Chapter 3I Returned To Marry Another Man

Noah and I were childhood sweethearts.

It all started when he told me, "Stick with me, and I'll have your back."

And so, I trailed after him for over a decade.

After high school graduation, he said, "Sienna, I know you like me. Let's give this a shot."

And just like that, we were a couple.

I used to think I was special to him.

He was the one who, when other guys would catcall me or make crude jokes about my figure, would complain about me being too flashy, then corner those jerks in an alley and beat the crap out of them.

He was the one who, when I got injured during a track meet, set aside his germaphobia to have someone carry me to the nurse's office on a stretcher. He’d grumble about me being a pain while carefully tending to my wounds.

I always told myself that Noah just wasn't good at expressing his feelings. That if I just loved him enough, one day, he would show me his gentle side.

That fantasy shattered the day Lily, a transfer student on a scholarship, showed up.

That's when I learned that Noah's kindness didn't have to come packaged with insults and belittlement. That he could be genuinely warm and considerate.

At first, Noah just said he felt sorry for Lily. She was all alone, struggling to pay tuition with student loans, and he just wanted to help her out.

I believed him. I even went out of my way to buy Lily clothes and toiletries.

I forgot that so many relationships begin with pity.

But the moment that truly killed every last bit of hope was the campus "Prom Queen" election.