Once Upon a Time I Loved You - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Nathan Meyer doted on Kathleen Floss for two decades. Kathleen had assumed they would naturally date each other and marry, but her hope for their happily ever after was dashed on the day he came home with another woman.

He announced, “Kathy, this is your future sister–in–law.”

“Mr. Atwood, I’ve decided to start my career in Eldoria,” Kathleen revealed..

Clive Atwood beamed at the good news. “It’s about time you come here. With your talent, you would have already become an internationally renowned photographer if you started earlier.”

She flashed a polite smile. “Thanks for the praise, Mr. Atwood.”

“When will you arrive? I ran into a few editors of fashion magazines in Milsworth lately. They were really interested in your work, and they would love to meet you.”

After some deliberation, Kathleen cautiously replied, “I think I need a few more weeks to wrap up some stuff back home.

“Ah, that makes sense. Nathan will surely worry about you living alone in a foreign country. You’re his precious little sister. I hope you talk it out with him.”

After ending the call, Kathleen turned her attention to Kelsey White, who was trying on wedding dresses in the distance. Nathan stood beside Kelsey with a smile.

A wry smile played on Kathleen’s lips. Indeed, Nathan had doted on her for the longest time,

to the point that his mom, Heather Woodridge, joked, “You shouldn’t cling to time, all the time. People are going to talk.”

He merely arched a brow. “And what are they gonna say?”

“They might think you’re a couple, not siblings!”

Hearing that, Kathleen looked both baffled and surprised, but she blushed when she met Nathan’s tender eyes.

He looked at her like how he was smiling at Kelsey. Then, he gently replied, “Well, let them talk, then.”

People lived for happy moments in life. That particular moment became the sweetest moment in Kathleen’s life. Since then, she had waited for Nathan to put a label on their relationship.

She would say yes when he asked her to be his girlfriend.

She waited and waited. In the end, he fell in love with another woman.

Kelsey was Nathan’s secretary, Kathleen recalled that Nathan had shown her a few résumés, asking her to make a pick.

Kathleen felt troubled by the authority assigned to her. “I’m not good at stuff like this. You should ask human resources to do it.”

But Nathan insisted, “You should pick someone you like because she will be meeting with you a lot. I want you to feel comfortable around her.”

Kathleen was the one who picked Kelsey White as Nathan’s secretary. Little did she know that she had picked Nathan’s future bride and her future sister–in–law.

“Kathy!” Kelsey excitedly called out to her, “Come take a look! What do you think of this dress? Nathan is really indifferent sometimes. He has no opinion at all.”

Sighing, Kathleen remarked, “It’s your wedding dress. I’m fine with it as long as you like it.”

Kelsey immediately pouted. “Kathy, you know I come from a humble background. I’m worried. my poor taste will bring shame to Nathan. But you’re different from me! I trust your taste because you’re a professional photographer!”

“All I know is take photos and look at compositions. I’m not good at picking wedding dresses.“!

Looking upset, Kelsey sounded a little disgruntled and sad. “Kathy, do you still refuse to accept me?”

Kathleen opened her mouth only to realize she had no idea how to deny the accusation. It wasn’t that she refused to welcome Kelsey. She was just puzzled at Nathan, who suddenly fell in love with another woman after having doted on herself for years.

Kelsey turned to Nathan. “Nate, please check on Kathy. I think she’s still upset with me over what happened last time.”

Nathan brushed off her concerns. “Nah, that’s impossible.”

“I was wrong to accuse her unfairly. How about we put a stop to our wedding? We can get married when she’s no longer upset at me,” she suggested.

Nathan furrowed his brows. “Why do we have to postpone our wedding just because she’s upset?”

“But she’s your little sister after all. I want her blessing.”

After some serious thinking, Nathan slowly strolled over to Kathleen. He coldly addressed her, “Are you still upset over last time?”

She turned her face away. “No.”

“It’s only natural for Kelsey to misunderstand our relationship after you suddenly hugged me. Kathy, no grown–up siblings act intimately with each other. As an adult, you should know your boundaries.”

Kathleen teared up when she saw the accusatory look on Nathan’s face. When he still favored her, he always clung to her. When there were outsiders, she would put some distance between them, only for him to unhappily pull her closer.

Nathan tagged along when she traveled to the countryside for photography inspirations. He even followed her all the way to Andonesia when she went there to take photos of animal migrations.

Nathan had promised to stay behind her no matter where she went. He promised that he would be in her sight whenever she turned around.

On the day of the misunderstanding, she had merely hugged Nathan out of pure joy after she won the gold prize in an international photography competition.

Yet, Kelsey wandered into the room without knocking and came across that scene. From that day onward, Nathan’s attitude clearly changed. He tried to stay away from Kathleen whenever possible.

Taking a deep breath, Kathleen mumbled, “I’m sorry for overstepping the last time and causing Kelsey’s misunderstanding. I will be more careful in the future. That will not happen again.”

He nodded softly. “I’m glad you acknowledged your mistakes.”

She grunted. “You guys should keep trying on the dresses. I’m not feeling too well. I need to leave soon.”

When Kathleen left the wedding dress store, tears streamed down her cheeks. She hurriedly wiped away her tears and booked a flight ticket on her phone.

In a few weeks, she would board that plane, leaving this city and Nathan behind for good.