On the day of Lucas' engagement, he managed to get a few lackeys to keep me occupied, and by the time I stepped out the police station, done with questioning, it was already dark outside.
Arriving home, I stood there on the doorstep and eavesdropped on Lucas and his friends talking about me.
"I was afraid she'd cause trouble, so I got her to spend the whole day at the police station. I made sure that everything would be set in stone by the time she got out."
Shaking my head with a bitter laugh, I blocked all of Lucas' contacts and went overseas without any hesitation.
That night, Lucas lost all his composure, kicking over a table and smashing a bottle of liquor, sending glass shards flying all over the floor. "She's just throwing a tantrum because she's jealous… She'll come back once she gets over it…"
What he didn't realize, then, was that this wasn't just a fit of anger or a petty tantrum.
This time, I truly didn't want him anymore.
By the time questioning was done and I left the police station, it was already dark outside.
On the day of Lucas’ engagement, I was completely out of it, so it was no surprise that I crashed into a car while making a turn. The other party deliberately made things difficult, so it was a long, dragged-out affair.
I tried to call Lucas, but to no avail, all while my social media feed was being flooded with photos of him and his fiancée. Each of those pictures stung like a knife to the heart.
I was furious, and after holding in a whole day’s worth of frustration and resentment, I desperately needed an outlet. Without hesitation, I took a cab straight to his place.
When I got there, the door was slightly ajar, and several voices could be heard from the inside.
This wasn’t unnatural, since he’d often invite his friends over to bond over booze or to watch a game.
I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but hearing them discussing me made me stop right there at the porch.
The first voice I heard was from James, sounding almost regretful, "To be honest, we all thought you'd end up with Susan. You two grew up together, and she's really beautiful, but she does have a terrible temper!"
"She's spoiled. After all these years of making a fuss, she still doesn't know when to stop." Lucas leaned back into the sofa, glanced down at his watch, and furrowed his brows in annoyance.
If his calculations were correct, it was about time Susan arrived at the scene. His head hurt at the very thought of her crying and throwing a temper tantrum.
"How strange," James mused, "Wouldn't she have lost her mind and caused a scene by now after your engagement with Lulu? I haven't seen her at all today! Where'd she go?"
Lucas chuckled. "I was afraid she'd cause trouble, so I got her to spend the whole day at the police station. I made sure that everything would be set in stone by the time she got out."
"You genius!" Sean exclaimed. "You're the only one who can deal with that woman, Lucas."
"Lucas, what if she becomes heartbroken because of your engagement with Lulu and just… leaves?" James asked.
A fleeting image of Susan's tear-streaked face flashed through Lucas' mind, and he felt a sense of irritation that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Then, he scoffed indifferently. "I'd want nothing more than that."
He'd want nothing more…
Seven years of my life, just for that one sentence.
I retracted my hand and turned around, leaving his house without a sound. Winter had only just arrived, and it wasn't truly cold just yet, but I felt chilled to the bone.
We've had our ups and downs, and I was the only one who was by his side through it all.
I thought that was going to be the case for the rest of our lives, yet he got me into trouble just so he could get engaged to someone else.
How pathetic was I, to allow him to trample on me over and over again?
As rain started to fall, I belatedly remembered how the weather forecast said it would get colder later in the night, and maybe even start to snow.
Once it starts snowing in Atlanta, it never seems to stop.
I used to dread winter, but Lucas would always wrap me in his coat several sizes larger than I was, keeping a warm blanket available in his car just for me.
Looking back now, those moments of so-called happiness were never meant to last.
As the rain poured harder, strands of hair stuck damply to my forehead, and my steps wavered almost to the point of collapse.
I shook my head and let out a bitter laugh. How did my life end up like this?
In a moment, I felt like all the wind had been taken out of my sails. All the times we fought seemed like nothing but a joke.
Wrapping my wet jacket closer around my body, a single thought began to sprout and take root in my mind. I wanted to go somewhere warm.
A place with no winter, no snow… And no Lucas.
-
I blocked all of Lucas' contacts, including his friends.
Out of the blue, a message popped up from an unknown number. It was Lulu Harper, the woman Lucas got engaged with.
"Lucas is engaged with me now, and you have no idea how much he dotes on me. If I were you, I'd back off and save myself some dignity.
"He used to hate your guts, you know? Every time he met you, he'd buy me a gift to make it up to me! Everything you have, I have too, and more!
"Stop buzzing around him like a fly, and I won't tell everyone that you tried to seduce my man."
Lulu Harper was the ditzy, clumsy little assistant that was always fumbling around and making mistakes around Lucas. Petite and fragile, even a single harsh word was enough to make her eyes well up with tears like a helpless kitten… So did Lucas know that she could be this arrogant?
She had always been scheming against me in the shadows, spilling wine on my custom-made gown and deliberately breaking my diamond necklace.
I'd seen through her façade ages ago, seeing her for the manipulative witch that she really was, yet Lucas treated her like a crown jewel. Whenever my tone became just the slightest bit harsh, he'd swoop in like a knight in shining armor.
Thinking back, I mourned for my poor dress and jewellery.
I had fought back, but Lucas would only say I had plenty of those frivolous things and that Lulu was just a young girl who had just started working—telling me not to make things difficult for her.
Plenty or not, they were mine. If she broke them, she should pay. Isn't that just common sense?
