Keiran quickly masked the flicker of guilt that flashed across his face, his smile almost too perfect.
“My sweet, understanding wife, how about we save that for next time? This trip is crucial, and I may not even have time for a break. I’d feel terrible if I couldn’t spend more time with you.”
Claudette looked at him, the man who always wore that innocent expression just for her, and she chose not to press him further.
“All right.”
She saw the relief on Keiran’s face as though a heavy load had been lifted from his shoulders. It was no wonder they said that when one person starts to tire in a relationship, it’s often a sign that it’s time to let go. To Keiran, Claudette had become nothing more than an obligation.
His heart was already claimed by the fresh, youthful college girl, someone full of promise, not someone like her, who was nearing thirty.
After Keiran left, Claudette glanced at the time, realizing she had less than two weeks. She packed up her belongings with a quiet finality and sent them off to the place where they would no longer belong to her.
Then, she gathered all the jewelry Keiran had given her and exchanged it for cash; after all, she deserved that much. During the seven years of her youth, taking those things felt like the least she could do.
With everything in place, Claudette grabbed only her phone, bank card, and ID and bought a one-way ticket to Lexington Bay. When she landed, she splurged on an outfit that would transform her. If Keiran had seen her now, he wouldn't have recognized her even if she had stood right before him.
Amid the busy streets, she felt like a stranger, out of place in a world that didn’t belong to her. She wandered through the crowd, snapping photos with her phone. Who knew if she’d ever get another chance to visit? She wouldn’t let this trip go to waste.
The familiar name sliced through the air, and she turned her head without thinking. “Keiran, come on, come hold me!”
Keiran gently lifted Corinne onto the ice sculpture, taking his time to photograph her in different poses, each one more radiant than the last. Almost as if in a daze, Claudette pulled out her phone and captured the scene, her finger trembling slightly as she pressed the shutter.
Back then, she had begged Keiran to take just a few pictures with her at an amusement park. Those photos had been her treasures, proof of the love she once thought was endless.
Now, watching this scene unfold, Claudette felt a stab of bitter realization, how foolish she had been. She had come all this way only to watch them flaunt their love so effortlessly, each moment another cruel layer of her heart breaking.
She uploaded the Ice World photos to her Facebook feed, leaving them captionless, just a few pictures to speak for themselves. The effect on Keiran and Corinne was immediate.
[You shameless woman! Following us around, do you think this will win Keiran back?] Corinne’s message practically vibrated with rage.
Just below it, Keiran’s texts appeared, his tone starkly different, carrying a tense urgency.
[Did you go to Lexington Bay?]
[Why didn’t you tell me?]
[Where are you? Why aren’t you answering my calls?]
Claudette watched her phone light up with each call and each message. She simply let it ring, her fingers resting still, refusing to respond.
Corinne fumed, her anger simmering beneath the surface, but she didn’t dare to let it spill out. Then, Keiran’s sudden announcement made her freeze.
“Pack up, we’re heading back,” he said, his tone firm.
“What? We’ve only been here two days! I haven’t even begun to enjoy myself. There’s so much we haven’t done. I’m not going back.”
Corinne thought her tantrum might soften his stance and that he would relent as he always did. But this time, Keiran’s gaze held steady, unbending.
