Chapter 2
I pretended like nothing had happened and went back to the house Felix and I had picked out for after the wedding
Back to our so–called home.
I took out every gift he’d ever given me over the years–letters, jewelry, the custom vinyl he made for our first anniversary–and shredded them one by one.
Funny, really.
I wasn’t thinking about anything in particular, but the tears just wouldn’t stop.
I once read that heartbreak is like a chronic illness–quiet during the day, but at night, it slips into your bones and devours you from the inside out.
Maybe this was just withdrawal
I got up, laid the custom wedding gown flat on the floor, and without hesitation, ran the scissors straight through the bodice,
A clean, vicious slash.
I needed the reminder: Love is the same way–once it’s torn, no matter how well you try to patch it, it’s never the same again.
Once I was done, I packed everything up and stuffed it into the study. Felix never goes in there anyway.
I crawled into bed, but sleep didn’t come. Instead, I scrolled through TikTok to distract myself, and the algorithm decided to play a cruel little joke,
A suggested profile popped up–someone I might know.
I tapped in before I could stop myself.
It was a girl documenting her secret crush on a guy.
Her latest post had a location tag–the same East Coast town where Felix had disappeared.
The caption read: “Been in love with him for ten years. He’s getting mated next month… but I’m finally going to tell him. Wish me -luck”
In the photo she posted, I saw something chillingly familiar.
A man’s hand.
Wearing my engagement ring
Felix’s hand.
I’d been waiting to hear from him for days.
Nocalls. No texts. Not even a lie.
But Damon did.
“Guess who ran into?”
Damon, I don’t care. And stop using random numbers to call me.”
Just as I was about to hang up, I heard that smug edge in his voice.
“Lydia, still don’t get it? Felix disappeared because he doesn’t want to go through with the ceremony. He can’t get past the fact that you used to chase after me.”
Chapter 2
“He got close to you to get back at me. That’s all it ever was. He was never the kind of guy you could actually count on.
“What the hell do you want, Damon?” My patience was wearing thin.
He let out a short breath. “Just saying at least I never had some other girl posting about being in love with me for a decade.”
I sat up, my voice rising. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“It’s been five years and you’re still obsessed with messing gwith me and Felix. You think I don’t see through it?”
“But here’s the thing–I chose this. I made my bet, and I’ll live with the damn consequences. I’m not looking back”
Damon went quiet for a second, then said cryptically, “I just sent you something. Thought you’d want to see it.”
He hung up.
A moment later, my phone buzzed again.
It was a video
Low lighting. Grainy quality.
Felix, standing face to face with a girl. A cigarette in hand, that same lazy, careless look in his eyes.
Someone in the background shouted something, and then
The girl stepped forward and ldssed him.
And he didn’t pull away.
The video cut there.
I went to the girl’s profile.
She’d just posted an update: “How is that not a win?”
Attached was the photo of their kiss.
Nausea punched me in the gut. I ran to the bathroom, gripping the edge of the toilet as dry heaves wracked my body.
But there was nothing to throw up-
I hadn’t eaten all day.
The nausea twisted into sharp, stabbing cramps.
My stomach clenched, hard.
I curled up on the bathroom floor, then somehow dragged myself back to bed and curled into a tight ball, trying not to fall apart.
And then, in the quiet, a memory hit me out of nowhere.
When Felix and I had just started dating, there was this one night-
I told him I wanted to watch the stars from the mountaintop. Just a silly whim, something I said half–asleep.
He didn’t even question it
He just drove through the night, all the way up the winding road until we reached the summit.
The air was crisp.
He wrapped his arms around me, warm and gentle.
And in that moment, he leaned in and whispered, “Kinda feels like the stars lined up just for us… Lydia, can I kiss you?”
Chapter 2
150%
taake when huntant
ki name print between, the memories and the ache in my chest. I’ve drifted off only to jolt awake when heard a notte coming
the Iwing tremt
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A chili shen down my spine I was tak to sit up
The bedroom light suddenly ficked on harsh and binding
I aged my my shot, heat pending
“To my 2nd who’s wrong with youth
