After the Breakup He Pursued Her Relentlessly by Fiola

Chapter 5 

I nodded, feeling utterly exhausted. 

As the workday ended, a light drizzle began outside. 

A few colleagues and I stood at the company’s entrance, chatting while waiting for our rides. 

One by one, everyone got picked up, leaving me alone. 

It was rush hour, and trying to get a cab seemed hopeless. 

I looked at the gloomy sky and considered braving the rain to buy an umbrella from the store across 

the street. 

Just as I stepped into the rain, a shadow fell over me. 

“Sorry, I’m late. 

Lucas’s familiar voice broke the pitter–patter of raindrops. He stood there, holding a black umbrella, his long fingers gripping the handle. 

Rain splashed up from the ground, creating little water droplets. 

I didn’t refuse his offer but kept my tone polite. “Could you send me to the next street over?” 

He instinctively moved closer to cover me with the umbrella. 

I, feeling uneasy, stepped away, forcing him to tilt the umbrella more toward me. 

Without questioning why Lucas was there, I walked under his umbrella to the nearby street and ducked into a convenience store. 

A few moments later, I emerged with a new transparent umbrella. 

“Thanks,” I said, ready to step into the rain again. As I was about to leave, Lucas called out, “Let me drive you home. 

I shook my head, “No, thanks. I’ll take the metro. 

There was a look of slight disappointment in his eyes, but soon he returned to normal. 

Disappointment flickered in his eyes but quickly disappeared. “When are you coming home? The rose you planted has bloomed. 

Home? I frowned. 

His words reminded me of how abruptly we broke up, like it was a joke. I hadn’t even packed my things from our apartment, and the concert tickets we’d bought before the breakup hadn‘ t even been used yet. 

I looked up. “I‘ ll find time to come and get my stuff.” 

Lucas s face darkened. “Do we really have to be like this, Harper?” 

I gave a cold smile. “Are you saying I’m being unreasonable?” 

Lucas tried to reason with me. “I was hoping we could have a good conversation.” 

“We’ve 

ve already broken up, and I am very calm right now. 

high heels clicking as I walked away. 

In front of him, my anger seemed insignificant. 

Of course, he was always so composed. 

I turned on my heels, the sound of my 

After sleeping for two days straight, I finally mustered the energy to pack my things. 

I texted Lucas, letting him know I was coming to get my stuff. 

He quickly replied, saying he wouldn’t be home from work and that the key was in the usual place. Returning to the familiar apartment complex, I noticed the faint scorch marks on the walls from the fire, still fingering as dark reminders. 

I stood quietly for a moment before taking the elevator up. When I reached the door, the key wasn’t under the doormat as usual. 

Just as I was about to pull out my phone to ask Lucas, the door suddenly opened. 

To my surprise, Isabella stood there, her hair damp, wrapped in a bathrobe, barefoot, looking just as startled as I was. 

She quickly stepped back to let me in. 

“Oh, it’s you, Harper. The water heater at my place broke, so I came here to take a shower.” I came in. 

The apartment looked unchanged– the cartoon blanket casually draped over the sofa, a half–read book left on the table. It was as if nothing had happened. 

Isabella watched me with a slightly guarded expression, “Are you and Lucas getting back together?” I said, “Just here to pack my things. 

She looked at me in surprise as I walked into the room to tidy up. 

As I looked around at the carefully arranged decorations, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. Once, I had genuinely tried to make this place our home. 

Now, leaving it felt surreal, bringing to mind what Lucas had often said, “These things are useless.”