After Willie’s affair came to light, I spent months screaming, crying, and exhausting every ounce of my soul before I finally found the strength to walk away. But as I was packing up my life, I found a letter tucked away in the back of a drawer. It was a love letter, written in his familiar, sharp cursive. “Nancy, I’ve been planning this proposal for three whole years. I wanted to keep it a secret until the very last second to give you the ultimate surprise. But I know my girl loves to look beautiful, so please, wear your favorite dress tonight. Run to me with a heart full of joy.” My fingers trembled violently as I held the paper. Memories of our old sweetness rushed back, blurring my vision. Even knowing he had let someone else into his heart, even knowing the betrayal was an absolute, cold hard fact, I still couldn’t let go of the phantom of what we used to be. I wanted to give myself one last piece of closure. But the moment I stepped into the venue, the ambient noise of the lounge suddenly drifted away. Time, in an impossible, dizzying shift, had wound back three years. It was the exact night he proposed. “Nancy! There you are!” Willie’s best friend patted his shoulder, laughing. “Willie’s been a nervous wreck all afternoon. He hasn’t even touched a drop of water!” Our friends cheered and whistled. Standing in the center of the room was a younger Willie. His eyes burned with a raw, intense devotion as he walked toward me, holding a massive bundle of deep red roses. Just as I stood there frozen, a waitress rushed past. In her haste, she collided with him, spilling a glass of red wine all over Willie’s pristine custom suit. The girl’s face went dead pale. She stammered out apologies, looking incredibly small, fragile, and utterly innocent. She looked exactly the same as she did three years later, kneeling on my living room floor, sobbing and begging for my forgiveness after I caught them. Mallory. This time, I didn’t step forward to comfort the terrified girl. I simply turned around and walked out. … I had barely taken three steps when Willie’s hand clamped around my wrist. “Nancy, where are you going?” I looked down at his fingers squeezing my skin, a wave of old bitterness rising in my throat. In my past life, I had been so terrified of ruining his big moment. I was worried he’d look foolish in front of his friends, so I immediately stepped in to defuse the situation. I comforted Mallory, arranged for Willie to borrow a spare jacket, and smiled through the mess, telling him it didn’t matter. But now, I wrenched my wrist out of his grip. “Handle your own business first.” The sudden coldness in my voice left Willie paralyzed. Before he could speak, Mallory reached out and timidly touched his sleeve. “Sir, I am so, so sorry. Please, let me help you clean it.” She pulled out some cheap napkins, frantically dabbing at his chest. Willie looked annoyed, but he didn’t push her away. “It’s fine. Don’t touch me.” “Sir, please! It was entirely my fault. At least give me a chance to make it right,” Mallory begged, her eyes brimming with tears, completely ignoring his rejection. One of Willie’s friends, losing patience, stepped in and pulled her back. “Alright, that’s enough. Do you have any idea how much this suit costs? It was custom-made specifically for his proposal tonight. You can’t afford to replace this.” Mallory stumbled back, her tears finally spilling over. “I can pay for it in installments. However long it takes. Please, just don’t report me to my manager.” Hearing her choked-up plea, Willie sighed and glanced back. “It’s just a suit. Let it go. Don’t make things hard for her.” Back then, I had admired his kindness. I thought he was just a generous, gentle soul who didn’t want to ruin a working girl’s life. Only later did I realize Willie wasn’t generous to everyone. He had simply carved out a special, soft place for Mallory from the very beginning. I let out a quiet, humorless laugh. They were destined to entangle themselves anyway; this time, I wouldn’t stand in their way. I turned to leave again, but Willie chased after me, grabbing my hand once more. “Nancy, please. I haven’t even said what I wanted to say tonight.” I shook him off, harder this time. “Don’t bother. I don’t want to hear it.” Willie’s brow furrowed. To him, this was just me throwing a tantrum. “Are you really going to make a scene just because a clumsy waitress ruined the atmosphere? Is it that big of a deal?” Looking at his impatient expression, I wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it. I decided to give him exactly what he wanted. “Yes. It is because of her.” Instead of getting angry, Willie let out a soft chuckle, his tone turning casual. “So you’re jealous? That’s what this is. We can just do it again another night. If it’s a proposal