Ends and Beginnings

He did not come back for three days. On the morning of the fourth day, he sent me a location for the wedding ceremony.

[Have you reflected on your mistakes yet? I arranged the wedding ceremony this afternoon, especially for you. It's the same place, so don't be late.]

Every time we fought, I would be the first to offer him an olive branch. This was the first time he reached out instead, though his tone sounded like he was doing this out of pity.

I reacted with an OK emoji and nothing else.

Cyrus must think I would be in tears with gratitude because he agreed to make up for the wedding. However, I was leaving that noon, and I did not want to see him even once before then, so I did not want him to come home and confront me.

On the other hand, Serena would not let me so easily. She purposely used his phone to send me a voice message.

In the audio clip, I could hear that Cyrus was buying her a new necklace. His soft and tender tone sounded so far away to me.

He used to speak to me like that, once upon a time. Now, his tone held nothing but impatience.

“Cyrus said he's only going through the wedding to make it up to you. After six years, the least he could do was give you an official title as his wife. Still, I'm the only one he truly loves,” Serena gloated in the voice message.

I chuckled. “Sure, then I wish you two a happily ever after.”

It was time. I put the medical report, the used tissue, and Serena’s earring on the most prominent spot on the dining table, then I took a cab to the airport.

By the time Cyrus called me, I was already on the plane. I thought he was going to confront me, but the first thing he did was apologize.

“Serena fell sick, and she needs me. Let's cancel this wedding for now.

“I swear I won't cancel on you again next time, so don't throw another tantrum.”

His tone was vaguely threatening by the end. I was silent for a second.

“Alright. I won't bother you ever again.”