Fated Mate Novels06

"When I canceled the condo, the realtor stared at me. ""You've already paid the forty-five-thousand-dollar down payment. Aren't you waiting for your fiance to come back and sign with you?"" I smiled and set the keys on the desk. ""No. He's busy taking his first love shopping near Mount Fuji."" For five years, every winter, Ryan Hale went to Japan. He called it business. But the photos he posted were always of Fuji's snow-covered peak. Whenever I asked when he would take me there for our honeymoon, he said, ""Next time."" Then yesterday, in an old camera he'd left at home, I found dozens of pictures. The same woman. The same angles. The same background. Cherry blossoms. White snow. Mount Fuji. The only trip he had ever taken with me was to the next city over to look at this condo. He had held my hand and said, ""Maya, we don't need all that flashy stuff. We just need a real life together."" I believed him. When it was time to sign the cancellation papers, I looked at the condo I had decorated myself and suddenly broke down. I cried so hard I could barely breathe. The realtor carefully pushed a pen toward me. ""Do you still want to cancel?"" I wiped my tears and smiled. ""Yes."" My resignation had already been approved. This was my last night in this city. Mount Fuji would never come to me. But I could walk away. …… The moment I stepped out of the real estate office, Claire called. ""Maya, did you really cancel it?"" ""I did."" ""The down payment was forty-five thousand dollars. You just canceled it by yourself?"" ""Yes."" ""Does Ryan know?"" ""He's in Japan."" ""For work?"" I didn't answer. Claire went silent for two seconds. ""Did you tell him?"" ""No."" ""Maya, even if you're fighting, the condo isn't something you can just..."" ""I found dozens of photos in his old camera. Same woman. Same mountain. Five years."" The other end went quiet. ""Hannah Pierce?"" ""Yes."" ""Are you sure it's not a misunderstanding?"" ""What kind of business trip involves photographing the same woman in the same place for five winters?"" Claire stopped talking. I hung up and drove back to the apartment. On the way, Ryan sent me a text. A photo. Hot chocolate in a white ceramic cup. A little deer was painted on the side. Caption: ""It's snowing in Tokyo. Freezing."" I recognized that cup. He had sent me almost the same photo last winter, same angle, same composition. Back then, I asked him which cafe it was. He said he'd wandered in at random and couldn't remember. But there was another photo in the old camera. Hannah sitting in that same cafe, the same hot chocolate by her hand, smiling at the lens. She was wearing a burgundy scarf I had never seen before. Five years. Every winter. The same cafe. The same cup of hot chocolate. The same woman. And what he sent me was always food and scenery. Never the person beside him. When I reached the apartment and bent to change my shoes, my eyes fell on the shoe cabinet. Beside Ryan's sneakers was a pair of white canvas shoes. Tiny. A size five. I wore a seven. I lifted one shoe and found a sticky note tucked under the insole. ""Ry, wear this pair next time. The last ones rubbed your heels."" Ry. Five years together, and I had never known he had a nickname. He had never let me call him that. I put the shoes back and went into the bedroom. His laptop was still open, the screen glowing. A travel booking page sat there: Hokkaido. February fourteenth departure. Two-person hot spring package. Private bath. Kaiseki dinner included. The note field read: Hannah's birthday gift. Hannah's birthday was February fifteenth. Mine was March ninth. Last March ninth, I asked Ryan if he could have dinner with me. He said he had a business dinner. I waited until eleven that night before he texted, ""Just got home. You asleep? Happy birthday. I'll make it up to you."" Make it up. Just like ""next time."" Neither ever came true. I opened the cloud album on his phone. More than three thousand photos. Eleven of me. Seven were from the first year we dated. In the next four years, there were four. There was a folder called Tokyo Snow. I opened it. All Hannah. Hannah in a kimono. Hannah stepping through snow. Hannah with her palms pressed together in front of a shrine. Every shot was beautifully