Novel & Cerita Tonight I End A Four Year Illusion

Where snot's running down your face and you don't even care. Four years. I gave him four years. Moved across the country for his job. Turned down shoots because he said I worked too much. Stopped seeing friends he didn't like. Wore clothes he approved of. And he was engaged to someone else the whole time. My phone's blowing up. Maya. My mom. Brandon. I turn it off. I need a drink. The venue has a bar. Open for the party. I should leave but I'm contracted for four more hours and I need that two grand and honestly where else am I going to go?

He doesn't let go. The cart rolls the rest of the way at his pace, slower, safer, boring by comparison, and by the time we reach the clubhouse the sun has dropped low, painting everything gold. My phone vibrates against my palm. I glance down at the calendar app open from this morning, five events crossed out in a neat little row. One left. Tonight. The yacht. Which means the contract ends at midnight, the countdown I've been circling around for weeks finally landing on a real date instead of a number I could pretend was far away.

A broken scream tore from my throat. “Mom!” The flesh on my hands was shredded. Even that pain was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. Memories of all the sweet moments I once shared with Suzanna flashed through my mind. Regret and hatred twisted inside me until I coughed up blood and collapsed. As my consciousness faded, I whispered, “Suzanna, from this moment on, we mean nothing to each other anymore.”

I saw an advertisement on a secondhand marketplace app that someone was giving away an unused stroller for free, pickup only. The address was in a wealthy neighborhood across town. I secured my daughter against my chest in a baby carrier, spent two hours changing buses, then walked for another half an hour under the scorching sun before finally reaching the small mansion. I was drenched in sweat, and my daughter was so hot she started wailing. The seller was a woman about my age, with the refined air of someone who had been pampered her whole life. She studied my miserable state, her voice laced with both disdain and pity. "You came all the way from Eastside? And you're planning to

“I can’t control what I may do. I’ll hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you.” I pushed him for the first time. “I’m not going anywhere. Tell me what’s wrong.” He whispered so low that I almost missed it. “Four years ago today, everything fell to ruin. Leave, Lila.” My heart sped, threatening to burst from my chest as his mood from the last week and a half started to make sense. “I’m not leaving, not when you’re finally talking.” I stepped closer to him. He still didn’t look up at me. “I don’t just mean today. Leave me. What we have is fucked up.”

"I love you too. More than yesterday, less than tomorrow." THE END

I stared at him with dead eyes. That wasn't the reason. It wasn't an excuse for all the pain and humiliation I had suffered. Still crying, Harry made another promise. "Please, Grace. Come back to me. I'll make it all up to you. I'll be twice as good to you from now on. I'll fix everything!" "It's too late, Harry. I could never take you back. From now on, let's live our own lives. Don't contact me again." Without hesitation, I pushed past him and walked out, leaving Harry behind.

Lost track of everything except the countdown in my head. Twenty-four hours until I marry Cassie. Twenty-four hours until forever starts. And tonight? Tonight we burned the past down one last time. I threw an arm around Jason, dragged him to the dance floor, and let the music take the wheel. One last ride in Chicago. Then tomorrow I go home. To her. Forever.

Last night, sorting files, I found a photo from when Elliot and I had just gotten married. We were both young and full of dreams. Neither of us could have imagined our marriage would end this way. But I didn't regret my choice. Principles and dignity mattered most. A relationship that demanded sacrificing them wasn't worth keeping. I placed the photo back in the drawer, turned off the office lights, and prepared to go home. Tomorrow was a new day, with new ideas to bring to life and new challenges to face.

Standing in front of her tombstone, I shared with her all the interesting stories from my travels around the world. "Mom, I'm doing really well now. I've even found someone I want to spend my life with. I'll introduce him to you in just a moment…" "Ophelia!" Hearing my name, I turned around. Maverick was running toward me, his steps hurried. The next moment, he pulled me into his arms. "Lia, you're back. I've waited for this moment for so long. For the past four years, I haven't stopped thinking about you for a single day."