Chapter 3 We're Done

On Saturday morning, neither brought up what happened the night before.

Winona bit into her rib and started giving Chris puppy eyes. "The new place is so close to my school, Chris. I can sleep in now, and I don't even have to trouble you for a ride."

Chris's finger hovered over his phone's screen. Winona wasn't mad he didn't reply. Instead, she got more animated with her story, and her eyes were filled with delight.

"And it's really high up too. I can see the skyscrapers if I just look up. They shine so brightly, and they're a lot bigger than the orphanage back home! I love it!"

I realized something seemed off, so I put my fork down. "A new place? Did you buy a house, Chris? Why didn't you tell me about it?"

The dining space fell into silence. Winona looked at Chris. She knew she'd let slip of something she shouldn't, so she hung her head low. The excitement she showed earlier was gone, and she started playing with her food in silence.

Chris wiped his hands with a tissue slowly. He spoke slowly too, betraying no emotions. "I sold the seaside villa."

A pause later, he added, "I bought a three-bedroom in the city center. It's near Winona's school, and it's a high-rise place. She loves the night view. You'll still get the primary bedroom, so don't worry."

"Which seaside villa did you sell?"

"The one at Seaside Avenue."

"The one you gave me when you were twenty years old? The one you swore to the moon in."

Chris said nothing and hung his head low, while I was having a meltdown.

I looked at him. He was calm and composed, but I was in a daze. Suddenly, I couldn't remember the face of the man who drove through twelve hours of rainstorm to pick me up.

I remembered that day, though. It was the day he gave me the villa. The sun was shining so brightly, I couldn't open my eyes. Without any complaints, he covered my eyes and led me down a long path.

I couldn't see anything, but I could hear the waves, and they got louder with every step I took. The taste of salt thickened in the air with every passing moment.

When he let go, I was met with a two-storey house painted in white.

It wasn't particularly large, but every window offered a view of the sea.

That night, we sat on the patio, imagining our future. We cried in each other's arms, saying that we finally had a place in this city we could call our own. Chris called it home, a place that belonged to only us.

He sold that home easily, all to get a place near Winona's school. All so she could see her favorite night view. He never even asked me if I wanted this.

The flowers we planted together in the villa's yard had probably wilted.

The patio hadn't been given a fresh coat of paint since he'd left to volunteer as a teacher in a remote area. By now, that paint must have dried and faded, too.

I turned my scrutinizing gaze away from Chris.

Exhaustion filled my body, and I couldn't care less about the answer to my questions. "Chris."

He looked up, his brows still creased. My questions must've annoyed him.

"We're done."