Expired aurora
It had been four years since we got married. This year, Ethan finally had some free time to see the Northern Lights with me. We booked tickets to Norway. But right before we left, Ethan bailed.
“Last–minute business trip.” he said, “I’ll take
you next time.”
The next day, a video of Ethan on a date with
his first love went viral. The pink aurora borealis cast a romantic, otherworldly glow on the
couple. A sharp–eyed commenter pointed out,
“Is that woman, like, crying?”
It had always been a dream of mine to see the
Northern Lights before I turned 30. When Ethan
canceled, I silently booked a solo ticket to
Norway. In the snowy city, I stumbled upon
them, nestled together. Chloe had her arms
wrapped around his neck, her cheeks flushed as
Г
she whispered, “Thank you for being so sweet, bringing me here to clear my head. The aurora is so beautiful…”
Ethan chuckled, his arms around her waist. “As long as you’re happy.”
My fingers went numb, but I couldn’t resist. I
video–called him. His phone lit up in the
darkness. He glanced at it, frowning. He didn’t
answer, just turned off the screen. I stubbornly
refused to hang up on the other end. Chloe
peered over, her eyes wide and innocent. “Is
that Sarah? Why aren’t you answering?”
Ethan stroked her hair. “No point. She’ll just ask
a bunch of questions and ruin your mood.”
Chloe giggled, burying her face in his chest.
The snow was blinding. I felt like I’d been
burned.
Later that night, Ethan finally texted. “Was in a
<
meeting. What’s up?”
I stared at the message for a long time.
Suddenly, I didn’t have the energy to confront
him. I followed the flight attendant’s
instructions and turned off my phone, staring
blankly at the snowy landscape outside the
window. The flight attendant smiled at me and
handed me a card.
“It’s a pleasure to have you on board. Happy
birthday from the entire crew!”
Maybe she noticed my low spirits. A little while
later, she returned with a small cake topped
with strawberries. “Happy birthday! Try to enjoy
it.”
Tears welled up in my eyes.
Ethan came home while I was reviewing
schedules. My client, a popular actor, had a
shoot in Paris. I wasn’t supposed to go, but this
<
time, I decided to take it on. I was leaving
tomorrow.
Ethan handed me a beautifully wrapped gift.
“Happy birthday.”
It was an Edblad box, a classic Norwegian
brand. I looked up. “You were in Norway on
your business trip?”
He hesitated, avoiding my gaze. “Work’s been crazy lately.”
I didn’t know when Chloe had become his
“work.”
Seeing my silence, Ethan frowned. “Are you mad? Because I wasn’t here for your birthday?” He sat down next to me, pulling out a necklace from the box. “A belated gift. See? It’s the one you liked, right?”
“The one I liked is around Chloe’s neck,” I said,
12:20
<
774
my voice dripping with sarcasm. Chloe had even posted a picture of it on Instagram: “He said
red looks best with my fair skin ;)”
Ethan froze, glancing at the black pendant in his hand. His embarrassment was obvious. “Don’t be ridiculous, Sarah. It’s the same brand, just a different color. I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d overreact like this.”
“I’ve told you, Chloe and I are ancient history. Can we not do this?”
I didn’t take the necklace. I closed my laptop, stood up, and started packing for my trip. An ex–girlfriend, a romantic getaway to see the Northern Lights, a gift of jewelry his wife
admired… Even the scripts I worked on weren’t
this dramatic.
“Sarah!” he yelled, exasperated. I shut the
bedroom door, leaving him outside, and
continued packing.
<
