I initially thought the collaboration would fall through. However, Colton didn’t purposely jeopardize anything. In fact, he kept standing up for me and defending me throughout the meeting.
He even generously accepted the terms and conditions I laid out before him.
After signing the contract, my company arranged for a celebratory round of drinks at the bar. Colton had a few drinks before excusing himself for a smoke outdoors.
He then secretly sent me a message, wanting to have a heart–to–heart talk with me.
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I was afraid, but my curiosity got the better of me, so I went out to meet him.
I walked to the parking lot and saw Colton standing in front of his car.
When he saw me, he opened the trunk. Immediately, a whole bunch of paper cranes fell from all the nooks and crannies of the car trunk The paper cranes even spilled out onto the ground,
I used to love folding paper cranes back when I was in college. Once, I wanted to commemorate our love, so I folded a thousand tiny paper cranes and put them in a jar.
Colton accidentally broke the jar one day when we were moving, and I’d been upset about it for a long while.
I picked up a crane from the ground and unfolded it. I saw that Colton had even written the lyrics to my favorite song in it.
He then walked over toward me with a huge pink teddy bear in his arms.
“Today’s the anniversary of the first day we met, Gianna. I wish you love and happiness!”
Colton then got down on one knee and raised a small box.
I looked down and saw that the rings in the box were the exact replicas of our wedding bands when we got married.
He then looked at me anxiously.
“Gianna, I’ve been reflecting on my mistakes for the past three years. I can promise you now that the cold and aloof man from last time is gone. I won’t treat you like how I used to treat you in the past anymore.
“Can you please give me another chance to pursue you and win your heart?”
Colton sounded sincere. His eyes were glistening with hope and anticipation.
However, I felt an ache in my heart, followed by bitter regret.
I looked at Colton’s smitten expression. Had he shown me just a fraction of his affection today over the course of the ten years we spent together, we would probably have a happier ending than this.
Staring straight into Colton’s eyes, I shook my head decisively once more.
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“I’m sorry, but I can’t believe in any of your promises anymore. I don’t want to believe them either. Even if you say you’re a changed person, I no longer want to look back. I don’t love you anymore.”
I felt relieved when I finally got the words out of my mouth.
I should have come to the realization a long time ago. I didn’t love Colton anymore, and I
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Chapter 10
didn’t need him anymore.
Colton’s shoulders sagged. His eyes turned dim, and he seemed to have rapidly aged by ten
years.
He opened his mouth as if wanting to say something but closed it back, ultimately saying nothing.
Then, I watched as he searched for his keys in his pocket, anxiously got into the driver’s seat, and attempted to start the engine.
It took him three tries before his engine started. The car then quickly sped off into the night.
Watching Colton’s car leave gave me a huge sense of relief. I suddenly felt ten times lighter.
Finally, my heart was set free.
Goodbye, Colton Skye.
He had buried my love for him in the ten years we spent together. But, from today onward, I was only going to live for myself.
