Chapter 4
As the calendar pages flipped by, every single day felt like a sharp blade stabbing straight into my heart.
I stared at the monitor in a daze, my ears buzzing, and it felt like my soul was slipping out of my body.
"Cindy! Cindy! Are you alright?" The older lady's voice pulled me back to my senses.
I managed a smile uglier than tears. "I'm okay. I should get going."
She said, "So, when are you and your boyfriend of three years finally going to get married? I think you're a perfect match. Your kids would be beautiful! And that young man is tall and handsome, looks reliable!"
Three years? Travis and I had been married for three years...
Were they together before Travis and I got married, or did it start after?
I could barely keep myself upright. I just wanted to escape this place that was choking me.
I reached for the door, but right then, the elevator dinged, and Cindy called out.
She said, "She's catching up on sleep at home this afternoon, so we can really let loose. But after today, is it really the end?"
Travis said, his tone resolute, "I can't let her be heartbroken."
Fear suddenly engulfed me. I didn't want to face the truth that was coming.
I snatched my hand away from the doorknob and backed away in a blind panic.
But their voices just kept echoing in my head, no matter how much I wanted to block them out.
Cindy said softly, "These past two months... it really felt like we were a real couple. Just having had this is enough for me."
She admitted, "Sorry about this morning, it was my fault. I was just too careless."
Travis said firmly, "You know I can't afford to lose Evelyn. This can't happen again."
"But I just can't help myself! I love you so much! I want every bit of your love!" Cindy cried out, her voice trembling.
Travis replied softly, "I know."
Cindy asked, "Can you grant me one last wish?"
"What is it?" Travis asked, his tone gentle.
Cindy said, "I want a fireworks moment. You've never told me you love me. Even if today is our last day together, just this once... I want you to say it out loud, for the whole world to hear."
There was a long silence.
Travis finally replied, "Okay. Even though Evelyn will always be the one I love most, there'll always be a place for you in my heart."
"Just hearing you say that, that's all I ever needed." Cindy's voice broke, choked with emotion.
When I heard the door slam shut, I immediately rushed out and left.
I hopped into a cab and told the driver to just keep driving, just circling the city, round and round.
My brain was fried, totally blank. I was just an empty shell, running on autopilot.
"Miss, where exactly do you want to go? You don't look so good. Do you need any help? Maybe I should just take you home," the driver asked worriedly through the rearview mirror.
"I'm fine, just take me to the riverfront," I said, my scattered thoughts slowly starting to come back together.
That was the spot Travis and Cindy had chosen for their fireworks show, the place that would mark their love.
I wanted to see it with my own eyes.
I wanted to witness how the man I loved with all my heart would declare his feelings to my best friend of more than twenty years, the one who'd always hold a corner of his heart.
The wind off the river, damp and gentle but unforgiving, brushed against my face.
People around me were buzzing with excitement, chattering away.
"Did you hear? Someone rented out the downtown bridge for a massive proposal! They've shut down the whole bridge and riverfront to traffic. Now that's going all out!"
"Word is, just the fireworks alone cost about two million dollars, the light show is another 700 thousand dollars, and renting the venue is 700 thousand dollars! With all the staff and extras, they're probably dropping over three million dollars tonight!"
"Three million! These rich folks have so much money to burn, just blowing it all in one night!"
"What do you know? If you've got the cash, why not blow it? That's what real romance looks like, you know?"
Romance? Some kinds of romance were watered with someone else's heartbreak and tears.
Listening to the crowd gush with envy, all I felt was a cold numbness creeping over me.
It was like an invisible hand wrapped around my throat, choking the life out of me.
Right at 8 pm, the show kicked off.
Heart-shaped fireworks shot up into the inky sky, trailing bright sparks behind them.
At their highest point, they exploded with a loud bang. Scattering into a shower of glittering stars.
Their light danced across the rippling river, casting a cold glow over my pale face.
People were like this, using things that vanish in a heartbeat to stand in for love, pretending it meant forever.
What a joke.
"Look, look! Oh wow, it's stunning! The fireworks even have initials on them. T & C! Who are they? Love that lasts forever! Seriously, this is next-level romantic!"
The crowd burst into excited cheers, with one girl's voice especially loud.
"Guys, look at the big screen! You can see two people in silhouette! The guy's down on one knee with flowers. Oh my god, now they're hugging! They're kissing!" another girl squealed, her voice cracking with excitement.
"This has to be a proposal! It's like a fairy tale! What girl could ever turn down a moment like this? This is the kind of memory you'd never forget in your whole life!"