If I’d known even one day earlier, he wouldn’t have been the groom today either!”
Feeling humiliated by my words, Aunt Isabelle merely muttered something under her breath as she walked away.
Mom squeezed my hand, and I clearly saw the worry on her face.
I reassured her, “It’s okay. If it’s not meant to be, then it’s not. I don’t care anyway.”
After seeing them off, I went alone to what was supposed to be our marital home to pack my things.
Though my words were clear and my mind rational, my emotions were beyond control.
Why did the tears insist on falling of their own accord?
This apartment had been decorated by Ethan and I together, so his presence lingered everywhere.
There was the ceramic pot he bought after learning about my menstrual cramps, promising to make me nourishing soup every week.
There was the walk-in closet he designed according to a trending short video.
I had teased him about the colorful lights being too flashy after installation, but he had just wrapped his arm around my waist, asking for a reward.
We met in college, then spent a year in different cities for work.
He had put in considerable effort to pursue me back then.
When he confessed his feelings, he said he was impressed by my confidence during a debate competition and how I held my ground.
Back then, I was radiant in his eyes, but now he complained I was too assertive.
The light he once saw in me had become an irritation to him.
I packed my things bit by bit, gradually extracting myself from our memories.
When I finished, I realized that our seven years together amounted to just half a cardboard box.
As I was wondering how to drag this box out and dispose of it, the door opened.
My best friend Charlotte Sanders burst in with her usual hurricane-like surge of energy.
The strength I had been faking crumbled completely at the sight of her, and my nose stung with emotion.
Charlotte gave me a fierce hug, squeezing me tight. “If I’d known, I would have been your bridesmaid. At least you wouldn’t have been so alone.”
She had disliked Ethan for a long time. She hated his indecisiveness and unwillingness to let go of his ex-girlfriend. She disliked him so much that she had not wanted to attend my wedding.
She had even bluntly warned me that I would regret marrying him.
To put it even more bluntly, the words she had said back then were, “Anna being alive is one thing, but if Anna dies, how can you compete with a ghost?”
We had fallen out over this. Now it seemed that she had hit the nail on the head.
I was so grateful to have such a friend back in my life.
With Charlotte around, life became more bearable.
She had specifically requested a business trip abroad to avoid my wedding. But as soon as her plane landed and she heard what happened, she rushed to find me, worried I might be crying alone.
She even took annual leave to keep me company, which moved me deeply.
The day she was busy trying to set me up with someone new, Ethan showed up at the door.
I sneered to myself. When trash shows up at your doorstep, it’s time to take out the garbage!
