Love Me Slowly, Lose Me Gently

I am having a heart attack when Scott Lakin locks me inside the car. It's because my pain is frightening his childhood sweetheart. In response to my desperate pleas for help, he merely utters coldly, "I'll let you out when you apologize." I go into shock and have to be rushed to the hospital. I call Scott a dozen times, but he just blocks me. Finally, after I get discharged, I see him carefully feeding his childhood sweetheart chicken soup. "Have some food, darling. What if the baby in your belly is hungry?" After that, I return to my hometown without saying a word and stay there for half a month. After blocking me everywhere except the music streaming platform, Scott suddenly starts frantically searching for me. "Jennie, why didn't you add me back on Facebook this time?" Chapter 1 After bidding my mother goodbye, I turned on my phone to find a Facebook friend request from Scott Lakin. "Jennie, you've got some nerve unfriending me on Facebook," his message read. Half a month ago, Scott had blocked me on every platform. He had been annoyed by me calling him over and over. The only platform I didn't get blocked on was freaking Soundcloud. He'd assumed that I would beg him to make up with me like I always did, but he never expected that I would unfriend him on every platform. If he wanted to contact me now, he'd have to send a friend request first. I pretended not to see the notification and put my phone in my bag. When I walked out of the train station, I found Scott standing there. "Where the heck have you been? Why haven't you come home? If I hadn't tracked your location down to this train station, I would never have found you." He stared at me accusingly, as if he'd only just realized today that I hadn't been home. I pursed my lips. I was about to tell him that I'd gone to visit my mother when I heard his mocking voice. "Don't tell me that you ran away from home because you were mad at me. If that's the case, you should have just made yourself scarce. Why did you even bother coming back? Ultimately, you just wanted my attention." With that, he didn't even wait for my response before grabbing my suitcase and dragging it with him. "Let's go. The wedding dress we ordered is ready, and the store wants you to go try it on." I smiled self-deprecatingly. If it weren't for this, he probably wouldn't even have realized that I'd disappeared. Well, that was fine. Before I left, my mother had said that she wanted to see me in my wedding dress. At least I could make her happy. The wedding dress had been ordered three months ago. It was a bit of a struggle to put on now. Seeing me wrestling to put on my dress, Scott couldn't help but frown. He glanced down at his phone, then broke into a smile. It was blatantly obvious that he was chatting with his childhood sweetheart. With the help of the staff, I finally managed to put on the wedding dress. "I already told you that wedding dresses don't suit you, yet you insisted on getting one. You look awful." The staff gave me a pitying look. I paid his comment no mind, instead nodding to signal that I was ready for the wedding photoshoot. After all, I was only going to wear this wedding dress once. Seeing this, Scott stood up and walked over for the shoot. However, at that moment, his phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, he answered the phone without any hesitation. Margot Williams' sweet voice sounded from the phone. "Scott, the baby is kicking really hard. I'm really scared. Can you come over?" When Scott heard that, his expression turned panicked. "Don't be afraid. I'm coming right away." As soon as he said that, he turned around and shot me a glance. "Margot is in pain, so I need to check on her. Let's do the wedding photoshoot another day," he said matter-of-factly. I said nothing as I watched him walk away. Yet, I was completely unbothered. After ten years, Scott hadn't changed. Whenever it came to Margot, the smallest things would send him into a panic. With reddening eyes, I gazed down at the wedding dress I was wearing. It was beautiful. My mother would definitely be delighted. After the photoshoot was done, the staff told me that I could take the dress off. I did that, then I found a pair of scissors and cut it into shreds. "Miss, what are you—" I looked up, giving her a wry smile. "I don't want this dress anymore, so I thought I'd just cut it up." Not only did I not want the wedding dress anymore, but I didn't want Scott anymore either. Afterward, I made a call to the wedding planner. I told the wedding planner to recall all the invitations we had sent out. All I said was that the groom had fallen in love with someone else, so the wedding was off. Then, I headed back into the office and shared the oranges that my mother had personally handpicked for me with my coworkers. My mother was a down-to-earth farmer with a green thumb. All her produce always turned out delicious. After taking a bite, every single one of my coworkers raved about how sweet my mother's fruits were. At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and Margot walked in with Scott supporting her. My eyes fell on her flat belly, and she leaned into Scott's arms shyly. "My baby was kicking really badly today, so I had to ask Scott to take me to the hospital. I hope you didn't mind, Jen." "Not at all," I said flatly while calmly looking away. Ever since Scott abandoned me for Margot, I no longer cared about what he did. Scott spotted the oranges on my desk. He noticed that the sack they came in was also made by my mother. Stepping forward, he said unhappily, "Don't tell me that you disappeared to