He Erased Me From The Photo I Erased Him From My Life Chapter 06
When Owen got home, the living room was dark.
He tossed his keys into the tray by the door and called out, “Natalie?”
No answer.
The apartment felt strangely hollow, though the sofa, the dining table, and the paintings on the wall were all still there. He stood motionless for a few seconds, then strode quickly toward the study.
Dark coffee stains still marred the desk, but Natalie’s laptop and her mother’s property papers were gone.
He rushed into the bedroom and yanked open the closet.
Her side was empty.
The clothes, the shoe boxes—even the suitcase she kept on the top shelf were gone.
All that remained was the engagement ring, sitting alone on her nightstand.
Owen’s heart plummeted. He snatched up his phone and dialed her number, only to be met with the flat, automated voice:
“The number you have called has blocked incoming calls.”
He dialed again.
Same result.
Natalie wasn’t just angry.
She had left.
Frantically, Owen opened his email, searching for any clue she might have left behind. Instead, at the very top of the inbox was a new message from the wedding venue.
Subject: Confirmation of Cancellation for Your Reserved Date
“Dear Mr. Mercer, This email is to confirm that Ms. Natalie Reed came in personally this afternoon to cancel your event booking and has paid the cancellation fee in full…”
Owen stared at the words, sinking onto the edge of the bed. His hand slipped between the cushions, and his fingers brushed against a bookmark stamped with the logo of the Denver Art Museum.
It was one she used all the time—the only thing of hers left in the apartment.
She wasn’t throwing a tantrum.
She had been executing a plan.
She had ripped herself out of their future, root and stem.