Chapter 2

When I turned to look at her, she quickly let go of Daniel's hand.
"Daniel had too much to drink tonight."
"He's your brother, and I was worried about him getting home safe alone, so I brought him here."
"He's a decent guy who knows boundaries, and he didn't want you to misunderstand, so he insisted on leaving."
Sophia was usually quiet, but now she couldn't stop talking when it came to Daniel.
And her every word was defending him.
I looked at her and felt like I was seeing a stranger.
I was the one who grew up with her.
I was the one who stood by her, building our lives together for ten years as her fiancé.
How did I end up as the stand-in?
I fought back the hurt and took a deep breath.
"He's not my brother. He's just the son of a homewrecker!"
Hearing that, Sophia lost it.
"Alex! How could you say something so cruel to Daniel? Apologize to him right now!"
"No wonder your parents abandoned you as a kid, no wonder nobody likes you."
"Your nasty attitude is disgusting, and you deserve to be unloved!"
As if scared I'd hurt Daniel, she shoved me to the curb and shielded him.
That protective stance reminded me of a younger version of her.
Way back when we were kids, Sophia used to stand up for me like that.
Back then, my mom had an affair, got pregnant with another man's child, and forced Dad to divorce.
Dad left angry to start a business overseas, and I became the leftover kid.
Whenever Sophia heard my mom and Daniel bullying me next door, she'd rush over and get between us.
"Alex, you're the best person in the world, and even if nobody else loves you, I'll always love you forever." She'd say.
I'd held onto those words all these years.
I worked hard, built a career, escaped my messed-up family, and wanted to start a happy life with her.
But whenever I brought it up, she'd just frown.
"That was just kid talk. I didn't mean it."
And now, with Daniel back, she won't even give me that excuse.
She just hit me with "You deserve to be unloved!" right where it hurt most.
I turned away, not wanting to look at her.
But my eyes got red anyway.
Sophia's eyes wavered a bit.
Maybe she realized she'd gone too far, or she noticed my bloody feet.
She sighed, "Let's just say you were drunk and rambling tonight, and from now on..."
"There won't be a 'from now on' for us," I said flatly.
"What?"
She was about to ask more when Daniel ran off crying.
She forgot all about me at once and chased after him in a panic.
In her rush, she dropped her star necklace from her pocket without noticing.
I picked it up, remembering the small star tattoo on Daniel's chest.
All the little things I'd ignored suddenly clicked.
The whole ten-year love story was just me fooling myself.
I wouldn't cling to a woman who wasn't worth it.
Back at my place, I got a text from Dad.
He'd already booked me a flight out.
It was set for two weeks later, right on our wedding day.
The wedding countdown in the living room now became my departure timer.
I laughed bitterly and tossed all the wedding decorations and couple stuff.
I would use these last two weeks.
To say goodbye to everything in my past.