Chapter 7
Then came the jewelry. Boxes from every brand imaginable piled up on the foyer cabinet. I didn’t bother opening any of them. I just left them there, untouched.
At work, a project I’d been stuck on suddenly started Moving again. My assistant said Anthony had stepped in, Making several trips to convince the Most stubborn shareholders.
I wasn’t exactly indifferent to all this. After all, I did love him once.
For some reason, everyone seemed to think I was the one left behind.
By the time those screenshots and office gossip made their way to me, the story had already changed.
Now people said I couldn’t keep Anthony. that I was clinging to him and refusing to sign the papers, desperately holding onto the Marriage. The rumors sounded so convincing, like they’d actually seen Me begging him not to leave.
One day, I ran into William at the Mall. He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and said, “Kayla, no offense, but you
should know when to let go. Anthony waited for her for so long. Why not let them be together? Isn’t it better for them to end up together?”
I smiled back. So in their eyes, I was just the bad guy who refused to step aside, the one breaking up the so-called “true love.”
He thought I was wavering, so he added, “Three years. Shouldn’t you be grateful by now?”
I rolled my eyes.
Grateful for being the stand-in?
Or grateful that I should disappear?
I was done listening, so I turned and walked away.
Sick of all the hassle, I moved into a new apartment.
Anthony left me alone for a few days, and I thought maybe he’d finally come to his senses.
But then, in the Middle of the night, My phone started ringing nonstop. Half-asleep, I fumbled for it and saw a
dozen Missed calls. The ringtone just kept going.
“Kayla, you finally picked up.” It was
William, his voice barely hiding his panic.
“Anthony’s drunk out of his mind, and we can’t hold him back.
“He keeps calling your name. His stomach’s been acting up these past couple days, and if he keeps drinking like this, he could end up in the hospital. Please, you need to come over right now.”
I sat up and turned on the light, only to see it was pouring outside. Rain was pattering loudly against the glass.
“Kayla? Are you listening? Anthony’s been calling your name nonstop these past few days. He…”
I cut him off. “If he’s drunk, just take him to the ER. I’m not his doctor. If his
stomach’s about to burst, that’s the hospital’s problem, not mine. And isn’t there Sarah? Bet she’d jump at the
chance.”
There was a pause, and his voice got quieter. “Kayla, about Sarah… Anthony won’t let her near him. Last time she showed up, he blew up and had her transferred to another branch.
“She can’t even come to HQ anymore. He said he never wants to see her again.” William said, sounding unsure, like he was tiptoeing around the truth. “Kayla,
seriously, you’re the only one he’ll even acknowledge now.”
The rain outside was getting heavier, and William kept going, telling me how messed up Anthony had been lately, not just losing weight, but up all night, just sitting in the living room, staring at nothing.
I suddenly felt like laughing. These were the same friends who used to hint that I should be sensible and let true love have its way. Now they were the ones begging Me to come over. No Matter what, they always had something to say.
“You guys really are something else,” I said. “First you told me to step aside and let them be together, now you want me to Come clean up your mess?”
I shook my head, just finding it all pointless, and hung up.
The next time I saw Anthony, it was at the hospital.
Who would’ve thought my casual remark about him ending up in the ER with a stomach perforation would come true?