Chapter 2 The Man Left Behind

I clenched my fists, pushed open the door, and walked inside.

The room fell silent. Everyone turned to look at me, their eyes filled with disdain.

I took a deep breath and smiled to Katherine. "Thank you for having me, Mrs. Westwood. I should get going."

Elliot was the first to approach me and reach for my arm. "Ryan…"

Kimberly took two steps forward, then stopped. She parted her lips as if to speak, but in the end, she said nothing.

Family always came first for Kimberly.

I pushed Elliot's hand away and walked out the front door without looking back.

Just then, my phone lit up. It was a friend of mine who worked for a foreign company. "Ryan, my boss loved your resume. How soon can you start?"

"In three days."

Just then, Kimberly sent me the location of a hotel. "Ryan, go stay at a hotel tonight. I'll come get you tomorrow."

Elliot sent me a voice message. "I'm sorry, Ryan. I never thought things would turn out this way. I'll try talking to Mrs. Westwood."

I didn't reply. Instead, I booked a different hotel.

After getting into the car, I closed my eyes. Memories of when Kimberly and I had first gotten together flooded my mind.

Back then, Katherine treated me well.

Whenever we video-called, she would warmly invite me over for dinner. She often sent me local snacks and remembered my food preferences and dietary restrictions. Whenever Kimberly and I had a falling-out, Katherine would step in and try to make peace between us.

Having grown up without knowing what it felt like to be loved by my parents, I'd found her kindness deeply comforting.

Later, Kimberly brought me home to formally meet her family.

I invited Elliot to come with me.

We'd grown up together in an orphanage, and he was my best friend. I wanted him there to witness such an important moment in my life.

Just before we went inside, Elliot tried to reassure me, saying, "Don't be nervous, Ryan. I'm family, too."

I never expected Katherine to walk right past me the moment we entered and grab Elliot's hand, calling him her son-in-law.

No matter how many times I explained that I was the one dating Kimberly, she refused to acknowledge it.

Whenever her understanding of things was challenged, she would have an emotional breakdown.

Remembering how kind Katherine had once been to me, I couldn't bear to upset her. In the end, I reluctantly allowed Kimberly and Elliot to pretend to be a couple.

Now, Elliot had become a full-fledged member of their family. I was the odd one out.

As soon as I arrived at the hotel, Kimberly messaged me again. "Are you there yet? Text me back."

She was worried about me, yet she wouldn't even call.

I lowered my head and replied, "I booked my own hotel. I need to get back to work."

She didn't ask why or offer any explanation. "I'll come get you tomorrow morning."

The night was ablaze with lights. I stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the bright lights in the distance. Everything looked so lively.

Kimberly had posted a video to her social media feed.

In it, Elliot held her hand as they lit fireworks together. With a sharp whoosh, fireworks shot into the sky.

Kimberly ducked into his arms, and he covered her ears.

For a brief moment, they gazed into each other's eyes, the dazzling fireworks reflected in them. They looked every bit like a real couple.

The caption read, "For all the years to come, I'll always be by your side."

It was romantic. Beautiful, even.

I stared at those words and let out a bitter laugh, because Kimberly had once said the same thing to me.

It was our first New Year's together after we'd started working.

Kimberly had stayed in our rented apartment instead of going home, choosing to spend the holidays with me.

With only seconds left on the countdown, I dropped to one knee and slipped a diamond ring onto her left ring finger.

My voice trembled as I asked, "Kim, will you marry me?"

Kimberly covered her face as she cried, then nodded and said yes.

She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed me. "Ryan, I'll spend the rest of my life by your side."

It was the happiest moment of my life.

I truly believed Kimberly and I would build a family of our own, so I swallowed every hurt and disappointment and waited, year after year.

But in the end, I watched her make a heartfelt declaration of love to Elliot. I was no longer the groom in this wedding.

The video was flooded with likes and comments from friends and family.

Katherine added a smiling emoji and commented, "My son-in-law is so handsome!"

Another comment read, "When's the wedding? I can't wait to celebrate with you!"

After a long while, I finally liked the video and left a comment of my own. "Wishing you both happiness."

Shortly afterward, both of them seemed to have coordinated their responses in our group chat.

"Ryan, we were just putting on an act. Don't overthink things."

"Don't get the wrong idea, Ryan. Mrs. Westwood filmed that video. She insisted that Kim post it to make our relationship official…"

But I wasn't an idiot.

The love in their eyes whenever they looked at each other wasn't something they could fake.