After Eight Years, He Walked Away Like I Was Nothing - Chapter 29: Chapter 29
You are reading After Eight Years, He Walked Away Like I Was Nothing, Chapter 29: Chapter 29. Read more chapters of After Eight Years, He Walked Away Like I Was Nothing.
Lachlan’s POV
I stared at the screen, my eyes wide in disbelief.
I clenched my teeth as my thumb hit redial.
But the same cold voice answered. “The number you have dialed is not in service.”
“No… no, this isn’t right. This can’t be happening,” I whispered in disbelief, the words barely leaving my mouth.
Chantelle’s phone had never been unreachable. Not once.
Not in all the years she’d worked for me—through long meetings, late nights, even weekends.
No matter the hour, the moment I needed her, she’d always be there.
Always…
Kirsten’s POV
A flicker of smugness passed through my eyes before I masked it with a soft, sympathetic smile.
“Locke,” I said gently, brushing my hand over his arm, “you’ve been with Chantelle for years. You know her better than anyone, right?”
I gave a small laugh, sweet but hollow.
“Your relationship’s always looked so solid—everyone said so. There’s no way she’d just leave you like that.”
I tilted my head, my voice dropping just enough to sound thoughtful.
“My guess? She’s probably just really upset this time. You know how women are… Sometimes we make some drama. It’s not a big deal.”
Then I leaned in a little closer, letting my words hang.
“But if you cave in too easily now… well, she might…”
Lachlan’s POV
I lowered my gaze, the weight of Kirsten’s words sinking in.
‘She’s not wrong,’ I realized. ‘Chantelle and I have been through so much—seven years. If there’s one thing I should never doubt, it’s her love for me.’
But then another thought crept in. ‘If I run after her now… won’t that just give her the upper hand and make her think she can walk away every time things get tough—every time I don’t play by her rules?’
A flash of memory surged through me, and my jaw clenched. ‘Right. This time… this time she’s the one who crossed the line. She laid hands on Kirsten. And on the twins.’
The image hit harder than I expected. My brow furrowed, tight with conflict. ‘No matter how much I miss her,’ I told myself inwardly, ‘that’s not something I can just overlook.’
“You’re right,” I said finally, almost like a whisper. “I might have been a little too hard on her lately, but she’s the one who pushed it too far. I shouldn’t be the one chasing her.”
Kirsten’s POV
A slow smile curved on my lips as I reached for Lachlan, ready to pick up where we’d left off.
But again—just like earlier—he pushed me aside effortlessly.
Without even looking at me, he grabbed a stack of files from the desk.
“This document’s urgent. I have to go. Take care of the twins,” he said flatly over his shoulder, his body turning to leave.
That was it. No glance or anything.
I stood frozen, fury building under my skin. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I snapped.
With one sharp sweep of my arm, the documents went flying. Papers scattered across the floor like ash, my breath coming hard through clenched teeth.
Lachlan’s POV
But I didn’t go inside the company.
Instead, I found myself in that little café across from the hospital—the one Chantelle and I used to visit after long shifts.
I sank into a seat by the window and stared blankly ahead.
Across the street, the hospital buzzed with life—nurses moving in and out, visitors clutching paper bags and hope.
And then something clicked—the last time I saw Chantelle…
‘She refused to apologize to Kirsten and the twins. And I—God. I cut off her mother’s medical payments.’
Her mother. The one who’d been in a coma for years. The only family she still had. The only person she cared about as much as—no, more than—me.
Maybe that was why she was so furious this time.
‘No wonder she hasn’t reached out even after a whole week. I didn’t just hurt her—I’ve gone after the one thing she’d been holding on to.’
The thought sparked hope in me.
I pulled out my phone and called my assistant.
“Transfer the payment for Chantelle’s mother’s medical care back into the hospital account. Make sure the hospital notifies Chantelle.”
I hung up and leaned back, fingers tapping restlessly against the table.
I was certain. ‘She’ll find out. She’ll know I fixed it. She’ll call.’
Ten minutes later, my phone started ringing. I grabbed it fast, my heart hammering.
Kirsten.
I declined.
Another call.
My secretary.
I answered, only to hang up just as quickly.
Call after call came, but none of them were the one I wanted; there was still nothing from Chantelle.
Later, finally, the screen lit up with a call from the hospital.
“Mr. Gurfinchel? We just received your payment, but I’m afraid the patient whose bills you’ve been covering has already passed away. There’s been a refund issued to your account. Please check it.”
Suddenly, all the strength drained from my hand. The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a sharp crack.
I couldn’t move. At that moment, I didn’t care anymore what people around me might think of me. The panic I’d been holding back surged through me all at once, swallowing everything.
The voice was still talking—faint, garbled through the shattered speaker—but I could no longer understand a word of it.
