When I Finally Stopped Waiting

Grandma was on her deathbed, barely able to speak, but she managed to whisper that her only wish was to see me get married.

I sobbed uncontrollably, and my entire family's eyes turned to Fudge standing behind me.

Fudge sighed, gently wiped away my tears, and led me out to the hallway.

But the moment the door closed behind us, his expression turned cold.

"Yolanda, we've been together seven years. You know I hate being forced into things more than anything."

"Relationships should develop naturally. They shouldn't be swayed by anyone else's opinions."

His hand brushed through my hair, still somewhat soothing.

"There's no rush to get married. Let's wait until my company goes public and things stabilize, okay?"

"I have a meeting tonight. Just handle your family for now. I'll bring you a gift when I get back."

Before I could respond, he turned and left, walking side by side with his female secretary.

The moment their figures disappeared behind the elevator doors, I saw the secretary rise on her tiptoes and naturally adjust his tie.

And he didn't push her away.

I dried my tears and returned to the hospital room, smiling as I took Grandma's hand.

"Grandma, don't worry. I'm getting married in three days."

"Before I walk down the aisle, I'll be waiting for you to brush my hair yourself."

Hearing me say this, everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief.

Grandma's eyes even reddened as she said "good" several times.

After driving my parents home, Mom called me into the study alone.

"Yolanda, there's something I've been holding back for a long time, but I need to tell you."

She hesitated, looking at me with eyes full of reluctance.

"Last month on your birthday, Fudge came to give you a gift but said he was busy and left after barely five minutes."

"But half an hour later, my friend saw him at a pet hospital in the south part of town, accompanying a woman in loungewear while her dog was being treated. It seemed to be that Secretary Shen of his..."

Mom pushed a photo toward me.

In the photo, Sharon was holding a bandaged puppy in her arms, looking up with a smile and saying something.

Beside her, Fudge had his head lowered, listening intently. The indulgence and affection in his eyes were almost overflowing.

Even without any intimate gestures, the two of them seemed connected by invisible threads, forming a clear boundary between themselves and everyone around them.

Looking at Fudge like this, I felt disoriented for a moment.

Once upon a time, he used to look at me with that same focused, passionate gaze every day, his emotions constantly swayed by my joys and sorrows.

Not like today, when my tears hadn't even dried before he demanded in a stern voice that I be considerate and mature, not to cause him more trouble.

"Yolanda, you and Fudge have been together all these years. If he wanted to propose, he's had plenty of opportunities."

"The way he's being forced into this todayMom's just afraid you'll suffer later. Maybe you should..."

Before Mom could finish, I cut her off with a calm voice.

"Mom, I am getting married. But who says I'm marrying Fudge?"

By the time I got back from my parents' house, it was late at night.

I pushed open the door to find Fudge surprisingly still awake, sitting on the sofa in loungewear, watching the US stock market.

Seeing me return, he closed his laptop, removed his glasses, and gave me a searching look.

"Why so late today?"

I forced a smile. I originally wanted to say that he had plenty of nights when he came home even later than this, but when the words reached my lips, I felt it was pointless. I gave a perfunctory response.

"Nothing much. Just spent some extra time talking with Mom."

Fudge nodded, picked up a dazzling necklace from the jewelry box on the table, stood up, and walked toward me.

"Yolanda, thank you for helping me deal with the marriage pressure."

"You know, marrying you has always been my plan for the future. It's just that the timing isn't right yet. I only want to give you the most grand wedding..."

As he spoke, he tried to pull me into his embrace as usual and put the necklace on me.

Ever since we started dating, whenever Fudge did something that hurt me, he would give me gifts to compensate.

But in the past, no matter how expensive the gift was for him at the time, he would always feel guilty, carefully holding his sincere heart while apologizing, hoping to make me happy again.

Not like now, with his face completely calm, his eyes containing nothing but the composure of someone in complete control, devoid of any tenderness.

This version of him already felt sufficiently unfamiliar to me.

I tilted my head away, dodging his hand and avoiding his embrace.

