Our Relationship Died When My Mom Did

My fiancee, Natalie Crenshaw, has always had a phenomenal memory. She never forgets a thing. Yet, when I propose, she forgets to hold out her hand for the diamond ring. When we go to get our marriage certificate, she forgets to bring her identification papers. And on our wedding day, she forgets she's supposed to be there altogether. Why? Because she's busy saving her childhood sweetheart's wedding next door—by stepping in as the bride herself. Seeing all this, Mom suffers a heart attack. I beg Natalie to go to the hospital and explain things, but she simply links her arm with Erik Cuoco's mother, sweetly calling her "Mom", and claims that I'm nothing more than a pursuer who doesn't know when to give up. Later, I handle Mom's funeral alone. And right after, I apply for an overseas assignment. When I return home to pack my things, Natalie just happens to come back from her honeymoon with Erik. She looks perfectly content, and a smile plays in her eyes. "Robert, how's your mom doing? Let's pick a good date to reschedule the wedding. It'll make her happy." What she doesn't know is that the moment my Mom died, any chance of a future between us died with her. Chapter 1 I dug out all my winter clothes and neatly folded them into my suitcase. Suddenly, the front door opened, and someone tiptoed over. Ten cold fingers reached around from behind and covered my eyes. "Guess who…" She deliberately lowered her voice and acted silly, just like how she used to mess with me whenever she came back from a business trip. In the past, I would've smiled and answered, "My sweetheart, of course", before warming her cold hands with mine. But the current me no longer felt an ounce of that sweetness, and I wasn't in the mood to play along. I pulled her hands away and silently went back to folding my clothes. My girlfriend, Natalie Crenshaw, stared at me in confusion. Her fingers curled slightly before she whined playfully, "What's wrong, Mr. Hottie? Isn't one month of giving me the cold shoulder long enough? "You suddenly crashed the wedding before, making things super awkward for everyone. I had to spend forever explaining everything to clear things up." A cold, mocking smile tugged at the corner of my lips. A month ago, I had become the laughingstock in the eyes of all my friends and family—all because my bride had married someone else in front of everyone. Mom had suffered a heart attack because of it, and Natalie had thrown me out of the venue like a stray mutt. Even on the day of Mom's funeral, everyone from my hometown was still pointing fingers at me and giving me sneering looks. "That's him, right? His bride ran off on their wedding day? And he's supposed to be some really smart guy as well, but he's already 30 years old, and he still can't find a wife!" "How embarrassing! I heard he literally made his mother so mad that she keeled over and died. If I had a useless son like that, I'd have thrown myself off a cliff ages ago!" That heavy, suffocating feeling from the funeral washed over me yet again. When I snapped back to reality, I said quietly, "I'm not giving you the cold shoulder…" But before I could say the words, "Let's just break up", Natalie nodded and let out a drawn-out "Oh". "It's not the cold shoulder, but an actual fight, right? Alright, didn't I already text you about it? Erik's fiancee ran off, and our families have been close for generations. Helping him out for a bit isn't going to hurt anyone." She plopped down on the couch, casually picked up a dark gray sweater, and started folding it for me. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as her red lips murmured, "This sweater is so ugly. You should just throw it away!" I didn't say anything. I only stared at the dazzling diamond ring on her ring finger, suddenly realizing what that particularly icy sensation against my eyelid had been earlier. Natalie followed my gaze and guiltily slipped off the ring, quickly putting it into her pocket. Then she stuck out her tongue and smiled. "Commit to the act, right? I forgot to take it off. Robert, you jealous thing, you aren't going to be mad at me again, are you?" To be honest, I wasn't mad at all. I just suddenly remembered that when I proposed to her, I had gotten down on one knee and presented her with a custom-designed ring from a luxury brand. But she hadn't held her hand out. She said she didn't like the constraining feeling of a ring and wanted to wait until we exchanged rings at the wedding before wearing one. But in the end, she had put on the ring Erik Cuoco gave her first, and she'd even been so happy about it that she couldn't bear to take it