Belated love, I no longer need

Chapter 3

A few days on, I got a call back home to talk about calling off the engagement.

There in the room were Joseph and his parents.

I'd figured ending the engagement would be a piece of cake, but boy, was I wrong. It turned out to be a real headache. Everyone

was dead-set against it, and that included Barry, the one who couldn't stand me.

When he caught me looking all confused, he let out an annoyed eye-roll and a scoff. "Don't get ideas. It isn't because of you. If

you break this off, it'll make our family look like a joke."

Joseph's mom, Naomi Hewitt, reached over and took my hand. Her smile was all show, no heart. "It was Joseph's dumb move. He saw

that woman with a kid and went all soft. It's no big deal. No need to fuss over it."

Meanwhile, Miranda was giving me these little looks, like she was saying, "Come on, knock it off before things go south."

Everyone assumed that I was just being petty about Scarlett, hoping that Joseph would sweet-talk me into forgiving him.

No one in that room believed I was done with this relationship for good.

After a moment of quiet, I took a deep breath, ready to speak up.

"That's enough! Can't you see Maria's about to cry?" Joseph came striding over, grabbed my hand, and led me out.

For a split second, I felt like he was still in my corner.

I pressed my hand to my chest, where it ached a bit, trying to cool the little spark that flared up.

Joseph pulled me into his arms again, but it felt like hugging a stranger.

"Maria, give me another chance. I can't live without you," he said, all earnest.

But I was as cool as ice.

They all thought that after all these years, there was no way I'd walk away.

They thought I was just playing hard-to-get, still mad as hell.

But what they didn't know was that I'd been quietly gearing up to volunteer as a teacher in the mountains.

I was gonna leave this place behind, all alone.

Maybe Joseph still had feelings for me, and ditching me that day was just a screw-up.

But I wasn't gonna bet my marriage on the chance that he'd love me forever.

?

Prior to my departure, I celebrated my final birthday at the Hopson Manor.

This time around, Miranda rolled up her sleeves and spent the entire day in the kitchen, whipping up a feast.

My father, Logan Hopson, wrapped up his office work early and headed home.

Even Barry, who was away at college, managed to get an early leave and rushed back, clutching a birthday gift box all the way.

When the birthday party started, it was the most lavish one since I'd returned to the Hopson Manor.

Joseph wheeled in a magnificent three-tier birthday cake and then pulled out a necklace from his hand.

It was a really nice-looking necklace. I never knew Joseph had such good taste.

As I stared at the table brimming with mouth-watering dishes, a pang of nostalgia hit me.

It was heartwarming to have this last family dinner before I left.

Suddenly, I spotted two additional sets of cutlery on the table.

A sense of sadness welled up within me.

My gaze drifted towards the closed door, and just then, the doorbell rang.

As I expected, Scarlett and her daughter walked in.

I let out a bitter laugh.

How naive of me to still hold onto hopes for this family.

Logan bounded downstairs and scooped up Mia in his arms, showering her with love.

Barry jumped up from the sofa and handed the little girl his gift box. "Happy birthday, little Mia!"

The room was filled with laughter and chatter, but it seemed as if they'd completely forgotten it was my birthday, too.

As I stood there, my eyes began to sting.

Joseph must have noticed because he came over and gently unclenched my fists.

There was a touch of pity in his eyes.

He led me to my seat and heaped my plate with food.

Then, he raised his voice and said, "Ria, happy birthday!"

The room fell silent, interrupted only by the sound of a fork dropping to the floor.

"Maria, happy birthday! What a coincidence, you and Mia have the same birthday. I bumped into Joseph at the mall yesterday and

helped him pick out that necklace for you," Scarlett said, pulling out the same necklace she was wearing and waving it in front of

my face.

"Beautiful, right?"

I felt Joseph tense up beside me.

He whispered an apology, "Sorry, I didn't think I'd run into her."

Silently, I took off the necklace and held it in my hand. "I'm starving. Let's eat."

The meal was uncomfortable for everyone except Scarlett and Mia, who were clearly having a great time.

After dinner, I saw a transfer in my bank account from Logan, who'd gone to the study to work.

Miranda went upstairs and came back with her favorite Hermès bag that she'd used only once.

Barry huffed impatiently, "Come on, tell me what you want. I gotta get back to school."

I replied, "It's okay. I don't really want anything."

"Good. Saves me some money," he grumbled and stormed off.

Joseph, who'd retrieved the necklace from the trash, apologized to me again.

"Sorry, I didn't know you'd mind. I'll get you a new gift."

A moment later, his eyes lit up. "Maria, how about we go on a trip? You've always wanted to see the ocean. This time, it'll just

be the two of us. What do you say?"

I gave a noncommittal answer. "Sure, you take care of the arrangements."

After Joseph left, I was alone in the living room.

I saw the maid, Sally Stone, wheeling the barely-touched birthday cake out, about to throw it away.

I stopped her, cut a big slice with lots of frosting, stuck a candle in it, and made a birthday wish.

"May Maria have a peaceful, happy life from now on."

It was two in the morning when I rolled my suitcase downstairs. In the kitchen, I ran into Sally, who was getting a drink.

She looked at me in surprise, and I gave her a smile.

"Going on a trip with Joseph," I said casually, and then left the house that had never felt like home.

The place I'd chosen for volunteer teaching was the mountain village where I'd spent a decade.

The Hopson family had never shown any interest in my life there.

They looked down on my shabby past of those ten years and wanted nothing to do with it.

Even Joseph would always change the subject when I brought it up.

I knew he shared their view, looking down on the fact that I'd spent ten years in a world so different from theirs.