framed, softened by light, like a magazine spread. When he took pictures of me, he always tapped the shutter once and handed the phone back. No angle. No light. No care. Once I had said, ""Can you try to take one where I look nice?"" He answered, ""It's just a photo. Good enough."" Good enough. Those two words were what he gave me most. His video call came in. I answered. On screen, he wore a gray coat. Behind him was a hotel hallway. ""Did you eat?"" ""Yes."" ""I'll be back the day after tomorrow. Flight lands at three."" ""Okay."" ""Your voice sounds off."" ""I'm tired."" ""Sleep early."" He was about to hang up when a woman's voice came from behind him. ""Ry, the car's here."" He turned his head. ""Coming."" Then he looked back at me. ""Hannah's calling me. I have to go."" ""Why is she at your hotel?"" ""She's staying next door. We're just going out to eat."" ""Every year?"" ""Our schedules happened to overlap. Don't overthink it."" He smiled naturally, as if explaining something that did not need an explanation. ""Oh, I got you a fridge magnet. Took forever to pick one."" He hung up. I walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Five fridge magnets were stuck to the door. All Mount Fuji. Different sizes, different years. Five years of love. Every souvenir I had ever received from Japan. Hannah got hot spring hotels, kimono experiences, birthday surprises, and a nickname only she could use. My phone lit up again. He sent another picture. A deer-shaped fridge magnet, still in its plastic. ""Cute, right? Hannah helped me pick it."" Even the gift he bought for me had her fingerprints on it. I typed, ""What did you bring Hannah?"" My finger hovered over send. Then I deleted it, one character at a time. I replied with one word. ""Nice."" Ryan came home. He dragged his suitcase through the door, pulled a small paper bag from the side pocket, and handed it to me. ""Your fridge magnet."" Then he took a much larger shopping bag from another pocket and set it in the entryway. ""What's that?"" ""For Hannah. A scarf. She said she liked the patterns in Tokyo."" A corner of the scarf showed at the top of the bag. Deep red. Cashmere. I touched it. It was soft. Last winter, I told him I wanted a cashmere scarf. He said, ""Why buy another scarf? Don't you already have several?"" The several in my closet were all ones I had bought myself. ""You brought her a scarf?"" ""She asked. It was on the way."" He changed his shoes, walked into the living room, and dropped onto the sofa. ""I'm dead tired. Four-hour flight."" ""When are you taking me to Japan?"" He froze for half a second. ""Why bring that up all of a sudden?"" ""It isn't sudden. I've been asking for five years."" ""When this busy stretch is over. Next time."" Next time. The seventeenth ""next time."" I said nothing else. Before dinner, his mother called. ""Maya, Ryan's back, isn't he?"" ""He is, Mrs. Hale."" ""You two need to hurry with the wedding. People keep asking me about invitations."" ""We're still preparing."" ""Hannah came by last week and helped me choose candy favors. She picked four flavors. See what you think."" My hand stopped around my fork. ""Hannah helped you choose them?"" ""Yes. She said you were busy with work and came over on her own. Such a thoughtful girl."" I looked at Ryan. He was scrolling on his phone with his head down. ""Mrs. Hale, you can tell me about wedding details. You don't need to trouble her."" ""Trouble? She comes over all the time. Three or four times a month. More often than you."" In our second year together, I suggested visiting his mother every week. Ryan said, ""No need to go that often. My mom doesn't like the house too lively."" So I changed it to once a month. Later he said, ""You're busy. Once every two months is fine."" So it wasn't that his mother disliked visitors. She disliked me visiting. Hannah came three or four times a month, and no one found her annoying. ""Mrs. Hale, I'll handle the favors."" ""All right. But the ones Hannah picked are really good. Use them as a reference."" After the call, I asked Ryan, ""You asked Hannah to help your mother choose our wedding candy?"" ""She wanted to go."" ""And you knew?"" ""Of course. My mom told me."" ""Why didn't you tell me?"" ""What was there to say? She was just helping."" ""Why