"Fudge, there's no need for this anymore."

"Let's end this here."

Fudge's expression darkened abruptly.

"Yolanda, you were never someone who acted on impulse like this."

"Just because I didn't agree to get married right now? Did you coordinate this with your family on purpose, using this to force my hand?"

I looked up, meeting the anger in his eyes with complete calm.

"I'm not forcing you, Fudge. I'm the one who doesn't want to be with you anymore."

His expression grew even darker.

"We've been together seven years. No one knows your feelings for me better than I do."

"Don't play hard-to-get with me. I'm not falling for that trick."

He was convinced I was throwing a tantrum, convinced I was using Grandma's situation to pressure him into compromising, to force him to propose immediately.

Looking at him, I suddenly found it all laughable.

Laughable that I'd persisted all these years. Laughable that it took me until now to see clearly what a cold, selfish person he was.

"I'm not playing hard-to-get, Fudge. You're too self-centered."

"You only ever think about yourself, about your company, about your reputation."

"But you've never considered me or my family's wishes."

As if I'd struck a nerve, his expression grew even uglier, and his voice rose considerably.

"I work myself to the bone trying to get my company to go publicisn't that all for giving you a better life in the future?"

"I'm postponing the wedding to give you a grand ceremony, aren't I?"

"Yolanda, why can't you just be more understanding and stop trying to force me to do things I don't want to do?"

Understanding?

My nose stung with tears.

Haven't I been understanding enough?

Shortly after we got together, because he repeatedly told me I was too sharp-edged, I learned to restrain myself, to retreat further and further.

All these years, even though I desperately wanted to get married, I kept considering his various excuses and repeatedly convinced myself and my family to postpone.

Even now, because I loved him, I tolerated his intimacy with Sharon over and over, hypnotizing myself into believing he still loved me.

This version of myself disgusted even me, let alone anyone else.

"Fudge, whether you believe it or not, I've had enough."

"I don't want to wait for you anymore. I don't want to revolve around your schedule anymore. And I definitely don't want to watch you and Sharon carry on ambiguously."

At the mention of Sharon, something flickered in his eyes before being covered by anger again.

"I've told you countless times, she and I are just colleagues. Stop being unreasonable."

"The wedding is non-negotiable. We have to wait until my company goes public and stabilizes."

"No matter how much you make a scene, it won't change anything!"

With that, he threw the necklace onto the sofa, turned around, and left.

The door slammed shut with a bang. The framed photo hanging in the entryway fell and shattered on impact.

This apartment was one we bought together in our third year. I handled all the decorating myself. Every corner held my expectations from back then.

But now, all that remained was overwhelming disappointment. The warmth from those early days was completely gone.

I opened the closet, took out my clothes, folded them one by one, and placed them in the suitcase I'd prepared in advance.

From the study, I only took necessary documents. I left everything else untouched.

After packing everything, I contacted a courier service and had my suitcase sent to the apartment I'd rented in advance.

Once I'd finished all this, I sat on the sofa in a daze. My phone suddenly vibrated twice.

A notification that Sharon, whom I'd marked as a special contact, had posted a new update.

"Period cramps are killing me, but someone made me brown sugar water. I'm so blessed."

The accompanying photo was taken in a kitchen.

A broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted man in a crisp suit was wearing a teddy bear apron, standing with his back to the camera in front of the stove.

Even without seeing his face, you could tell from his body language how relaxed and at ease Fudge was in this momentcompletely different from the coldness he showed me.

In the past, facing Sharon's overt and covert provocations, I would always lose control and demand an explanation from Fudge.

Now, I simply raised my hand, calmly liked the post, then blocked both Fudge and Sharon.

Soon after, there was a knock at the door, and I received an email.

Opening it, I found a wedding invitation with a deep red background and gold embossed patterns.

At the same time, my phone showed a message from Lucas Ashford.

He was an investor I'd met through an elder's introduction. He was steady and reliable in his dealings. Three days ago, when I set the wedding date, I reached an agreement with him to get married that same evening.

