Frustrated, I wanted to slap myself in the face for my weakness.
I called myself a fool, a pathetic dog chasing after someone who did not care.
Wake up, Ethan Mitchell!
Wanda doesn't love you anymore.
Or perhaps she never did.
I had been nothing more than a replacement for Luigi Collins.
Three days passed in a haze of emptiness. Then, finally, my phone buzzed with an update from Wanda’s social media.
For a fleeting moment, I felt relief that she had not blocked me.
But when I opened the post, it felt like the ground beneath me had vanished.
There was only one photo.
In a snowy, antique mansion, Wanda sat in a beautiful bright red dress, radiant and poised beside Luigi.
Behind them stood a crowd of people, their faces glowing with joy.
And among them were my son, my daughter-in-law and my two grandsons.
They were all there, smiling with pure happiness.
My chest tightened painfully as though a heavy stone had settled on it, making it hard to breathe.
No wonder they had not come to see me in the past few days and they had not even called me once. They had gone to Estoria to see Luigi, keeping me in the dark.
It turned out that Wanda was not the only one who stabbed me with betrayal.
I raised my head and looked at the framed photo on the wall.
The photo on the wall was taken during last year’s spring festival.
In the picture, Wanda was not smiling even for the slightest. Also, the others wore smiles that felt forced, almost mechanical.
I was the only one seated in the center, grinning like a fool.
Now that I could see it clearly, it was painfully obvious how ironic and absurd the whole scene was.
Unable to hold back, I picked up my phone and dialed Lucas.
The call connected quickly, but I could not hear any traces of any guilt from Lucas at all. Instead, his voice brimmed with excitement. "Dad, you really should come to Estoria to visit!"
"The winter here is truly beautiful. Snow blankets everything as far as the eye can see like the world has been covered in silver."
"Mr. Collins took us to visit so many scenic spots and Xavion and Xavier are having the time of their lives."
"I can’t talk much longer, Dad. We’re about to go dog sledding and Mr. Collins is already calling for us."
Then came the beep of the disconnected line as bitterness welled up inside me.
Several times, I thought of calling Wanda. My thumb hovered over her number, ready to press, but every time, I stopped myself.