A Final Goodbye

Lyla Rose

________

His father approaches him, clapping him on the back proudly. I can’t understand how they all stand there, so calm, as if this was meant to be. As if I never meant anything at all.

“Granny...” I whisper, my voice barely a breath. My body quivers with the weight of my sorrow. Why didn’t you stop this? Why didn’t you see what he was doing?

His grandmother looks at me, her face full of pity, before glancing at Vincent with disappointment in her eyes. But she doesn’t speak. She doesn’t protest. She keeps quiet, unwilling to ruin the ceremony. She moves toward me, her hands gentle as she wraps an arm around my trembling body, trying to support me, to hold me together. “Rose, sweetheart...” Her voice is soft, regretful. “He made his choice.”

I shake my head, my sobs only growing louder, more desperate. “No, Granny... No, no, no...” The word feels like a curse as I whisper it again and again, unable to comprehend what’s happening.

Vincent’s mother and siblings watch, varying degrees of discomfort or understanding on their faces. His sister, Sophia, looks at me with pity, then quickly looks away, unable to watch me fall apart. His mother, busy complimenting Maria on her wedding dress, only serves to deepen the wound in my chest. Vincent’s father, however, turns to him, his expression serious and determined. “It’s time,” he says firmly, like he’s permitting Vincent to proceed with something that was never meant to be stopped.

I wipe my face, still trembling. I can barely breathe, but I manage to force myself to stand. Somehow, I find the strength to move toward Maria. I walk as if on broken glass, my legs unsteady, my mind fighting against the drug still clouding my thoughts. I reach her, hoping she’ll back off, hoping she’ll understand.

“Please, don’t... Please don’t...” I plead, my voice breaking with desperation. “He’s my husband. Please don’t be with him... don’t take him from me.” I know, deep down, that the divorce is final, that the papers are signed. But I can’t let go of the tiny spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, she’ll back away. I can’t stop the sobs that wrack my body, knowing that I’m truly losing him.

Maria looks at me with guilt and determination battling in her eyes. She knows that Vincent has made his decision, that the papers are signed, that she’s his now. She stands her ground, not backing down, as her tears glisten in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Rose,” she whispers, her voice soft but resolute. “He’s my husband now.”

“No...” I shake my head, tears streaming down my face, my chest heaving with the agony of it all. “Please, Maria, please... don’t...” My voice is nothing but a whisper, a plea, but she’s already made her choice. And in her eyes, I see it; there’s nothing left for me.

Maria’s gaze flicks to Vincent, who stands beside his father, his face hard, his eyes cold. She sees the finality in his eyes, the indifference that burns through her, and she knows. He’s made his decision. She reaches out and gently, almost hesitantly, takes my hands in hers. “Rose...” She whispers, her voice a soft, almost broken thing. “He doesn’t love you anymore.”

I shake my head, unable to process it. I can’t breathe. The air in the room feels thick and suffocating. My world is crumbling, and I can’t stop it. I can’t stop them.

Vincent’s father steps forward, his voice booming as he silences the room. “Enough!” His voice cuts through the heavy air, snapping everyone to attention. “The marriage is official. The documents are signed. Vincent is now married to Maria. This ends here.”

I wipe my face, my trembling hand pressing against the pain in my chest. I drop to my knees before Vincent, the room spinning as I fall to the ground, unable to keep my balance anymore. “Please, Vincent, don’t do this to me...” I beg, clutching his leg with all the strength I have left, my body shaking with sobs. “Please, Vincent, please don’t leave me.”

He looks down at me, his eyes flickering for the briefest moment. I see it, a flash of something. Pain? Regret? But then it’s gone, and he hardens again. He pulls his leg away from my desperate grasp. “Get up, Rose,” he says coldly, his voice unwavering, his command final. “This is over.”

“I’m an orphan,” I whisper brokenly, my voice a mere rasp. “I have no one except you, and yet you divorced me.” My words barely reach him, but I can’t stop myself from saying them, from letting him hear the raw pain I’ve carried for so long.

Vincent’s eyes soften, just for a second, but he hardens again, pushing the pain away. He looks at his father, who nods in approval. Granny moves toward me, trying to pry my hands from his leg gently, pulling me away from him with such tenderness that it feels like a betrayal. “Rose, my dear...” She whispers, pulling me into her arms. “Let him go.”

I can’t. I won’t.

“Granny... I love him...” I sob, looking up at her, my heart shattering under the weight of everything I’ve lost.

Granny’s eyes are full of sorrow, disappointment, and regret as she looks at Vincent, then back at me. She pulls me close, rocking me gently. But her voice is laced with sadness as she murmurs, “I know, darling... I know.”

But Vincent’s father clears his throat sharply, his voice stern as he orders, “The wedding ceremony will continue. Remove her from the room.” The command is final.

Two security guards approach, their eyes cold as they move toward me.