Her Vanishing Act, His Deep Regret

Elle's POV:

I reached for my coffee mug, but my hand slipped. With a sharp crack, the mug shattered to pieces on the tiles. A shard flew up and cut my index finger, drawing blood, but I felt no pain—only the numbness of a dying heart.

On the bathroom vanity, Azure's expensive perfumes and skincare products were piled high, while my toiletry bag was shoved into a corner.

Lately, I rarely touched anything scented; it made me nauseous. I hadn't told Kellan about this, nor had I mentioned making a hospital appointment.

I was cleaning the wound when Azure suddenly burst in. She completely ignored my bleeding finger and just stared at the counter, screaming, "My new serum! Did you knock it over? Kellan just bought that!"

Hearing the noise, Kellan rushed in and went straight to put his arm around Azure's shoulders. "What happened?"

"Elle broke my serum!"

Kellan frowned. His gaze swept over the broken glass on the floor and my dripping finger without a single word of concern. He turned and coaxed softly, "Don't worry, Azure. I'll buy you a whole new set, pick whatever you want." With that, he pulled out his phone.

I stood frozen in place, letting the blood drip from my finger. My vision began to blur, and my mind grew heavy. This feeling had become all too familiar lately.

I wanted to scream, to cry, but I couldn't make a sound.

Later, I sent Kellan a text message.

"Can we talk tonight? Please."

He replied almost instantly. "Of course. I'll come home early."

A faint glimmer of hope ignited in my heart. Maybe, this time, it would be different.

However, that night, it was very late by the time Kellan and Azure came home. I heard their laughter in the hallway. Azure practically skipped inside.

"Look, Elle!" She excitedly held up a small, exquisite box. "Kellan bought me the new Chanel bag! The exact one I've been wanting!" She twirled around in excitement, striking poses for Kellan to take pictures.

"This is going on social media, right?" Kellan said with a smile. He snapped a photo of Azure, posted it, and specifically tagged her.

The dinner I had painstakingly prepared had long gone cold, and a wave of disappointment washed over me.

I had put a lot of thought into making his favorite dishes, hoping to create a warm atmosphere so we could have a proper talk, but it was just another futile effort.

When Azure went back to her room to try on the new bag, Kellan finally noticed me.

"Oh, honey," he said, walking into the kitchen. He glanced at the table. "You cooked. Looks good." Then, he opened the fridge. "But Azure and I already grabbed a bite while we were out. I'm not really hungry right now."

My heart felt like it was being squeezed.

"You said you would come home early so we could talk," I reminded him, my voice so low it was barely audible.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I know, I know. What did you want to talk about?" he asked, but his eyes were already drifting toward Azure's room, where faint music was playing.

Before I could even open my mouth, Azure's excited voice pierced the air.

"Kellan! Kellan, guess what? I got the promotion! The position I interviewed for! They just called to let me know!"

Kellan dashed out of the kitchen, completely tossing our agreement out the window. "That's amazing! Congratulations!" He rushed into her room, picked her up, and spun her around. Their laughter was deafening.

I was left all alone in the kitchen.

Later, I found an old photo album in a cabinet. Flipping it open, I saw pictures of Kellan and Azure.

Azure in Paris, with Kellan standing beside her smiling. Azure at a ski resort, with Kellan teaching her how to ski. Azure on the beach, with Kellan holding her hand as they strolled together. I had dreamed of going to these places with him; I had mentioned these wishes countless times.

But he always said we didn't have the time or the money. Yet, when it came to Azure, it was done effortlessly.

Kellan returned to the kitchen, still riding the high of the excitement, wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, and kissed me. "What were you saying earlier, honey?" He didn't even notice the album in my hands.

"I just saw this." I held up the photo of them in Paris. "I've always wanted to go to Paris."

He chuckled softly. "Oh, that. Azure wanted to go. You never really brought it up much before, and besides, don't you dislike crowds?"

He had forgotten everything. A sharp pain pierced my chest. Back when we were struggling and saving every penny, we lived frugally so we could travel. He had promised to take me everywhere I wanted to go.

"Do you remember what you said when you proposed?" I turned around and looked him straight in the eyes. "You said you would always put me first and give me a real home."

He took a step back, impatiently cutting me off. "Elle, I'm tired. It's the middle of the night, what exactly do you want? Can't you just be happy for Azure? Why do you have to make everything about yourself? Can't you be a little considerate like her?"

With that, he casually flicked off the kitchen lights and walked away. Darkness instantly swallowed me, completely isolating us from each other.

This time, I didn't shed any more tears. I knew what I had to do. In the darkness, I pulled out my phone with the cracked screen, opened the search bar, and calmly typed in "hospital test appointment."