Chapter 4

Nathan broke his promise.

He didn’t come home.

For several days in a row, he stayed away. I only found out through a casual phone call with Linda that he was on another business trip—this time with Nina again.

But his absence gave me more time to finish packing.

The calendar showed only seven days left.

That day, I was sorting the luggage I planned to take to Eastbrook when Linda suddenly called.

“Hannah, did you put the wrong address on your delivery?”

“What delivery?”

“Your wedding dress! It was delivered to the office. The package says it’s for you. Nathan really went all out—an AD custom gown! That’s at least seven figures. Is he planning to drain his savings and not live after the wedding?”

I rushed to the office and opened the box, only to be stunned.

The measurements matched mine, but… this didn’t seem like something Nathan would do.

The company had been doing well in recent years, but not well enough to splurge on such an extravagant wedding dress. Besides, he likely hadn’t even considered marrying me.

As I stood there puzzled, my mom called.

“Sweetheart, did you get the wedding dress? The Henderson family is so serious about the wedding between you and Davis! I told them you’d be back in half a month, and they’ve already started preparing for the ceremony.”

“They even insisted on sending the dress ahead of time so you could see if you liked it or if it fit well.”

Her cheerful tone left no doubt about how pleased she was with the Henderson family’s enthusiasm.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Mom, did you give them this address?”

“Of course! Did you change offices or something?”

“No…” I sighed. “I’ll send you a new address. From now on, have them send everything there.”

“Alright, alright!” She agreed quickly, still overjoyed. “By the way, Mrs. Henderson asked if you have any specific requests for the wedding. She said she’ll take care of everything.”

“I don’t have any requests.” I pressed my lips together. “You and Mrs. Henderson can handle the details.”

“Wedding?”

Nathan's voice suddenly came from behind. "What wedding?"

My heart skipped a beat as I ended the call. “You’re back from your trip?”

“Yeah.” He avoided my gaze, but his eyes landed on the wedding dress lying on the sofa. His brow furrowed. “Hannah, I told you—I can’t think about marriage right now. Can you stop pressuring me?”

I stared at him steadily. "Did I say you were the groom?"

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” I shrugged, walked over, and began packing the dress back into its box.

Nathan grabbed my arm, softening his tone. "Are you angry? I'm sorry, I'm just exhausted from the trip. Forgive me?"

I nodded without hesitation. “Sure.”

He still seemed unsure. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Then how about leaving the wedding dress here for now?” Nathan hesitated, adding nervously, “Hannah, just give me a little more time. I promise I’ll marry you.”

He looked as if he were dreading being forced into something.

I couldn’t help but laugh lightly. “What are you thinking? Didn’t you hear me on the phone? This dress belongs to my college roommate. She accidentally put the wrong address.”

Relief flooded his face, and he even pinched my cheek playfully. “Trying to scare me, huh?”

“Sure, think what you want.”

Nathan had met all three of my college roommates. If he still cared about me even a little, he’d have remembered they were all already married. He’d even attended their weddings with me. Back then, he couldn’t stop talking about our future whenever we went to someone else’s wedding.

We’d agreed to get married as soon as the company stabilized.

But three years had passed, and he still hadn’t brought it up.

For a while, I thought he might have a fear of marriage.

Now I understood. He wasn’t afraid of marriage—he just didn’t want to marry me.

Linda knocked and entered, looking a little sheepish. “Sorry to interrupt, but Nathan, you need to be present for the design director interviews later.”

“Design director?” Nathan looked confused and turned to me. “Are you overwhelmed? Do you need someone to help you?”

“No,” I replied calmly. “Nathan, I’ve resigned.”

His expression darkened. “You resigned? Why didn’t you discuss it with me first? Hannah, the company is at a critical stage of funding. The design department is the heart of our business. Do you have any idea how much impact changing directors will have on investors?”

For a moment, it felt like I didn’t know him at all.

I raised my eyes. “So, what do you want to do about it?”

“Without my signature, your resignation isn’t final.” Nathan sighed, his tone softening like he was reasoning with a child. “You’re not a little girl anymore. Don’t act so impulsively. Come back to work tomorrow.”

I smiled faintly. “Nathan, you already signed it.”

“If you don’t believe me, Linda has a copy. You can check.”

With that, I picked up the wedding dress and walked away.