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Chapter 5
The large glass cabinet held only two items:
A picture made from dried daisies,
And a pair of rings that Brian and I had crafted for each other.
These were the very things Brian had used when he proposed to me.
I had carefully framed them and placed them here.
Back then, every time I saw these items, I thought I was the happiest woman in the world.
But now…
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Now I felt like a fool.
Looking back, the proposal I had been so proud of seemed nothing more than a joke.
That day had been our high school reunion.
Brian and I, the only couple from school who had stayed together all those years, were naturally the center of attention and good–natured teasing.
As the night wore on and everyone got a bit tipsy, the teasing became more pointed.
“Brian, it’s been so long. Shouldn’t you give Kimberly a proper answer by now?”
“Yeah, it’s been nearly nine years. Why haven’t
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you married her yet?”
“Brian, why don’t you take advantage of this moment and settle things with Kimberly once and for all?”
Amidst all the teasing, Brian just smiled silently.
I thought he was just shy.
Looking back now, I realize he must have felt incredibly pressured.
Why else would he have stepped out of the restaurant, bought a random bunch of daisies from a street vendor, taken the couple’s ring from my finger, and started proposing?
How careless!
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I must have seemed so pathetic, too caught up in my illusion of love to notice.
Brian must have been so tired of it all back then.
He probably thought the whole thing was some elaborate ploy on my part to pressure him into marriage.
After all, in the weeks leading up to the reunion, I had hinted countless times that I wanted a wedding.
But every time, Brian had brushed me off, saying the company was at a critical stage.
Looking back now, I see how easily I was brushed aside.
He could placate me with the most casual
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excuse, and I let it drag on for years.
A bitter smile played on my lips.
I took the two items out of the glass cabinet and held them for a long time.
Then, I tossed them into the trash bag.
Enough!
I didn’t want Brian anymore.
What reason did I have to hold onto these?
After throwing out all the garbage, Lgrabbed my packed suitcase and headed for the door.
I paused at the entrance.
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Turning back, I slowly surveyed the house one last time before gently closing the door behind
- me.
“Hah…”
I exhaled deeply, releasing every last shred of attachment as I walked toward the elevator.
On the way, my phone rang nonstop.
Brian’s name flashed across the screen again and again.
I switched on airplane mode, and the world instantly quieted.
Satisfied, I leaned back in the taxi seat and closed my eyes.
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I needed some rest.
It had been a long day.
I fell into a deep sleep.
If the driver hadn’t woken me, I wouldn’t have even realized I’d arrived at the airport.
Before boarding, I switched off airplane mode.
Ding, ding, ding, ding…
My phone buzzed with new messages.
I glanced at the screen.
“Kimberly, are you crazy?”
“Why did you send everyone a message
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canceling the wedding?”
“Can’t you be a little more understanding? I told you I’d make it up to you once things settle down!”
“Kimberly, why are you being so unreasonable?”
“Kim, I lost my temper earlier. Please pick up the phone!”
A cold smile tugged at my lips.
How amusing, that he still tried to play the part of the devoted lover.
Was he really willing to spend the rest of his life
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with a woman he no longer loved, just to avoid
being called a scumbag?
How ridiculous.
After a brief pause, I sent Brian a single
message.
“Sign the divorce papers, and let’s disappear from each other’s lives.”
Then, I swapped out my SIM card for a new one.
As for the old one… I tossed it into the nearest trash can.
Goodbye, Brian.
We’ll never meet again.
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Leaving the last nine years behind, I walked toward the boarding gate.
Chapter 6