off. Mad? I'd never be mad again. For the past month, I had tortured myself by watching news reports of Natalie and Erik traveling the world on their honeymoon. By now, my heart was completely numb. Chapter 2 I looked away, not answering Natalie. Instead, I just took the sweater back from her and said flatly, "My mom knitted this sweater for me herself." Her hands froze in the air. She pursed her lips, clearly a little annoyed now, but she still tried to swallow her anger and keep her voice gentle. "Oh, yeah. How's your mom doing? She should be mostly recovered after a month of rest, right?" Her eyes crinkled into a smile. "I'd always thought our original wedding venue was too small and shabby anyway. We might as well take this chance to pick a new date and throw a lavish wedding. It'll make your mom happy too." I knew Natalie was in a great mood today, having extended me olive branch after olive branch. If I didn't take the hint now, she was bound to blow up. But she had forgotten something. On the day we were supposed to register our marriage, we'd already arrived at the city hall when she claimed she had forgotten to bring her identification documents. Then, she turned around and went to accompany Erik—whose finacee had skipped out on him—to try on wedding dresses. So we'd never actually registered our marriage, which meant we didn't need a wedding either. Snapping back to myself, I just offered her a bitter smile. "There's no need." After being brushed off by me again and again, Natalie's expression darkened completely. Just as she was about to say something, her phone rang. Seeing Erik's name on her screen, she immediately softened her expression. "I just got home," she answered sweetly. "Why are you calling?" I didn't know what he said on the other end, but she soon tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder and grabbed her camel-colored wool coat from the rack. "You're so annoying, Erik!" she said, giggling heartily. "I'm still trying to make up with my boyfriend here. This is the last time, okay?" I stared as she slipped the ring back onto her finger with practiced ease, checked her makeup and outfit in the full-length mirror, grabbed her purse, and turned to leave. Her hand was already on the doorknob when she finally seemed to remember that I was still standing there. She hurriedly turned back, rose onto her tiptoes to ruffle my hair, and purred, "Okay, Robert, stop making a fuss. I bought you a little gift. I'll give it to you tonight." I watched her leave, then turned toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Through the glass, I saw a bright yellow sports car parked downstairs, its chassis sitting so low it was practically scraping the ground. Erik was leaning against the car door, a lit cigarette glowing red between his fingers. And Natalie—who had always been quite the germaphobe—casually took the cigarette from him, put it to her lips, and slid into the passenger seat. Not wanting to look anymore, I pulled the curtains closed. Then I turned around, walked over to the desk, and picked up the overseas assignment application that I'd already carefully filled in. Tracing the crisp edge of the application form, I left the apartment without an ounce of hesitation and hailed a cab to the office. It was already evening by then, for I'd spent most of the day packing. I'd already applied for the overseas assignment through the company system two days ago, and it had already been approved. Now, I just needed to submit the physical paperwork for their records. Everyone at the office whispered when they saw me. "Isn't that the guy from the video? The one who crashed Ms. Crenshaw's wedding and made a huge scene? Didn't he take bereavement leave and disappear a while ago? Wow, and he still has the nerve to show up now?" "If you ask me, he's probably here to resign. He's been with the company for ten years, but he's still just a team leader. I heard he applied for a promotion five times, and they were never approved. What a loser." Those cutting remarks had once left me miserable. But now, I was numb to it. After all, I'd heard far worse while organizing Mom's funeral. Keeping my eyes straight ahead, I headed to the office of Paul Vasquez, my supervisor, and knocked. "Come in." Paul looked at the form in my hand and nodded approvingly. "When you told me two days ago that you wanted the overseas assignment, I didn't believe you, Robert. Before, whenever I asked you to take the transfer, you always said you wanted to be with your girlfriend and couldn't bear a long-distance relationship. You sure were decisive this time. "Someone from headquarters is coming tomorrow to