is she helping with our wedding?"" ""Weren't you busy?"" ""When did I ever say that?"" He frowned. ""You work late every day. I figured you didn't have time."" ""Did you ask me?"" ""Fine, fine. From now on you can do everything yourself. Happy?"" The impatience had arrived. It was always like this. First, ""Don't overthink it."" Then, ""What is there to say?"" Finally, ""Fine, you're right about everything."" Nothing was ever solved. My phone lit up again. His mother had sent a photo. Hannah stood in Mrs. Hale's kitchen wearing an apron and holding a dish, smiling gently. Caption: Hannah's pot roast tastes just like mine. Hannah looked more at home in that kitchen than I ever had. She knew where the plates were, which drawer held the spices, what Mrs. Hale liked to eat. In five years, every time I visited, I had to ask. Because I went too rarely. Because Ryan said I didn't need to go often. Another message followed. ""Maya, let me be honest. I watched Hannah grow up. She and Ryan know each other inside out. You're a good girl, but you aren't very good at taking care of people. You should learn from Hannah."" I set my phone facedown on the table. Ryan came in. ""Why aren't you eating?"" ""I'm not hungry."" He went to the closet for pajamas, and I saw a red velvet box peeking from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. ""What's that?"" ""Oh, this."" He took it out. ""Hannah's birthday gift. A necklace."" He opened the box. A thin silver chain. The pendant was a cherry blossom, and a single letter was engraved at its center. R. Ryan's R. ""Custom made. Took two months."" Our engagement ring had been bought online. When it arrived, he opened the package and slid it directly onto my finger. I said I wanted to choose one in a store. He said, ""Rings are all the same. No need to make a trip."" ""You had a necklace custom-made for her?"" ""It's her birthday. Just something small."" ""What did you give me on my birthday?"" He thought for a moment. ""Last year... I think I sent you money?"" ""You didn't."" ""Then I forgot. I'll make it up next time."" Next time. Always next time. ""Ryan, do you think what we have is normal?"" ""Why wouldn't it be?"" ""You custom-order Hannah a necklace and buy me a fridge magnet. You celebrate her birthday and forget mine. You let her go to your mother's house to help, while I don't even get the chance. Do you think that's normal?"" He set the box down and sighed. ""You're doing this again. Hannah and I grew up together. What's wrong with me being nice to her?"" ""What about me?"" ""Am I not good to you? We've dated for five years, bought a condo, and we're getting married. Isn't that enough?"" His voice rose. ""Maya, we don't need all that flashy stuff. A steady life matters more than anything."" All that flashy stuff. Hot spring hotels were flashy. Custom necklaces were flashy. Birthday surprises were flashy. He gave all the flashy things to Hannah. What he left me was ""a steady life."" ""You're right."" I turned off the light and lay down with my back to him. ""Let's live steadily."" The next day, Ryan's college friend Owen texted me. ""Maya, we're having a get-together Saturday. Are you coming?"" ""What get-together?"" ""Old classmates. Hannah will be there too."" Hannah would be there too. Of course. On Saturday night, by the time we arrived, Hannah was already seated in the private room. White knit dress. The cherry blossom necklace around her neck. The R on the pendant flashed under the light. ""Ry!"" She waved at Ryan, her voice syrupy sweet. Ryan walked over and sat beside her as naturally as breathing. I followed and sat on his other side. ""Maya's here!"" Owen greeted me. ""Don't call her that like she's already family,"" Hannah corrected him with a smile. ""They're not married yet."" Owen asked Ryan, ""Set a date?"" ""We're still looking."" ""Hannah's helped a lot, right? Your mom said she runs over all the time."" ""She's just helpful."" Hannah lowered her eyes and stirred her drink, shy-faced. ""I'm only helping a little. Maya's so busy."" She called me by name with such warmth. But my fiance's custom necklace was sitting at her throat. ""Hannah, that's a gorgeous necklace. Who gave it to you?"" One of the women leaned closer. Hannah held the pendant and