your hometown for half a month. Didn't we agree to visit your mother at the end of the year? "How could you go alone? It's dangerous going to such a remote place by yourself." My hometown may be rural, but it wasn't remote. Two years into our relationship, I'd wanted to take him to meet my mother. However, he'd always turn me down for all kinds of reasons. In fact, in the past few years, he'd brushed me off impatiently every time I even mentioned her. If we weren't about to get married at the end of the year, he'd never have agreed to go visit her. "My mother told me that she missed me, and I missed her too. So, I went to see her," I said indifferently in response to his belated concern for me. A strange look flickered in his eyes. He was about to reply when Margot suddenly said that all this standing around was exhausting her. In response, he quickly led her to a seat. My closest friend at work, Ava Carten, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Jennie, did you and Mr. Lakin break up? It feels like you two started drifting apart ever since Margot joined the company." I stuffed the last orange into my mouth, savoring its sweetness. Nodding, I said, "You could say that." Chapter 2 After work, Scott actually called me for the very first time. "It's your birthday today, isn't it? I made dinner reservations and got you a cake. I should give you a proper celebration this year so that people won't think that we're growing distant." My finger hovered over the Uber app on my phone, but in the end, I still agreed. Since we were going to break up, it'd be better if we sat down and talked it out properly. However, it was only after I walked into the private room at the restaurant that I learned the truth. Scott wasn't only celebrating my birthday. He was also celebrating Margot's. "Actually, my birthday is only five days after yours, but I really wanted to spend it with you, Jen. That's why I pestered Scott to include my birthday too." Blinking innocently, Margot pointed at the cake on the table. Only half of it was left. "That half is yours, Jen. I was worried that we wouldn't be able to finish two cakes, so I only asked Scott to get one." Staring at half a cake on the table, I was speechless. The buttercream on the cake looked like someone had dug into it with a fork. It was full of holes. It looked more like unfinished leftovers than anything. I retracted my gaze and calmly turned toward Scott. "I'm not celebrating my birthday anymore. You can have the cake." "Are you mad, Jen?" Margot grabbed my hand. Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry. I should have waited for you to arrive before cutting the cake. This is all my fault. Won't you forgive me?" Before I could respond, she clutched her belly in pain. Her face paled, and she looked like she was about to collapse any minute. "Jennie, watch yourself. If something happens to Margot, I won't forgive you!" Panicking, Scott picked up the remaining cake and hurled it at me. I didn't manage to dodge, and the cake hit me squarely in the face. Buttercream was smeared all over my cheeks, and some had even made it into my mouth. It tasted bitter. When Scott realized that I hadn't dodged, his expression changed. Flustered, he ran over and carefully wiped the buttercream from my face. "How can you be so stupid, Jennie? Why didn't you try to move out of the way? Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." It felt ironic, seeing the emotion in his eyes. I swatted his hand away. "Don't touch me." As soon as I said that, I decisively walked away from him. He stood there in a daze with remorse clouding his face. Chapter 3 When I got out of the shower, I saw Scott sitting on the bed. He was smoking a cigarette with a complicated look on his face. When he saw me, he quickly stubbed out the cigarette. "I'm sorry about the cake. Don't be mad, okay?" he said sincerely. Saying nothing, I walked past him and went to the vanity to dry my hair. "Let me help you." Like a kid who'd done something wrong, he was desperately trying to make things up to me. "There's no need for that," I said coldly. My eyebrows were pulled together in a frown. Pursing his lips, Scott retreated to a corner, not daring to say a word. Through the mirror, I could see how helpless he looked. Yet, it didn't trigger a flicker of emotion within me. "Jennie, I feel like you've changed a lot. In the past, whenever I unfriended you, you would always add me back. But this time, not only did you not add me back, but you won't even accept my friend request." Feeling the awkward tension in the air, he decided to change the subject. I paused for a moment, suddenly feeling tears prick my eyes. It was true. For the past ten years, I'd been the one to back down first in every argument. All Scott had ever done was wait for me to beg him for forgiveness. I thought that so long as my love was sincere enough, I'd be able to melt his stone-cold heart one day. I only realized how laughable I was when Margot appeared. It wasn't that Scott never backed down; he just never backed down to me. If Margot was ever upset about something, Scott would take the blame and think of ways to cheer her up. When I didn't respond, Scott took my phone and keyed in a familiar PIN. However, he failed to unlock it. "Did you change your password? Why didn't you tell me?" "I wanted some personal space, so I changed it," I replied indifferently. I saw how Scott's expression turned panicked when he heard that. Frowning, he continued, "We're going to be husband and wife soon; is there really a need for personal space between us? "I won't allow this. Change your password back now." I chuckled. Wasn't he the first one to bring up having personal space? Worried that I'd secretly read his chats with Margot, he had purposely changed his password without telling me. He'd tried to play it off by saying, "We're adults now. What's wrong with having some personal space?" So how could he get upset when I did the same thing? I was too tired to deal with him any longer. I took my phone back and lay down on the bed. