Chapter 5
The Umbrella He Never Held for Me Chapter 05
Tessa’s voice cut off. Then the dial tone.
Simon stood there frozen.
He pressed his tongue against his cheek, let out a bitter laugh.
None of your business?
What did that even mean?
He was her boyfriend. About to be her husband.
That didn’t matter either?
Simon looked at the heavy white wedding veil in his hand. His brows furrowed.
He balled it up and tossed it on the couch.
Yvette saw it and asked what was wrong.
Simon thought for a moment and told her.
Yvette put her arms around him, leaning softly against his chest.
“Is that all? She’s just at the airport. Probably going on a trip. Tessa always loved traveling.”
Simon snorted.
“With what money? How could she afford to travel?”
Then he stopped.
Back in Cresthill, Tessa used to travel all the time.
Ever since she followed him to Riverside, the farthest she’d gone was the next city over.
She wouldn’t go anywhere else. Said she was saving money for their wedding.
A wave of guilt washed over Simon.
But then he immediately justified it to himself. His job kept him busy. It wasn’t realistic for him to be with Tessa all the time.
After they got married, he’d take her everywhere. A long honeymoon trip.
Simon smiled a little at the thought.
Yvette thought she’d hit the mark.
She pecked him on the cheek.
“Don’t worry. She doesn’t have money. She’ll come back soon enough.”
Deep down, Simon thought Yvette had a point.
He nodded.
But deep down, something felt off.
After dropping Yvette at his place, he sat alone in the apartment, lost in thought.
When Tessa was here, the place used to be so lively.
She loved baking little treats. Every weekend, the whole place smelled like fresh pastries.
She loved reading. She’d sit on the window seat for hours.
Simon loved watching her from the side, then telling her she looked so beautiful she could’ve stepped right out of a painting.
Tessa would immediately get embarrassed—either burying her face in her book or charging over to smack him.
Then the two of them would tear through the apartment in another round of their usual cat-and-mouse chase.
Remembering those playful fights, Simon smiled again.
The phone rang.
It echoed through the empty apartment.
Simon’s smile froze on his face.
Because there was nothing here anymore.
No desserts.
No Tessa.
Everything he’d just thought of was from the past.
He snapped out of it and grabbed his phone.
Maybe it was Tessa calling back. She’d hung up on him without a word, and he still hadn’t settled that score with her.
Then again, maybe the signal at the airport was bad. He decided to let it go for now.
He looked at the screen. [Delivery driver.]
He answered. The guy sounded annoyed.
“You never sent the pickup address. You still want this package sent or not?”
“Forget it. Cancel it.”
Simon hung up. A knot of frustration lodged itself in his chest.
Why wasn’t it Tessa? Why wasn’t she the one calling?
He kicked the box on the floor in frustration.
Then he stared at it. Finally, he opened it and took everything out.
All the gifts he’d given Tessa over the years.
She’d left, but she hadn’t taken a single thing he gave her.
Fine. He’d take them out and keep them for now.
When Tessa came back, she’d still have a use for them.
The next day was Yvette’s prenatal checkup.
In the car, she kept sighing.
Worried about this, worried about that.
Normally he’d have the patience to comfort her. But today, he didn’t feel like it.
“Simon, do you think Tessa pushing me last time did anything to the baby?”
Simon’s face was blank. But that question made him frown.
“She didn’t push you. And they ran tests. The doctor said everything was fine.”
Yvette froze.
Even Simon didn’t realize how instinctively and urgently he’d rushed to Tessa’s defense.
In the exam room, the doctor asked whether Simon was the patient’s spouse.
Yvette blushed and lowered her head. Let it stand.
But Simon, who’d been staring at his phone, looked up sharply.
“No, I’m not.”
Yvette’s smile stiffened. Her cheeks went from pink to white.
She didn’t understand what was wrong with him. It was just a checkup. What harm would it do to say yes?
After she got the report, Yvette chattered nonstop in the car.
But Simon—maybe he was focused on driving, maybe he wasn’t listening at all.
He didn’t say a word.
He hadn’t even glanced at the report once—not even after they walked out of the exam room.
Yvette panicked. Her eyes reddened.
“Simon, what’s wrong with you?”
