Page 4

I heard the apartment door open as I brushed through my long, brown hair. I thought it was odd when he didn’t call out my name, so I left the bathroom and found him sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Hey.” I smiled.
“Hi.” He looked up at me. “You’re not dressed yet?”
“All I have to do is put on my new dress.” I grinned all the way to the closet.
“Willa, wait. We need to talk.”
“Okay.” I turned and looked at him. Maybe his plan was to propose to me first and then take me to dinner to celebrate.
“I got a promotion. My firm is sending me to Connecticut to oversee the offices there.”
Suddenly, my belly sank.
“What?” My brows furrowed.
Then it hit me. The fact that I got fired today and didn’t have to stay in New York. I was free to move with him.
“Yeah. So—” He looked down, fiddling with his hands.
“That’s great news, Liam.” I walked over and sat beside him, grabbing hold of his hand. “Well, this is exciting. And you don’t have to worry about my job because I got fired today.”
“You what?” His eyes widened. “They fired you?”
“Yeah. All because of that one error I made. But it’s no big deal. I can find a job in Connecticut.”
He turned away and stood up, tucking his hands into his pants pockets as he paced around the room.
“Shit, Willa. This makes it even harder.”
“What does?” My brows furrowed.
“I don’t want you to move to Connecticut with me. I don’t think this is working anymore. Actually, I know it’s not.”
My eyes swelled with tears. Thank God I was sitting down. If I were standing, the floor would have dropped beneath me. Seven words shattered two years of morning kisses, holidays, and shared dreams. My biggest fear came true.
“Is there someone else?” I vomited out the words.
“No,” he said too quickly, then sighed. “No, it’s not that. I just…I feel like we’re going in different directions. I know you thought I was going to propose to you tonight. You’re ready to settle down, but I’m not. I’m not ready for that.”
“Okay. Forget marriage. We don’t have to get married. I won’t mention it again. Please, Liam.” I stood from the bed and walked over to him. “Don’t do this.”
“I’m not happy anymore, Willa. I’m sorry.”
“And how long have you been thinking about this? Huh? Because you made a dinner reservation at Daniel, Liam!”
“I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. I made that dinner reservation to take you to dinner one last time before we said goodbye. But I couldn’t do it. I thought it was best I told you here.”
“And what the hell am I supposed to do? This is your apartment. The lease is up at the end of this month, and I can’t afford to stay here. Especially since I just got fucking fired today!” I shouted.
“I already told the landlord that I wasn’t renewing. I’m sorry, Willa. I really am. You can find another apartment or move in with your cousin. I don’t know.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And I’m sure you’ll find another job soon.”
“Fuck you, Liam Richards!” I ran to the closet, grabbed my duffle bag, and threw some clothes into it, along with other necessities. I couldn’t breathe and couldn’t believe this was happening.
When I walked into the living room, I found Liam sitting on the couch, scrolling on his phone.
“I’ll be out of here tomorrow afternoon. You have the apartment until the end of the month,” he said.