Love Died In Autumn

“Ahh!”My fiancee, Clara Sanders, gasped out a soft moan before squeezing her legs shut. Her face suddenly pinched into a strange expression.Her friend leaned in and asked, “Clara, are you okay?”Clara looked flustered. She stood up quickly and muttered, “I’m okay… I think my period just came. I’m going to the restroom.”She then hurried out of the room.I was stunned. The remote in my hand felt scorching hot.Barely half a second had passed between me pressing the button and her reacting that way. However, I did not dare to think too deeply about it. I wanted it to be nothing more than a bizarre coincidence.Jonah and I had grown up together. We had known each other for over a decade. There was no way he could be involved with Clara like that. Besides, he had been abroad all these years. They had barely even met!As I was lost in my thoughts, Jonah smacked my shoulder.“What’s up with you? Come on, just give me the meds already. My stomach’s killing me.”Only when I saw his

“I bet Dylan’s kicking himself right now. He probably thinks he just overreacted.”He paused, then said in a mocking tone, “I swear, he’ll come crawling back tomorrow to apologize.”...I sat frozen in the backseat of the cab. I could feel all the warmth drain from my body in an instant.My best friend, who had been through everything with me, and the woman I thought I would spend the rest of my life with, had betrayed me.The agony I had been putting myself through was just a joke to them.The truth hit me like a knife straight through the heart.“Sir, are you getting out of here?”The driver’s voice sounded distant, but it managed to pull me back.My trembling hand hovered over the door handle.If I were to get out of the cab, I could stand in front of them and demand answers from them.Why did they betray me? Of all people?But the truth was painfully clear.Any accusations or arguments would only make me look more pathetic.I limply retracted my hand from the handle.

The large screen displayed footage from the dressing room.As soon as Jonah entered, he eagerly pulled Clara into an embrace.“Stop... today’s my wedding with Dylan. What if someone sees us? We almost got caught last time. Do you ever learn?”Clara pretended to resist, but her body had already surrendered.“Where’s the thrill otherwise? Don’t you like it?”“But...”“Relax. Nobody’s going to find out.”Jonah’s hands roamed restlessly over her body. He added with a sneer, “Besides, Dylan and I have shared everything since we were kids. You’re his girl, so that means I get a turn too. That’s just how it works.”Gasps rippled through the guest section at Jonah’s shameless declaration.“Cut it off! Dylan, turn it off now!”Jonah’s face twisted with rage and humiliation as he screamed at me.“Let’s just talk about this. Don’t do this to me here.”Clara’s makeup had long been ruined by tears. She collapsed to the floor and was on the verge of fainting.“Now you’re embarrassed?”

She stayed holed up at home every day. She was too afraid to even step outside.Jonah, on the other hand, had vanished without a trace. I figured he could not face anyone either. He had probably slunk back overseas already. I heard these things through mutual friends, but they felt distant. I stopped caring about what happened to them. I just wanted a clean break.Then, one late afternoon, as I was getting off work, my phone buzzed urgently.A friend had sent me a link, followed by a string of exclamation points.[Dylan, you need to see this. What is going on?!]My stomach dropped. I clicked the link.It was a long post from an anonymous account, but it was not hard for anyone to guess who it was really about. Jonah had spun an elaborate lie, framing himself as the victim in the most pitiful tone imaginable. He claimed that he and Clara were high school sweethearts, that they shared a deep, unbreakable bond, and that I had swooped in and stolen Clara from him.Out of loyalty t

I stayed silent for a moment. Then I answered coldly through the door.“There’s nothing left to talk about between us.”Her voice turned frantic. Her nails scraped against the door, making a sharp, grating sound.“This is all Jonah’s fault! He came after me first. He flew back early just to see me. He told me he’d had a crush on me since day one. I just... I gave in for one moment. He caught me at the wrong time. But you have to believe me. I don’t love him. I never did. You’re the only one I love—”My voice was ice cold as I cut her off.“Clara, you’re still trying to blame him? I saw you two with my own eyes outside that hotel.”The scratching stopped. Silence hung in the air for a moment. Then came the muffled sound of sobbing.“You’re right. I’m trash. I deserve this.”Clara’s voice cracked with despair. Her voice sounded like it was about to break completely.“But Dylan, I know I messed up. Every single day since then, I’ve regretted it. I can’t stop thinking about you. I