glanced at Ryan. ""A friend."" ""What kind of friend is that generous? It's custom, isn't it?"" ""I gave it to her,"" Ryan said. ""Birthday gift. I bought it casually."" Casually. Two months for a custom order, and he called it casual. The woman looked from me to Ryan. ""You bought one for your fiancee too, right?"" ""Maya doesn't like wearing things like that."" It wasn't that I didn't like them. He had never bought me any, so he assumed I didn't like them. ""You don't mind, do you, Maya?"" Hannah asked. ""No."" ""You're so generous."" Halfway through dinner, Owen started making trouble. ""Come on, let's test how well you know each other. Ryan, what's your fiancee's favorite flower?"" Ryan thought about it. ""Roses?"" ""No. Lisianthus."" ""Her birthday?"" ""March..."" He hesitated. ""Ninth?"" He got it right only after a pause. ""What is she most afraid of?"" ""She isn't afraid of anything,"" he said with a laugh. ""Maya's brave."" I was afraid of the dark. I told him that our first year together. He had forgotten. Owen laughed. ""Terrible. Hannah, your turn. What's Ryan's favorite coffee?"" ""Americano, light sugar, warm."" ""What is he most afraid of?"" ""Thunder. When he was little, lightning hit a tree in his yard and he cried."" ""His catchphrase?"" ""'Good enough.'"" The whole table laughed. Owen slapped the table. ""Hannah knows Ryan better than his fiancee."" ""We've known each other ten years,"" Hannah said. Ten years. She had known him ten. I had known him five. She knew he was afraid of thunder. I didn't. It wasn't that I didn't want to know him. He had never told me. With me, every answer was ""whatever,"" ""anything,"" ""nothing worth telling."" With Hannah, he lit up like a different person. Near the end of dinner, I went to the restroom. Hannah followed me in. ""Maya."" She leaned against the sink and touched up her lipstick in the mirror. ""I want to say something. Don't take it the wrong way."" ""Say it."" ""Ry can be careless, but he's not a bad man. Don't be too hard on him."" ""I'm not."" ""He told me you've been emotional lately, always getting upset over things about me."" He had told Hannah about the problems between us. ""Maya, I'll be blunt. If you can't give him even this much trust, then what's the point of marrying him?"" ""He goes to Japan with you every year. What exactly am I supposed to trust?"" Hannah paused, then smiled. ""Those are business trips."" ""Business trips don't happen in the same place every year, at the same hotel, photographing the same woman."" Her smile stayed, but her eyes chilled. ""Maya, Ry and I are friends. If you insist on imagining something else, that's your problem."" She picked up her bag and paused at the door. ""By the way, for the living room wall in your condo, I suggested warm gray. Ry thinks it looks better than the cream white you chose."" The door shut. The living room wall. I had chosen cream white and watched the workers paint it twice. Ryan had not gone there once. But he had let Hannah give opinions, and he liked hers better than mine. I splashed water on my face and walked out. Ryan was by the door. ""What took so long?"" ""Washing my hands."" ""Let's go. We'll drop Hannah off."" ""Can't she go by herself?"" ""It's on the way."" Hannah lived on the East Side. We lived on the West Side. On what planet was that on the way? ""You take her. I'll get a cab."" ""Don't make a scene. Come on."" In the car, Hannah sat in the passenger seat. I sat in the back. She changed the radio to a Japanese station. ""Ry, remember this song? It played in that izakaya in Tokyo last year."" ""I remember. You even sang along."" They both laughed. In the back seat, I was an extra passenger. When we reached Hannah's building, she got out, bent down, and looked at me. ""Maya, rest early."" Then she turned to Ryan. ""Ry, don't forget that thing next week."" ""I know."" She closed the door and walked away. I moved from the back seat to the front. ""What thing?"" ""Helping her move a cabinet."" ""She can hire movers."" ""Why waste money on that?"" Last year I asked him to move one box of books for me. He said his back hurt and told me to hire movers. For Hannah's cabinet, he would go himself. ""Ryan, do you ever feel like you're better to Hannah than you are to me?"" He