Halfway through, the man on top of me went still.
I opened my eyes. Ellis was looking down at his phone, at an iMessage.
It was from Tessa. Again. It was two in the morning, and she’d sent a message saying she had a sudden craving for bagels from a specific shop.
“Sorry. I just really want one right now. You bought me those rainbow bagels before—can you send me the name of that shop?”
The warmth in him evaporated. He rolled off me and immediately started typing a reply.
This had become a pattern over the three years we’d been together.
We’d once made plans to see a movie, but he didn’t show up until it was nearly over because Tessa had a craving for the clam chowder he made.
The first time he officially met my parents, he was supposed to stay for dinner but left halfway through to bring Tessa an oat milk latte—the same kind they’d had on their first date.
On Christmas Eve, when he was supposed to be decorating our tree with me, he’d shown up at Tessa’s place instead, making her favorite roast turkey and cranberry sauce from scratch.
He was so focused on his phone that he didn’t look up until I reminded him, for the third time, that we were supposed to go to the County Clerk’s office next week to file our marriage paperwork.
“Let’s talk about it another day. Work’s been insane. Go to sleep. I need to go to my office and handle something.”
Ten minutes after he left, I opened Instagram on my burner account.
He’d posted on his Close Friends story: a photo of him holding a bag of bagels.
The caption read: Had to make sure someone got fed, even in this rain.
I stared at the photo for a long time. All I felt was exhaustion.
Ellis Lombardi, if getting married is such a hassle for you, then I won’t ask again.
If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 38 In the third year of our marriage, I was promoted to department head. My mother’s health had also recovered completely. On sunny days, she would come over to help me tend the flowers on our balcony. The hydrangea, once a pot of
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 37 Later, I learned that the right kind of love doesn’t keep you guessing. It puts warm water in your hand. And when you say you want to walk on your own, it takes a step back and walks beside you. Most importantly,
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 36 On the morning of the wedding, Lucian was up early. When I woke, the makeup artist hadn’t arrived yet, but the smell of breakfast was already drifting from the kitchen. I followed the scent. Lucian was standing at the stove in a
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 35 “And she still chooses you.” Lucian’s eyes instantly turned red. He took the ring, but he didn’t put it on my finger. “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” “This isn’t gratitude?” “No.” “And you’re not using me to get back at Ellis?” That
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 34 Six months later, my mother slid a bank card across the table toward me. “This is for the medical bills Lucian paid.” “I’ve saved up some money. Take it and pay him back.” I pushed the card back to her. “It’s almost
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 33 I froze for a second. “I would.” There was a time when I had lived in shame because of that video. Now, the judgment had become a tool I could use to protect myself—and maybe help the next person who had to
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 32 He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. After reading the judgment on the screen, my manager turned to him. “Coralie’s abilities have nothing to do with her private life.” “We’re here to discuss the project. If that’s not your priority, we
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 31 In my third month at the new company, I led my first major project presentation. Right before the meeting, a man from the partner company stared at me for a long moment. “Coralie Ricci?” His tone was odd. “Aren’t you that woman
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 30 “The doctor said I’m recovering well. Thanks to you taking such good care of me.” Lucian’s eyes met mine over her head. “That’s good news.” At dinner, he put the best-looking fried egg on my plate and ladled a bowl of simple
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If Your Heart Doesn’t Lean Towards Me I Don’t Want It Chapter 29 On the first weekend after the lawsuits were over, I took my mother for a follow-up appointment. The doctor said her recovery was going well. As long as she took her medication and avoided major stress, she would be fine. When we
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