Chapter 2
The lock clicked shut, and the world finally emptied out, leaving only me behind.
The delayed agony crept up my chest, tight and suffocating. I supposed I should be feeling some sort of profound sadness right now.
But when a physical piece of you gets hollowed out, the vessel that holds your emotions seems to crack along with it.
I tried to force a tear just to mark the moment, but my eyes just burned with a hollow pain.
Giving up, I slowly shuffled to the bathroom. I washed up carefully, terrified of pressing too hard against the fresh scar I had earned for Killian. The woman staring back at me in the mirror was frighteningly pale.
My face was ordinary in every way, save for a pair of eyes that Killian always described as holding a shimmering lake within them.
He used to tell me that whenever he looked into my eyes, all his worries would just sink to the bottom.
Maybe my whole life had simply been too heavy for him.
I grew up in the foster care system, and even my first name had been randomly assigned by a social worker. I had clawed my way to this point through relentless studying and endless part-time jobs.
Meeting Killian had been the single, brilliant stroke of color in my otherwise gray existence.
Sometimes, I used to wake up in the middle of the night and pinch myself, just to make sure I hadn't stolen someone else's luck.
For seven whole years, Killian was my world. I had almost forgotten what life looked like without him.
Every day felt like borrowed life. A girl practically struggling to survive had somehow caught the most brilliant star in the entire law school.
But the magic had officially worn off. The girl in the mirror was back to being a pumpkin, reduced to a sickly patient with a hidden scar and a 500-grand severance package sitting in her bank account.
My chest felt completely hollow. I couldn't even tell if I was numb or just drowning in a much deeper kind of exhaustion.
The apartment was large and quiet. I could even hear my own sluggish heartbeat.
I unlocked my phone to order some soup, but a message from a mutual friend popped up first.
It was a voice memo. When I tapped it, her excited voice filled the quiet room. "Oh my god. I just saw Killian and his fiancée at the hotel.
"They are picking out wedding bands, and they are completely all over each other. The diamond on Claire's finger is blinding. Mr. Reed really went all out this time. He spoils her so much."
Right after that, she sent a blurry, zoomed-in photo. Killian was looking down at the woman beside him, tracing her hand. The line of his jaw held that same gentle, focused devotion I used to be so obsessed with.
My friend followed up with a new text. [Man, I really thought you two were going to make it. But I guess this is for the best. I heard Claire's family is a huge boost for his career. Total power couple.]
Then, she forwarded a screenshot from our college alumni group chat. There were already hundreds of messages tagging Killian, showering him and Claire with blessings for a perfect marriage and an eternal bond.
Buried in that overwhelming sea of digital confetti, someone had asked, [Wait, wasn't Killian with Eva Lane for a really long time?]
The question was instantly swallowed by more congratulations. Nobody answered. It was like a speck of dust falling into a rushing river of celebration.
At the very bottom of the screenshot was Killian's personal reply. It was just a smiling emoji and two words. [Thank you.]