He Wished My Death, I Make Him Pay

When I overheard Felix Scott's inebriated confession, I hesitated, drawing my hand back from the door I intended to knock on. The next second, my eyes met Vivian Lynn's, fresh from her stint overseas. Instinct urged me to enter first, but the weight of the door loomed heavily against my wheelchair-bound frame. Vivian shimmered with her usual brilliance, which only deepened my frustration over my own limitations. She greeted me warmly, her voice a soft melody, and navigated me into the private room. Throughout, I kept my gaze fixed downward, swallowed by a wave of mortification. "Felix, it's really not fair to you either, Nina struggling to get here," Vivian reproached, a familiar playfulness in her tone reminiscent of old times. "I asked Felix to come ahead. I had a few errands," I offered, unconsciously defending him. Felix, his breath laced with alcohol, took over from Vivian, maneuvering my wheelchair with trademark tenderness. "Why didn't you call when you arrived?" he inquired, gently settling me close to him. His care during the meal was routine, yet Vivian's presence cast a shadow, manifested when seafood, a favorite of hers but a nemesis to my allergies, landed on my plate. The air was thick with unspoken tension. Felix's friends, all too familiar with the once-passionate bond he shared with Vivian, exchanged knowing glances. They used to jest that if Vivian and Felix didn't walk down the aisle together, they would share every captured moment with their future spouses. As fate wove her story, I became Felix's wife. I required no tales to remind me of the love once written between him and Vivian. "Vivian, what kind of job brings you back from overseas?" "Yeah, and you didn't even show up for Felix's wedding." The tension in the room was palpable. Those comments were a clumsy attempt to break it, leaving them awkwardly scratching their heads. When Felix tied the knot, he had sent Vivian a message while I watched. I also extended an invitation to Vivian. It seemed we were both trying to prove we had moved on. Yet our invites and messages vanished into silence, and even now, after the wedding had ended, there was still no word from her. Vivian laid her knife and fork down, turning to Felix with a smile, "Felix mentioned he needed a partner, so here I am to lend my support." I glanced over at Felix, but he quickly looked away. I had thought this dinner was to celebrate my birthday, but now it was clear it was to welcome Vivian back and toast their new partnership. Felix drank heavily that night. I couldn't manage to get him home alone since I needed help myself. It was even Vivian who escorted us back. As the door shut, I saw the sadness in Felix's eyes. "Nina, I'm sorry." I wasn't sure what he was apologizing for. Was it for overlooking my birthday, for not mentioning his new partnership with Vivian, or for some other truth I was reluctant to face? "Felix." I held his gaze, my voice shaking, "Do you still love her?"