Chapter 4
1001 Words
I put the gun away and hailed a cab to the church.
Bored during the ride, I pulled out my phone and saw that someone had posted photos from the Leon family banquet on social media.
In the photos, there was a scene of Louis holding Chloe's hand.
There was also a scene of him wrapping his arm around Chloe's waist while dancing the waltz.
In the past, to get to know Louis better, I had followed the social media accounts of everyone connected to him, from his business partners down to Chloe's close friends.
Louis and Chloe really were made for each other, just like everyone said.
The cab soon pulled up at the entrance of the church.
The priest was a long-time friend of my father's. Learning why I had come, he tried to persuade me. "Your father gave his life for this engagement. You should really think this through again."
Over the years, Louis had gone to the priest to change the wedding date numerous times.
The priest had repeatedly hinted to him that he shouldn't keep putting it off, but seven years had passed, and we still hadn't walked down the aisle.
Seeing that I was resolute, the priest finally helped me annul the engagement.
Louis didn't like eating with me, so I didn't make things difficult for him and grabbed a quick bite to eat outside on my own.
It was already very late when I arrived at the manor, and Louis hadn't come back yet.
Before, when he came home late, I would send him a message, asking if he was held up by something, if he was still coming back, and if there was any food he felt like eating.
But Louis never replied, not even once.
I went straight to the bedroom to sleep, planning to leave at daybreak.
I planned to tell Louis about the annulment while I was at it.
The banquet went on very late. Louis pulled out his phone and saw I hadn't sent him any messages.
This was already the third time he had taken out his phone that night, and his brows were furrowed more deeply each time.
Even though he never replied to my messages, I still sent him one every single day.
Seven years had passed, and he had long grown accustomed to the daily message notification tone, but today, something felt missing.
He said to Chloe, "Send me a message."
Chloe took out her phone and sent him one.
Louis's face darkened even more.
That was when it finally hit him: he couldn't go on without my little daily check-ins.
Midway through the banquet, Chloe noticed the anger on Louis's face and asked, "Louis, did you and Sofia have a fight again?
"Even I can't stand your terrible temper. If you don't change your attitude, sooner or later Sofia will..."
She didn't get to finish. One sharp look from Louis shut her up immediately.
Louis didn't come back until dawn.
I had no idea when exactly Louis got home, and I had no intention of asking.
When I received Louis's call, I had just stepped out the door, planning to visit my father again.
I never expected Louis to call me.
In all these years, Louis had never once called me on his own initiative.
When Louis's face appeared on the screen, I spoke, "What do you need?"
Louis also hadn't expected me to ask that. With an impassive expression, he asked where I was.
I answered casually, "Just wandering around to kill time."
Louis's brows knitted tightly. It was a long while before he spoke, "I'll come pick you up later."
I was stunned for a moment. Before I could reply, Chloe's face appeared on the screen.
She greeted me with a smile. "Sofia, what are you doing out there? Is it fun? Our banquet is so boring, and it ended just now. It's all Louis's fault for bringing me here. I stayed up all night, and my dark circles have gotten so much worse."
With that, she turned to Louis and said, "Told you calling her was the right thing, didn't I? I just knew Sofia would be having way more fun than us."
My heart turned ice cold.
Seven years engaged, and I never would've guessed the first and only time my fiancé ever called me out of the blue was for his childhood friend.
I looked at the screen and let out a cold laugh.
Louis looked at me, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Chloe snatched the phone away.
Chloe smiled sweetly at the screen. "Sofia, wait for Louis to come pick you up. Between us, Louis has a surprise planned for you."
After hanging up the phone, I couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh.
I didn't expect Louis to arrive so soon.
Noticing my reluctance to get in the car, he asked, "Are you angry with me?"
The Louis I knew before would never have said such a thing.
The question came out tentative, his eyes fixed on me with hope.
Suddenly, my eyes stung with warmth.
For all these years, I was tormented by nonstop nightmares, and I'd even thought about joining my father in death.
But I knew my father's only wish was for me to live well and have a happy life.
I was afraid he would blame me for not listening to him.
So I was careful in everything I did, doing everything I could to get Louis to like me so that I could marry him.
I even worried that anything I said would make him disgusted with me.
Now that I'd made up my mind to leave, I actually felt so much lighter.
He said, "Sofia, answer me."
I sighed and said flatly, "No."
What was there to be angry about anyway?
"Sofia, pick another date, and we'll get married. I'll cancel every single plan I have, no exceptions." Louis's tone softened.
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