Chapter 3
623 Words
I sat on the living room floor with a cardboard box open in front of me. Inside was everything Luke had ever given me.
A luxury panther brooch, my first Valentine's Day gift from him. Later, one of his advisors casually told me the truth. Emily thought it looked too old-fashioned, so Luke had passed it on to me.
Two first-class plane tickets. It was our second anniversary trip. The moment we landed, Luke got a call saying Emily was being followed. He turned right around and flew back. I spent seven days alone in Azure Isle.
A Barbie pink lipstick, a Hermès silk scarf, an antique letter opener...
Every single gift carried Emily's shadow.
I packed them all into the box. It felt less like packing my belongings and more like cleaning up a relationship that had been treated like an afterthought for far too long.
My best friend, Blair Hayes, came over to help.
She wrapped me in a tight hug. "Thea... are you okay?"
That was all it took.
The tears I'd been holding back came pouring out. I hugged her just as tightly, unable to decide whether I wanted to nod or shake my head.
I'd managed to stay composed in front of everyone else. But right here in front of Blair, all I felt was pain.
"Luke is such a damn jerk. If he couldn't let go of Emily, then he never should've broken up with her. Now he's engaged to you, and he's still acting like they're together."
Blair was furious. She wanted to march over and confront him.
I stopped her. "Don't. I've already decided to leave for West Ardin."
She froze. "You're serious?"
I nodded. "I'm leaving this weekend."
"But... aren't you two getting married next month?"
There wouldn't be a wedding.
I wiped away my tears. "Blair, don't tell Luke I'm leaving for West Ardin."
She snorted. "As if I would. The last time you operated on that HIV-positive patient, you called him over and over, and he never answered. It's about time he found out what it feels like to be the one left in the dark."
That had happened two years ago.
A patient had gone into massive hemorrhagic shock. I jumped into the emergency surgery. Later, someone from the lab rushed in with the blood test results.
HIV positive.
I called Luke 28 times. Every call went straight to voicemail.
I didn't know how much time had passed before he finally called back.
The first thing I said was, "Luke... I'm scared."
He offered a few perfunctory words of comfort. "Don't worry. I've already talked to my private physician. Since you were wearing gloves, the chances of infection are very low. Don't scare yourself. I'm busy. I'll come see you after I finish up here."
Busy again.
Every time he was "busy", it somehow involved Emily.
Just as I finished packing everything away, Luke called,
"Thea, my mom has something going on this weekend. We'll have to postpone your meeting."
I wanted to return all his things as soon as possible. "What happened?"
"Emily's been dying to learn the waltz lately. You know my mom's amazing at it. She already promised she'd teach her this weekend."
So promises made to Emily mattered. Promises made to me didn't.
My voice stayed calm. "I have something for you."
"What is it?"
"The things you've given me over the years."
"Thea." His voice grew colder. "Enough. They're just learning how to dance. I'll reschedule your meeting with my mother. And besides, I never take back gifts. If you don't want them anymore, just throw them away."
"Fine."
I hung up. Then I carried the heavy box outside.
Bang! I dropped it into the dumpster.
- Writer