inspect the overseas assignment arrangements. Come by the office tomorrow and show your face, then you're good to go. "Come to think of it, we started out as interns together. You were always more capable than me and helped me out a lot. I'm just glad you finally came to your senses. I'm happy for you." I lowered my eyes. Indeed. Maybe it was just bad luck, but all the interns who had started with me were now in executive roles. I was the only one stuck in the same exact spot. Chapter 3 Stepping out of the office building, I looked back at the skyscraper I'd dedicated ten years of my life to. Over those ten years, Natalie's family business had grown bigger and bigger, until even its branch office now towered high into the clouds. So why had my relationship with her collapsed so spectacularly instead? My relationship with Natalie had been a classic story of a rich heiress and a poor student. My father had died young, and my mother raised me on her own. Back then, aside from attending classes, I squeezed out every spare minute I had to work part-time—by sitting in classes for other students. That was, until a thug not only refused to pay me my fees, but he also brought his buddies along to shake me down for all the money I had. I was in absolute despair when Natalie showed up with her bodyguards and saved me. She pulled me off the ground and even offered to buy me a meal. She said her grades weren't good and that she was afraid of failing, so she asked me to help her cram for her finals. In truth, I knew her grades were excellent. This was just an excuse she'd made up to help me. I was drawn to her kindness and cheerful personality. We gradually fell for each other and ended up getting together. The day I confessed my feelings to her, she held my hand and announced to everyone on campus, "Meet my genius campus heartthrob boyfriend!" When we graduated, I gave up a government-sponsored opportunity to study abroad. Then, when I started working, I turned down a six-figure executive position at a major overseas company. All I wanted was to stay by Natalie's side. My dream was simple—to marry her, have kids, and grow old together. That was, until a year ago, when Erik, Natalie's childhood sweetheart who had previously moved abroad, returned to the country. Everything changed then. That day, for the first time, Natalie left me alone while I was sick just to go to the airport to pick him up. That night, she got completely drunk at his welcome-home party and refused to come home with me. "What took you so long to come back, Erik?" she cried, curled up in his arms. From that moment on, Erik became the reason we fought endlessly. I wanted her to maintain some boundaries, but she accused me of being too controlling and claimed I wouldn't even let her have friends. She even mocked me, saying that technically, she and Erik were childhood friends, whereas I was the one who came along later. Then, two months ago, Erik sent her a wedding invitation. That day, she—who had rejected my proposals 99 times—suddenly curled up in my arms and muttered quietly, "How about we get married, too, Robert?" I shook my head, clearing my mind of those old memories. Under the setting sun, my shadow stretched across the ground, long and utterly alone. I had no family left in this world. After a few more steps, night fell completely. I was just about to pull out my phone to hail a ride home when I heard the sound of a familiar laugh, affectionate and intimate. "Erik, put me down! If you drop me, you're dead!" I turned toward the entrance of a bar blazing with neon lights. Erik was carrying Natalie in his arms bridal-style, spinning her around in circles, while her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck, her laughter carefree and bright. A crowd had gathered around them, cheering them on. "That's it! Three more spins! Come on, Erik! Don't forget to lock arms and share a drink with your wife when you stop!" "Now that's husband material! No wonder Natalie can't stop thinking about Erik!" When Erik finally stopped, Natalie hopped down, looking a little dizzy. Someone handed them two glasses, and they linked arms and downed their drinks with practiced ease. Instantly, the crowd went even wilder, clapping and chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Natalie blinked, not moving. Erik laughed and stepped in to defend her. "Alright, guys, come on. We just got back from our honeymoon, and you all are already demanding a wedding night rerun. My wife's been playing along with you all since noon. Time for everyone to go home!" But the very next second, Natalie grabbed Erik by the tie, rose onto her tiptoes, and kissed