What We Never Healed
Penulis
Ava Reed
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22
Freya had a new life now, with a good job and a body that had finally healed. But the metal in her leg still caused her constant pain. It reminded her of the proposal she rejected and the accident that changed everything. Then the new director came to the office. Then the new director came to the office. Harvey. The man she once loved and the pain she could never forget. She wanted to leave. He refused to let her go.
Chapter 1: Marry Me Before I Go
FREYA
TWO YEARS EARLIER
“Tonight? That restaurant? Perfect. See you then.”
I set the phone down and pumped my fist in the air. Then I buried my face in my hands, fighting the urge to scream. It had to be it. There was no other explanation for tonight.
Harvey had asked me out for dinner, and I could catch the nervous edge in his voice on the line. He was anxious about the setup. He had to be.
My office didn’t have a bed, not even a pillow. Otherwise, I would have thrown myself down and rolled around.
Two days ago, I found a ring in his drawer. A velvet box. It just sat there, quiet, waiting for me to stumble upon it. I recognized the design. It was the exact one I told him I loved.
I had barely survived those forty-eight hours, counting down every single hour. He stayed busy. I kept my mouth shut. I even told myself it didn’t matter, that he would handle the details.
Then the evening arrived. Same restaurant. Same table. But the tabletop featured a fresh arrangement of flowers and burning candles. I looked down and smiled. I knew it.
Harvey showed up a few minutes late. He walked in, his stride clipped and fast. “Sorry, a client tied me up.” He sat down, still carrying the heavy energy of the office. He always did that, constantly shifting between completely different worlds.
I studied his face. “Is there a special event at the restaurant today?” I gestured toward the flowers.
He blinked, leaving the question hanging. Instead, he reached for the wine bottle and poured. His hand shook against the glass. “Freya.”
“Hm?”
“You look beautiful tonight.” He stared at me.
I had seen that look a hundred times, but this time felt different. It carried the hesitation of someone standing on the edge of a cliff.
“If an overseas opportunity came up…” He trailed off, searching for the safest possible phrasing. “A really phenomenal opportunity.”
I forced a small smile. “And?”
He took a sharp breath, and then he smiled—that polished, confident smile he saved for clients—and forced the words out. “I accepted it. Five years.”
The world didn’t collapse on the spot. It just went completely silent.
“An overseas branch,” he continued. “My flight leaves tomorrow.”
I didn’t process most of it, only the words five years and tomorrow. A sudden urge to laugh hit me, but my face wouldn’t cooperate. “What about me?” I asked.
He hesitated for a second, then said, “You’ll wait for me, right?”
He produced a small box and popped it open. The sudden gleam bit into my eyes. He dropped to one knee right there in front of me. “So… will you marry me? Before I go.”
Scattered applause and ripples of laughter broke out around us. The other diners turned their heads, focusing their attention on our table. Some smiled. A few whispered “wow.” Someone even raised a phone to record.
There was no shock of joy. No tearing up and laughing at the same time. No throwing myself into his arms for a breathless kiss.
My hand jerked, and red wine splashed right across my chest. I didn’t even bother to wipe it. Fear hit me. Suddenly, I was being dragged into a future he had already designed alone.
He took my hand, trying to slide the band onto my finger. “You’ve probably been waiting for this day too. Honestly, I…I planned this for a long time.”
I curled my fingers inward. My breath came short and uneven. “Harvey.”
“Yeah?”
“Did you ever think to ask me first?”
He frowned. “This is our future.”
I let out a sudden, dry laugh. “It’s your future. I’m just an afterthought.”
The guests kept watching. For the first time, I realized proposals didn’t always look like those happy videos online.
He pulled his hand back but stayed on his knee. “I didn’t leave you out of the equation. It’s only five years. The time will fly by. I’ll call. I’ll fly back to see you.”
The tears finally spilled over—ugly, unstoppable, in front of all those watching strangers. “You just mapped out five years of my life without asking a single question.”
His face hardened. “Asking or not doesn’t change the fact that we love each other, does it?”
I smiled through the tears. “Right. So because I love you, you can just slot me into your schedule whenever it suits you.”
“It’s not like that,” he cut in. “The corporate reassignment is strategic—”
“So I’m just a non-factor,” I snapped, cutting him off.
I pushed back my chair and stood up. “Harvey, you are always busy. We postponed and canceled so many dates, and I always accommodated you. But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to let you arrange five years of my life without a single word.”
“I’m doing this for a better future for us…”
“I never asked for a better future. I didn’t want the money, Harvey—I wanted you.” I steadied my voice. “I’m sorry. I wanted this day for a long time, but your future won’t include me anymore.”
The waiter arrived, wheeling a cart to deliver the deluxe couples’ tasting menu to our table. I turned on my heel and walked away.
Behind me, the room filled with gasps and low murmurs. He called my name, but I kept moving.
Tonight, I wore my favorite dress and spent an hour on my makeup. I got the proposal, but it wasn’t the one I wanted. The rich aroma of the red wine soaking into my dress reminded me that every second of this nightmare was real.
As the night wind outside hit my face and cooled my thoughts, the truth finally set in. We loved each other for three years. But I had never actually been a part of his world.
