The Real Goodbye

I had been Keith's fiancée for six years. He doted on me relentlessly yet never once mentioned marrying me. I mustered up all my courage and proposed to him at my birthday party, but he silently left me. Then someone took a photo of him kissing the girl next door.

He was annoyed that I acted alone and accused me of being suspicious. Yet, I later overheard him laughing with his friends. "Zoey only holds onto me because of her parents' kindness in saving my life. After all these years, I suppose I've repaid that debt."

I smiled bitterly and left the country.

Later, Keith finally agreed to marry me. Of course, I rushed back home without hesitation. It wasn't to rekindle our engagement but to end it.

***

I clutched an umbrella and ran lightly down the hallway, my steps bouncing excitedly. Keith always called me clumsy, saying I couldn't even care for myself and that it made him worry about me. However, I wanted to show him that I could take care of myself and protect him.

It was raining and if Keith saw me bringing him an umbrella, he would surely praise me for being thoughtful and considerate, right? I rehearsed my words in my head over and over again. "Keith, it's nothing. Once I become your wife, this is just what I should do."

Listening to the lively conversation in the private room, I slowed my pace. Keith valued his pride, so I didn't want to barge in recklessly.

"Keith, we all saw the photos from that night. What's going on?"

"I heard Sadie Simpson came back just for you."

"You've been stringing that little girl along for six years. Why not just do the right thing and marry her?"

I froze, startled to hear that familiar yet distant name. Sadie Simpson, the girl, who used to live next door to Keith's house.

She had gone abroad before I moved into Keith's house. I had assumed they were just close like siblings, but hearing it from others made it sound different. So, the woman from that night was her.

Then Keith's deep, teasing voice rang out. "Don't make things up. Sadie and I are just friends. There's nothing between us like you're imagining."

The storm of emotions inside me began to settle. The corners of my lips lifted unconsciously. How could Keith be involved with another woman? He loved me. Sadly, my confidence was shattered in the next moment.

"Zoey is only still around because her parents saved my life. She's carried the title of fiancée for so many years and it's time to repay that debt in full.

The umbrella slipped from my hand and hit the hallway floor with a dull thud, but it didn't disturb the men and women drinking inside the room. My heart cracked and the chill swept the pieces away, leaving nothing but a hollow, unbearable cold.

It turned out Keith's kindness toward me had never been love. It had only ever been a repayment of an old debt. Was that why he ran away the night I proposed?

A week ago, it was my birthday—the day that marked six years since our engagement. But in all that time, he had never once brought up marriage.

I'd told myself it was because he was busy with work, or maybe he was secretly planning some big surprise. After all, everyone knew I was Keith's cherished treasure.

He'd once beaten the boys who teased me for being an orphan, leaving himself battered and bruised but grinning as he performed silly magic tricks to cheer me up. He would sing to me during every thunderstorm. Even though he sang off-key and badly, he never stopped.

He would flick my forehead and call me an idiot whenever I had a silly idea, then turn around and act like an idiot himself, trying to make it happen. He never had any of the usual socialite girls around him. He said he didn't want to make me feel insecure.

I didn't want to wait any longer. So, I put on a white dress and mustered all my courage to propose. "Keith, I want to marry you!"

He looked at me. His calm eyes held a storm I couldn't decipher and all I could do was wait, trembling with uncertainty.