“No, we haven’t,” I finally said, my tone flat. “He’s always preferred going somewhere quieter.”
Her smile widened, as if that response confirmed something for her. “Ah, I see.”
Seeing no reason to stay any longer, I was about to leave when Katrina’s next words froze me in my tracks.
“Anyway, I’m so happy today. I got to remember my childhood with Lewis. We even talked about the promise we made at that playground.”
I did not want to see her smug face again, but for some reason, I could not bring myself to walk away.
Curiosity tugged at me, compelling me to hear the rest of her story.
Katrina did not hesitate, her voice filled with pride as she recounted the tale.
She spoke of a time when her parents were divorcing, and her mother decided to move back to Canada, taking her along.
Katrina had been devastated, especially at the thought of leaving her friends and the life she had known in New York.
As a 10-year-old, she ran away from home, crying in the playground where she and Lewis often played.
That was where Lewis found her, wiping her tears and asking her what was wrong.
“And then,” Katrina said with a gleam in her eyes, “he promised me that when I turned 25, he would come for me, bring me back to New York, and marry me.”
Her voice softened as she added, “So, when Lewis came to pick me up at the airport, I knew he had kept his promise.”
Her words hit like a punch to the gut.
It was not just a fleeting crush or a passing connection. Katrina was the girl Lewis had promised his heart to, years before I ever came into the picture.
In that moment, I realized the truth. Katrina had always been in Lewis’s heart, and I was merely an interlude.
Feeling utterly humiliated, I mustered all the composure I could and said briefly, “Congratulations.”
Without waiting for a reply, I walked past her, each step heavier than the last.
But as I neared my table, a voice rang out behind me.
“Why did you push Katrina? You knew she had a twisted ankle!”
I turned, startled, to see Lewis storming toward me. His face was a mix of anger and disbelief.
“Grace, I told you I’d explain everything later. Why did you have to handle it so harshly?”
It was the first time he had ever yelled at me, and it felt like a slap across the face.
As I stared at him in disbelief, Lewis showed no sign of guilt or hesitation, just pure fury.