Meet Me Where the Oak Tree Grows novel Chapter 57

Cooper didn’t really react, just calmly moved her wine glass aside. "You've had enough," he said.

"Cooper! I need to know, are you going to marry me or not?" she pressed, her voice tinged with desperation.

He glanced up, a teasing smile playing on his lips. "Wasn't it you who said this was just for fun? Now it's just a breakup, and you can't handle it?"

Her eyes flickered with raw emotion as she stared at him, disbelief etched across her face. Slowly, her expression hardened as she spoke each word with a deliberate edge: "Fine, I’m the pathetic one, trying to force a man who doesn't want to marry me—my bad.

"There are plenty of people ready to marry me. Why should I cling to you?"

Cooper's fists clenched tightly at his sides, his face pale as a ghost, but he forced a casual tone. "Well, best wishes on your future wedding. Maybe I'll even get an invite..."

In an instant, he was doused in wine.

Madison slammed the glass down on the table, grabbed her purse, and stormed out without looking back.

A black sedan was parked outside, the driver having waited there for quite a while.

The sound of the car's engine faded into the distance. Inside, Cooper suddenly began hitting his own face, again and again, his eyes filled with heart-wrenching pain. He covered his face with his hands, bowing his head deeply, his sobs bitter and raw.

"I didn't want to say that, but I can't hold her back. She clearly has better options and deserves a better life."

In this world, nothing holds up to scrutiny; every story has its own hidden heartache.

The dinner table fell into silence, the quiet sobs becoming more pronounced. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere settled in, as if an invisible hand was squeezing the life out of everyone there.

They loved each other but couldn’t be together. It’s a strange kind of pain that love brings. From the moment you fall for someone, sadness is lurking, waiting for its chance.

Goodbyes always seem to sneak up on you and catch you off guard.

Just the night before, Jonah had promised to go with me to check out the photos the next day. But when I woke up, he broke the news that he'd be leaving by noon.

"No."

"Then I'm not buying," he shrugged, knowing I was desperate and trying to lowball me.

"Fine, three hundred then."

High school had kept me too busy to deal with long hair, so I'd cut it once before. Four years later, it had grown just a bit longer.

I didn’t have time to haggle further; three hundred was enough.

But I forgot how sly merchants can be. The cold scissors sliced through my hair, and I couldn’t see how he was cutting it. I just felt my hair being lifted away, leaving my scalp chilly and my head much lighter.

He said he’d cut it to chin length, but when I looked in the mirror, I realized he’d shaved it down to the roots. I was left with nothing but a buzz cut.