Chapter 3
“Hey, it’s my birthday today. Can you spend some time with me?”
I read the message that popped up on Jack’s phone and watched him head to the bathroom. The baby’s breath on the table caught my eye, and I let out a rueful smile. Julia, you’ve got to wake up and let go. Did you really think Jack loved you?
The sound of running water stopped.
I closed my eyes, wiped away my tears, and looked at Jack in his bathrobe. My heart felt a pang of sorrow. His eyes remained the same- aloof, cold, with a smile that never reached them. It felt so insincere. Who was he trying to fool with this act?
Me? Well, he was quite the performer. After all, I’ve been with him for five years.
“What’s up with you?”
Jack looked puzzled after I stared at him for a while.
I slowly removed my top, leaving only my undergarments and a thin white dress. “Jack, what do you really think of me?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck. It was the first time we were this close–close enough for me to feel his heartbeat.
“Julia, what’s going on?” Jack grabbed my arm, a mix of urgency and a hint of panic in his eyes.
“Why are you giving me so much money? What do you want?”
“Just stay by my side. I’ve got things to do today, so I can’t have dinner with you.”
With that, Jack left.
Right. I slumped to the floor, knowing from the start it was all in my head, yet I still walked straight into humiliation.
I took off my clothes and took a shower. It should’ve ended sooner.
“Hey, look, Jack’s spending his birthday with that girl,” Rose messaged me on WhatsApp. I scrolled down and saw it was from Lily, one of Jack’s flings.
I looked at myself in the mirror and slapped myself hard three times. It was time to wake up completely.
I’ve always been the one to blame for my own downfall, delusion, and consequences.
10:1
<
“Rose, I’m tired. I don’t want to like him anymore.”
After sending that message, I dressed in a daze. As I left, I caught sight of the baby’s breath on the table, its beauty almost blinding.
Back at the villa, the couple’s slippers at the door were my doing. Overall, all the double items in the house were my doing. The first time he used them, he didn’t say he disliked them. I liked to deceive myself into thinking he liked me.
I looked at the cold, empty house and let out a bitter laugh.
I thought, it’s okay. I’ll leave soon too. Give it more time, and I’ll surely forget him. Everyone will be happy. Letting go of Jack means letting go of myself too.
I picked up the photo album from the bedside table. It was full of photos I secretly took of Jack. In one, he smiled unintentionally, a young man at the peak of his youth, running with vigor.
There was also a photo of the first time he gave me baby’s breath.
Memories flooded back, and I seemed to smell the fresh scent of the baby’s breath and the sweet mountain breeze.
A gentle breeze brushed Jack’s face as he awkwardly took the bouquet from behind and shoved it into my hands.
“Jack, can I take a photo?” It was the first time I asked him for something. He hesitated but then nodded awkwardly. I quickly took the photo, fearing he might change his mind. As I reached for the flowers, he tossed them aside.
“I have something to do. You should go back.” With that, Jack left.
I slowly walked back, holding the bouquet of baby’s breath he’d thrown on the ground.
