Chapter 4
635words
I called her repeatedly. There was no answer. I kept redialing like an idiot, refusing to give up, until deep into the night, when someone finally picked up.
It was not her.
"Alex," Matthew said unhurriedly. "Did you need something? Lena's exhausted. She fell asleep already."
He continued, almost apologetic, "I told her it wasn't appropriate for her to stay here. But she kept holding on to me. I really didn't have a choice."
My throat felt scraped raw. I forced my trembling hand to stay still.
"She didn't say anything?" I asked.
He chuckled softly. He did not bother to hide his contempt. "She did. She said being with me feels easy. Being with you? She said it was suffocating.
"Don't blame me, Alex. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not being charming enough. You couldn't even keep your own woman."
That was all it took. The final straw is always light as a feather.
I had not seen them together. I had not watched it happen. Still, his words alone made my head throb with pain.
I hung up.
I sat alone on the couch in the dark, staring at the apartment I knew too well. Something nameless swelled in my chest. My limbs went numb, and a soft ringing filled my ears. Then my stomach churned violently.
What was there left to misunderstand?
She had chosen him. She had betrayed me and gone to another man.
The ring box in my pocket dug into my thigh. I reached for it without thinking. It was the ring I had planned to propose with.
After all these years, I had wanted to give her an answer and a future.
Selena once said she loved that designer's jewelry more than anything else. Thus, I flew overseas, pleaded in person, and paid an obscene price until the designer, long retired, finally agreed to craft the ring by hand.
A single ring meant only for us.
If none of this had happened, she would have said yes tonight. She would have become my bride. We would have had a home, perhaps children, a life we built together.
But life did not honor "if."
Thunder rolled outside as lightning split the sky. It looked exactly like the day we first came together, standing in the rain and holding each other tight.
Her eyes had been bright and overflowing with joy. Her fingers had wrapped around mine as she swore, "I'll never leave you. No matter what happens."
"Selena Oxford, you broke your promise."
My chat with my mom was still open on my phone, frozen on her last message.
[If you're really sure you don't want to go abroad, I'll cancel the ticket.]
Before, I would have told my mom to cancel the ticket without hesitation. No opportunity mattered more than keeping Selena by my side.
Now, I changed my mind.
I typed slowly.
[Mom, I've thought it through. Help me arrange the move abroad.]
There was no one left here worth staying for.
I left in a rush. I packed through the second half of the night and moved out before dawn. I did not even return to the company.
…
When Selena realized she could not reach me, she panicked. She borrowed other people's phones and called again and again. None of them worked.
I disappeared from her life cleanly, like a gust of wind.
All I left her were a few dreamlike years of memories and the engagement ring, placed neatly on the table.
Beneath it lay a note: [Selena, happy anniversary.]
…
At the airport, my mom asked me one last time, "Don't you regret leaving Lena behind?"
Boarding was announced. I tightened my grip on my suitcase and smiled faintly. "No, I don't."
