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The next day, I woke up to the faint sound of movement outside my door. When I opened it, I was greeted by a display of designer dresses.
Without a second thought, I knew who had sent them. I barely glanced at them before gathering them all up and tossing them into the trash.
A voice filled with disbelief called out behind me. I looked up to see Jaylon approaching with an angry face. He glanced from me to the trash can, his expression one of shock.
“Do you even know what those are? You just threw them away like that?”
His usually composed eyes were now filled with suppressed fury.
“I do not need to see them to know that I do
not like them,” I replied, my tone
indifferent.
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I tried to move past him, unwilling to engage any further.
He grabbed my shoulder forcefully and pulled me back.
“Aurora, how long are you going to keep acting like this?”
“Is that all you think of me?” I laughed in disbelief. “You used to throw away my things without a second thought. Did you think you were being reasonable then?”
I remembered a time when Jaylon had collapsed from exhaustion and broken his
bones in a fall. I took care of him for three
months, cooking for him every day. Yet, I later found out that he would pour it out when I was not looking.
At first, I thought he just did not like it, but one day, I caught him happily having chicken that Nadia had brought over.
Jaylon offered an embarrassed smile, fumbling for an excuse. “That day, I just happened to be starving, so I could not
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help myself.”
I shrugged, unaffected. “Both of you were hungry. One is pining for a best friend, the other for someone else’s boyfriend. What a perfect match.”
With that, I shook him off and walked away
without hesitation.
In the days that followed, I buried myself in work. My coworkers noticed how focused I was, even commenting that my eyes sparkled when I was working on a new project.
I had no time to entertain Jaylon’s constant deliveries of gifts. Curious coworkers would ask who this mysterious person was.
But I would only smile and say, “Just a dog I
cannot train.”
With my life no longer revolving around him, my days became richer and more. fulfilling.
I could go out drinking or play around
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without worrying about making breakfast or doing laundry for Jaylon.
I was finally living for myself.
But my peace was short–lived. Nadia called me out of the blue one day, something she rarely ever did.
“Aurora, are you not coming? Jaylon is here, and he’s drunk. He keeps asking for you.”
I was baffled. “Why would I come? What does he being drunk have to do with me?”
She continued, ignoring me, “Jaylon said you two were hosting this dinner, and now you’re not here. Are you going to give him the cold shoulder like this?”
Before I could respond, she hung up.
I sighed. I had accidentally packed one of Jaylon’s design drafts in my luggage, so I decided to drop it off and finally cut all ties with them.
When I arrived, I realized it was at the restaurant I had always wanted to try, one
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that matched my taste perfectly. Jaylon had never liked it, so we had never gone.
I assumed Nadia had suggested it, and now he had no problem accommodating her preferences.
I found their private room but hesitated just outside when I overheard a voice dripping with mockery. “Jaylon, your taste is really something else. That girlfriend of yours sure has some nerve. Why should we put up with her attitude?”
Nadia chimed in sweetly, “Well, what can you do? Jaylon likes girls with a strong personality. I just hope he does not regret it if they ever get married.”
“Everyone knows that Jaylon discovered you and made you a top model. They say you’re his rose. If you hadn’t gone abroad to recover from your injuries, there’s no way someone like her would have had a
chance.”
Their words hit me like a lightning bolt.
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So, Jaylon had always liked Nadia? That explained why he was so attentive to her.
It seemed that my instincts had always been right.
I was just the obstacle standing in their
way.
“Aurora? Is that Aurora outside?”
Jaylon suddenly sprang to life, shaking off his drunken stupor. He pushed open the door with force.
“You’re finally here, Aurora. I need to tell you…”
I cut him off coldly. “There is nothing left to say. I was the one who stood between you two. Now that I’m out of the picture, you two should enjoy your lives together.”
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