him squarely on the lips. Her eyes were wide open, her gaze clear and gentle. A moment later, she looked away, slowly released his tie, and held her head as she pretended to be drunk. "I want to go home… My head hurts so bad…" Chapter 4 I took in every bit of Natalie's carefully hidden love for Erik. I also watched as she stumbled around, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number. Just then, my phone rang. We were just a few yards apart. The moment Natalie heard the ringtone and our eyes met, she straightened right up. The crowd, seeing us stare at each other, grew confused. One of them asked Natalie, "Who's that, Natalie?" Her eyes flickered, and she answered vaguely, "Our family driver. My mom asked me to go home and have dinner with her today." Erik's face was practically dripping with smugness. "Oh, so it's the driver, huh?" he said, deliberately enunciating each word. "Well, make sure you take good care of Ms. Crenshaw then." The old me would've grabbed Erik by the collar and started a fistfight. Now, I just found his taunts utterly dumb. Without sparing him a single glance, I turned around and got into the rideshare I'd called earlier. When I got home, a sharp cramp twisted through my stomach, as I'd gone the entire afternoon without eating. So, I made myself a simple bowl of pasta. I'd barely taken two bites when I heard the click-clack of high heels outside. The next second, Natalie kicked the door open. Seeing me eating, she stormed over furiously and swung her purse into my back. "How could you just walk away like that, Robert Harmon? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was for me?" What surprised me even more was that Erik had followed her home. With a look of concern, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder from behind. "Nat, why are you hitting Robert? Didn't we agree you'd talk things out calmly?" he asked gently. Then he turned to me, flashing me a smile that masked the smugness in his eyes. "Don't be mad, Robert. I only came along to explain because I was worried you two would get into a fight. But you were in the wrong, too. Natalie is a woman. How can you just leave her by the side of the road like that?" I took another bite of my pasta without bothering to look up. "You've got your husband Erik right there with you, Natalie. What did you have to be afraid of?" Natalie's face darkened instantly, and her chest heaved with anger. "My husband? Robert, there's a limit to your jealousy! Those are just old friends from our social circle, and Erik and I were just putting on a show. Do you think I actually like drinking? I only did it for you!" I found it completely absurd. She'd clearly been enjoying every second of cozying up to Erik, so why was she acting like the victim now? I set down my fork and looked up at Natalie. "For me?" "Yes, for you!" Natalie answered as though it were obvious. "My mom only agreed to make me the company's heir because of the marriage agreement with Erik's family. "Only then can I be with you, and only then can I transfer you to headquarters and make you vice president. I did all of this for you and your career!" Erik's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, a flash of malice crossing his eyes. But on the surface, he nodded along. "Nat's right. You didn't know, did you? To protect you, she deliberately rejected all those promotion requests you submitted over the years. She went to all that trouble for your sake!" I froze. A sudden chill shot straight to the top of my head. So all these years of being passed over and ignored had been entirely Natalie's doing. Then what about all those late nights working overtime on project proposals? And the dinners where I'd drunk until my stomach bled just to close a deal? And me barely having time to spend with Mom because I was never given any time off? What had all that sacrifice been for? "Is that true?" I asked Natalie. She didn't even look the least bit ashamed. Instead, she nodded eagerly, as if she were waiting for me to praise her. "Yes! It wasn't just to protect you, but to toughen you up too. How else would you ever be able to handle greater responsibilities later? And it's just a little salary, anyway. You're my husband now. You'll be able to have whatever you want in the future." It was laughably ridiculous. Natalie had always insisted we keep our relationship private. Even for our wedding, she only allowed me to invite my closest friends and family and refused to make a big announcement. Hardly anyone even knew about our relationship, and her so-called protection was nothing but a farce. All of it had just been an excuse to satisfy her need to