"Yolanda, did you receive the invitation? This is the design you selected. Does the sample meet your expectations?"

I was slightly taken aback, not expecting him to be so efficient and thorough. This sense of reliability was something I had never received from Fudge.

I came back to my senses and sent Lucas a positive confirmation.

Looking down again at the date on the invitation, there were still three days. That was enough time.

The next morning, I went to the company.

I wanted to wrap up my project.

As soon as I walked into the office area, scattered discussions drifted from nearby.

"Did you see Secretary Shen's post yesterday? Mr. Harrington personally made her brown sugar water."

"The whole company's been talking about it, and Mr. Harrington hasn't clarified anything. Obviously, he's acknowledging it."

"I think Secretary Shen and Mr. Harrington make a great couple. They look perfect together."

I paused slightly. Back when Fudge said office romances weren't appropriate, we concealed our relationship. Now he didn't care anymore?

Several colleagues saw me, and the discussions stopped abruptly. Their expressions turned panicked and awkward.

Before Sharon appeared, when they knew the company was co-founded by Fudge and me after college graduation, they used to ship us together.

I understood and said reassuringly:

"Don't be nervous. They really are well-matched."

Just as I finished speaking, a furious voice came from behind me.

"Yolanda!"

Fudge approached with an icy aura, striding up to me with a dark expression, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding colleagues.

Everyone immediately lowered their heads, not daring to make another sound.

"Come with me."

He turned and walked into the office first. I followed him in.

After closing the door, Fudge turned around and looked at me silently for a moment.

"What did you mean by liking Sharon's post yesterday? And what did you mean by blocking me?"

I leaned against the door, my expression indifferent.

"The like was genuine well-wishes. I blocked you because we've already broken up. There's no need to keep private contact information."

Fudge's anger intensified.

"Well-wishes? Do you know your like made Sharon feel guilty all night? She kept apologizing to me, saying she caused you to misunderstand."

I found it absurd and couldn't help laughing.

"Fudge, if she really felt guilty, she should apologize to me."

"But you and I are already over. Whatever happens between you and Sharon has nothing to do with me."

"Whether she feels guilty or not isn't something I need to consider."

Fudge stared at me, practically grinding his teeth.

"Fine. Yolanda, you've got guts. I'd like to see how long you can keep this up."

With that, he raised his hand and told me to get out.

Less than ten minutes after returning to my workstation, the company's internal group chat posted the latest personnel change announcement.

My position as project director had been revoked. Sharon was directly taking over the core project I'd worked on for half a year that was about to launch.

And I had been transferred to the logistics department, responsible for trivial administrative tasks.

Looking at the words on screen, my heart still uncontrollably ached for a moment.

Actually, I'd already planned to resign. I just wanted to see my final project through before leaving, since it carried all the heart and soul of my career so far.

I thought that even if our relationship had fallen apart, the bond from building the company together would remain. But now it seemed that was just my wishful thinking.

Still, this was fine. At least it would allow me to cut ties sooner.

I opened my computer and had just finished writing my resignation letter when I received a message from Lucas's assistant.

"Miss Yolanda, Mr. Ashford says the wedding dress has been custom-made to your measurements. You can go to the shop after work to try it on. Contact me anytime if there are any issues."

After work, I left the company and found the wedding dress shop according to the address.

A clerk greeted me warmly: "Are you Miss Yolanda? Mr. Ashford has already informed us. Your wedding dress is in the fitting room."

The satin material was simple and clean, making my figure look elegant and poised.

Standing before the full-length mirror, looking at myself in the wedding dress, my thoughts churned uncontrollably.

Fudge once said that when the company stabilized, he would order the most premium wedding dress in the city and give me a wedding everyone would envy.

I believed him. So I waited year after year, from hopeful anticipation to complete disillusionment.

My nose suddenly stung, and tears still fell.

I wasn't sad for Fudge. I was sad for the version of myself who foolishly gave seven years of genuine devotion.

Just then, the respectful voice of a clerk came from outside the shop door.

