An Epitaph for Our Love

The irony was staggering.

The vow I had personally inked onto his skin was now someone else’s trophy.

I left a comment under the post. A moment later, a video call from Scarlett came through.

On the screen, Caleb’s bare chest was covered in fresh scratches. Scarlett was curled up beside him like a kitten, deliberately shifting to expose the bite marks he’d left on her shoulder.

“Ava.” Her voice was sickly sweet. She traced the raw ‘S’ on his chest as if displaying a prize. “Caleb’s exhausted, still sleeping. He worked so hard last night…”

I watched her performance, my face a blank mask.

“Oh, by the way,” she added, her hand flying to her mouth in feigned surprise. “Isn’t today your wedding? It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t had that panic attack… Ava, you’re not mad at me, are you?”

The camera panned to Caleb’s sleeping face. His neck was a canvas of love bites.

“Drop the act, Scarlett,” I interrupted, my voice flat. “We both know who’s pulling the strings here.”

“Ava,” she sneered, her facade crumbling, “Caleb and I have known each other for over a decade. Did you really think a nobody like you could compete? We aren’t related by blood. He was always meant to be mine. And what are you? An orphan who scraped by on scholarships. What gives you the right to be with him?”

I laughed.

When we were together, Caleb had mentioned his ‘sister’ countless times. He’d always said she was fragile, that I needed to be good to her. I had once naively teased him for being such a doting brother, never imagining the truth.

She smiled smugly, then instantly switched her expression to a pitiful one. “Caleb, Ava is bullying me…”

He stirred, groggily opening his eyes. When he saw my face on the screen, he froze. “Ava…”

“Caleb, how did it feel to desecrate our vows?”

Scarlett immediately burst into tears. “It’s my fault! Caleb, please don’t fight with Ava because of me. I’ll just leave…”

The moment he heard her cry, Caleb exploded. “Enough, Ava! If you have a problem, take it out on me! Don’t you dare blame Scarlett! She’s already miserable, and you still want to attack her? It’s just a wedding! We can postpone it, what’s the big deal? Why do you have to be so vicious?”

“We don’t have a marriage license yet, Ava! Technically, I can do whatever I want. You can’t control me!”

Watching him shield Scarlett, I let out a derisive laugh. “You’re right. We’re not married. It’s your body, your choice.”

My calm tone seemed to placate him. “Good. Just stop being mad at Scarlett. As long as you’re good to her, we can have another wedding in a few days.”

I nodded calmly. He took it as a compromise and hung up, satisfied.

In that instant, something inside me snapped shut. I was done. Whatever happened with Caleb Hawthorne from this point on had nothing to do with me.