belittle me, keep me down, and make sure my life always orbited around her. Only now did I realize that the sweet times and genuine affection I thought we shared had never been pure to begin with. Chapter 5 I shook my head and finally said the words that had been buried deep in my heart. "Let's break up, Natalie." Her eyes widened. She stared at me in disbelief, and her lips trembled, but she couldn't manage a single word. A flash of delight lit up in Erik's eyes right before he jumped in to scold me. "Robert, you can't break up with Nat just because she and I are close. Nat really loves you. Every time she saw something interesting on our honeymoon, her first thought was to get it for you!" Even now, he couldn't resist bringing up their honeymoon just to rub salt in my wounds. He truly was disgusting. With someone backing her up, Natalie snapped out of her shock and grew even more furious. She planted her hands on her hips and scoffed coldly. "You seriously don't know when to stop, do you, Robert? Do you think you've got me wrapped around your finger? You want to break up? Do you even have the right to break up with me? "For the past ten years, you've lived off of my dime and worked at a job I got for you. What more could you possibly want?" The long tirade poured out of her without so much as a pause, as if she'd rehearsed it long ago. So she had actually been this deeply unimpressed with me all along, feeling like she was the one who had contributed the most to the relationship. If this were before, I might've argued back, debating who had actually given up more for this relationship. But now, looking at how furious she was, I suddenly chuckled. "Thank you." Natalie's anger immediately ebbed, replaced by sheer confusion. "For what?" The corners of my lips remained curved as I calmly replied, "Thank you for showing me that, in your eyes, I'm nothing but a useless freeloader." With that, I carried my empty plate and fork into the kitchen, turned on the faucet, and washed them clean. When I stepped out again, Natalie was still standing in the same spot, completely motionless. Erik handed her a glass of warm water mixed with honey. "Nat, drink some of this," he said in a low voice. "It'll help with the hangover. You used to love it." For once, Natalie barely paid attention to him as she set the glass down on the table. Her face flushed a deep red. After a long moment, she finally said quietly, "That's not what I meant…" I ignored her, grabbed the suitcase I'd already packed, and walked out the front door. I had only just stepped outside when a glass was smashed violently against the doorframe behind me, shattering on impact. Sticky honey water splashed all over me. Then, another small box was flung to the ground next to me. Two ceramic rings tumbled out. I stared at the rings by my feet, somewhat bewildered. Behind me, Natalie sounded utterly aggrieved as she shrieked, "I made those rings specifically for you while I was abroad! I was thinking about you the whole time! Why are you being so unreasonable, Robert? You're even going to run away from home?" But I just found it laughably absurd. I seriously had no idea what was going through her head. The inside of the bands was engraved with Natalie and Erik's initials. They were clearly matching couple's rings for the two of them. And yet she actually had the nerve to say she'd made them specifically for me. I started walking again, pulling my suitcase behind me to find a random hotel to crash for the night. I was leaving this city the next day anyway. … The next morning, after washing up, I headed into the office. To my surprise, the moment I stepped through the doors, a chorus of loud praise hit my ears. "Wow! Ms. Crenshaw, Mr. Cuoco, you two look so perfect together! And you're wearing matching outfits too! I'm swooning!" "Ms. Crenshaw, Mr. Cuoco, I ship you two together as well! Can I please get a picture?" Natalie and Erik stood arm in arm in the middle of the office, basking in everyone's attention. Meanwhile, Paul stood beside them, nodding and smiling ingratiatingly. As it turned out, they were the people Paul had mentioned were coming in from headquarters. Catching sight of me, Paul introduced them. "Robert, this is Ms. Crenshaw, our CEO from headquarters, and this is Mr. Cuoco, our vice president. They're here to inspect our overseas assignments." Natalie deliberately turned her head away from me, refusing to look at me. The smile that had been on her lips earlier flattened into a cold, indifferent line. "Who's being transferred this time?" she asked flatly. Paul pointed at me and two other colleagues. "These three," he answered with a