My eyes caught the shirt she was wearing, and my stomach twisted. That shirt… it was the one I bought him on our first anniversary. I had nothing then just scraps of savings from skipping meals and pawning my mother’s necklace. When I placed it in his hands, he broke down. He kissed my forehead and swore that I should never bleed for him again, swore he’d protect me from every hardship life could throw our way. For years, he kept that shirt folded away like a relic, something too precious to be worn.
And now she was wearing it. Smiling. Holding him.
She looked at me as if she had just noticed I was there, then pressed her cheek to his back, pretending to be shy. “Why didn’t you tell me someone was here? Look at me, I must look ridiculous.”
Wilmer frowned and tried to loosen her grip, but she only held on tighter. And the pride in her eyes when she looked at me… she wasn’t even hiding it.
I forced myself to look away. “I’m just here to return things. If it’s convenient, please give me the token back.”
I held out the signet ring to him. The symbol of everything I thought would last.
He hesitated, and for a moment I thought he might finally drop the act. But instead, he tightened his grip on her hand and sneered. “Do you think I’m free right now?”
The air in my lungs felt too heavy to breathe. I gripped the box tighter, trying to stop the trembling. I had told myself I was ready to walk away, but seeing this still cracked something deep inside me.
I remembered the first time we fought because of her. He had fallen on his knees back then, swearing that everything he did was just to repay a debt, that it was only temporary, that he was only delaying our wedding so he could marry me sooner.
But Madonna’s debt never ended. It grew and grew until it swallowed everything I was supposed to have with him.
Tonight, the last snowflake fell, and the avalanche finally broke free.
And I could finally let go.
I placed the signet ring down on the table, forcing my hand not to shake. “Then when it’s convenient for you, just have someone deliver it to me.”
I had planned to talk seriously, to finally say the words let’s end this, but then I saw Madonna’s nails clutching at his shirt, clinging to him like she owned him, and I saw his body stiffen under her touch. My stomach twisted so violently I thought I might throw up. I couldn’t stand there any longer. I turned and started walking out.
“Wait.”
His voice was sharp, cutting through the room. I froze.
“Are you really going to break off the engagement with me?” His tone was dark, like a warning.
I turned my head just slightly, enough so he could hear me clearly. “Yes.”
I caught the curve of his lips, that mocking little sneer. He stepped forward suddenly and kicked the boxes stacked against the wall, “If you’re breaking off the engagement, then what are you keeping this trash for?”
He was staring at me, waiting. Waiting for me to crumble, waiting for me to cry like I had so many times before.
But I didn’t. “You’re right. There’s no need to keep them. If they bother you, throw them away yourself.”
His fists tightened so hard I heard his knuckles crack. “Why would I touch your things? Take them all away yourself, so you don’t have an excuse to come crawling back, pretending you forgot something.”
“Okay…”
I walked into the bedroom, numb, and started gathering every little piece of myself from the room. This was supposed to be our wedding room. Every shelf, every drawer, every corner held memories we had built together since we were children. Now I was erasing myself, piece by piece.
When my eyes fell on the red bedsheet, wrinkled and stained, my stomach lurched. I covered my mouth, choking back the bile. That sheet… it was proof. Proof of what they had done here. Proof of his betrayal.
My tears fall but I swallowed hard, and forced myself to calm.
From the living room, I heard them. Giggling. Laughing like some lovers… They wanted me to hear. They wanted to break me.
I kept my face blank, kept folding, and kept packing. When everything of mine was gone, I closed the bedroom door gently.
Just as it clicked shut, his voice reached me again. “Lucille. You once promised me you’d do something for me unconditionally. Does that still count?”
My heart stopped for a moment. My mind flew back to the summer after the college exams. A sudden storm had swollen the river near our town, and I had tried to cross it, thinking I could make it to the other side. The current nearly dragged me under. He had jumped in without a second thought, grabbing me with one arm while the other tore against jagged rocks. Blood had run freely, but he had smiled through the pain so I wouldn’t feel guilty.
I had promised then, with tears in my eyes, that I’d do something for him one day, anything he asked, no questions.
Back then he had said, All I want is for Lucy to be happy for the rest of her life.
I had laughed and told him to pick something for himself. But he had just smiled and said, As long as you’re with me, I don’t need anything else.
And now here he was. Looking at me while kissing her forehead softly. “Maddie wants cherry cake from the Sun Valley. Go buy them.”
I stared at him. I stared so hard I thought I’d burn a hole through him. Then I whispered, “Alright.”
Even this wish, this one favor I owed him—it was for her. Always her.
That was fine. That way, there would be nothing left between us.
