I ran out of Vance's apartment, leaving the gift box I had lovingly prepared in his room. My cry broke, these tears flowing freely. I was barefoot, running on the cold sidewalk, through the deserted streets at night.
My steps stopped in a deserted park. I flopped down on a wooden bench, my body trembling with the pain that tore at my heart. Under the dim park lights, I wiped away the tears roughly, but it wasn't enough to stop the pain that still lingered.
Slowly, I took out my cell phone from the small bag. My trembling fingers opened the photo gallery. A screen filled with memories of Vance's smiling face when we were on vacation. Romantic dinners, to small moments that once made me feel happy with him.
But now, every photo was a thorn in my heart.
"Why... why are you doing this, Vance?" I whispered almost inaudibly.
I opened my social media, which was full of posts about Vance. Photos of birthdays, anniversaries of our relationship, or just funny moments we shared with the world. I stared at the screen in confusion.
"I should delete all of these... but where do I start?" I mumbled.
I tried deleting one photo and then another. But every time I deleted one, the tears wouldn't stop falling. They flowed even harder.
Each photo is not only a memory but also a reminder of a betrayal I never expected. Now my relationship with her ended like this.
With trembling hands, I stared at the screen full of names and faces of the man who had broken my heart. "I can't," I muttered. "I can't do it now..."
I hugged my knees on the park bench, crying deeper. Vance and Grace's betrayal felt like a burden I couldn't carry.
I sobbed under the night sky, my cell phone still clutched tightly in my hand.
When I unconsciously swiped the screen, Grace's social media account suddenly appeared on the screen. I paused, my mind momentarily blank. I couldn't remember the last time I looked at my step-sister's social media, especially after I decided not to follow Grace's account anymore since I was kicked out of the house.
My fingers trembled as I tapped through the photos on the account. I wasn't prepared for what I saw. The first photo featured Grace with a big smile in a fancy restaurant, wearing a beautiful dress, and by her side was Vance.
"No way..." My eyes widened.
I scroll the screen further, but it only makes my heart break more. It turned out that there were many pictures of them together. Some were even taken in places familiar to her, locations where Vance and I had spent time together.
What hurt even more was that some of the photos had affectionate captions.
"A beautiful night with my special man," Grace wrote on one of the photos. My chest tightens as if air can no longer enter my lungs.
My hands clenched into fists, it felt like my body was getting weaker. My mind drifted back to the past-the day I left home after my father's death. That day, Grace and her mother got rid of me without the slightest care.
"You've caused enough trouble. This is no longer your home," I remembered my stepmother's cold words.
The house was full of memories of my mother and father. But I'd been kicked out like I didn't even own the house anymore.
And now, I met Grace again after so many years. She not only took the house that should have been mine but also Vance, the love of my life.
I felt as if my world was falling to pieces.
I stared at my phone screen, imagining Grace's face which must be full of satisfaction right now. For the first time in my life, I felt a burning anger inside me as I looked at a photo. A photo that caught my eye.
It shows Grace wearing a red jeweled necklace, just like the one I'm wearing right now. It's even very similar to the one I'm wearing. The necklace Vance gave me. Was Grace's necklace also given to her by Vance?
"Argh, damn it! Traitor!" I cursed, getting up from the park bench to slam my phone. However, that intention was stopped when my eyes caught a black car that suddenly stopped not far from me.
From inside the car, several people dressed all in black got out and quickly approached me. Without having time to react, they covered my mouth and nose with a piece of cloth. A strong foreign scent entered my nose, making my vision blur before everything went dark.
