Seven Years Gone

In our seven years of dating, Jordan Harding forbade me from accessing his computer. For once during his business trip, he forgot to switch it off. While tidying up his study, I caught a glimpse of the lit-up screen. “Jordan, are you honestly planning a wedding with Molly in Slandsdeca?“Sure, the marriage isn’t official, but shouldn’t you worry about Eve going mad when she finds out? “It’s three days to your wedding with her here. “Get a grip!” Jordan’s best friend, Tom Bloomfield, confronted him on WhatsApp. I gripped the desk for support, thinking I was in a dream for a moment. Molly Powell was Jordan’s girlfriend back when he was eighteen. They broke up soon after because of the long distance. It had been eight years since then. It didn’t make sense that Jordan would hold a wedding with her when ours was right around the corner. Veins bulged on the back of my hands as I clutched the edge of the desk. I stared intently at the computer screen, eager to see Jo

Just then, a woman’s voice cut in from the background. “Jordan, can you check if my diamond ring is loose?” Tilting his head over, Jordan replied, “Be right there.” He shifted his attention back to me. “Eve, is there anything else? If not, I’m hanging up.” With downcast eyes, I stared at the man on the screen and asked the burning question, “Jordan, do you honestly want to marry me?” Taken aback at first, Jordan proceeded to chuckle. “Of course. We’ve been together for seven years.“How many seven years does one get in a lifetime? I definitely want to marry you.” I nodded. My finger hovered over the group chat with Jordan’s family. Three minutes ago, I typed, “By mutual agreement, our upcoming wedding in two days is officially called off.”At the time, I wanted to save him from embarrassment. Now, I deleted the sentence one word at a time. “Got it.” … The next day, I shipped my bags back home. A call from Jordan’s mother, Cece, came in.“Eve, come to th

Silence hung heavily in the air as soon as the door was opened. There were no wedding decorations. Gone were the balloons. The flowers and centerpieces I had stayed up nights choosing were missing. Even the wardrobe was stripped bare. All that remained was the coffee table in the center of the living room, with a lone engagement ring resting on top. Standing at the door, Jordan held the bouquet of flowers for me. The smile on his face went stiff. Friends and family in the back were the first to snap out of their trance. “What’s going on?”“Where’s the bride?” “Aren’t we having the ceremony here? Where is her family?” “Why does the place look cleaned out?” The groomsmen were puzzled. One of them whispered, “Jordan, did you have a fight with Eve?“Did she change the venue at the last minute?“Say something, man.” Jordan seemed oblivious to the murmurs around. Brushing past everyone, he made his way to the living room. His soles tapped against the empty

Beneath the snow-capped mountains, nestled among the flowers, Jordan and Molly emerged as newlyweds. The journalist asked, “Why did you choose Slandsdeca as your wedding destination?” Jordan replied, “It’s what my wife wanted.” Silence gripped the air. Murmurs broke out. “This is insane!” “Doesn’t that count as bigamy?” “Even if they didn’t marry on paper, this is sickening!” “So Jordan had a wedding with his ex before flying back for another?”“I don’t blame Eve for leaving.” Ashen-faced, Jordan’s uncle, Bob, pointed a finger at Jordan and yelled, “This is absurd!“You have disgraced this family. “You could’ve said something if you didn’t want to marry Eve. “She had been with you for seven years. Why must you ruin her?” Jordan’s lips quivered, but no words came out. Molly, her face drained of color, jumped to explain, “It’s not what it looks like.“We were just carrying out a promise we made during our teen years.“I never intended to break them up.“I

“Eve returned the ring to me. “She’s abandoned me.” The video call cut off there. Kendra sent me a text. “That was so satisfying. “But, Eve, are you honestly not going to clear the air with him?” I stared at my phone for a while before replying, “I don’t see the point.” It wasn’t as if I had nothing left to say about our seven-year relationship. All the words that needed to be said had been worn away by repeated disappointment.Jordan wouldn’t listen. In that case, I had nothing more to say. … On the day the wedding was called off, I slept for ten straight hours. By the time I woke up, the sunlight hit the edge of my bed. Sitting right next to me, my mother peeled an apple for me. She didn’t ask why I was back out of the blue. There were no questions about why the wedding was canceled. She simply sliced the apple into small pieces and handed the plate to me. “Have something sweet.” Feeling a lump in my throat, I nearly burst into tears. For so lon