The brokennight
Woke up really excited and happy, though in my heart I was full of conviction that something wasn’t right, cause the air in the house wasn’t just feeling right. I went on my knees, said a little prayer, went straight to wash my face, and applied some facial creams. On my way to the bathroom, I accidentally kicked my leg at the door, which wasn’t normal of me. I just relaxed, felt it was an accident, and went to take my shower, singing while washing my body and just anticipating how my date with Sarah would be today. It was later that night, but I couldn’t just imagine—I had already booked reservations in one of the most beautiful restaurants. Just singing and imagining how good she would look in the dress I got her was just so mind-blowing. I am not a fan of fairy tales, but she would look a lot like a fairy princess.
When I was done with my shower, I took the dress I had prepared off work, cause I had to go to work before the date at night. I planned on proposing that night. Although I was nervous, something in me kept telling me that it wasn’t going to go well, but I just ignored the feeling cause I didn’t want any bad energy to spoil my day or date. So, I put on my white and black suit, looked myself in the mirror while trying to brush up my beard, kept on hyping myself, and saying how lovely it would look when she finished becoming my wife. While dressing up in the mirror, I imagined her walking down from the bathroom, and me just smiling straight into the mirror. Then I heard my name, which brought me back to reality. I kept on smiling, and then my brother Lucas entered.
He was like, "It’s your big day, bro, hope you are prepared."
I smiled and said, "Yes."
Then he said, "What a nice suit you got there, bro," referring to the suit I laid on the bed for the date with Sarah. Then he walked in, grabbed the suit, and said, "The structural design in this is so nice, where did you get it?"
I said, "Oh, from a fashion store down the block close to the office."
"Oh, that's nice, I guess I might get one there too. Bro, you look nice, love the shoes."
I said, "Thank you, Lucas, would you be meeting me at the office or just going to sit at home all day?"
"Well, I would be coming, just need to see that mum is ok and a few things in the house need to be sorted."
"Oh, that's nice."
Then Lucas got a strange text and stormed out of the room. I was shocked, but didn’t put too much meaning to it, cause I said earlier not thinking of anyone or anything else but my mood. I called out, "Are you ok?"
He just said, "Yeah," and I left him, closed the door, and already washed two cars—I personally washed the cars myself, especially the SUV, cause I wanted to use it to pick Sarah up for the date.
I got in the BMW and left, and no matter what someone said or did at work, I tried not to get angry. You could feel it around me that I was really happy, that the staff even asked, "Boss, what's the occasion?" and I just said, "You would find out soon." During the afternoon, during lunch, I tried reaching out to Sarah, but she wasn’t responding, so I kept sending voicemails and asked her to call back when she got them, but no message came in. By 5:00 PM, I was finished with work and decided to check up on her at her workplace. On my way there, I got a text from the event planner and had to go check it out. It was nice; I wanted something nice, some fireworks to welcome us in a huge walk-way carpet. At the end of it, written with a lot of balloons, would be "Will you marry me?" The fireworks were meant to put our faces in the sky, making today a very special day for us, then we would move to the restaurant. I perfectly planned this, cause Sarah had always been a private person, so I only invited my family and hers, and a few friends that were really close to the both of us. You would feel the sincerity and amount of love I had for her.
I went back into my car and brought out the ring from my suit. Again, it was a $2 million diamond ring I had to save up for two years to get that ring, cause she was special and I wanted something special for her. So I finally got a call from Sarah, and she complained of how hectic her day was and everything, and I was just smiling—I couldn’t help it. I didn’t say a word, I just smiled, you know I was far gone in love with her. Then I said, "8:00 PM?"
She said, "Here," with her sweet, angelic voice.
Then I drove back home. By 6:00 PM, I took my bath and had already dressed up. I was putting on a royal blue suit and some black loafers and a pair of black socks—I personally bought that particular color of suit cause blue was Sarah's favorite color. I looked into the mirror and brought out the poem I had written for her, saying:
From the very first moment our paths intertwined,
A peace settled deep in the back of my mind.
In a world full of noise, you became my sweet rest,
The beat in my chest that feels truest and best.
I look at your smile and the grace in your eyes,
And I know I have found my most beautiful prize.
Through every low valley and high, sunlit peak,
You are the comfort, the future I seek.
My heart has found home in the warmth of your hand,
The absolute best thing that life has unplanned.
So let's face all the tomorrows, whatever they bring,”
I smiled and walked out of the room. I asked Mum about Lucas, but she said he wasn’t back from work yet. I was shocked, but guessed he went to drink with the boys as usual. I hopped into the SUV I had washed earlier and said a short prayer. I was nervous and happy at the time, kind of a mixed feeling. Then I drove out. I tried reaching out to Sarah, but her phone wasn’t going through. It was 2 hours away from Sarah's house. After beating all the traffic, I got to her house. I tried calling, but her phone wasn’t going through. With how I planned the date in my head, she would be waiting for me at the entrance door of her home, but I guess she might still be dressing up, I typed the digital code into the front door, the heavy deadbolt clicking open with a familiar, welcoming chime.
"Sarah?" I called out, stepping into the quiet foyer. "I’ve been trying your line forever—"
The house was dead silent, save for the hum of the refrigerator. But as I closed the door, something felt wrong. The air heavy. On the entryway table sat a pair of shoes that definitely didn't belong to Sarah—my brother Lucas’s signature leather loafers, tossed carelessly on the rug.
A cold spike of dread shot through my chest, instantly freezing the smile on my face. No, I told myself, shaking my head violently. Lucas said he was going to drink with the boys. You're just paranoid.
I walked slowly down the hallway, the $2 million diamond ring burning a hole in my jacket pocket. The door to Sarah’s bedroom was cracked open by an inch. A faint sliver of warm light spilled onto the hardwood floor.
I pushed the door open, the gentle squeak of the hinges sounding like thunder in the quiet room.
My breath caught.
The bedsheets were tangled in a violent knot. Sarah was there, lying back with her eyes closed, soft whimpers escaping her lips—until her eyes fluttered open and locked onto mine. And hovering right above her, braced on his elbows, was my own flesh and blood. Lucas.
The world didn't just stop; it fractured into a million jagged pieces.
Lucas froze, his eyes widening in pure terror as he looked over his shoulder at me. Sarah let out a sharp gasp, pulling the sheets up to her chest, her face draining of all color.
My hand instinctively moved to my jacket pocket, my fingers brushing against the velvet ring box. All the work. All the saving. All the late nights, the washed cars, the carefully written poetry, the blind, foolish, absolute love I had poured into building a future for us. It all evaporated in a single heartbeat.
I didn't scream. I didn't throw a punch. I just looked at them—at the two people I trusted most in this world—and the silence between us became louder than any explosion.
