Five Years of Nothing

"I'll make him regret it!" my dad shouted angrily. It was the first longest sentence he had spoken since I came home. I shook my head vigorously, trying to convince my dad that I was fine and could handle everything.

"You can't handle everything on your own!" my dad shouted, his eyes filled with hurt. Once again, I was struck by the depth of his love for me. The guilt weighed even heavier on me, along with the desire to recover from my depression.

"I know. Please give me time and stay with me until I get better," I pleaded, my voice choking. I couldn't bear the shame of letting my dad go to Ricky and beat him up like a gangster.

The topic of marriage was temporarily forgotten. My parents were careful not to ask too many details about my relationship with Ricky, fearing it would trigger me further. Even so, they knew it was Ricky who had caused my depression.

I attended regular therapy sessions with the support of my parents. A month into the sessions, I felt better. My mom started asking if I was ready to get married, and I stuck to my initial decision. There was still a hint of worry on her face amidst the happiness.

My mom then took me to a famous boutique to get my dress measured. I left the best choice to her, and she happily immersed herself in catalogs and dress samples.

It didn't take long for my luxurious and expensive wedding dress to be ready. A store employee asked for permission to take my photo, and my mom allowed it.

The next day, after a night of uninterrupted sleep, my mood was ruined by the stern expression on my mom's face. I ate my pancakes and asked what was wrong.

"There are always people with evil hearts who don't like others' happiness. You know the photo the store employee took of you? They posted it on the store's website, and it got a lot of hateful comments!" my mom explained, upset.

My chewing stopped instantly as a suspicion crossed my mind. I borrowed my mom's phone and checked who had left those nasty comments.

Unfortunately, I couldn't trace who was behind the account because it was fake. I had a feeling this wouldn't stop, and I was right. The next day, my phone, which hadn't received any notifications for a long time, suddenly buzzed non-stop.

I picked up my phone and found many messages from a new account. Even so, I could already guess who was behind it. Who else but Ricky?

Quietly, I regretted not deleting my social media accounts. Blocking all of Ricky's accounts didn't seem enough to stop him from finding me.

[There’s no such thing as a wedding with a $7,000 dress until we meet and talk!]

That was the message Ricky sent. I sighed wearily. I started to wonder what had made me so scared and ended up depressed after breaking up with him. What did I see in Ricky back then?

Why couldn't I see that he was selfish and narcissistic back then? Does Ricky think I'm still sulking and seeking attention by pretending to be a model for a luxury wedding dress boutique?

I chose to ignore Ricky and deleted my social media apps. My mistake all this time was always giving in and catering to his every whim. I trusted his judgment too much and never valued myself.

As my wedding day approached, my mom offered for me to meet Theo. I refused again. "If Theo has no complaints, then we should just meet at the altar," I firmly declined.

My parents exchanged glances and gave up on the idea of introducing us. I went through some at-home beauty treatments, and once again, my peace was shattered by message notifications. I started thinking about ditching my phone forever and switching to a landline when I saw Christine's name on the screen.

I opened the text message, which was just a greeting. It was followed by a phone call from Christine seconds later. Since my treatment was done, I moved to the balcony and answered the call.

"Still not acting mature? What do you mean by running away and leaving your job? Don't you know how much trouble you've caused Christine, especially when she's injured?" Ricky's dissatisfied voice filled my ears. It seemed he was using Christine to talk to me.

I took a deep breath, thinking about hanging up. But I remembered Susan's advice. If I wanted peace of mind, I had to face my problems, not run from them.

Maybe for me, the issue between Ricky and me was over when I said we were done. But not for Ricky. He would keep chasing me until he felt our issues were resolved.

"So what do you mean by blocking me on all your social media? Running away? After causing so many problems?" Ricky shouted again, breathless.

I waited until he was silent, then responded. "I did everything because I'm a free person with the right to do whatever I want. Did my actions break any laws? Did you forget that I already resigned?"

Ricky scoffed. "Just so you know, I never accepted your resignation! You're causing me losses!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? What about the losses I suffered? Don't forget, I didn't even receive my last paycheck, severance, or any assignments for the last two weeks before I resigned! You handed everything over to Christine, so why are you now making it seem like I'm irresponsible and ruining your company?" I replied calmly.

"Wait, how do you know the company isn't doing well? Did you plan all this? Admit it, Jemima! This is why I always ask you to act maturely, to think rationally! Do you think you can run away from this situation and destroy me?"

Ricky continued talking. "Keep dreaming, Jemima! You'll never be free from me, your obligations, and that dress! Don't ever think I'll agree to buy that dress for our wedding! You have to come back here, fix all the mess you made, and then we'll talk about the wedding!"

Too stunned to speak. It took me a while to process Ricky's chaotic thinking before I finally responded.

"Do you think I can't afford that dress? Do you think I don't have another man to marry? Is that really what you think, Ricky Smith?" I asked, still in a calm tone.

"Of course! I'm telling you, no one would want to marry a boring woman like you! Be grateful you have something Christine doesn't, and I can appreciate your strengths!" Ricky replied passionately.

"Keep dreaming, Ricky! Because I'm going to marry someone far better than you!" I shouted emotionally.

"You never will! Because I'll make sure to ruin your wedding! Wait for me, Jemima! I already know where you're having the wedding, and I'll make sure that man cancels the wedding with you in front of everyone!"