Chapter 806

I just laughed. “Jared, it’s time to let it go and move on.”

“Can we make a deal? Three years. If you’re still alone after three years, let’s give it another shot. I won’t hold you to it—if you change your mind, or even want to fake it and show me you’ve moved on, that’s fine. But after three years, I swear I’ll finally let you go and never chase after you again.” Jared suddenly hurried over, cutting me off again, his face set with determination.

“Alright, let’s make a bet. Just saying, you’re bound to lose,” I quipped.

“I know I’ll lose, but I just need something to hold onto for these next three years,” Jared murmured, his gaze lingering on my face. He reached out, his hand almost brushing my cheek but stopping just short of touching me.

“You really are like a wild rose, finally blooming in the sunlight,” he murmured.

“Jared, you’re drunk,” I said as I stepped around him into the crisp night wind. ‘Honestly, I felt much freer inside.’

Two months later, Edward had his lawyer come over to talk about the shares–and what he said totally floored me. Edward was just giving them to me, no strings attached.

I thought I must’ve heard wrong, but the lawyer was dead serious. “That’s exactly what Mr. Jennings wants. He told us to sort things out quickly, Ms. Murphy–so let’s get started. I still need to get back to him with the news.”

I smiled. “I want to give him a quick call first…”

The lawyer immediately stopped me. “Mr. Jennings figured you’d want to ask him yourself, but he said you don’t need to contact him. He also mentioned it’s better if you two don’t bother each other anymore.”

My chest tightened. ‘Is this what it feels like to get one of those insanely high break–up payouts after splitting up with Edward?’ I wondered.

Just like he’d mentioned before, he spent a fortune every time he parted ways with his previous girlfriends—and now, he was handling things with me exactly the same way.

‘So, there’s nothing unique about me after all. Edward’s feelings for me were just a momentary whim,’ I thought to myself.

Once we wrapped up the paperwork, the lawyer beamed at me. “Mr. Jennings wanted me to pass on a message—if you ever need anything, get in touch with this person.”

He handed me a business card. I glanced at it and realized it belonged to a real big shot–a name everybody knew. I gripped the card in my palm, feeling a strange ripple run through my chest, and politely walked the lawyer to the door.

I had already saved up a decent amount of money. I bought an apartment in Braylin for my brother to live in, and I even considered getting him a car. But he turned it down after another promotion–now he was pulling in a seven–figure salary and really starting to establish himself in finance.

I knew Edward had always been quietly supporting my brother behind the scenes, and that only made me feel even more indebted to him.

I hadn’t been in touch with Ryan lately and didn’t bother to find out what he was up to. Jeffrey hadn’t given me any more trouble either. Vivian even sent me a few gifts, saying she liked my personality–and told me to look her up for coffee whenever I was in Northport.

I also bought my parents a villa in a neighborhood right next to my brother’s complex. That way, after he gets married, they’ll be able to drop by and visit each other easily.

As my days got busier and work piled up, I barely noticed how fast time was slipping away.

I treated myself to a villa in Shaville–a place where I could finally grow my own garden and fill it with flowers and greenery.

Before I knew it, another year had flown by.

By year’s end, my calendar was packed with parties and dinners–but I dodged as many as I could. All that noise just wasn’t my thing; I’d much rather keep to myself.

My parents wanted me to come to Braylin for New Year, but honestly, Braylin just felt out of reach, like a place I wasn’t ready to step into yet. I made up some excuse about being busy and gave it a pass.

A few days before New Year, on the 27th, my phone buzzed unexpectedly. When I checked, it was our long-silent group chat with Jared and Nathan–Nathan had sent a holiday greeting.

Jared immediately chimed in, “Mr. Hallman, Happy New Year.”