4: 4
With one day left on the countdown, Paul finally remembered I existed.
He deigned to send me a message:
"Lavinia, one o'clock this afternoon, under the Ferris wheel in Northbrook. Don't be late."
I looked around his empty apartment, as if I had never belonged here at all.
I replied with a single "okay," ready to put an end to all of it.
But when I got there, he was nowhere in sight. What I saw instead was Janet, happily posing for photos.
She saw me walking over and lifted a bright smile.
"Lavinia, are you here to see my bridal shoot too?"
"Paul is really something. He said he wanted to surprise me, and then he went and called you here on purpose. So embarrassing!"
A bridal shoot? The two of them were getting married?
My mind went blank, but I held onto my smile and offered her my congratulations.
"So that's it. Then I really do wish you the best."
Janet smiled sweetly, but the venom in her eyes seeped out as she gripped my arm and hissed through her teeth.
"You think Paul likes you? He's already slept with me more times than I can count. You're just an ugly nobody who can't hold onto a man."
I had no intention of arguing, but she shrieked and threw herself backward.
"Lavinia, why did you push me?"
The next second, a hard slap came flying at me.
I cupped my swollen, stinging cheek, looked up at Paul's furious face, and understood that Janet had staged all of it.
"Why did you push Janet? What a vicious heart you have!"
With that, he scooped Janet up in his arms, aching with concern for her, and hurried off without sparing me so much as a glance.
I let out a bitter laugh and dialed Corey.
"Everything's arranged on my end. My flight's tonight. I'll be there tomorrow."
Corey's voice lifted with excitement.
"Good. I'll be waiting for you here. Don't worry, I've got everything ready for you."
I nodded, at ease, and headed for the airport.
Wheeling my suitcases along, right before boarding, several messages came in from Paul.
"Lavinia, I'm advising you to go apologize to Janet properly. I can pretend none of this ever happened."
"Where are you? Playing blind, ignoring my messages?"
"I'm giving you one last chance. Don't push your luck!"
I didn't reply. I just muted him.
In the last second before I boarded, he went off like a madman, one message after another.
"Lavinia? Why aren't you home?"
"Lavinia? Your dad never came in at all!! You lied to me!"
"Lavinia, where on earth did you go? Answer me now!"
I switched off my phone and looked down at the endless stretch of sky, as if to cast off every last trace of the past.