smile. Instantly, Natalie's expression froze, and her eyes darkened with shadows. Chapter 6 A flash of gloating satisfaction crossed Erik's eyes. He immediately jumped in and reprimanded Paul with a look of shock on his face. "How do you guys even run this place? Don't you know our company strictly prohibits transferring employees who are married or have children overseas? Both the applicant and the person who approved it will be penalized for this!" Paul looked completely baffled. "But none of them are married," he blurted out in explanation. Natalie furrowed her brows slightly. She pointed at me, her lips curling into a cold smile. "Didn't this man take marital leave a while back?" "He did apply for marital leave at first," Paul answered honestly. "But it must have been a mistake, because he later changed it to bereavement leave. His mother passed away." Hearing this, all color drained from Natalie's face. Her outstretched hand froze in midair as she stared at me in complete disbelief. As if suddenly realizing something, her eyes darted around nervously. "Why didn't you tell me…" she whispered. "Why didn't you tell me that your mother passed away?" I found it hilarious. Mom had always thought highly of Natalie being her daughter-in-law. She even said that I must have done something amazing in my past life to be able to marry Natalie in this one, and she eagerly looked forward to the day Natalie would officially call her "Mom". Instead, all Mom ever got to see was Natalie marrying someone else and affectionately calling another man's mother "Mom". "I didn't think that was necessary, Ms. Crenshaw. Does headquarters really need to involve itself in a regular employee's family matters?" I asked flatly. Feeling like something was rapidly slipping out of her control, Natalie gritted her teeth as her anger flared. "Why isn't it necessary? I'm her daughter-in-law, aren't I?" "Whose daughter-in-law are you?" someone asked. Just as everyone stood there looking utterly bewildered, the front doors of the office swung open. An elderly woman walked in, the faint lines around her eyes giving her an air of sharp, formidable authority. It was none other than Natalie's mother, LeAnn Crenshaw, and the woman at the helm of Crenshaw Group. Everyone snapped out of their shock and greeted her in unison. "Good morning, Ms. Crenshaw!" LeAnn gave a slight nod. Then she turned to Erik with a smile. "Erik, I sent the two of you young newlyweds around to make the rounds at our various branch offices so you could get acquainted with the staff. What? Don't tell me you ran into trouble?" Remembering what Natalie had just said, everyone in the room kept their mouths shut, not even daring to breathe too loudly. Erik's face turned pale, then flushed. After forcing out a strained smile, he answered, "Nat's best friend happens to be Robert's wife. When she heard Robert was being transferred overseas, she wanted to stand up for her friend." Hearing this, Natalie bit her lip and stayed silent, lowering her head with a conflicted look on her face. LeAnn's expression hardened. "Someone dared to violate company policy?" she asked, her voice sharp. "I'd like to see who had the nerve!" "Ms. Crenshaw, it's a misunderstanding," I answered calmly. "I'm not married. My ex-girlfriend and I broke up amicably a long time ago." She raised an eyebrow and scanned me up and down before turning to Natalie. "I've seen Robert's personnel file, and he is indeed unmarried. Did you remember wrongly? He has a flight to catch today, so it's best not to delay him." Natalie's eyes widened when she heard the phrase "a flight to catch". When she turned and saw how calm I looked, her heart seemed to skip a beat. Panic flashed across her face. "Mom! It's not my best friend. It's me! I'm Robert's wife! How could I possibly remember that wrongly? We got our marriage registered on November 3. He's obviously lying! We went to the city hall together and got our marriage certificate in person!" Everyone in the room swallowed hard. They couldn't believe that they had stumbled into this kind of family drama involving the city's elite. Natalie's expression relaxed somewhat, apparently convinced that this meant that there was no way I could be sent overseas now. But the crease between LeAnn's brows only deepened. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Natalie and me before she made her judgment. "What are you on about? Even if he were your ex-boyfriend, your birth certificate has been safely locked away in my safe this whole time. Our state requires birth certificates to register a marriage, so how exactly did you manage to get a marriage certificate with him?"