Chapter 3
The Umbrella He Never Held for Me Chapter 03
Yvette elbowed Simon, frowning. “Simon, that’s enough.”
When she looked at me, her face shifted to concern.
“Don’t blame Simon. You almost got dragged away and assaulted once before. Simon doesn’t know about that, but I do. I was terrified for you.”
Simon’s gaze turned mocking and dismissive.
Yvette kept talking.
“You and Simon are about to get married. Stop this.”
“I can explain the rides. I’ve always been frail. If I get caught in the rain, I’ll end up with a terrible headache.”
That sounded familiar.
Three years ago, Simon suddenly wanted to buy a car. I was secretly happy.
He already owned a place in Riverside. Buying a car probably meant he was getting ready for our wedding.
I even gave him some money toward it. Because I knew how hard he’d been working and wanted to make things easier for him.
But after he got the car, he never mentioned marriage again.
Now I thought back. The night before Simon wanted that car, Yvette got caught in the rain and ran a fever. Simon and I went to take care of her.
Through tears, she said, “I never want to be caught in the rain again.”
The question escaped my lips before I could stop it. “How long has this been going on?”
Simon didn’t hesitate. “Three years.”
I bit my lip so hard I couldn’t cry.
Three years. So the car was for Yvette from the start. It had nothing to do with me.
Three whole years.
Tessa Moore, you really are an idiot.
I shut the door, called the front desk, and asked security to escort them out.
That night, I didn’t sleep a wink.
The next day, I changed my phone number.
Then I went to the office and submitted my resignation letter.
Three years in Riverside, Simon had used his connections to climb into management. I never found a job that matched my degree.
Just so I could see him every day, I ended up working as a low-level office clerk at his company despite having a master’s degree from a top university.
My job was so simple that there was barely anything to hand over. No one even bothered trying to keep me.
When I walked out of the office, I ran into Simon.
He blocked me, looking back and forth between me and the leadership office behind me.
“What, did you go tattling on me? Tell the executives I have no morals? Looks like you’ve gotten pretty brave, Tessa.”
“I didn’t—”
Simon cut me off without missing a beat.
“Let me make one thing clear. Around here, what I say matters a lot more than anything you say.”
Back in Cresthill, I earned five times what he did. If he wanted to see me, he had to knock on my office door first.
But in Riverside, everything changed.
He put his arm around Yvette.
“If I hear a single word that could hurt Yvette, Tessa, you’ll regret it.”
I didn’t want to explain anymore.
I pushed his arm out of my way.
“I just came to resign. Excuse me.”
Simon froze. Then he snorted.
“You really think you’ll find another job? You’ll be back begging before long.”
Yvette scolded Simon. “Simon, don’t be so mean.”
She hurried over and wrapped her arms around me.
“Tessa, don’t do anything impulsive.”
I couldn’t break free. We struggled.
Then Yvette suddenly cried out, clutched her stomach, and crouched down on the floor.
I was about to help her up.
A rush of air.
A sharp blow struck my cheek.
Simon’s eyes blazed. He wrapped Yvette tightly in his arms.
“She’s two months pregnant! I specifically had her quit her job so she could focus on the baby, and how could you push her like that?”
Two months?
Simon and I were supposed to get married two months ago.
But he’d canceled everything for no reason. The venue, the dress—all non-refundable, thrown away.
He said the date was unlucky. Now I saw it. He couldn’t bear the thought of Yvette’s baby being born as an illegitimate child.
“What…” I murmured. My head was a mess. I didn’t know what to say.
Simon spat out, “You want to know when it started? I’ll tell you. If you’d watched just one second more of that dashcam footage, you’d know exactly what we were doing in the parking garage beneath her building every single day. We’d finish there, then I’d go home.”
“Tessa, don’t blame me. Blame yourself. You’re boring.”
“What, speechless now? Want me to make you a copy of the dashcam recording? You can sit there and listen to it as many times as you like.”
The smug look on Simon’s face only grew stronger.
Yvette slowly recovered in his arms.
Her gaze was as sharp as a blade, a side of her I’d never seen before.
“Tessa, you’ve gone too far. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Hurt me if you want. But you can’t hurt my baby!”
