He Saved Romance for Her, I Rejected His Late Regret

Chapter 4

By the time Luke rushed out of the restaurant, I was already in a taxi.

He called 17 times, but in the end, he only sent one text.

Luke: Come to Sasha's birthday party tomorrow night. Clear the air. Don't let everyone think you can't tolerate her.

I hadn't planned on going.

Until Sasha sent me a voice message, "Jane, there are things Luke's too afraid to tell you. Just come. I'll explain everything about us."

The party was at Luke's apartment.

When I walked in, the living room was strung with Pisces constellation lights. A 100-day photo album sat on the coffee table.

It was filled with pictures of Luke and Sasha.

Day 10: He watched a movie with her.

Day 30: He helped her move.

Day 60: She had a fever. He stayed up with her all night.

Day 100: He gave her a star chart necklace he'd designed himself.

I turned to the last page.

Beneath the photo, a line was written:

If it weren't for her, I would choose you.

Luke snatched the album away.

"Sasha wrote that. It doesn't mean what I think."

"Who is 'her'?"

He avoided my eyes.

"Jane, don't make a scene today."

Sasha came over with a cake in hand.

"She means you, of course."

She gave me a faint smile. "100 days ago, I asked Luke if he would be with me if he'd never met you. He didn't say no."

"Sasha."

Luke's tone carried a warning.

Sasha's tears started falling. "But you told me you only stayed with her because she was too fragile. You were afraid she'd fall apart if you left, so you kept putting it off."

The room went completely silent.

I looked at Luke. "Did you say that?"

He was quiet for a long moment. "You weren't in a good place back then."

That cut deeper than a yes.

So three years ago, when he held me and said he'd never leave, it wasn't because he loved me.

He was just afraid I'd break.

Someone murmured, "So are you two actually together or not?"

Luke tightened his grip on the album. "Of course we are. But Jane's dependent on me. I don't want any of you provoking her with this."

He came up to me and lowered his voice. "Go home tonight. Sasha's been drinking—she's upset. I can't just leave her."

"Today's our third anniversary too."

"We already celebrated."

"So her birthday matters more than three years of us?"

Exhaustion flickered across Luke's face. "Why do you always have to compare? I gave you three years. She only needs me for a few months."

Sasha suddenly pulled out her phone and played a recording.

It was my voice, sobbing, begging Luke not to hang up during my first anxiety attack.

Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably.

Sasha explained gently, "Luke sent this to me to show that even the most fragile person can survive."

I didn't look at her. I kept my eyes on Luke. "You gave her my recording?"

His composure finally cracked. "It was just for reference. I didn't mean anything by it."

I lunged to delete the recording, but Sasha stepped back, and the cake smashed onto the floor.

Luke shoved me hard.

My lower back slammed into the table corner. I doubled over from the pain.

He pulled Sasha into his arms. "That's enough. If you still want this relationship, apologize to her."

I steadied myself against the table and straightened up. I pressed my spare key into his palm.

"I'm sorry."

Luke's expression eased a little. "Good. At least you know you were wrong."

I slipped off the couple's ring I'd worn for three years and set it gently on top of the key.

"I'm sorry for wasting three years of your life."

His knuckles went white. "Jane, what are you saying?"

I didn't answer. I opened the door.

My friend was waiting in the hallway, my packed luggage at her feet.

Luke took a couple of steps after me. "Go ahead and leave. Come back when you've calmed down. I'm not going to chase you anymore."

The elevator doors slid shut.

Through the last c***k, I saw him still shielding Sasha.

And I pressed delete.

The goodnight message I'd pinned for three years—along with Luke's number—vanished.