Seeing some students nearby raising their phones to record, I quickly pulled him aside.
“Do you need something, Mr. Camden?”
My cold, distant tone seemed to cut through him, leaving a visible pain in his eyes.
He reached out again, trying to embrace me, but I stepped back, avoiding him.
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, he slowly pulled his hand away, dark circles under his eyes, his voice hoarse and full of weariness.
“Hallie, when did we become so distant? I was wrong. I want to apologize. Please… come
back to me.”
“Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. A grand wedding? It’s yours. If you want me, I’m yours.”
Jasper pulled out a thick envelope and opened it in front of me.
Inside, it was all laid bare: his shares, property deeds, car keys, and bank cards.
“Hallie, the last envelope was a mistake, given by my mother. This one is the real one. Everything I have belongs to you. Hallie, I love you.”
Looking at his sincere expression, I couldn’t help but, feel a mix of amusement and
distance.
In our seven years together, he had always been the one in control, the one on top.
And I foolishly believed that one day he’d finally see me standing by his side, waiting for
him.
But when that day arrived, I no longer cared. I didn’t love him anymore.
After a long silence, I suddenly let out a soft laugh, the sound dripping with mockery as I looked at him.
“Jasper, did you really think I left you over that measly envelope?”
“All of this to me, it’s no different than that two–cent envelope. They’re both worthless.”
A flicker of panic crossed his face, his voice trembling.
“Hallie, tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything. Please, just come back to me.”
I turned my back to him, my voice steady and firm.
“Stop looking for me. What I want, I already have.”
The love I once begged for was no longer something I needed.
Now, I love myself.
would use my own hands, my own skills, to become the woman I was meant to be, fulfilled, happy, without begging for his pity.
Just then, a group of students rushed forward, pushing between us.
Through the sea of people, I saw his eyes desperately searching for me.
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I never imagined I would see him wear such an expression because of me.
“Hallie, don’t go!”
His hoarse, desperate cry was swallowed by the noise of the crowd.
Between us now lay a chasm that could never be bridged again.
Back in the dorm, I tried to catch up on sleep, but my phone kept ringing.
When I answered, my professor’s tone was tinged with irritation.
“Hallie, your fiancé is causing a scene at the lab entrance. Come deal with it right now.”
Just as I hung up, my phone buzzed with a breaking news alert. [CEO of Camden Group Abandons Wedding to Chase Love Across the Globe]
The photo that accompanied the headline was one of me and him, caught in a quiet conversation in a small wooded area.
Soon enough, the internet uncovered all my personal details.
Speculation ran wild, with everyone questioning who the CEO’s “true love” really was.
A livestream notification popped up.
In it, Nora and Josie tearfully accused me of having an affair with Jasper, blaming me for his abandonment of his fiancée and mother.
With the weight of the Camden family behind them, public opinion quickly shifted against me, and venomous comments flooded in.
I turned off my phone and rushed to the lab.
Outside, a crowd had gathered, cameras, tripods, and even live streamers.
At the center of it all stood Jasper, holding a massive bouquet of roses, kneeling on one knee, his voice loud.
“Hallie, marry me! Everything I have belongs to you; please, marry me!”
Cheers and teasing laughter spread through the crowd.
My heart sank.
I couldn’t understand it. Why had I fought for seven years and never once received this
love?
