"Lucy is trying to make it on her own in Edinburgh. She’s still finding her way—she even gets lost at the company sometimes. How can I trust that she’ll manage alone?"
Then he looked me over suspiciously, his expression turning condescending. "Or is it that you’re jealous of Lucy? Afraid she’ll take me from you?"
I stared at him, stunned, barely able to believe the words coming out of his mouth. This was the same man who once swore he’d love only me for the rest of his life.
Suddenly, he felt like a stranger—one I didn’t recognize and was terrified to confront.
Our relationship devolved into a cold war. I moved into the bedroom and he slept in the study.
In the past, these standoffs never lasted more than half a day, Gregory would always be the first to apologize. But this time, the silence dragged on for two weeks.
One morning, I opened the door to find him coming out of Lucy’s bedroom.
He explained nonchalantly, "Lucy had a fever last night. I didn’t want to wake you, so I stayed in her room to take care of her."
It was then that I began to notice subtle shifts in our dynamic.
Lucy stopped coming to me when she needed help. Instead, she went directly to Gregory. Even for things as trivial as needing tampons, she’d ask him to run to the store for her.
Gregory, too, began withdrawing from me. He barely spoke to me and spent all his time at home hovering around her.
Last weekend, neither of them came home.
When I called, I found out Lucy’s mother had fallen ill and Gregory had rushed to the countryside with her after work.
For two days, they didn’t answer my messages or return my calls.
On the third day, when they finally came back, I opened the door to find them in a tight embrace.
Lucy was sobbing into his chest. "Gregory, my heart belongs to you. I can’t bear to lose you..."
He stroked her hair gently. "Don’t worry. I won’t let you marry someone else. I’ll marry you myself."
It wasn’t until they finally separated that they noticed me standing frozen in the doorway.
Gregory pulled me aside, his face lined with frustration.
"Lucy’s mother is gravely ill and doesn’t have much time left. Her only wish is to see Lucy married. To honor her, Lucy was planning to marry some random man," he explained.