you want, I’ll propose to you as many times as you need to feel secure.” Just then, Mallory came running out of the lounge, breathless. “Sir, you’re incredibly kind not to hold a grudge, but my conscience won’t let me sleep. Could I… could I get your number? I want to transfer the money to you slowly.” Willie looked at me, shifting the responsibility with a lazy smile. “Ask Nancy. She makes the decisions.” In my past life, I was the one who blocked her. I told her she didn’t need to pay, and I absolute refused to let her have his contact info. But they still ended up exchanging numbers anyway—during some “accidental” run-in I didn’t know about, facilitated by Willie’s endless loop of “just helping her out.” They went from strangers to friends, and finally to a messy, lingering affair. This time, looking at Mallory’s carefully crafted display of vulnerability, I didn’t feel angry. I felt amused. “You really want to pay? No matter how expensive?” I asked. Mallory’s eyes lit up with sudden hope, and she nodded quickly. “Yes! Absolutely!” I smiled, pulling out my phone. “Great. In that case, add me.” I opened my contact card and held it out. The eager look on Mallory’s face froze instantly. She reflexively looked at Willie, her eyes wide with a silent plea for help. Willie was stunned too. He never expected me to bypass the jealousy routine and actually demand payment. “Nancy, I gave you the choice so you could reject her as my girlfriend,” Willie murmured, his brow tightening with dissatisfaction. “I already said she doesn’t need to pay. It’s just a jacket. When did you become so petty?” Listening to his baseless accusations, I let out a sharp laugh. “She’s the one insisting on paying, Willie. How is that my fault?” Seeing the tension rise, Mallory immediately stepped into her role as the martyr. “It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. Please, don’t fight because of me.” Her trembling voice made me look like the cruel oppressor. I already knew exactly what Willie was going to say next. Sure enough, his expression softened as he looked at her, then turned a cool gaze back to me. “Since you’re so desperate to pay, just add my number.” He unlocked his phone and opened his screen, but his eyes stayed glued to my face. I knew what he was doing. Willie was testing me. He was entirely convinced I was just acting out of jealousy, fully expecting me to snap, grab his phone, and forbid them from ever speaking. But I didn’t move. I actually took a step back to give them space. “Go ahead. Don’t let her sincere apology go to waste.” A flicker of genuine panic finally crossed his eyes. “Nancy, what are you doing?” “Exactly what it looks like.” I raised my hand, hailing a yellow cab that was cruising down the street. I pulled open the door and stepped inside without a single backward glance. As the car pulled away, I saw Willie’s cocky testing face crumble into sheer panic. He ran a few steps after the cab, but he was already too late. The bumpy ride home drained the last of my energy. The moment I closed my eyes in bed, I was pulled back into a nightmare—the day before Willie’s birthday. I had pulled all-nighters for a week straight just to finish my corporate projects early, taking the red-eye flight back to surprise him. But when I unlocked our apartment door, the place was a disaster of discarded clothes, and he was holding Mallory tightly in his arms. Mallory had scrambled to pull her shirt together, her eyes instantly filling with tears. “I’m sorry, Nancy. I made a terrible mistake. Please, just forgive me this once.” She kept bowing, her knees bending as if she were about to kneel right there on the hardwood floor. Willie, consumed by protective instinct, shielded her behind his back. “Mallory, you don’t have to bow to her. Don’t degrade yourself.” Then he turned to me, his eyes filled with nothing but cold exhaustion. “Since you saw us, let’s just call it over. We’re done.” In that single second, every ounce of my dignity was ground into the dirt. I screamed, demanding to know why, asking him what our three years meant, what all those promises were for. But Willie didn’t offer a single word of explanation. He just watched my breakdown with freezing, detached eyes. Blind with rage, I lunged forward and slapped Mallory across the face. The next second, Willie’s hand flew out, striking me so hard my head spun. “Nancy! Have you lost your mind? I’m the one who did this. What right do you have to lay a hand on Mallory!” The physical pain and the crushing despair of that memory were so vivid that I began to shiver in my sleep. Suddenly, something warm touched my forehead, and a gentle hand brushed the tears from the corners of my eyes. I gasped, waking up instantly. Willie was sitting on the edge of my mattress, his face painted