Chapter 3
Adrian didn’t come home for several days.
Scrolling through Instagram, Violet kept seeing Seraphina’s posts-Adrian walking her to the library, Adrian bringing her breakfast, Adrian kneeling to tie her shoelaces…
In every photo, his expression was gentler than when he was with her.
She watched silently, slowly packing her things.
Over the years, her possessions were pitifully few-a handful of clothes, a pair of sneakers she’d worn for years, and a photo album full of secretly taken pictures of Adrian-his profile while reading, his back while cooking, his slightly furrowed brow while sleeping.
When Adrian came home, she was packing the last small box.
“What are you packing?” He stood in the doorway, voice flat.
“Stuff I don’t need anymore. Throwing it out.” She didn’t look up, afraid he’d see her red-rimmed eyes.
He hummed in acknowledgment and walked in to get water: “Good to declutter. You always said this place felt cramped, right? I bought a house-we can move in a few days.”
He paused, then suddenly said: “Let’s go look at it today.”
She hesitated, then nodded-just think of it as one last look at his new place before she left.
The house was in a nice development, tree-lined and quiet as a sanctuary.
Just as they reached the door, they ran into Seraphina.
She wore a pale yellow sundress, her smile radiant: “You’re here! Violet, my house is right next to yours-we’ll be neighbors! We can see each other every day!”
She enthusiastically pulled them over to tour her place first.
But the moment they stepped inside, Violet froze-cream-colored sofas, natural wood dining table, even the plants on the balcony were identical to what she’d just seen in Adrian’s house.
“Adrian and I picked out the furniture together,” Seraphina said with a smile. “We have such similar taste-they look like they belong in the same house.”
She blinked: “A friend even said if we knocked down the wall between them, they’d flow together perfectly!”
Adrian stood nearby, smiling that rare smile: “She’s studying design. She has great taste.”
Violet’s heart felt stabbed by needles, dense and sharp with pain.
Yeah, after she left, they could make it official.
They really could knock down the wall and combine the houses.
As they toured, lunchtime arrived, and Seraphina suggested eating together.
She chose an upscale French restaurant with an all-French menu.
She deliberately handed the menu to Violet first.
Taking it, Violet’s hands trembled slightly.
She couldn’t read a single word.
Adrian seemed to notice her discomfort and took the menu: “I’ll order.”
Seraphina rested her chin on her hand, smiling: “Adrian, don’t just order what I like-consider Violet too.”
Adrian looked at her: “What would you like?”
She looked down.
He remembered every single thing Seraphina liked, but after all these years together, he didn’t even know her preferences.
“Anything’s fine,” she said quietly.
When the food arrived, she fumbled with the knife and fork, accidentally knocking over her plate.
Sauce splattered across the tablecloth as people around them stared with disgust.
She jumped up in panic, heading for the restroom to clean up, but heard people whispering behind her:
“What a country bumpkin-probably never been to a French restaurant.”
“So embarrassing, standing next to that gorgeous couple looking like some uncivilized savage…”
She rushed into the bathroom, turning on the faucet and scrubbing frantically at the stains on her hands.
The girl in the mirror looked pale and red-eyed, like a pathetic clown.
Yeah, she and Adrian had been living in different worlds for a long time.
Suddenly, screams erupted outside: “FIRE!”
Violet’s first instinct was to rush out and find Adrian.
But fighting against the crowd to get back to their table, she found it empty-Adrian had already left with Seraphina.
She was pushed and shoved by the panicking crowd, falling and getting her hand brutally stepped on, the pain making her
vision blur.
By the time she stumbled outside, she saw Adrian carrying Seraphina in his arms, urgently telling the driver: “To the hospital!”
Seraphina leaned against him, asking softly: “What about Violet…”
Adrian glanced back at the crowded restaurant: “The bathroom’s on the first floor, she should be out by now.”
Then he paused: “Your ankle is more important-let’s get to the hospital.”
The car door slammed shut and sped away.
Violet stood there, her injured hand burning with pain, but it didn’t compare to even a fraction of what her heart felt.
11.0
She went to the hospital alone, got her wound bandaged, then went bore and booked a train fram
Drifting off to sleep, she dreamed of so many memories-
Sixteen year old Adrian by the river, asking why she saved him;
Nineteen-year-old Adrian waiting for her at the dinner table late into the night, stubbornly refusing to eat on the que
Twenty-two-year-old Adrian holding her and saying: “Violet, I’ll make sure you have a good life.”
Twenty-four-year-old Adrian, who had found someone he liked and didn’t need her anymore.
In the dream, she smiled until tears streamed down her face,
When she woke up, Adrian was standing by her bed, holding her phone.
“You bought a train ticket?” He stared at her, his voice cold as ice. “Where are you going??”