sighed. ""She grew up with me. Being good to her is a habit. But you're the one I'm marrying. Isn't that enough?"" I smiled. ""Enough."" On Saturday morning, I cooked breakfast. ""Ryan, can you stay home today?"" Rice porridge, salted egg, a little plate of pickles. His favorite. ""What's wrong?"" ""I want you to spend the day with me."" He looked surprised. ""Sure. I don't have plans anyway."" ""Really?"" ""Really. What do you want to do?"" ""Nothing. Just stay home."" ""Okay."" He smiled and sat down to eat. I sat across from him and tried to memorize his face. ""Ryan."" ""Hm?"" ""Do you love me?"" His chopsticks stopped over the egg. ""Why ask that all of a sudden?"" ""I want to hear you say it once."" ""I'm marrying you. What do you think?"" ""Marriage and love aren't the same thing."" ""What's going on with you today?"" ""I just want to hear you say it."" He set his chopsticks down and looked at me. ""Maya, of course I..."" His phone rang. He glanced down. ""It's Hannah."" ""Don't answer."" ""Let me see."" He swiped the screen open. ""She says a pipe burst at her place. Water everywhere."" ""She can call building maintenance."" ""It's the weekend. Maintenance is off."" ""Then she can call a plumber."" ""By the time a plumber gets there, her apartment will be flooded."" He stood. ""I'll go take a look. I'll be back soon."" ""Ryan, you promised you wouldn't go out today."" ""I know, but this is urgent."" ""You always say that."" ""A pipe burst. I can't just ignore it."" ""What about me?"" ""What about you? You're fine."" I was fine. He always thought I was fine. Hannah's burst pipe was urgent. My broken heart was not. In our first year together, when he confessed, he said, ""Maya, I want to spend my life with you."" That day, he took me to a little beef noodle place and said we would come back every anniversary. He forgot the second-year anniversary. In the third year, I reminded him, and he said, ""It's just a bowl of noodles. Another day is the same."" In the fourth and fifth years, I stopped mentioning it. He never remembered again. ""Go."" ""One hour, tops. I'll come back and be with you."" He put on his coat, grabbed his toolbox, and looked back at me from the door. ""Don't be mad."" The door closed. One hour passed. Then two. Then three. I called him. ""Almost done. The pipe's fixed, but there's water everywhere. I'm helping her mop."" ""When are you coming back?"" ""Soon."" Another hour passed. He texted, ""Hannah says thank you for letting me come. She's treating me to lunch. I'll head back after."" I didn't reply. Then he sent, ""Eat first. Don't wait for me."" I sat in the living room and looked at the cold porridge on the table. The soft yolk in the egg had hardened. I had asked whether he loved me. He never finished the sentence. Because Hannah's phone call mattered more than my question. I stood and went into the bedroom. I opened the closet and pulled out two suitcases. I didn't actually own much in this home. One suitcase for clothes. Half a suitcase for books and small things. On the bathroom counter, I had only a toothbrush and a bottle of cleanser. Hannah had more here than I did. Canvas shoes. A jacket. A mug. A tube of lipstick. I took off my engagement ring. I placed it on the coffee table. Beside it, I lined up the five fridge magnets. Then I left a note. ""Ryan, I canceled the condo. I'm returning the ring. I'm returning the five fridge magnets too. Find someone else for the honeymoon."" I pulled my suitcases to the entryway. Before leaving, I looked back one last time. There was a dent in the sofa where Ryan always sat. Hannah's coaster sat on the coffee table. Her strawberry yogurt was in the refrigerator. Her canvas shoes were in the cabinet. This home was full of Ryan and Hannah. My whole life here fit into two suitcases. I closed the door softly behind me and did not lock it. The rideshare was waiting downstairs. The driver helped load my luggage. ""Where to?"" ""The train station."" When the car pulled out of the complex, I did not look back. I put my phone on silent. Three hours later, the train arrived. In this new city, no one waited at the exit. This time, I didn't mind. I turned on my phone. Messages poured in like a storm. >>😍Over 95% of our readers can't stop recommending this! 👉👉"