THE LAST WORD

She had always loved him, ever since they met in college. He was smart, funny, charming, and handsome. He made her feel special, like she was the only one who mattered. They dated for four years, and then he proposed to her on a romantic trip to Paris. She said yes, without hesitation. She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with him. They planned their wedding for the next year, and everything seemed perfect. She found her dream dress, he booked their dream venue, they invited their family and friends. She was happy, happier than she had ever been. But then, a week before the wedding, she received a phone call that shattered her world. It was from a woman who claimed to be his mistress. She said she had been seeing him for two years, and that he had promised to leave his fiancée for her. She said she was pregnant with his child, and that he had to make a choice. She couldn't believe it. She thought it was a cruel joke, a mistake, a lie. She confronted him, hoping he would deny it, hoping he would tell her he loved her, hoping he would explain everything. But he didn't. He admitted it, with a cold and remorseless look in his eyes. He said he was sorry, but he had fallen out of love with her. He said he wanted to be with the other woman, and that he was going to cancel the wedding. She felt a surge of pain, anger, and betrayal. She slapped him, hard, across the face. She screamed at him, cursed him, told him he was a liar, a cheater, a coward. She threw the engagement ring at him, and told him to get out of her life. She ran to her room, locked the door, and cried. She didn't know how to cope. She felt like her whole life had been a lie. She felt like she had wasted four years of her life on someone who didn't love her. She felt like she had no future, no hope, no reason to live. She decided to end it all. She took a bottle of pills from the medicine cabinet, and swallowed them all. She lay down on the bed, and waited for death to take her. But death didn't come. Instead, she woke up in a hospital, surrounded by doctors and nurses. They told her she had been found by her best friend, who had come to check on her. They told her they had pumped her stomach, and saved her life. They told her she was lucky to be alive. She didn't feel lucky. She felt miserable. She wished she had died. She wished she had never met him. She wished she had never loved him. But then, she saw a familiar face in the crowd. It was him. He had come to see her. He looked at her with a mix of guilt, regret, and sadness. He walked up to her bed, and spoke. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry. I made a terrible mistake. I don't love her. I love you. I always have, and I always will. Please forgive me. Please give me another chance. Please don't leave me." She looked at him, and felt a flicker of hope. Maybe he was telling the truth. Maybe he had realized his error. Maybe he had come back to her. Maybe they could start over. Maybe they could be happy again. She opened her mouth, and said the words that would change their lives forever. "Go to hell."