“Contacted is an understatement. He’s
contacted every single person we knew from college and grad school. But you warned us, right? No contact. And your family’s been tight- lipped too. He’s getting nowhere. Honestly, he seemed pretty desperate.” I clinked my glass against hers. “Not really interested.” “And you shouldn’t be. He even tried to give me a
wedding dress to give to you, said he was still waiting for you. Can you believe it?” I shrugged. “It’s ancient history.” I wasn’t going to waste any more energy on something that wasn’t meant to be. There’s no pain that can’t be healed, no darkness that can’t be overcome. I was long over it. “He did manage to sneak this into my bag, though. Sneaky bastard.” She handed me the photo album I’d made him create. It was filled with pictures of us, from awkward acquaintances to a loving couple. A chronicle of our relationship. On the last page, in his bold handwriting, were the words: “Hailey, I love you.” Sarah’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you’re actually touched by this?” I closed
12:08
2 77
the album and tossed it in the trash. “Touched?
If anything, it just proves what a waste of time
it all was.” Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.
“There is something you might find interesting,
though.” She told me about Peach Blossom,
whose story had apparently become a tabloid
sensation. She’d been caught as “the other
woman” and publicly humiliated. She’d tried to
redeem herself with a tell–all livestream, but it
backfired spectacularly. People dug up more
dirt, exposing her as a serial homewrecker. Her “love letters” to Aaron, chronicling her pursuit of him while he was with me, went viral. Her “secret admirer” narrative imploded, and she became the target of online outrage. “And then, get this,” Sarah said, “everyone was waiting to see how your relationship would end, and it turns out, you ditched him at the altar! He went
crazy looking for you, but you were gone.
Everyone online is saying he deserved it.”
“Good riddance to both of them,” Sarah said. “I
hope you never run into either of those toxic
people again.”
12:08
(77
Speak of the devil. After delivering a keynote
speech at a conference, I saw Aaron backstage.
He grabbed my wrist. “Hailey.” “Please, just let
me explain.” I pulled my hand away, my gaze
cold. “Does it matter?” His face crumpled, his
voice choked with emotion. “Hailey, you can’t
do this to me. Even criminals get a chance to
speak. You can’t just condemn me without
hearing me out.” I looked at the face I’d once
loved, my voice calm. “Some endings are
inevitable, Aaron. Your apologies don’t change
what happened. Your explanations don’t erase
the pain.” He persisted. “Is there really nothing I
can do to make it up to you?” “What would be
the point? The moment you said you only
chased me to spite Ethan, our future ended.” I
paused, then added, “Maybe I played along,
partly out of spite, partly out of hope. I endured
those days, those ‘happy memories,‘ hoping
you’d realize… But you were too consumed by
your own petty revenge. You just wanted to
humiliate me. What more is there to say, Aaron? I don’t owe you anything.” “I owe you,” Aaron
12:08
<
77
6422
choked out, his eyes bloodshot. “That’s why I’m here. I wouldn’t have gone through with it, Hailey. You were the only bride for me.” “The
only one.” I used to love reading those
“groveling ex❞ storylines in novels, where the
heroine leaves, and the hero finally realizes
what he’s lost. His regret, his guilt, his
realization of her worth that was supposed to
be the ultimate revenge. But experiencing it in
real life… it wasn’t as satisfying as I’d
imagined. Maybe because their regret paled in
comparison to the genuine love I’d given. “Our
relationship ended three years ago, Aaron. Just
go.”
Aaron didn’t go. He bought the apartment across from mine and moved in. He followed me everywhere, showing up at my university every day for six months, determined to wear me down. Sometimes, I’d snap. “Aaron, drop the act. Your belated devotion is pathetic.” He’d tear up. “Hailey, please. Don’t do this to me. I shouldn’t have said those things. I
12:08
277
shouldn’t have planned to hurt you. I was just…
my pride was hurt. I know I messed up.”
“Please, don’t shut me out.” I felt nothing, not
even annoyance. Just… amusement. “You’re
really embarrassing yourself, Aaron.” I
continued to ignore him. But just when I
thought things couldn’t get any weirder, Ethan
showed up, having somehow heard about
Aaron’s pursuit. Sometimes, I wondered if they
were both just playing a part. Had I committed
some unforgivable sin in a past life to deserve these two drama queens? On Christmas Eve, they both asked me out. I said yes. I wanted to end this once and for all. Aaron booked a
restaurant. When I arrived, it was filled with camellias, my favorite flower. His joy was palpable, but it vanished the moment Ethan walked in. “What are you doing here?” Ethan smirked. “She invited me.” I set my bag down and gestured to the table. “Both of you, sit down.” “Hailey…” Aaron started. “Let’s get this over with. We’ve known each other for eighteen years. We’re thirty years old. Let’s stop playing
12:08
<
6 77
2222
these childish games.” I turned to Ethan. “I
appreciate you being there for me when I was
younger. Maybe I was in love with the idea of
you, the knight in shining armor, not the real
you. When you didn’t reciprocate, when you
made it clear I was bothering you, I moved on. I don’t owe you anything, Ethan. And let me tell
you something else. Your obsession with me
stems from the fact that the shy, insecure girl you once knew has grown up, become independent, and is no longer chasing after you. You can’t handle it.” “I’m not a prize to be won in some petty competition between the two of you. So, Ethan, leave. For both our sakes.” Ethan looked at me for a long moment, then turned and left. Watching him go, I felt a flicker of that twelve–year–old girl, hiding in the bathroom, hurt and insecure. But this time, I wasn’t being rescued. This time, I’d learned to fight back. It had taken a while, but it wasn’t too late. “Hailey… I know you loved me once. With all your heart.” Aaron’s voice was laced with pain. He knew what was coming. My
く
12:09
5365
feelings for him were more complicated. I took
a deep breath. “About Peach Blossom…” He
99
rushed to explain. “I never loved her. I never touched her.” I nodded. “I know. You just needed to project your frustrations, your insecurities, especially as the wedding got closer.” “I won’t lie. The five years we spent together were real. The joy, the pain, the heartache, the sweetness… it was all real. I really did think we’d spend our lives together.‘ “But life is unpredictable. I heard what you said on that yacht. I played along, used your own game against you…” “Please, Hailey, stop…” “Eighteen years, Aaron. You want me to just forget? How?” He choked back sobs, tears streaming down his face. “What can I do to make you forgive me? Please, tell me.” I sighed.
“We’ve been tangled up in this mess for too
long. It’s not healthy. It’s like that wedding
dress… once it’s torn, it can’t be fixed. The
replacement will never fit right.” “This is the
end for us, Aaron.” I stood up. “So please, stop
coming after me. I can’t handle your… love.”
77
<
12:09
2 77
end for us, Aaron.” I stood up. “So please, stop
coming after me. I can’t handle your… love.” “I’m not coming back.” He clutched his hair, his
voice anguished. “Our lives are so long. Isn’t
there even one chance, one small chance, you
can give me?” I looked at him and smiled.
“Aaron, did you receive the painting I
commissioned for your thirtieth birthday? From
your favorite artist?” His face fell. Tears finally
spilled over. “We’re really over, aren’t we?” |
didn’t answer. My silence was my answer. He
stood there, frozen, as I walked out. But I knew
it was over. The mountains and seas would find
their peace, the wind and rain would meet
again, the unrest would settle, and everything
would be alright, eventually. I wished myself a
life filled with joy and adventure. Because there
would always be a gentle breeze somewhere, to fill my hundred thousand dreams.
