Too Late to Say Yes

Victoria Graham told me we'd have to postpone getting our marriage license again just as I was picking up my fork. Victoria set down her cutlery, her tone as casual as if she were commenting on the weather. "Next time." I took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. "Okay." She glanced at me, then lowered her head and reached for another bite. Before taking it, she looked up at me again. "You're not angry?" I took another bite and answered calmly, "I'm not." We'd been engaged for six months, and this was the 17th time she'd postponed getting our marriage license. She was used to it. So was I. I ate slowly and finished my meal, one mouthful at a time. She didn't touch her food again. After taking my last bite, I got up to clear the dishes. As I passed her, she grabbed my wrist. "Lucas, next Monday. I'll definitely be free next week. We've already had the engagement party anyway. A few more days won't make a difference. Don't worry. I definitely won't stand you up this time." I lowered my gaze to the hand wrapped around my wrist, then looked back at her and smiled. "Okay." Over the past six months, she'd said "next week" 9 times, "definitely" 13 times, and "don't worry" 16 times. Even so, we had still never gotten our marriage license. And next week wouldn't be any different. Because this time, I was the one who was going to stand her up. Chapter 1 My phone buzzed. It was a message from the HR director at the law firm. [Do you know whether Miss Graham is aware that you're resigning?] I picked up my phone and headed for the door. Victoria was still sitting at the dining table, watching me with a strange expression. After a long hesitation, she finally ventured, "Why didn't you ask me why this time?" I replied to the HR director before finally sparing Victoria some attention. "There's no point." I meant it literally. The first time we'd planned to get our marriage license, her junior associate, Dylan Fletcher, had complained of a stomachache. I'd waited on a bench outside City Hall from early morning until sunset before finally going home alone. The second time, Dylan claimed he didn't know how to prepare the case files. Victoria had left me stranded beside a busy highway, turned the car around, and driven straight back to the law firm without so much as a backward glance. After that, every time we made plans to get our marriage license, something inevitably happened to Dylan right on schedule. Six months into our engagement, we'd already gone through the same charade 17 times. Victoria seemed to choke on my words. After a moment of silence, she held out her phone to me. "I've noticed that a lot of people hire photographers to follow them around when they get their marriage license these days. Let's hire one too. You love all that romantic ceremony stuff, don't you?" So she still remembered that I liked making special occasions feel special. I pondered for a moment before asking, "Are you free tonight? We could grab some—" I hadn't even gotten the words "farewell dinner" out before her phone rang. It was Dylan again. I had no idea what he said on the other end. After she hung up, Victoria looked at me. "Honey, Dylan, he—" I cut her off with a faint smile, "Go. Be careful on the way." Victoria froze, apparently surprised by how calm I was today. But a moment later, she changed her clothes and headed out. "I'll bring you a present when I come home tonight." The door slammed shut behind her. Before long, I heard a car start downstairs and drive away. I stood there and stared at the firmly closed door. "Five years together… Six months engaged… I should've let this relationship go a long time ago." … That afternoon, I went to the office and personally handed my resignation letter to HR. The HR director looked at me with regret and confusion. "You and Miss Graham are the law firm's elite team. "When you two got engaged six months ago, not only did our boss come to congratulate you, but so many of our clients showed up too. Everyone envied you back then. Why are you suddenly leaving?" My thoughts drifted back to our engagement party six months ago. We'd filled 110 tables with guests. A red carpet stretched across the venue, and flowers surrounded us on every side. Victoria had taken my arm and promised to love me for the rest of our lives. It really had been lively and beautiful. Unfortunately, no matter how wonderful it had seemed then, there was no going back now. … By the time I finished submitting my resignation paperwork and returned home, it was already past 10:00 p.m. The house was unusually quiet and completely empty. Then a social media post from Dylan popped up on my phone. He had tagged me personally. [Thank you to my mentor for spending the entire afternoon with me. As a little thank-you, I'm taking her to a concert tomorrow.] Chapter 2 I knew Victoria wasn't coming back, even though she'd said she'd be home at noon. This had happened far too many times in the six months since we'd gotten engaged. After dinner, I didn't leave a plate out for her like I used to. Instead, I opened my email. More than a dozen job offers from law firms in different countries filled my inbox. My cursor went straight to the offer from Monteclair. Without hesitation, I clicked Accept. Then I booked a flight to Monteclair for two days later. … The next morning, I started packing. In the master bedroom wardrobe, my clothes occupied the left side, while Victoria's filled the right. The brightly colored dresses and skirts were things she never would have worn before. But after Dylan came along, he told her that dressing this way made her seem more approachable and would help clients warm up to her. Since then, the designer suits I'd once carefully picked out for her had been left to gather dust at the bottom of the wardrobe. I smiled faintly and packed my clothes into the suitcase one piece at a time. I was only halfway done when Victoria came home. The pink dress she wore still carried the scent of Dylan's favorite cologne. When she saw me, she froze and immediately began to explain. "Dylan insisted on going out for drinks last night. We got back too late, so I got a hotel room." I nodded without saying anything. In the six months we'd been engaged, this was the first time she'd ever offered me an explanation without being asked. She took two steps closer and noticed the suitcase. "Are you going on a business trip?" "Yeah." For some reason, she seemed relieved. "I have something to take care of today. I just came back to grab something, then I'm leaving." "Okay." I didn't look up as I continued folding my clothes. I'd originally planned to tell her about my resignation over lunch. Now there was no need. She hummed in acknowledgment, pulled out a red gift bag, grabbed her coat by the door, and hurried out again. The moment the door closed, the framed photograph that had hung on the wall for six months suddenly fell to the