Thanks for Not Showing Up

On the day we were supposed to get our marriage license, Michael Robertson ghosted. I sat outside the County Clerk's Office for hours. Instead of him, I got a pic from his secretary, Kallie Clunt. She was in his lap, arms wrapped around him, making out like it was the hottest scene in a drama. [Sorry, Elsa. Michael said he had to comfort my broken heart. You don't mind, do you?] When I asked him about it, he just looked annoyed. "She gave me blood once. What's the big deal if I hang out with her? Can't you be a little more understanding?" My stomach dropped. I turned away and called his older brother. "Leon, do you still want to marry me?" Chapter 1 Leon Robertson paused. "Are you sure?" "Yeah," I said, steady. "I just don't know if you still want me." "I'm overseas. Give me a month—no, give me two weeks. I'll be back. We'll get married." "Okay. I'll wait." I hung up, stared at the pic on my phone, then shut off the screen. Five years, and all it took was someone new to wipe it out. *** Michael Robertson stumbled in past midnight. I didn't say a word. Just kept packing. Half a month left or not, I wasn't wasting another second here. "Get me a glass of water. And bring out my pajamas." Same bossy tone. Didn't even glance my way. He always acted like I was a maid. And the pajamas? That was his code. Meant he wanted me in bed. Maybe that used to mean something. Now? I felt nothing. Just zipped up another bag. A few minutes later, Michael walked out of the bathroom and frowned when he saw me ignoring him. "Didn't you hear me? Why aren't you moving?" I zipped my suitcase without looking up. "I'm heading home for a while." I hadn't told him about Leon. When he spotted the luggage, his scowl deepened. He sighed like I was being difficult. "Can you not be so dramatic?" Same calm, dismissive voice. "Kallie gave me blood once, okay? She kinda saved my life. "It's just her birthday—what's the big deal? So I skipped getting the license today. You're seriously mad about that?" Mad? Over that? I let out a dry laugh. So to him, our marriage license was just a footnote. Less important than a random birthday. Maybe I loved too quietly all these years. Maybe that's why he thought everything should revolve around him. But I was done. I didn't need a love that made me feel invisible. When I didn't answer, he stepped in, arms sliding around my waist, voice soft. "Come on, don't go home over this. We can get the license whenever. It's just a piece of paper. Why take it so seriously?" My head buzzed. Was he seriously trying to downplay it? "A piece of paper?!" I snapped. "So, what—Kallie's birthday matters more than our marriage license?" "It does!" he shot back, like that should be obvious. I just stared. How could he say that like it was nothing? But the way he stood there—so sure, so smug—it hit me. Like something inside finally dropped. "Then I guess I don't need that piece of paper either." I turned, walked to the guest room, and slammed the door. The bang echoed. So did the crack in my chest. "Elsa Jensen, don't be ridiculous. When did I say I wouldn't marry you?" Michael muttered through the door. "After everything we've been through, don't you trust me? Can't you just try to see it from my side?" I stayed quiet. He kicked the door, hard, then stormed off. No surprise there. Every fight, I was always the one to cave— even when it was his mess. I'd swallow it, smooth things over. Tonight was the first time he even admitted a little fault. But hoping he'd actually apologize, the way I used to? That was never gonna happen. Chapter 2 Lying in bed, I kept flashing back to the last few years. When Michael and I first got together, he was all in. Said the air felt sweeter just being near me. One text and he'd drop everything to show up. Super possessive, though. Any guy around me? Instant sulk. Even my girlfriends had to pass his little character test. He handled everything, like we were living some domestic dream. People probably thought it was a bit much, but I didn't mind. Back then, I liked it. But that guy? He was long gone. And me? I wasn't the girl who built her world around him anymore. My phone buzzed on the pillow. It was from Kallie. [Michael, this is the happiest birthday I've had in years. Thank you. I'm really happy. Oh, and I prepared a surprise for you on my social media. Go take a look.] Before I could even blink, the message disappeared. Kallie: [Oops, sorry Elsa. Sent that to the wrong person. Please don't be mad, okay?] I snorted and chucked the phone. Wrong person? No. It was deliberate. The first time I met Kallie, she was fresh out of college—lost, awkward, and pretty much ignored by everyone. One screw-up almost got her fired. She came to me crying about her messed-up family and hard life. I felt bad, so I gave her a shot. Took her under my wing. That's how she got close enough for Michael to even notice her. Later, when he wanted her as his secretary, I didn't think twice. I was actually happy for her. Who knew the sweet, polite girl was playing the long game? I helped her climb up, and she paid me back by driving the knife in deep. *** The next morning, I booked a ticket home and went straight to the office to quit. Michael looked stunned when I handed him the letter. "You're serious?" I smiled. "What else?" He went quiet. After a long pause— "Stay. The company needs you." "This place doesn't belong to just one person." I turned to leave, not waiting for his okay. Right as I hit the door, he rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Two days!" I looked back. He looked panicked. "Give me two days to wrap things up. I'll go with you to get the license. Just trust me one more time, okay?" I stared at him, silent. "Please? One more chance?" For once, he actually looked like he meant it. Like what I said