with deep worry. “What are you doing here?” I snapped, my voice laced with defensive panic. We were still three years in the past. He shouldn’t be in my apartment. Sensing my hostility, Willie looked slightly embarrassed. “The last time you went out of town, you gave me a spare key so I could feed your cat. Don’t you remember?” He softened his voice, stepping closer. “You weren’t picking up your phone. No one could get ahold of you. I was terrified something happened, so I came to check.” I looked at the key glinting in his hand. The last shred of hesitation in my heart dissolved. This was exactly how I had lost my boundaries in the past. I let him have my keys, let him run my life, let him drift in and out of my personal space until it felt completely normal. And in the end, when he brought another woman into my sanctuary, he had the audacity to tell me I was the one being ungraceful. “Give me the key,” I said, extending my hand. Willie blinked. “What?” “Give me my key back. And don’t come back here.” Willie’s face went pale. He seemed to finally realize this wasn’t just a lover’s spat. “Nancy, I’m sorry. I know the proposal was important to you. I was careless and dismissive earlier, and that’s entirely on me.” He scrambled to pull out his phone, opening his contacts to prove himself. “Look, I didn’t add her. I swear. See for yourself.” Right then, his phone vibrated. An unsaved, ten-digit number flashed across the screen. I didn’t need a name to know who it was. It was Mallory. It was always like this. Willie would swear up and down that they had no contact, only to make exception after exception for her behind my back. I didn’t say a word. I just watched him quietly as he answered the call. “Willie…” Mallory’s voice sobbed through the speaker, loud enough to echo in the quiet room. “Some guys at the lounge… they think I wanted your number for… for sex work. They won’t listen to me. They’re trying to force me into a car. I don’t know what to do. Please…” Willie’s entire body tensed. He looked at me, torn, desperate to leave but terrified of how I would react. I actually felt a small smile touch my lips. “Go on. What are you waiting for?” His shoulders visibly relaxed, a look of profound relief washing over him. “Nancy, you are so incredibly understanding. This is why you’re the perfect girlfriend.” “I’m not,” I said, looking him dead in the eye. “Willie, I never accepted your proposal.” His face froze mid-breath. I kept my hand out. “Leave the key, and get out.” Willie hesitated, his eyes darting between me and the crying coming from his phone. But Mallory’s frantic sobs won out. With a tense silence, he dropped the key into my palm and bolted out the door. I sat by the window until the sky turned gray, suddenly remembering that today was the day of our firm’s massive investor presentation. In my past life, because I was so wrapped up in the joy of his proposal, I had backed out of being the lead presenter. I turned down the promotion to our Chicago branch, choosing to stay behind and halt my career for love. Now, with my feelings dead and gone, all I wanted was to get as far away from him as possible. I dressed quickly, but as I was checking my bag, I realized my printed pitch deck and financial models were still at Willie’s apartment. I had left them there the night before for him to review. I called his phone repeatedly, but it went straight to voicemail. Out of options, I drove straight to his corporate office. He was sitting at his desk, rubbing his temples, dark circles under his eyes. He clearly hadn’t slept a wink. When he saw me walk in, his exhaustion seemed to vanish, replaced by a hopeful smile. “Nancy, you actually came to find me at work? Aren’t you worried about office gossip anymore?” Before, I was always so self-conscious about what our colleagues would say. Even after we started dating, I insisted on keeping it quiet, going out of my way to avoid him in the hallways. But it wasn’t until after I resigned that I discovered Mallory, who frequently waited for him at the lobby, had long been accepted by everyone as the future Mrs. Jennings. “Have you decided on the lead presenter for the pitch?” I asked, ignoring his question. “We haven’t changed the schedule,” Willie said, leaning forward. “We talked about this…” “We don’t need to change it,” I cut him off, my voice ice. “I’m presenting. My physical files are still at your place. Have your assistant fetch them immediately.” Willie stared at my cold demeanor, realizing I wasn’t going to play along. He picked up his desk phone and dialed his housekeeper. But as the clock ticked closer to the meeting, the door didn’t open to his housekeeper. It opened to Mallory, looking incredibly flustered and small. My chest tightened. “What are you doing here?” Mallory bowed her