floor. Glass shattered everywhere. It was a photo of us from our engagement day. In the picture, she wore the dress I'd chosen for her, while I stood beside her in a suit. She'd told me she'd love me, cherish me, and stay by my side forever. My eyes had been red with emotion, and I'd worn the most foolishly happy smile. But ever since Dylan appeared, she'd pushed all those promises to the back of her mind. I stared at the photograph for a long time before finally cleaning up the broken glass. Then I threw the picture of us, overflowing with happiness, into the trash along with the last trace of reluctance in my heart. … That evening, I'd barely laid down when my best friend called. "Did you see the post? What's going on with Victoria and Dylan?" I checked my socials. Dylan had just posted an update. It was a nine-photo collage with his new watch prominently displayed in the center. The caption read: [Happy 22nd birthday to me. Thanks for the gift, Mentor.] In the bottom-right photo, half of a red gift bag was visible. So Victoria had come home at noon just to pick up Dylan's birthday present. My friend was still cursing on the other end of the line. "You've only been engaged for six months, and Dylan already has the nerve to show off like this? Is Victoria out of her mind?" "We haven't even gotten our marriage license," I said. The other end of the line suddenly went silent. After a long moment, he finally spoke in disbelief. "What?" "We had the engagement party, but we never got the marriage license or moved forward with the wedding preparations," I repeated, my voice completely flat. Another long silence followed. Finally, my friend's voice dropped. "Then what are you going to do?" I glanced at my packed suitcase and smiled. "I'm flying to Monteclair tomorrow. A law firm there sent me an offer a long time ago." "She's not stopping you?" "She doesn't know." And she wouldn't care anyway. After hanging up, I looked at Dylan's post again. I thought about it for a moment, then gave it a like. Consider it my blessing to the two of them before I left. … Victoria came home at 10:00 p.m. that night. After walking through the door, she instinctively reached for the coat rack. Her hand stopped halfway. "Where's the picture behind the door?" She didn't even put down her coat before hurrying into the bedroom, a hint of panic in her voice. "Honey, where's our picture?" I leaned against the headboard and answered calmly, "It fell and broke." At that, she glanced at the broken glass in the trash can, and her expression relaxed. Then she pulled an LV paper bag from her purse and held it out to me. Chapter 3 "I said I'd buy you a present yesterday, but I didn't get the chance. Today... I'm making it up to you." I froze for a moment. Only then did I remember what she'd said before leaving yesterday. "I'll bring you a present when I come home tonight." I hadn't expected her to remember. But when I glanced at the receipt, I saw that she'd bought the bag only half an hour ago. She'd probably noticed that I'd liked Dylan's post and felt guilty. Thus, she'd casually picked up a bag from a nearby boutique as compensation. I didn't take it or say anything. Victoria placed the bag on the bed and hesitated. "By the way, about next month's Best Employee selection at the firm, could you..." "Give it to Dylan?" She clearly hadn't expected me to say it first. She nodded awkwardly. "He's just starting out. He really needs the recognition. You've already won it several times..." So even this casually bought gift came with a price. I nodded. "Okay." She froze, perhaps because she hadn't expected me to agree so readily. "You... aren't angry?" I shook my head. There was nothing to be angry about. From now on, I didn't need anything Dylan wanted, whether it was the Best Employee award or Victoria's affection. Her expression relaxed. "Dylan is my mentee. You're practically his mentor too, so you should be a little more generous. Oh, right. Let's make time to go to City Hall tomorrow morning." I looked at her without saying anything. Then she seemed to remember something. "I almost forgot you're going on a business trip. What time is your flight tomorrow?" "3:00 p.m.," I answered. "Then we'll have plenty of time," she replied immediately, her tone certain. "10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Meet me outside City Hall. I've already hired a photographer to follow us around, and I've even paid the deposit." I was about to tell her there was no need. There was no point in getting a marriage license anymore. But her phone rang again at that exact moment. Once again, Dylan's name appeared on the screen. His soft, pitiful voice came through the phone. His stomach hurt badly, and he asked if Victoria could take him to the hospital. After she hung up, a rare flicker of hesitation crossed her face. "Go," I said. Relief washed over her face. She stepped forward and hugged me. "Make sure you look handsome tomorrow. I'll definitely be there. I won't stand you up." With that, she grabbed her coat and walked out. The moment the door closed, I glanced at the LV bag on the bed. The receipt was still tucked inside. I didn't open the bag. I left everything exactly as it was and placed it on the highest shelf of the wardrobe. Two more bags sat inside, identical in design but different in color. Both were gifts she'd "casually" picked up for me before. … The next morning, at 9:30 a.m., I zipped up my final suitcase and looked around the room. Victoria's clothes hung neatly inside the wardrobe. My side was completely empty. At 9:45 a.m., only 15 minutes remained until the time she'd promised to meet me at City Hall to get our marriage license. I called a taxi and headed to the airport. 10:00 a.m. came and went. Her chat window on my phone remained completely silent. There wasn't a single message or call. Even by noon, I still hadn't heard from her. She hadn't even called to ask why I hadn't shown up at City Hall. … That afternoon, after checking in for my flight, I walked to the gate and prepared to board. Finally, my phone buzzed. It was Victoria. Two messages arrived one after the other. Victoria: [Honey, Dylan can't leave the hospital, so I'm afraid we won't make it to City Hall today.] Victoria: [When you get back from your business trip, I'll pick you up at the airport. We'll go straight to City Hall. I absolutely won't let anything get in the way this time.] I felt nothing as I read her messages. Just as I'd expected, she hadn't shown up for our 18th attempt either. My expression remained calm as I picked up my phone and typed my reply one word at a time. [No need, Victoria. I've already resigned, and I'm about to start a new job overseas. After today, we're strangers.] After sending the message, I was about to turn off my phone. But the next second, the screen suddenly lit up. A familiar number appeared on the caller ID, flashing over and over as the phone continued to ring.