He Ignored My Grief, I Chose Duty

Chapter 6

On the drive back, still drenched to the bone, Dominic kept glancing over at the woman beside him... Linnea.

Her face was ghostly pale, the spark in her eyes utterly snuffed out.

There was a time when Linnea had been a burst of sunshine... full of energy, chatting with him every single day, spilling every little detail of her life.

But today, on the way home, she didn't say a single word. She simply stared out the window, watching the scenery whip past in a blur.

Something about the sight of her like that twisted Dominic's gut with an unease he couldn't name.

When they pulled into the underground garage and he killed the engine, he finally blurted out an explanation.

"Sonya... she's got a hot temper. If I hadn't answered like that, she really might have gone off the deep end and actually thrown herself into the sea."

Hearing those words, Linnea's eyes instantly swam with tears, and they spilled over, tracing hot paths down her cheeks.

"I understand," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

Dominic's heart lurched at the sight of her crying.

"From now on, we'll celebrate your birthday in private, just the two of us."

"We'll see about that later," she breathed. After all, they... they had no future together.

Linnea turned her back to him and wiped the tears from her face.

In truth, those tears weren't for Dominic. They were for her mom and dad, who had cherished and protected her so tenderly since she was a little girl.

And yet here she was, letting an outsider cut her so deep.

Today, in front of all those people, Dominic had declared his love for Sonya. That hadn't even stung.

But when she heard his explanation, she realized he only cared about Sonya's hotheadedness, without sparing a single thought for how humiliated his own girlfriend must have felt.

At that moment, she knew: her so-called dignity, to him, was worthless.

*****

Back in the room, Linnea was about to go lie down.

Dominic thrust a Chanel gift box in front of her. "Your birthday gift this year. Happy birthday."

But she made no move to take it.

Maybe out of guilt, he popped the box open himself. "Take a look. Do you like it?"

It was the classic Chanel Flap bag in black quilted leather with gold hardware.

Linnea couldn't find her voice. After a long, heavy silence, she finally forced out two words.

"Thank you."

Not a trace of her usual delight lit up her face.

Dominic couldn't stop himself from asking, "Is it the style you don't like? I'll have someone buy a different one tomorrow and bring it over."

"No need. I'm just a bit tired. I want to rest."

A bone-deep weariness, the likes of which she'd never known, settled over her.

The same bag. The same style. The same color.

He'd given it to her the year before last, again last year, and now this year... the exact same thing.

Linnea remembered seeing the purchase records from four years ago, when Dominic had his assistant buy gifts for Sonya.

Whether it was Valentine's Day, anniversaries, or some tiny, forgettable little occasion...

There were always gifts.

Custom-made clothes and shoes;

Necklaces and rings he'd painstakingly crafted by hand;

And even royal heirloom jewelry bought at luxury auctions.

Some people say a woman has a price tag in a man's eyes... what he gives you is exactly what you're worth to him.

Once, Linnea had believed love was priceless.

But then she saw how Dominic treated her so differently...

And then she realized, with that stark contrast, love had a price after all.

Dominic poured his whole heart into his ex, but gave her nothing but half-hearted gestures. How could she ever dare to believe he actually loved her?

"What happened today was my fault. I ordered a cake, and I'll cook dinner myself tonight... I want to celebrate your birthday," Dominic spoke up again.

Linnea didn't hold her breath for any of it.

This was the first time in three years Dominic had ever cooked.

A few hours later, he finally finished.

"I remember you love celery, so I made garlic-sautéed ribeye steak with braised celery. Here, try it."

Linnea heard this but didn't lift her fork.

"You remembered wrong. Celery is the one thing I can't stand."

"You love the steak. The celery is just a garnish cooked in the pan... so every single time, I always pick out every piece of celery and set it aside for you."

"The celery I picked out sits on the side of the plate. I've never eaten a single bite," she replied.