"Mr. Harrington, you're here."

My entire body stiffened. I slowly turned around.

Fudge stood at the shop entrance, his gaze falling on me, his face full of shock.

He quickly noticed my reddened eyes. Something shifted in his expression, producing a hint of softness as he walked up to me.

"The wedding dress suits you very well. If you like it, I'll buy it for you."

He paused, then continued, "I have been neglecting you lately, but it's also because you've been too disobedient, always forcing me to do things I don't want to do. Be good and listen to me. Once the company goes public and stabilizes, I'll definitely marry you."

He seemed to think I came here alone to try on wedding dresses because I wanted to marry him.

I was about to explain when Sharon's soft, delicate voice came from behind me.

"Fudge, I've chosen my wedding dress. Have you picked out your suit?"

Sharon, wearing a white dress, walked over to Fudge and intimately hooked her arm through his.

Fudge's body instantly tensed. He hastily tried to push her away, but afraid of being too obvious, he could only offer a flustered explanation.

"Yolanda, don't misunderstand. Sharon just wanted to experience what it's like to wear a wedding dress, but she doesn't have any other male friends."

"You know how girls arethey see videos and want to try the trend."

In the past, I begged and pleaded for him to accompany me to try on a wedding dress just once, but he said I was brainwashed by the internet, that a wedding dress was just a piece of clothing and there was no need to make a big deal of it.

But now, he was willing to take time out to help Sharon choose a wedding dress.

I didn't want to say anything more to him. I turned to leave.

But Sharon quickly stepped forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Miss, Mr. Harrington is telling the truth. If you're still angry, just hit me!"

Before I could react, her body swayed and she fell toward the ground, letting out a soft cry.

"Ah!"

She weakly pressed her ankle, her face pale, looking extremely pained.

"Fudge, I think I twisted my ankle. It hurts so much."

Seeing this, Fudge immediately pushed me aside and rushed to support Sharon, his eyes full of fury as he looked at me.

"Yolanda, you've gone too far!"

Without any hesitation, he scooped Sharon up and headed outside.

Watching his hurried departing figure, I only felt it was laughable.

This wasn't the first time Sharon had used such tactics to frame me. In the past, I thought Fudge was being deceived. Now I finally understoodhe wasn't blind in the eyes, he was blind in the heart.

His heart never had room for me, which is why he sided with Sharon time and time again without asking for the truth.

I returned to my temporary apartment. My phone kept buzzing with messages, all from Fudge's work number.

"Yolanda, come to the hospital immediately and apologize to Sharon, or I'll postpone our wedding indefinitely."

"Even if your grandma really is dying this time, I won't soften!"

Message after message, every word dripping with selfishness and tyranny.

He even cursed my grandmother. I was so angry I felt nauseous. I directly deleted and blocked his work number too.

After doing all this, I opened the company's HR system and formally submitted my resignation letter.

The moment the email sent successfully, all the darkness in my heart completely dissipated.

Meanwhile, Fudge had just finished sending his text messages with a dark expression.

Sharon spoke softly.

"Fudge, is Yolanda really angry at me? It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, none of this would have happened."

"It's not your fault. Yolanda is being unreasonable. Don't worry, I'll definitely give you an explanation!"

Fudge consoled her, his tone full of conviction.

In the past, whenever he threatened to postpone the wedding, Yolanda would take the initiative to back down. He was confident this time would be the same.

But early the next morning, he received a call from HR.

"Mr. Harrington, Miss Yolanda has submitted a formal resignation letter. She's very determined. We can't talk her out of it."

Hearing this, Fudge immediately flew into a rage and drove to our apartment.

But when he opened the door, everything belonging to me had already disappeared.

He took out his phone to message me through his work number, only to find he'd been blocked there too.

An inexplicable panic rose in Fudge's heart.

And all his unease reached its peak when he saw the bright red invitation on the table.

In the bride's position was my name.

But in the groom's position was not his name.

In an instant, Fudge's face turned as white as paper. The invitation slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.