Chapter 1: The Day She Called Me Nothing
“Get up, Cedric. You're embarrassing me.””
Those were the first words my girlfriend said after I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me.
Hundreds of people stood around us. Cameras flashed. Parents cheered. Graduates hugged their families beneath the bright afternoon sun.
And there I was, kneeling on the university steps, holding a diamond ring I'd spent three months saving for.
Naomi looked down at me as though I had just done something disgusting.
Seven years.
Seven years of loving this woman, supporting her dreams, and sacrificing everything I had to help her become the person standing in front of me.
But apparently, none of it mattered anymore.
“Naomi,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Can we please talk?””
She folded her arms.
“There's nothing to talk about.””
I stared at her.
Her black doctoral gown moved gently in the breeze. The blue hood resting across her shoulders represented years of academic achievement.
I remembered helping her choose it.
I remembered driving her to the university at six in the morning when her old car refused to start.
I remembered sitting beside her in hospital waiting rooms when stress triggered her migraines.
I remembered the nights I worked until two in the morning so she could afford another semester.
I remembered everything.
Apparently, she didn't.
“I'm not asking you to marry me because of your degree,” I said.
“I'm asking because I love you.””
Naomi glanced at the people watching us.
“Cedric, stop.””
“Just tell me what's happening.””
She exhaled sharply.
“Fine. You want the truth?””
I nodded.
“You've always been confused about what we are.””
My fingers tightened around the velvet box.
“What do you mean?””
“We're friends. That's all.””
The word landed like a brick against my chest.
“Friends?””
“Yes.””
“Naomi, we've lived together for five years.””
“So?””
“So we've shared a life!””
She looked toward the university entrance.
Then she lowered her voice.
“Don't make this harder than it needs to be.””
A tall man approached, wearing an expensive white suit and polished brown shoes.
He carried himself like someone who had never needed to ask permission for anything.
“Everything okay, baby?”” he asked.
Naomi's expression changed instantly.
Her shoulders relaxed.
A smile appeared.
“Everything's fine, Xavier.””
He placed his hand around her waist.
She leaned into him.
I looked at his hand.
Then at her.
“Who's this?”” I asked.
Naomi sighed.
“Cedric, this is Xavier.””
Xavier extended his hand.
“Nice to meet you.””
I didn't take it.
Naomi seemed irritated by my reaction.
“Xavier is my boyfriend.””
For several seconds, I couldn't process the sentence.
“Your boyfriend?””
“Yes.””
“When did that happen?””
“That's none of your business.””
I looked at the woman I had planned to marry.
“Does he know we live together?””
Xavier's smile disappeared.
Naomi's jaw tightened.
“Cedric, don't.””
“Does he know?””
Xavier slowly turned toward her.
“Live together?””
Naomi adjusted the sleeve of her gown.
“We were roommates for a while.””
Roommates.
I almost laughed.
I remembered the morning she had kissed me goodbye before her first doctoral examination.
I remembered the anniversary dinner she had cooked in our tiny apartment.
I remembered the photographs of us on her bedroom wall.
Apparently, I had been a very committed roommate.
Xavier looked at me.
“So you two were never serious?””
Naomi answered before I could.
“He always misunderstood things.””
I lowered my eyes to the ring.
The diamond caught the sunlight.
I'd chosen it carefully, remembering how Naomi once stopped outside a jewelry store and admired a similar design.
I had imagined placing it on her finger.
Instead, I closed the box.
“Did you tell him about the money?”” I asked.
Naomi's expression hardened.
“What money?””
“The ninety-one thousand, four hundred dollars.””
Xavier frowned.
“What is he talking about?””
I looked at Naomi.
“Did you tell him I sold my father's repair shop to pay for your doctorate?””
Silence.
A woman standing nearby stopped recording her graduation pictures.
Naomi stepped closer.
“Lower your voice.””
“No. I think everyone should hear this.””
“Cedric!””
“I sold the only thing my father left me. His building. His tools.
His business. Everything.””
Xavier looked between us.
Naomi shook her head.
“He's exaggerating.””
I pulled out my phone.
“I still have the bank transfers.””
She stared at me.
“Don't you dare.””
I remembered that rainy Tuesday when she came home crying because her university funding had been withdrawn.
She had sat on the kitchen floor, her examination papers scattered around her.
“I'm going to lose everything,” she had whispered.
I had held her until she stopped shaking.
“Not while I'm here,” I promised.
Three weeks later, I signed the papers selling my father's shop.
I never told her how much it hurt.
I simply handed her the money.
Now she was standing in front of hundreds of people, pretending she barely knew me.
Xavier adjusted his watch.
“Look, man. Whatever arrangement you had with her, it's over.””
I looked at him.
“An arrangement?””
He shrugged.
“She's moving into my penthouse tonight. I don't want unnecessary drama.””
Naomi nodded.
“I'm taking my things from the apartment tomorrow.””
I stared at her.
“You're leaving tonight?””
“Yes.””
“Where am I supposed to go?””
She looked genuinely confused.
“It's your apartment, Cedric.””
I blinked.
“Our lease is in both our names.””
“Then handle it.””
She turned away.
That was when something inside me finally broke.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
It simply stopped trying.
I stood, put the ring box inside my jacket, and nodded.
“You're right.””
Naomi turned back.
“What?””
“It was my choice to help you. And it's my choice to stop.””
Xavier laughed.
“That's probably the smartest thing you've said all day.””
I ignored him.
Then I walked away.
I had nearly reached my truck when a voice thundered across the university steps.
“CEDRIC WALLS!””
I turned.
Dr. Bennett, a senior engineering professor, was hurrying toward me with a thick folder beneath his arm.
He was breathing heavily.
“Thank goodness you're still here!””
“Dr. Bennett? Is everything okay?””
He looked at my face.
Then briefly glanced toward Naomi.
“Did something happen?””
“Nothing worth discussing.””
He nodded and opened the folder.
“Do you remember the emergency braking prototype you presented to the engineering department last year?””
I frowned.
“Of course.””
“Your design has passed the university's patent review.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“And an international automotive technology company has submitted a formal acquisition proposal.””
My heart began beating faster.
He handed me the folder.
My name was printed across the front.
CEDRIC WALLS.
CONFIDENTIAL ACQUISITION PROPOSAL.
I looked at the professor.
“Is this legitimate?””
“Very. But don't sign anything until you've spoken to independent legal counsel.””
Behind us, Xavier stepped closer.
“What company?””
Dr. Bennett ignored him.
Naomi approached too.
Her expression had changed.
“Cedric,” she said softly.
“What's that?””
I looked down at the envelope.
For six years, I had designed my braking system in a cramped garage, using secondhand equipment and the engineering notebooks my father had left behind.
Nobody had believed in it.
Except Dr. Bennett.
And now someone was willing to pay for it.
I reached for the seal.
Dr. Bennett suddenly placed his hand over mine.
“One more thing, Cedric.””
“What?””
His expression became serious.
“The company making the offer specifically requested that you attend a private meeting tomorrow.””
“Why?””
He glanced toward Naomi.
“Because they already know who you are.””
My stomach tightened.
“How?””
Dr. Bennett lowered his voice.
“Because someone has been trying to buy your patent rights for months.””
I looked at the folder.
Then at Naomi.
Her lips parted.
“Cedric,” she whispered.
“We need to talk.””
May you like
For the first time in seven years, I didn't feel the urge to listen.
And that seemed to frighten her more than anything else.
