Chapter 4

The room stayed quiet until my delivery showed up. I opened TikTok, and the first clip that loaded was footage from Jason's concert. The title read: [Jason's Concert: VIP Front-Row Couple, Total crowd-melting sweetness].

My heart skipped a beat. On screen, Alex turned his head. Emily leaned in so close their lips touched, and the camera captured that exact moment for everyone to see.

The comment section flooded with well-wishes.

[Stay together forever.]

[So sweet.]

[I'm totally shipping them.]

"No, Julia," Emily said, grabbing my phone, her voice shaky like she was about to cry. "It was the camera angle. Alex and I were only whispering."

I didn't bother looking at her. I huffed a cold laugh, took my phone back, and watched the full clip all the way through.

Jason stood up on stage grinning, sending blessings toward Alex and Emily. That moment was supposed to belong to Alex and me.

Alex's face turned grim. "Julia, we've already told you, it's only the angle. Can you stop overreacting? If there was something going on between us, we would have gotten together ages ago."

I took a bite of my pizza, tilted my head, and gave them an innocent-looking stare. "Did I say anything? Or are you two just feeling guilty about something?"

Right then, Emily doubled over and clutched her abdomen. "My stomach hurts really bad."

Alex spun around in an instant and rushed to prop her up. "What's wrong? Did you overexert yourself jumping around at the show?"

Emily shot a quick glance at me, her cheeks flushing red. "I think it's my time of the month."

Alex smacked his forehead. "Oh, how could I forget?"

Without a second thought, he grabbed his wallet and keys and dashed for the door. "Wait here. I'll go get you some medicine."

He knew Emily's cycle. He remembered her favorite snacks. He would race out in the dead of night to buy her tampons.

Meanwhile, he forgot how sensitive my stomach was. He forgot I waited two hours outside the venue for him. He forgot this trip was supposed to be our honeymoon.

I had zero interest in watching Emily's little performance, so I kicked her out.

I picked at my pizza as tears blurred my sight. Six years of love, thrown completely down the drain.

*****

Dawn broke over the sky. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were puffy and swollen. The tears had dried up, leaving only numbness behind.

I quickly packed up my things and checked out.

Alex wasn't in the room. I didn't have to guess. He was definitely over with Emily.

I forced a bitter smile, not even having the energy to care anymore. I felt hollow inside and stopped loving him. Where he went didn't matter.

On my way to the train station, Alex texted me, asking where I was headed.

I stared at the screen for a minute, my finger hovering over the keyboard. In the end, I flipped my phone to silent mode. There was no point. More questions and his explanations were useless.

The business-class seat leaned back slowly. Its soft back supported my worn-out body. For the first time ever, traveling alone didn't feel bad at all. I didn't have to keep up with anyone, force a smile, or carry that heavy, stifling weight on my chest.

Back in my own place, I slept for a full eighteen hours. When I woke up, the sunset had painted the curtains orange.

I washed my face and grabbed my phone. Alex's messages kept pouring in nonstop.

Alex: [Julia, where did you go?]

Alex: [Why don't you answer my phone?]

Alex: [Julia, did you go back?]

Alex: [There really is nothing between Emily and me. She got sick and I ended up blowing you off. That's my fault. I will make it up to you on our next vacation.]

I wavered for a split second as I read his increasingly frantic messages. But then my damp fingertip brushed the screen and accidentally opened Emily's Twitter profile.

Her feed was flooded with new posts, all tagged at spots we'd supposedly visited together: Starlight Cove Beach, Timeless Garden, and Heritage Seafood.

I laughed out loud at the screen. I told myself at least all my effort on the travel plans and itineraries hadn't been for nothing.

That night, I erased every trace of Alex from my apartment.

Then I sat cross-legged on the carpet and scrolled through old photos. Pictures of the coffee I bought him as an apology when we first met, all the way to the wedding-dress shots we took last year.

We had over 22,300 saved chat messages. I deleted them one by one until five in the morning. With every message I erased, a little piece of me faded away. By the end, I felt empty inside, completely numb to everything.

I quickly tallied up all the wedding-related expenses and transferred the money to Alex. I left a brief note: [Wedding's off. We're done.]