My Fiancé Chose Her So I Chose Myself Chapter 04
A week passed in a blur.
It was my last day in Chicago. My flight to London left in eight hours.
Morning light streamed into the apartment as I packed my things into a single suitcase.
After five years and a partner promise that was never fulfilled, I realized how little in this apartment was actually mine.
Traces of Travis and Jenna were everywhere. The things that truly belonged to me filled only one medium-sized suitcase.
I stuffed the clothes Travis always criticized as “too plain” and “not what a future partner should wear” into a donation bag.
I threw out the toothbrush and towel in the bathroom, then opened the bottom drawer of the vanity.
Three things were inside.
An outdated steel bracelet, a high school graduation gift from Evan.
A worn guitar pick, Brooke’s favorite thing when she was in middle school, which she had insisted on giving me.
And a simple diamond ring.
When Travis proposed last year, he hadn’t checked my ring size. The band was too loose, and I’d had to use a clear silicone adjuster to keep it from falling off.
I dropped the bracelet and the guitar pick into the trash, then slipped off the engagement ring and set it in the very center of the coffee table.
Under it, I left a handwritten note.
*I’m returning the ring. The courtship registration and shared-residence application have both been withdrawn. The four of you suit each other perfectly. Don’t contact me again.*