claimed that he had lost interest in pursuing a new relationship after his ex-girlfriend dumped him. Only after his countless attempts to drive a wedge between Eloise and me did I finally realize he had set his sights on her long ago. "You've been targeting her ever since I recommended you for the secretary position at her company," I said bluntly. "Can you blame me, Andrew? You've been together with her for ten years. As your roommate, I must admit—I want your life. This beautiful, wealthy woman is mine." He threw a punch at me unexpectedly. As I fought back with my fists, he dodged the incoming attack and hit his head against the chair. Eloise emerged from the kitchen with my meal, only to find his lips bloody. Her head snapped to me, and she directed a glower my way. I held my palm up, drawing her gaze to the silver ring on my palm, but she only cupped Matthew's face in both hands and examined him carefully. "It's nothing serious. Just busted lips." When her eyes met mine again, she did not bother to hide her disgust. "Andrew, even if you stole the ring, Matthew will still be the groom. I only brought you home to make you pay for your mistakes, not to steal his spotlight." At this point, she still brushed off my protests as jealousy. Matthew feigned generosity. "It's fine. Andrew can have the ring if he wants it." I tossed the ring on the table. It spun across the table until it hit the tray. I used to imagine that building a family with Eloise would mean a hot meal waiting at home and a wedding ring placed on my finger. "Here's your ring. I wish you both a happy marriage." My words somehow stung her. A look of sorrow flashed across her face, yet once again, she suppressed her emotions and listened to reasons in her mind out of habit. "Office rumors claim that I'm two-timing Matthew with you. Andrew, you need to attend the wedding to quash the rumors. It's the most effective way." I burst out laughing. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. "What if I refuse to go?" "Then, we'll report to the police that you stole the ring. A second offense is non-bailable. You'll be sentenced to prison time." She set the agreement on the ring. At that moment, I finally let go of the beautiful memories we had made over the past ten years. "Fine." I met her eyes. "Consider my debt cleared after the wedding." Panic crept into her heart, but she ignored it and shot me a condescending smile. "We'll get married the day after the wedding." … On the day of the wedding, Matthew stood by the dressing room door in a crisp groom's suit. Triumphantly, he sent me the video of my arrest at the train station. "Everyone knows you now, Andrew. The netizens will never forget you. I wonder how you'll survive in this city after this." I sneered as I scrolled down the screen. "Do you really believe getting rid of me would secure you the position as Eloise's husband?" He smiled like he had everything under control. "You're my only college roommate who showed up today. Don't forget to enjoy the wedding, all right?" He walked away with a confident laugh, while I booked the train ticket home. On the stage, I presented the wedding ring to Eloise. For a moment, she looked uneasy, but she pushed aside her doubts and slipped the ring onto Matthew's finger. After the wedding, I walked out of her life without looking back. … Eloise woke up with a splitting headache after having too much to drink last night. Matthew had prepared breakfast for her. He tried to persuade her to finish it before heading out. She shook her head. "I'll skip breakfast. I shouldn't keep Andrew waiting." He stirred his coffee with a teaspoon and offered her a tender smile. "Don't bother. He's gone." She stopped abruptly in her tracks. "Where did he go? Is it his hometown? He really does love troubling me. Whatever. I guess it's my fault for not telling him about our fake wedding in advance. I'll pick him up." She ignored his attempt to stop her and left. When she knocked on the door, an unfamiliar face emerged. The stranger stared at her incredulously. "Who are you? Go away. I don't know any Andrew Reed."