Page 4 of The Jerk in Apartment 1B

“Did you tell them about us?”

“No, I’ll do it later. They’ll be upset, but they’ll get over it, especially when they find out my brother’s news. He’s having a kid. He called me last night to tell me. It’s perfect timing. My parents will be so happy about the grandkid that they won’t even care that we broke up.”

They’ll care. His parents liked me. They said I was good for him. And I was. I took care of him. Supported him. Loved him. But it wasn’t enough. Because this isn’t what he wanted. I spent the past four years with a man who didn’t want me.

“So what’d you decide?” he asks. “Are you staying here or going to Sara’s?”

“I’ll leave,” I say, looking around at the boxes. “But everything’s packed. I need stuff for tonight.”

“Oh!” He races into the bathroom and returns with a duffle bag, a proud grin on his face. “I packed enough for a few days, including your makeup and hair stuff. That should be enough until your boxes arrive.”

I stare at him, wondering if I ever really knew him. How could I go all these years thinking we wanted the same things when he never wanted that at all? There had to have been signs. Comments he made. Something.

“So I guess this is it,” he says, like he wants me to hurry up and leave.

“Yeah,” I mutter, taking the duffle bag from him. I walk out of the room, still feeling like this is a nightmare I’m going to wake up from any minute now. But the closer I get to the door, the more real it feels.

“Good luck with everything,” Asher says, holding the door open.

Good luck?That’s all he has to say after spending the last four years with me?

I don’t know how to respond to that, so I don’t. I leave without saying goodbye, mainly because I still don’t believe it. How could it be goodbye?

An hour ago, I was planning to marry him, and now it’s over? He kicks me out? Acts like I meant nothing to him?

How does a guy go from wanting to marry you to never wanting to see you again?

CHAPTER TWO

Trina

When I’m out on the street, I call Callie, my best friend. She lives in Chicago, where we grew up. I really miss her, especially at times like this.

“Hey, Trina,” Callie answers. Her cheerful tone annoys me, but it’s only because I’m jealous she has the life I thought I would have. She’s married to a really hot guy who loves her more than anything and they have the most adorable baby girl.

“Hey, do you have a minute?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’m just feeding Addie. What’s up?”

“We can talk later. Maybe when Addie’s asleep.”

“No, hold on. Nash?” she calls out. “Can you finish feeding Addie?”

I hear him talking, but can’t make out what he’s saying. It’s probably something about how he’d love to help out and loves Callie and loves being a husband. Okay, maybe he didn’t say all that, but I know he’s thinking it. Nash loves being married. Why couldn’t Asher be like that? Why is he choosing his job over me?

“Okay, I can talk now,” Callie says. “So what’s going on? You sound upset. Did something happen?”

“I lost my job.”

“Oh, Trina, I’m sorry. Did it happen today?”

“Yeah. And then I came home and told Asher I was going to take some time off to plan our wedding and he said…” I pause, my eyes tearing up.

“Trina? You still there?”

“Yeah, he, um… he said there wasn’t going to be a wedding.”

“What do you mean?”

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