would change something. A wild thought hit me—what if I told him I was marrying Leon? The brother he could never quite measure up to? But I didn't say a word. Just walked off. Back home, I stepped into the study. Photos everywhere, each one dragging up a memory. But instead of getting emotional, I just felt annoyed. I yanked them all down and started feeding them to the burner. Halfway through, Michael walked in—totally unannounced. He should've been at work. Chapter 3 When Michael saw me ripping up the photos, he yelled, "What are you doing?!" He ran over, panic all over his face. Tried to save the half-burned pics, but the flames were already too high. No chance. "Why? Why would you do this?!" His voice cracked, eyes going red. He actually looked torn up—not like his usual fake dramatics. I almost laughed. He was losing it over photos, but my feelings? Never made the cut. Without flinching, I took the ones from his hand and tossed them in. "What's the point of keeping pictures of someone you don't even love anymore?" He froze. "You're still mad about that day?" Before I could say anything, he snapped. "What do you want from me?! I explained everything! I said we'd get the license in two days! What more do you want?!" The more he raged, the calmer I got. I gave a faint smile. "If that's the case, then there's even less reason to keep these, right? Once we get the license, we can travel, take a bunch of wedding pics. Sounds better, doesn't it?" He blinked, caught off guard. "Travel..." he repeated, like he was testing the word. Then his eyes lit up. "That's a good idea. Kallie said she wanted to travel too. We can go together." Another stab, clean and deep. Didn't matter what I said—his brain defaulted to her. Even for something like a honeymoon, she was still his plus-one. That was Michael. And I was the idiot who kept expecting something different. *** Late that night, Leon called. "I'm at an auction, buying our wedding rings. I'm putting it on your finger myself, sweetheart." His voice had this playful edge, not as calm as usual. I said yes right away. He paused. "That's all you've got?" I thought for a sec, then sighed. "We'll talk when you're back." "Alright," he said. Then added, "You know what marriage means, right?" I got what he was asking. He knew how deep I'd once fallen for Michael. It made sense he was a little uneasy. "I do," I said, steady. "I chose you. There's no one else." "Good. Can't wait to see you." He sounded lighter, almost giddy, before hanging up. Later, while getting ready for bed, I saw a new email. It was an invite to a music exchange event. The official one was coming tomorrow. My heart jumped. I'd given up my dream of a music career to help Michael build his company. Not this time. This time, I wasn't letting it go. Chapter 4 I was so hyped I barely slept. Next morning, the doorbell rings—and guess who's grinning on my porch? Kallie. "Congrats, Elsa. Can't believe you got picked by an international music org. Must be nice having that kind of luck." Luck? Seriously? I just stuck out my hand. "Give me the invite." She kept smiling and shook her head. "Why should you get everything? I went to music school too, y'know. What makes you better? Here's a thought—give me your spot, and I'll say something nice about you to Michael." I almost laughed. Then it hit me—bitterness. How sad is that? My own fiancé needed her to vouch for me. I gave her a cold stare. "Do you even hear yourself? You're not qualified for something like this. Saying stuff like that just makes you look desperate." I reached for the invite, but she clutched it, all hurt and dramatic. "We worked together. Do you really have to embarrass me? It's just one invite—why are you being so greedy? If you're really that good, you don't need this to prove it, right?" Unbelievable. The audacity. I stepped in closer. "I don't have time for your drama. Hand it over." Right then, Michael's car rolled up. And like she was in some bad soap opera, Kallie shrieked and dropped to the ground. "Kallie!" Michael jumped out like she'd been shot, rushing over and fussing like she was made of glass. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" "I'm okay," she said, still sitting there like some tragic movie extra. "I just wanted to drop off Elsa's invite and maybe ask for a shot at the opportunity. I get why she's upset..." Boom—instantly made me look like the bad guy. To anyone watching, it'd look like I'd lost it and shoved her. Gotta give her credit—girl knew how to play dirty. I kept it cool, pointing at the torn invite on the ground. "This was mine. You tried to steal it and ripped it. And now you wanna play victim?" I thought I'd spelled it out. But Michael's face twisted. "Over this? Elsa, seriously? You bullied Kallie over some dumb invite? You know she's not doing great health-wise. Say sorry. Now." I stared at him, totally done. "Why should I?" "There's no 'why'! You're clearly in the wrong. Apologizing's the least you can do." That's what he went with. I scoffed, shook my head, and walked back inside. Michael looked like he was about to say more, but Kallie grabbed his arm. "It's fine. Elsa was out of line, but I'm not upset." That fake sympathy of hers actually calmed him down. He shot me a nasty look, then turned to help her up. I stood behind the door, watching through the peephole. Didn't move. Didn't speak. If I'd been holding onto even a scrap of hope for him, it died right there. Leaving him? Best call I ever made. A few hours later, he texted: [Don't take it so personally. I wasn't blaming you. But Kallie gave me blood, you know? Can't you cut her some slack? Try to be a little more understanding?] I let out a cold laugh. Seriously? That was his excuse? After that, I didn't feel angry anymore. No bitterness. Just tired. Guess I'd finally let him go.