The Boarding Pass You'll Never See

Synopsis

That night, while Edwin Carter was at his cast party, Sylvia Bennett had prepared a full dinner at home in Hinston, waiting for him to return. When Edwin finally walked through the door, he still had traces of makeup on his face. He didn't even glance at the carefully set table, and he didn't look at Sylvia for a single second. Instead, he went straight to the bedroom closet and started packing a suitcase. "I can't go with you to Wonderland tomorrow," he said. "There's an urgent reshoot with Josie's crew, and I need to fly out to the Golden Hills film set." Sylvia stayed quiet, taking a bite of her cold lobster mac and cheese. The once-creamy sauce had congealed, turning thick and greasy. The pasta clumped together, sticking in her throat and making it hard to swallow. She forced it down anyway, feeling a sharp ache as it scraped against her throat. At two in the morning, Josie Stone, Edwin's first love and a newly acclaimed, brilliant director, posted on Twitter. In the photo, Josie leaned against him holding a bouquet of roses, while Edwin beamed at the camera. In the background, heart-shaped fireworks lit up the night sky above the film set. The caption read: [Thank you, Edwin, for the roses and fireworks. I love them.] The comments section blew up immediately. [Are they officially dating now?] [After all this time, it's still them. I'm sobbing.] [This is so sweet.] Unlike before, Sylvia didn't make any frantic calls to confront him. Her trembling fingers hovered over the screen for a long time before she finally gave the post a casual like. The little like icon looked like a drop of blood on the screen. Her phone rang shortly after. It was Edwin, sounding a little panicked. "Sylvia, don't get the wrong idea," he said. "I'll be back in Hinston as soon as I finish shooting. Didn't you always want to visit Wonderland? We can go later." Sylvia silently shook her head. A deep sense of despair washed over her. There wasn't going to be a "later" with Edwin.