It wasn’t worth it.
What love was there?
In just eight days, I would leave him behind, completely.
The ache in my wrist reminded me that this was the final path. I ran, not looking back toward the Maybach, running farther and farther away from the man who had once been everything to me.
I ran until my legs gave out, and finally, I collapsed by the side of the bridge.
This was the bridge where Marcus and I had first met. The memories flooded in, overwhelming me.
I remembered the summer nights, lying under the bridge with him, staring up at the stars. He would sometimes stay up all night, using a rotting cattail leaf fan to swat away the mosquitoes, making sure I could sleep peacefully.
In the winter, he would run over ten kilometers every day, pushing himself to the limit just so he could return to me, sweat-soaked and exhausted, only to climb into bed and warm my cold sheets.
Those were the days when we had nothing, when we were so poor...
I worked at a small restaurant, and the leftovers I brought home were enough to keep us from going hungry.
Every day, he typed away on the old computer, his fingers tapping the keys with a determination that seemed to burn with hope. He would say to me, "Lila, soon, very soon, we’ll be in a big house, and we’ll be living a happy life."
“When the time comes, we’ll have two kids—our girl will look like you, and the boy will look like me. I’ll love you forever, Lila, and I’ll never change my mind...”
The soft breeze blew through the window, carrying with it the hum of life outside. My phone buzzed, a message notification lighting up the screen.
It was from Vivian.
She sent a picture—used baby bags and torn wedding dresses piled in a corner.
“Auntie, you won’t blame me, right? We didn’t mean to leave you at the bridal shop. It was really that Uncle Marcus was too anxious and had to...”
“Auntie, I think Uncle Marcus should leave you some public grain, don’t you?”
At that moment, Marcus' name flashed on my screen.
I hung up immediately.
But he refused to give up, repeatedly calling back.
With shaking hands, I answered.
"Lila, there’s an emergency at the company, and I might have to work overtime tonight." His voice was just as rehearsed as ever.
I could feel the hollow emptiness of his words.
"Got it," I replied, my voice flat, and hung up.
For the next few days, Marcus didn’t come home.