Chapter 2199
Chelsea’s throat burned. She lowered the plate onto the table with deliberate care, her fingers whitening around the rim before she let go.
“We’ve been together for years, and you choose tonight to decide we’re not right for each other?” Her eyes shimmered, but she refused to let the tears fall. “Don’t you think that’s… cruel?”
Jason didn’t answer. Silence settled over him like a heavy coat.
“Tell me exactly how we don’t fit,” she pressed, her voice brittle. “Say it, and I’ll walk away.”
His lips compressed into a thin, colorless line. Seconds dragged by before he finally spoke.
“We don’t see the world the same way—especially when it comes to money.”
Before he could misunderstand her again, Chelsea rushed forward, words spilling out. “Back then, I ordered expensive takeout because I didn’t understand how outrageous the costs were. I get it now.”
She gestured toward the neatly packed leftovers on the coffee table, tangible proof of her effort.
“Lunch with Charlotte today cost less than five hundred, and I boxed the rest. My delivery orders are only a few dozen now. See? I can be frugal.”
The admission tightened a noose around Jason’s pride. For the first time, he saw how hard she was already bending to fit into his life.
His hand curled at his side until his knuckles blanched.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he asked, each word brittle enough to crack. Until now, he’d convinced himself she was managing just fine.
Chelsea frowned, genuinely confused. “It’s not too late to tell you now. You know the facts—surely you won’t say I’m overspending anymore. And if you still think it’s too much,” she added, meeting his gaze without flinching, “I’ll cut back even more.”
Her sincerity drove the blade deeper. Self-loathing flared inside him like a match dropped into gasoline.
“No amount of saving will fix this. You should leave,” he said, shaping each word like an unwanted goodbye.
Chelsea wasn’t naive. Minutes ago, everything had been fine; his sudden push felt like a cover for something else entirely.
She took a steady breath. “I’m not leaving. I’ll stay right here. If you want me gone, you’ll have to force me.”
Phone in hand, she stretched out on the couch as if claiming it as her own.
“If you’re not eating, throw it out,” she murmured, eyes fixed on the screen.
Jason had expected harsh words to drive her away. Instead, she met him with quiet defiance.
He couldn’t force her out.
Still, watching her suffer alongside him felt unbearable. He retreated to his room, burying himself in work.
From the couch, Chelsea watched him go until the door clicked shut.
The apartment fell silent, broken only by the low hum of the refrigerator.
A heavy, nameless frustration pressed against her chest.
What is wrong with him?
Chelsea had never been the type to rest until she uncovered the truth.
After a restless minute, she stood and marched to Jason’s room. Without knocking, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Jason glanced up from his work to find her framed in the doorway, anger darkening her expression. He dropped his gaze again, pretending she was nothing more than a passing draft.
The dismissal only fueled her temper.
“Talk to me, Jason. What is going on with you today?”
“Just leave,” he said evenly. “I’m not good enough for you.”
The words struck her like a memory she’d tried to outgrow. He’d said the same thing the night she first confessed beneath the campus sycamores. Months later, the same worn refrain resurfaced—unchanged, only more frayed.
Chelsea snapped his laptop shut and leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lips, then his cheek.
Jason froze, unable to move, breath caught as she lingered there.