Beyond the Wasteland, Wildflowers Bloom

I picked up my phone and called Wallace Romano on FaceTime.

It rang for so long that I almost gave up before he finally answered.

"Miley? What's up?"

"Wallace, how are the Alps?"

He froze for a beat before forcing out an awkward laugh. "What are you talking about? Didn't we agree to reschedule the photoshoot for after my business trip?"

I sent him the photo I'd just found.

His expression shifted instantly, and he fired back a string of accusations. "Have you been snooping through my private files? Is this what you call trust? Do you have any faith in me at all?"

He had the nerve to lecture me about trust. The irony would have been funny if it didn't hurt so much.

"Wallace, we're done," I said quietly.

"Stop being ridiculous." He sighed impatiently. "What is this, some kind of joke? We've already set our wedding date."

Then, as if realizing he needed to placate me, he softened his voice. "Okay, I shouldn't have done this. Just don't hang up. Let me explain."

Before he could say another word, Emma's voice drifted through the phone, followed by the photographer's playful teasing.

"Wallace, come on! We're ready for the next shots!"

"Hey, groom-to-be! Don't keep your bride waiting!"

Wallace immediately lowered his voice. "We'll talk when I get home."

Something inside me finally gave way.

The last thread connecting me to the future I'd imagined with him snapped, leaving nothing but a hollow, aching silence.

So, Emma had always come first.

And to everyone watching, the two of them looked like a couple of newlyweds enjoying a romantic honeymoon.

Then another voice came through the phone.

"Hello?"

It was Kate Graham, my best friend. She'd taken the phone from Wallace.

I'd always believed that, out of everyone in our close-knit circle, Kate was the one person who would never betray me.

"Did you... know about this the whole time?" I asked, swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat.

She hesitated for barely a second before answering, "Look, I could tell Wallace was a lot happier with Emma these past few days. Why don't you just let them have this? And maybe it's time you moved on, too."

I stared at my phone, stunned.

How could a voice I'd known for so many years suddenly send a chill down my spine?

When Kate's parents refused to pay her college tuition, I'd taken on multiple part-time jobs alongside her and even dipped into my own savings to help her get by.

After graduation, when she struggled to find a job and her parents pressured her to move back home and marry someone they approved of, I'd swallowed my pride and begged Wallace to use his connections to get her a position at his company.

She'd promised me she'd always be on my side, no matter what happened. And now, she was helping everyone else tear my life apart.

The call ended abruptly.

I sat motionless on the hospital bed, staring at the blank screen until the tears came. Then I broke down and sobbed, unable to stop.

A notification chimed on my phone. It was a message from my mother, Brittany Lawrence.

[Sweetie, could you send me the wedding photos you and Wallace took? Time flies. My little girl is getting married soon!]

The moment I read her words, the nausea I'd felt after drinking that glass of juice came rushing back. My stomach twisted violently, and I struggled to keep from retching.

Wallace had once stood right before Brittany and sworn that he'd love me faithfully for the rest of his life. Who knew forever could end so soon?

I opened the message box and started typing a reply. After staring at the words for a long time, I deleted them all and sent just one sentence.

[Mom, I don't want to get married anymore. Can I come home and stay with you?]

I could already imagine the questions she'd ask, and I had no idea how I'd explain what had happened without breaking down all over again.

Before I could dwell on it any longer, I opened another chat and sent a message to my boss.

[Is that offer you mentioned before still on the table? The one about transferring me to Montana to head up our new branch?]