Chapter 3

Kathy froze for a second, then hurried after me, reaching out for the coat.

"Let me take it. You really like this coat, so I'll get someone to clean it up," she said.

I shook my head and tossed the coat into a nearby trash can, keeping my voice cool.

"Forget it. I can't stand anything with stains on it. You know how I am about cleanliness," I said.

Kathy's smile faltered, her face stiffening when she saw how distant I was.

She understood that I wasn't just tossing out a coat. I was tossing out what was left between us.

She opened her mouth to speak, but I'd already settled the bill and walked away.

Not far from the hospital, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Kathy.

She wrote: [Hey, don't be mad, okay? I bought you swiss roll from the shop you mentioned last time. Don't forget to grab it.]

When the delivery arrived, I stared at the familiar box and couldn't help but smile.

Back when she pissed me off, she'd always buy me swiss roll from this place to cheer me up.

I took a bite, almost on autopilot.

It used to taste sweet, but now all I taste was bitterness. It was hard to get down.

Kathy didn't come home that night.

Getting over seven years together was way more painful than I thought it'd be.

I couldn't sleep at all, so I finally got up and started packing my stuff.

Our matching hoodies still hung in the closet. Photo frames sat on the bookshelf, and notes were stuck all over the fridge.

Every single thing pricked at my heart with memories.

I remembered the year we graduated. Kathy had just started as a firefighter, and barely had a moment to herself.

But whenever she got a day off, she'd come running to see me, her eyes sparkling like stars.

She would say, "Austin, as soon as I've saved up enough for the down payment of a house, I'll marry you."

Three years later, she stood in front of me, holding the deed to our place and a diamond ring, her voice shaking.

"I did it, Austin. I got us a home. I kept my word," she said.

The sun was shining so bright that day. I hugged her and cried my eyes out, feeling like nothing in the world could ever top that moment.

We painted the walls together, built the furniture side by side, and packed the balcony with my favorite sunflowers.

She always said she wanted our home to be filled with sunlight forever.

But now, there was no room for me in this home anymore.

When I closed the lid on the last box, the first light of dawn was creeping in.

After I called the moving truck to haul my stuff away, both our parents showed up at the door.

I hadn't told them anything about Kathy, so they still had no clue why, just days ago we were supposed to get married, and now we were suddenly breaking up.

My parents sighed and didn't try to talk me out of it. They simply said, "If you ever want to come home, you know you can."

But Kathy's mom, Mildred wouldn't let go of my hand.

"Austin, can you give Kathy another chance? As for what happened at the wedding, she just wasn't thinking straight," Mildred pleaded.

I didn't say a word. I only told the movers to keep loading the boxes.

As Mildred was about to talk herself hoarse, the door swung open.

Kathy walked in. She brought Brandon with her.

He was wearing Kathy's coat, clinging to her arm like a lost kitten who'd found its owner.

The room went dead silent. Everyone's eyes glued to the two of them.

Mildred's voice trembled. "Kathy, did you betray Austin?"

Kathy's father, Frank was shaking with anger. "Who the hell is this guy?"

Kathy didn't answer. She glanced around the empty living room, then looked at me. "You're moving out?"

"Yeah," I replied, keeping my voice steady. "I'm moving back in with my parents."

She looked relieved. "Alright. I'll come get you before the next wedding."

Kathy casually introduced Brandon, pulling him forward to stand beside her. "This is Brandon Davisson. I rescued him during a call. He's dealing with depression, and the team asked me to look after him for a while to help him stabilize."

Her straightforwardness making all our earlier doubts feel downright childish.

Brandon flashed a sweet smile and reached out to take Mildred's arm. "Hi, Mrs. Gilroy. Kathy's always been so good to me, and she even brought me home for dinner tonight.

"Since everyone's here, how about I cook for us? Let everyone try my cooking."

Mildred looked at me, her face full of hesitation. "Austin, maybe we should all sit down and talk things out?"

Just as I was about to refuse, Brandon cut in, his eyes flashing with a provocative glint. "Austin, why don't you stay too? The more, the merrier, right?"

Smack!

The sound of that slap echoed through the room.

I gaped, totally stunned. My mom had just slapped Brandon.

"Mom!" I shouted.

My mom looked at me, eyes red and voice shaking.

"I'm your mother, so of course I know you," she said. "You've been with Kathy since you were seventeen. That's seven years. You quit your job at the design firm so you could stay home and look after her.

"You learned to cook her favorite food, and you even remember where she keeps every single pair of socks. If your heart wasn't completely broken, would you really be leaving now?"