Chapter 2

I waited on the roadside for what stretched into three long hours.

The sea breeze shifted from warm to cool as daylight slowly faded.

The sky’s color darkened. With it, my shadow dissolved into the gathering dusk.

Shane never called.

It was not until my phone battery dropped to 1% that I finally gave up. I hailed a cab and went home.

The moment I stepped through the door, Vera’s social feed updated again.

In the video, they were standing by the sea and watching the fireworks.

Shane was carrying Arielle in his arms. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind Vera's ear when the wind blew it loose.

Behind them, the sea shimmered with layers of golden light.

Their laughter was clear yet distant, like something from another world.

The caption read:

[Fireworks bloom with happiness, lighting up the night with love.]

My breath caught in my throat.

That fireworks show was supposed to be for me. It was a part of the birthday trip I had planned for myself.

I remembered clearly that I had personally chosen the music playing in the background.

Comments kept flooding beneath the post.

[What a perfect family!]

[That little girl looks just like Mr. Leonberg!]

Vera did not reply. She only dropped a smiling emoji.

Then, in the background of the video, someone’s voice sounded. “Aren’t you supposed to pick up Indy?”

Shane’s voice sounded next. It was low and gentle.

“I can go later. Indy is very patient. She won’t get upset.”

The softness in his tone made everything clear.

He had not forgotten me out of malice.

He had just grown used to me forgiving him for everything.

Staring at the screen, my fingertips brushed lightly against the edge of my phone.

A cold numbness spread through me.

He thought that I would never get angry at him for anything.

I would always understand.

He assumed I would never, ever leave him.

I leaned onto the couch. Memories flashed through my mind.

That winter, the snow had fallen thick and heavy.

I had taken sick leave from work. He drove through the night from out of town just to deliver medicine to me.

He had said, “Remember this, I’ll always be here for you.”

I had said with a smile, “We’re just friends.”

He had been quiet for a moment before saying softly, “Then, I’ll be the friend who waits for you, for as long as it takes.”

A few months later, on my birthday, he confessed his feelings.

The fireworks that day were as brilliant as the ones tonight.

He held my hand and said in all seriousness, “Indy, I want to see every ocean in the world with you.”

I believed him.

I really thought he would remember. After all, he had been the one to promise to see the world with me.

Each burst of fireworks on the video felt like another stab that split my chest open.

I stood up from the couch and walked to the window.

The wind outside had turned chilly. It carried the damp, salty smell of the sea.

I looked down at the ring on my finger. He had slipped it on me the day we got engaged.

He had said, “I want to spend the rest of my life protecting you.”

I had believed him.

Yet at this moment, I did not even get a text from him asking if I was okay.

I took off the ring and tucked it into the back of the drawer. The finality of it all settled over me.

The wedding I had been waiting for was never going to happen.

After the fireworks dinner, they went to a nearby campsite.

My friend, Judy Miles, was there too. When she found out that Vera had taken over my tent, she almost started a fight.

“This tent belongs to Indy! What makes you think you can just take it?”

Vera put on a fragile, helpless act. “I’m so sorry! I guess I didn’t think it through. It’s so late now! Arielle and I have nowhere else to go.”

Judy simply snorted. “Go home then. No one asked you to stay here.”

Vera went quiet. Judy grabbed their bags and threw them outside.

That was when Shane finally remembered me.

“She’s still waiting alone. Maybe I should go pick her up.”

He sighed and turned to grab his car keys.

Vera immediately stepped forward and said in a soft voice, “Shane, let me go with you. I’ll explain things to Indy, and maybe she won’t get mad at you.”

She casually reached out and straightened his collar as she said that.

Shane hesitated for a second, then finally nodded.

She began her slow, deliberate routine. She packed her things, soothed her child, and searched for a snack.

She managed to drag it out for a full hour.

At some point, she even picked up her phone and started recording.

[Off to pick up my bestie! Hope Indy’s not too mad at me!]

I saw the video the moment it was posted.

On screen, her smile was tender, but her gaze was smug with victory.

I opened the messaging app and typed:

[Don’t bother coming. I’m already home.]

I hit send.

The screen went dark.

The house fell completely silent.

I leaned back on my couch and closed my eyes.

The small, stubborn hope I held onto finally faded.