With that thought in mind, I handed all the information I had to my lawyer, telling him to get back every last penny Lulu owed me. Then, I pulled out my phone's SIM card and tossed it into the trash.
Then, I sincerely wished for this scumbag and this gold digger to torment each other for the rest of their lives.
When my parents came upstairs and saw me packing my suitcase, their faces filled with concern.
"Susan, are you sure about this? Lucas really did cross the line this time, so we'll go to their family and ask for an explanation!"
Both our families had always assumed Lucas and I would end up together. Our families were well-matched in stature, and we'd grown up as childhood sweethearts, so it was the natural course of events.
"Mom, Dad, if you want to leave me some dignity, then don't go. Besides, isn't it good that I'll be helping Tony with his business overseas? Didn't you always want me to gain some experience in the field?"
The shock in their faces was unsurprising, considering how I spent my entire youth chasing after Lucas like a lovestruck fool… Which I had been.
"You've thought this through, haven't you?" My mom asked, her tone careful.
I walked over and hugged them tight, my voice steady and filled with resolve, "Sorry for worrying you two so much in the past… From now on, I'll change."
They had always had high hopes for me, just like they did for my brother, Tony. I was the one who was too blinded by love and too stubborn to do anything but prioritize Lucas over everyone else.
"Alright, that's more like it! If you've made up your mind, then go for it! Don't worry, your old man will be there to support you if anything happens!"
I agreed, choking up in emotion.
The moment I boarded the flight headed overseas, that foolish chapter of my life finally came to an end.
-
That night, Lucas kept waiting for Susan, or at least for a call.
Very patronizing, he thought about how he'd do her a favor and pick up when she called, and endure her crying and clinging onto him.
No matter how much he waited, however, nothing came.
He felt like a kite that had its string severed, leaving it to drift away into the air, and he was suddenly left with an unsettling feeling of emptiness.
"Lucas, I can't hold on any longer... I gotta sleep," Sean mumbled, barely able to keep his eyes open.
They had been drinking together all night, but the later it got, the more distracted Lucas seemed.
Lulu called, her voice gentle and concerned, "Sweetie, are you going to bed yet? I miss you… Can I come over?"
Lucas refused, swirling his drink in his wine glass, "I'm having a drink with Sean and the others as… A last bachelor's party, you know? Be good and go to bed, alright?"
Lulu's pout was audible even over the phone, and she acted clingy for a little bit before reluctantly hanging up.
Sean leaned over to James and whispered, "Since when did people do bachelor parties for an engagement?"
James rotated the cup in his hand, letting out a sigh. "He's waiting for someone, you doof! Can't you tell?"
In the past, Susan would've already arrived to ask Lucas for an explanation, proverbial guns blazing and letting her rage be known, so the fact that she hadn't shown up yet was… Unsettling.
"Should I call Susan and ask her where she is?" James offered.
Lucas didn't refuse, only standing up and walking to stand by the window. "Sure, whatever."
James first called the police station and was informed that Susan already left earlier.
Meanwhile, her phone was completely unreachable, and Lucas and the others soon realized that she had blocked them.
"Bro, I think she's really angry this time!" Sean said cautiously.
"Susan isn't the type to take something like this lying down, so she really might be serious this time. To be fair, you did get her locked up while you got engaged with another person, so I get it. You might have overdone it this time, Lucas." James finally said what was on his mind the entire night.
Then, they all tried calling Susan's friends, but no one had heard from her either. For the first time, Lucas lost all his composure, kicking over the table and smashing a bottle of liquor, sending glass shards flying all over the floor.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Susan to leave. How could he, when all this time she'd been following him around like an abandoned puppy? They'd been together for so long that both their families already treated them like future husband and wife.
As for Lulu, the more Susan bullied her, the more he felt the need to protect her. It came to a point, eventually, where he couldn't even tell what he actually felt.
Lucas' bloodshot eyes stared blankly into the air. "She's just throwing a tantrum because she's jealous… She'll come back once she gets over it…"
In the past, Susan fought with him plenty of times before Lulu was even in the picture. As long as he was patient and played along, she'd forgive him and treat him even better than she did in the past.
What he didn't realize, then, was that this wasn't just a fit of anger or a petty tantrum.
This time, she truly didn't want him anymore.
-
After spending an entire night on the plane, I arrived at my destination. To my surprise, the person who came to pick me up wasn't my brother, but Charles Lawson, his best friend.
From what I hear, he and my brother grew up together, almost inseparable. They were so close, in fact, that there were even rumors that he secretly had feelings for my brother.
With that in mind, I kept an eye out for anything strange while giving him a polite smile. "Long time no see, Charles."
He was tall and strikingly handsome, exuding an effortless charm in the casual jeans and t-shirt. The bright smile on his face was as warm and vibrant as the weather here.
"Tony's out on a business trip, so he told me to come get you."
He reached over to take my suitcase, giving it a light pat on the top. "Wanna hop on?"
"I'm not a little girl anymore, Charles."
Charles was five years older than me. Back then, when he used to visit our house, he loved dragging me all around the house while I sat on a suitcase like a chariot.
With a shrug, he whistled as he dragged the suitcase over to his car, before driving me to where I would be staying.
The temperature around here averaged at around 70℉, which was perfectly comfortable.
His flashy red convertible roared down the road, blasting music at full volume.
