Carmen's sweet, slightly muffled voice interrupted Zac's panicked explanation as if to confirm my suspicions. "It's freezing! Zac, stop hogging the blanket!"
Even though I had already guessed that Zac would be with Carmen on our wedding night, my heart still ached when my suspicion was confirmed. My throat tightened, making it impossible to speak. I hung up the phone and stared blankly at the beautifully decorated room.
Zac and I met in college. He got my contact information at the campus festival through his roommate and clumsily pursued me for four years. Later, I got lucky and became a singer with millions of fans, while he earned a guaranteed spot at a prestigious research institute with top marks.
Then came Carmen, a lively girl who joined the research institute.
Zac, who had always been steady and reliable, suddenly became obsessed with extreme sports and risky activities like wilderness trekking. I worried constantly about him getting into an accident, especially after a caving expedition where they encountered a mysterious miasma in an uncharted area.
The miasma was poisonous and they didn't have enough oxygen masks. When Zac mentioned that one of the girls in the group wasn't wearing clothes, I didn't think much of it. I assumed it was a life-or-death situation and the girl had used her clothes as a makeshift mask—a perfectly reasonable explanation.
No matter how many times I called the police or fire department for help, they all said there was no danger and warned me that if I kept filing false reports, they would arrest me. I had no choice but to leave the concert halfway through and drive there alone, thinking only of rescuing Zac as soon as possible.
This dangerous rescue prevented me from ever standing on a stage again. It left terrible burn scars on my face and caused damage to many of my bodily functions.
The phone rang again, but it wasn't Zac. "Ms. Silva, I've found what you asked for. That day, the police and fire department did respond several times, but there was no actual danger. What they found instead was … Zac and Carmen having sex in the cave. They even warned the police to mind their own business. Here are the records and photos from that time."
The photos were blurred, but I would recognize Zac's figure even if he were reduced to ashes.
The voice on the other end continued, "Also, the toxic gas samples the police collected were analyzed by the research institute and Zac's signature is on the report. We need more time to investigate, but we suspect that Zac and Carmen intentionally released the gas and the research institute covered it up."
My heart sank lower and lower, my face a mix of tears and a bitter smile.
Yes, that cave was a popular spot for hikers. How could there have been toxic gas only when they went there? How could they have entered so quickly and been unable to get out? How could I be the only one so badly burned while they were completely unharmed?
All the clues pointed to one thing—Zac had released the gas himself. He had no intention of returning to celebrate my birthday that day and made a lousy excuse about being trapped. He didn't expect me to love him so much that I'd risk everything to save him.
Memories and reality blurred as Zac's concerned face appeared before me. He gently held me, softly stroking my back. "Liz, why are you crying like this? Did you have a nightmare?"
He was always so confident, thinking that every clumsy excuse he made could make me believe it without a doubt and I trusted whatever he said. Even though I had just clearly heard Carmen's voice, he assumed I couldn't hear due to hearing loss. He was naturally thinking my tears were from a nightmare, not from him.
