Chapter 3

We started by filming their pre-wedding vlog, and whether it was intentional or not, Charles took her past every single place we had ever been together.

The breakfast spot where we shared a sandwich.

The market where we crouched under the eaves to shelter from the rain, and where Charles softly hummed a tune to cheer me up.

The bridal shop where, at 22, he had promised me forever.

All the while, I watched them strike intimate poses, one after the other.

Charles was meticulously wiping the slate clean of our memories, leaving behind only the traces of his love for someone else.

Finally, I followed them to the dessert shop right by my home.

Dazed, I stared up at the place that held far too many memories. Now, a massive character for "demolition" was painted across the wall.

I numbly walked up to the owner, my voice tight and strained, and asked, "What happened? Why is this place being torn down?"

Before the owner could even answer, Sophia bounded forward. She giggled, clinging to Charles' arm, her tone a mix of pure bragging and sweetness. "Charles bought the place for me. He said desserts are too rich, and that this spot holds a lot of disgusting memories, so he's turning it into a flower shop for me, and he'll only stock my favorite baby's breath."

I paused, my voice coming out rough and scratchy. "Is that right? Well, congratulations to you both."

Charles threw me a cold, indifferent look, then turned and pulled Sophia into his arms. "Yes, the people and things here are utterly disgusting. The sight of them makes me want to throw up."

His tone was thick with sarcasm, as if he still hated how heartless I'd been to him.

But I suddenly started to laugh, realizing something must have shattered into pieces in that alley the night he left. For the first time, I felt like it wasn't worth it.

As I was leaving, a sticky note fluttered down in a small circle and landed at my feet. I didn't bother to pick it up. It was one Charles had written on my 22nd birthday.

Back then, I always complained, saying my name must have been cursed. He had then folded me 99 little paper suns and wrote on the note: [From now on, I'll be your sunshine.]

The store's speaker—still left on—started playing an old breakup song, the lyrics drifting through the empty space. "Feels like we never loved each other at all..."

It finally dawned on me that he truly didn't feel a thing for me anymore.

*****

The wedding shoot was scheduled at Crystal Peak.

The place was stunning—the same spot Charles and I had once promised we'd visit together someday.

I never imagined the first time I came here would be to photograph him and another woman.

I lifted my camera and pushed down the bitterness rising in my throat.

The couple across from me was extremely sweet. Every time Sophia changed outfits, she would pout and ask if she looked pretty. Charles, looking at her tenderly, would reply, "Sophie, you're the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."

That soft, doting manner sent me down memory lane.

Whenever we passed a bridal shop, Charles would always point to the dress in the window and look at me earnestly. "Emily, trust me, I'll make you the happiest bride in the world one day."

I would always jump onto his back with a giggle and say, "Okay. But now carry your future wife home first."

Charles would lovingly cradle my legs, and as the sun set, our shadows blended together.

Back then, I believed we would stay that way forever. But that one incident became the unforeseen twist. A web of pain slowly threaded its way through my chest.

*****

During the break, my shirt snagged on a rock, accidentally exposing a large patch of scarred skin on my back.

Sophia came over, her tone innocently cruel. "Emily, what is that on your back? It looks really awful."

I stayed silent, my thoughts slipping back to those days.

When I was 22, Charles got into a fight with the local gang's number two for my sake. Afterward, I overheard in an alley that they were bringing a massive crew back to mess Charles up for good.

Swallowing the painful truth, I heartlessly cut him loose that same night and went to face the thugs alone.

I genuinely believed we were too poor back then, and I couldn't let him ruin his own future for me.

Seeing my continued silence, Sophia covered her mouth and chuckled. "It must be a pretty shameful memory, huh?

"I'm not like you, Emily. Charles has always protected me. When I was 22, some punks said bad things about me, and Charles immediately stormed over that same evening and forced them to come and apologize to me."

Charles gently brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "Sophie, I'll always protect you."

I froze, shaking uncontrollably from head to toe. Charles had never let on that his fight was for Sophia.

That day, he came home covered in cuts and bruises. When I asked him what happened, he only gave me a cold look and mumbled, "Emily, they spoke ill of you. I couldn't stand by and watch, so I beat them up."

That was why, when I heard they were planning revenge on him, I didn't hesitate and took the fall for him.

After two years, that scar on my back flared up, burning so bad it nearly broke me.

That night in the alley, I was forced to repeatedly beg for forgiveness, and my two decades of pride were ground into dust.

Shaking, I stood up and looked at Charles' cold profile, desperate to open my mouth and demand an explanation. I wanted to ask him, "Why?" and "How could you?"

But the moment I tried to speak, tears came pouring out instead.

Charles suddenly looked at me, exasperated. "Emily, will you cut it out with the crying? It's so annoying. Are you really that starved for attention?"

With that, he grabbed Sophia and walked away, leaving me stranded and alone on the pitch-black mountain, where the night air was freezing cold.

I grabbed my ripped clothes and slowly sank down; my chest felt like it had been ripped out, and I struggled to breathe.

The love I had poured into him, the love I had sacrificed everything for, turned out to be nothing but a fool's errand. Even this terminal illness I had was caused by the severe injuries from that night in the alley.

Nosebleeds dripped onto the ground, and the howls of wolves kept echoing all around. My vision went black, and I completely passed out.