head, clutching a folder to her chest. “I… I was let go from the lounge last night. Mr. Jennings was kind enough to hire me as a temporary house cleaner to help with my living expenses.” She hurriedly held out the folder. The documents, which should have been neatly bound and pristine, were crumpled, torn, and smeared with dark mud. “I was riding my bike to get here quickly, and I fell,” Mallory whispered, her voice trembling. “I didn’t mean to ruin your files. I swear.” Looking at the ruined pitch deck, my anger boiled over. “Are you completely incompetent? You knew these were critical corporate documents, and you couldn’t even put them in a plastic sleeve?” Mallory’s eyes instantly turned red. She grabbed the hem of my blazer, sobbing. “Nancy, please don’t get me fired. This is the only job I have left. If I lose this, I won’t even have a place to sleep.” “What are you talking about? You work for Willie. What does your employment have to do with me?” Just as the words left my mouth, the door swung open. Willie walked in, his face darkening the second he saw the scene. He immediately stepped between us, shoving Mallory behind him. “It’s just a folder. Can’t you see she’s hurt?” He glared at me, his voice sharp. “I’m the one who told her to bring it. If you want to yell at someone, yell at me.” He glanced at the ruined papers on his desk. “If you didn’t prepare backup copies, Nancy, we can just cancel the presentation. I’ll take full responsibility for the lost deal.” Without waiting for my response, he guided Mallory out of the room, heading toward his car to take her to the clinic. Before she left, Mallory kept looking back at me, whispering apologies over her shoulder, looking like a battered saint. The colleagues passing by in the hallway took in the entire scene, their whispers starting before the elevator doors even closed. Diane, my senior director, came rushing over to drag me into the conference room. Fortunately, I had a habit of keeping digital backups on a secure drive. After a frantic fifteen minutes of printing and prep, I walked into the ballroom with Diane. The pitch was a massive success. But by the time I walked out, the rumors had already mutated. People were whispering that I was desperately clawing my way up, using Willie to secure my projects, and that my sudden bid for the Chicago promotion was just a desperate power move. The gossip grew so loud that Diane called me into her office before the end of the day. “Nancy,” she said gently, pouring me a cup of tea. “Be honest with me. What is going on between you and Willie?” I took a slow breath. “We were… involved. But it’s completely over now.” Diane sighed, shaking her head. “I brought you into this firm, and I believe in your talent. But the noise around this project is getting out of hand. The board is sensitive to these things. I think it might be best if you lay low for a bit.” She gave my hand a sympathetic squeeze. “The Chicago opportunity is great, but there will be other promotions. Let’s let this storm pass first.” I walked back to my cubicle, a profound sense of exhaustion settling deep in my bones. No matter how hard I tried to extricate myself, I was still being dragged down by the gravity of Willie’s mess. Before the clock hit five, Willie returned to the office. He marched straight to my desk, grabbed my wrist in front of everyone, and dragged me out to his car. He drove like a maniac, ignoring my silence, until we pulled up to a high-end country club. “I heard you’re trying to run away to Chicago,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion as he dragged me through the private entrance. “What did I do that was so terrible? Why are you trying to leave me?” He pushed open the heavy oak doors of the grand hall. Inside was another proposal setup—twice as grand as the night before, filled with white roses and fairy lights. “Do you honestly think I spent all night worrying about Mallory?” Willie breathed, pointing at the elaborate display. “I was fixing this. Can you finally believe me now? There is nothing between her and me.” Looking at the beautiful, hollow display, the dam in my chest finally broke. Tears slipped down my cheeks. Willie stepped forward, his eyes softening as he reached out to pull me into his arms, but I shoved him back with everything I had. In our brief struggle, the old love letter slipped out of my pocket, fluttering onto the polished floor. Willie bent down to pick it up. The moment his eyes registered the handwriting, his entire body went rigid. He slowly reached into his own breast pocket, pulling out an identical, sealed envelope. His voice was laced with pure, unadulterated confusion. “I haven’t even given you this letter yet. Nancy… where did you get this?”
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