Part 2My Toddler Husband Found Me

Nathan and I were the "it" kids of the neighborhood.

I spent ten years trailing behind him. He was the boy who would stand in front of me with a cold glare if anyone dared to bully me, and the boy who would stay up until 2:00 AM helping me map out a study plan when I was failing calculus.

My love for him was an open secret. It grew from a childhood crush into a defining feature of my identity—unfiltered, unshielded, and completely unrequited.

I remember a summer night after freshman year. The sky was a bruised purple, dripping with stars. I was sitting on the pegs of his bike, the wind whipping my hair, when his voice drifted back to me.

"Hailey, you know I don’t deal well with people who can't keep up. I’m going to Stanford. If you can get in, too... then maybe I’ll consider us being a real thing."

That was it. That was the carrot he dangled.

I traded my novels and my sketches for prep books and extra credit. Stanford wasn't just a university anymore; it was my ticket into Nathan’s heart. I thought if I just worked hard enough, I could finally stand beside him as an equal.

I was too young to realize that real love doesn't come with a minimum SAT score.

Madison showed up on the first day of senior year. She was a scholarship student, quiet and ethereal, and she was assigned the desk next to Nathan’s.

Nathan, who usually treated the world with practiced boredom, started bringing her lattes in the morning. He started cancelling our study sessions to help her with her essays.

One Saturday, the three of us were supposed to go to the city to buy new textbooks. That morning, Nathan called. He said he and Madison had "stuff to do" and couldn't make it.

Two hours later, I saw them through the window of a boutique bookstore downtown, their heads bent close over a shared notebook.

"Nathan, thank you for paying for these," Madison murmured, her voice carrying in the quiet shop. "I hate being the charity case. I didn't want anyone else to see me like this."

Nathan smiled, a soft, genuine expression I hadn't seen in months. "It’s fine. Honestly, I’d rather be here anyway. Hailey makes a federal case out of every little thing she buys. It's exhausting."

The world blurred as my eyes filled with tears. I turned to bolt, but as I reached the door, a heavy hand caught my wrist.

Nathan was breathing hard, looking frantic, but his voice was still like iron. "Madison and I... it’s not what you think."

"Nathan, let go."

"We’re focused on our futures, Hailey. We don't have time for distractions. Not everyone spends their whole day obsessing over 'feelings' and drama."

His words were a bucket of ice water. Distractions. Was that what I was?

I realized then that in his eyes, my love wasn't a gift. It was a nuisance.