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep." Truly exhausted, I fell asleep within minutes. As I drifted between sleep and consciousness, I felt someone hug me from behind. A familiar voice reached my ears. "Jennie, I really like you. Don't leave me, alright?" Frowning uncomfortably, I freed myself from his embrace. Chapter 4 The next morning, Scott didn't leave for work early like he usually did. Instead, he made me breakfast. "I made your favorite—coffee and toast. Have some before you go to work." Nodding, I sat down. Just as I picked up the toast, Scott's phone rang. "Scott, I didn't have breakfast today. I'm starving, and I'm worried that the baby won't get enough nutrition." In the next second, the toast that I'd just picked up was snatched out of my hands. Then, Scott said anxiously, "Go buy something else to eat. I can't let Margot's baby go hungry." With that, he packed up the toast and coffee before taking off. Gazing at his retreating back, I snorted coldly. As I expected, to Scott, Margot would always be the first priority. In the past, I'd feel jealous or sad because of this. I was the one who'd stayed by Scott's side during tough times, so why did he devote all his affection to her instead? Yet, I didn't feel anything at this moment because I didn't love him anymore. It didn't matter who he made breakfast for or who he had feelings for. Turning on my laptop, I submitted the letter of resignation that I'd written last night to HR. I was afraid that HR would ask a lot of questions because Scott was my boss, so I added a note saying, "Mr. Lakin has approved this." By the time I finished packing up my desk, the work day was over. Thus, I purchased a train ticket to my hometown. Just as I was about to get into my Uber, I heard Scott coolly call my name from behind me. "Jennie." I turned to find a black sedan parked in front of me. The windows rolled down, revealing Scott's face. "Get in. I'll take you to see our marital home." I'd been asking Scott about getting a marital home for three months, but he'd always reject the idea irritably. "A home is a home so long as we can live in it. Our current place can also be our marital home, so why waste time finding a new one? If you have so much free time, why don't you go deal with all the admin tasks at work?" We had bought our current place with the first commission Scott had gotten when he started his business. It was too small for two people to live comfortably in it, so of course it couldn't be a marital home. However, he hadn't thought that there was a need to move. He'd grown attached to this home. And I had believed him. That was until I'd accidentally found out that he had lied to me about going on a half-month-long business trip. Instead, he had used that time to find a proper place for Margot. He'd been worried about things like location and safety. Not only that, but he'd also been concerned that the formaldehyde levels in the house would bring harm to Margot. He'd practically viewed every single house in the city before finally purchasing a multi-million-dollar home complete with a sea view for Margot's pregnancy. Before I could say anything, a familiar voice came from the passenger seat. "Jen, sorry for bothering you and Scott these days. My husband is always out having fun and is never home, so I have no other choice but to turn to Scott. "But my husband has turned over a new leaf now. Now that he is ready to settle down properly, I'll be leaving very soon." Glancing at Margot's small baby bump, I frowned. "I see. You two go ahead. I'll take a cab." With that, I paid no mind to Scott's reaction and got into the Uber. I didn't go to the address that Scott gave me. Instead, I went straight to the train station. On the way there, I saw Margot upload a picture to her Instagram story. It was a photo of her lying on silk sheets covered in rose petals. Both her hands were wrapped around a man's arm. The caption read, "My childhood sweetheart is so sweet. He actually allowed me to be the first one to test out his marital bed. Haha!" I quickly unfollowed her and blocked her without hesitation. Then, I boarded the train to go see my mother. Meanwhile, Scott was waiting for me. When I never arrived, he began getting antsy and called me. However, the line wouldn't connect. Helpless, he could only rush home. On the way back, Margot found an exquisite box sitting on the passenger seat. She opened it to find a sparkling diamond ring inside. "This is so beautiful. I love it." Her eyes lit up. Margot took out the ring so that she could slide it onto her finger. However, Scott immediately seized it out of her hands. "This is for Jennie." I had always talked about how much I liked the rings from this particular store. He even had to use his connections to buy it. He'd thought to himself, "Jennie would love this." Margot's expression froze, and she awkwardly put the ring back into its box. When Scott got home, he hid the ring behind his back, feeling nervous. He knocked on the door. There was no response. Realizing that something was amiss, he opened the door, only to realize that a lot of things were missing. Taking a closer look, he discovered that all my things were gone.