Elise thought to herself, 'The fireworks must be beautiful.'
After all, they were specially arranged by Andrew for Kimberly.
When she opened her eyes again, Elise had already become a wandering soul, homeless and lost.
She was trapped by Andrew’s side, unable to leave, forced to watch as he went on dates with Kimberly while completely ignoring the wife he had been married to for eight years.
Andrew had gone so far as to book an entire rooftop restaurant overlooking the river for Kimberly.
“...Drew, what do you think of my idea?” Kimberly asked softly, her brows slightly furrowed as she looked at him expectantly. “Where do you think I should hold my art exhibit?”
But for some reason, Andrew seemed distracted. His eyes were fixed on his phone on the table, as though he were waiting for a message from someone.
The grip of Kimberly’s fingers on her knife and fork turned white, her jealousy distorting her delicate and innocent features.
Elise glanced at the clock—it was already past nine. At this time in the past, she would have been texting or calling Andrew, urging him to come home early.
Yet, more often than not, Andrew would either ignore her or respond coldly. “Elise, are you done? It’s only nine o’clock. Why are you nagging me to go home so early?”
“Do you want me to go back just to sleep with you, a boring, dull old hag?”
“Do I need to remind you that you’re nearly thirty? Why are you acting like some clingy young girl checking up on her boyfriend?”
“Tsk, you're still immature. I’m hanging up.”
It wasn’t because their relationship had soured that Elise started urging him to come home.
In fact, it was Andrew who had once asked her to check on him and insisted he return home.
When she had asked him why, twenty-year-old Andrew had kissed her gently on her eyelid and said earnestly, “Because it gives me a sense of security. I’m afraid that one day, you’ll stop loving me.”
“Elise, without your love, I wouldn’t survive.”
And so, it became a habit—every day at nine, Elise would call to remind him to come home.
But as time passed, Andrew grew increasingly impatient, his words turned sharp and cruel.
Elise stared blankly at him now, wondering. Was he waiting for her call?
But... she was already dead. How could Andrew expect a call from someone who no longer existed?
“Drew! Drew!” Kimberly’s voice grew louder, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“You keep looking at your phone. Is it something important for work?”
“If it is, you should go. I mean, I’ve been gone for over eight years, but I still have my hands and feet—I’ll be fine,” she said.
Andrew immediately denied it. “Nothing of the sort. Work could never be more important than spending time with you.”
But Kimberly pressed on. “Then... are you waiting for your lover’s call? It’s already late. If you don’t go home soon, she’ll definitely be upset, right? Maybe we should wrap up for the night...”
Andrew’s face darkened in annoyance. “What lover? Elise is not my lover.”
“If she hadn’t lied to me for so many years, I would never have ended up with her.”
Elise’s heartache numbed her. She looked at him in confusion, wondering. 'When did I ever lie to you?'
But Andrew said no more, clearly keeping some unspoken understanding between him and Kimberly.
“The person I truly love is...” Andrew began, his gaze tender as it landed on Kimberly. Staring into her innocent, doe-like eyes, he hesitated before continuing, “Do you really not know who it is?”
Two delicate blushes crept onto Kimberly’s pale cheeks. She seemed about to respond, but Andrew’s phone rang, interrupting the moment.