I stared at the screen, my eyes wide in disbelief.
I clenched my teeth as my thumb hit redial.
But the same cold voice answered. “The number you have dialed is not in service.”
“No… no, this isn’t right. This can’t be happening,” I whispered in disbelief, the words barely leaving my mouth.
Chantelle’s phone had never been unreachable. Not once.
Not in all the years she’d worked for me—through long meetings, late nights, even weekends.
No matter the hour, the moment I needed her, she’d always be there.
Always…
Kirsten’s POV
A flicker of smugness passed through my eyes before I masked it with a soft, sympathetic smile.
“Locke,” I said gently, brushing my hand over his arm, “you’ve been with Chantelle for years. You know her better than anyone, right?”
I gave a small laugh, sweet but hollow.
“Your relationship’s always looked so solid—everyone said so. There’s no way she’d just leave you like that.”
I tilted my head, my voice dropping just enough to sound thoughtful.
“My guess? She’s probably just really upset this time. You know how women are… Sometimes we make some drama. It’s not a big deal.”
Then I leaned in a little closer, letting my words hang.
“But if you cave in too easily now… well, she might…”
Lachlan’s POV
I lowered my gaze, the weight of Kirsten’s words sinking in.
‘She’s not wrong,’ I realized. ‘Chantelle and I have been through so much—seven years. If there’s one thing I should never doubt, it’s her love for me.’
But then another thought crept in. ‘If I run after her now… won’t that just give her the upper hand and make her think she can walk away every time things get tough—every time I don’t play by her rules?’
A flash of memory surged through me, and my jaw clenched. ‘Right. This time… this time she’s the one who crossed the line. She laid hands on Kirsten. And on the twins.’
The image hit harder than I expected. My brow furrowed, tight with conflict. ‘No matter how much I miss her,’ I told myself inwardly, ‘that’s not something I can just overlook.’
“You’re right,” I said finally, almost like a whisper. “I might have been a little too hard on her lately, but she’s the one who pushed it too far. I shouldn’t be the one chasing her.”
Kirsten’s POV
A slow smile curved on my lips as I reached for Lachlan, ready to pick up where we’d left off.
But again—just like earlier—he pushed me aside effortlessly.
Without even looking at me, he grabbed a stack of files from the desk.
“This document’s urgent. I have to go. Take care of the twins,” he said flatly over his shoulder, his body turning to leave.
That was it. No glance or anything.
I stood frozen, fury building under my skin. The moment the door clicked shut behind him, I snapped.
With one sharp sweep of my arm, the documents went flying. Papers scattered across the floor like ash, my breath coming hard through clenched teeth.
Lachlan’s POV
But I didn’t go inside the company.
Instead, I found myself in that little café across from the hospital—the one Chantelle and I used to visit after long shifts.
I sank into a seat by the window and stared blankly ahead.
Across the street, the hospital buzzed with life—nurses moving in and out, visitors clutching paper bags and hope.
And then something clicked—the last time I saw Chantelle…
‘She refused to apologize to Kirsten and the twins. And I—God. I cut off her mother’s medical payments.’
Her mother. The one who’d been in a coma for years. The only family she still had. The only person she cared about as much as—no, more than—me.
Maybe that was why she was so furious this time.
‘No wonder she hasn’t reached out even after a whole week. I didn’t just hurt her—I’ve gone after the one thing she’d been holding on to.’
The thought sparked hope in me.
I pulled out my phone and called my assistant.
“Transfer the payment for Chantelle’s mother’s medical care back into the hospital account. Make sure the hospital notifies Chantelle.”
I hung up and leaned back, fingers tapping restlessly against the table.
I was certain. ‘She’ll find out. She’ll know I fixed it. She’ll call.’
Ten minutes later, my phone started ringing. I grabbed it fast, my heart hammering.
Kirsten.
I declined.
Another call.
My secretary.
I answered, only to hang up just as quickly.
Call after call came, but none of them were the one I wanted; there was still nothing from Chantelle.
Later, finally, the screen lit up with a call from the hospital.
“Mr. Gurfinchel? We just received your payment, but I’m afraid the patient whose bills you’ve been covering has already passed away. There’s been a refund issued to your account. Please check it.”
Suddenly, all the strength drained from my hand. The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a sharp crack.
I couldn’t move. At that moment, I didn’t care anymore what people around me might think of me. The panic I’d been holding back surged through me all at once, swallowing everything.
The voice was still talking—faint, garbled through the shattered speaker—but I could no longer understand a word of it.
End of After Eight Years, He Walked Away Like I Was Nothing Chapter 29. Continue reading Chapter 30 or return to After Eight Years, He Walked Away Like I Was Nothing book page.