Landing Before Dawn

At a red light, Michelle caught sight of a young couple by the roadside taking wedding photos. The bride's radiant smile pierced her heart, bringing tears to her eyes. So, this was how much she craved happiness.

"Honey, don't envy them. Tomorrow, we'll take our wedding photos too. I'll make you the happiest bride in the world," Parker whispered sweetly into her ear, kissing away her tears.

Michelle didn't refuse. Instead, she posted a photo of the two of them on her social media with the caption: [Tomorrow's the big day, my wedding photoshoot! I'm so excited!] She wanted to see if, come tomorrow, they'd truly take those photos.

The next morning, Michelle woke early, only to find the space beside her already empty.

All that remained was breakfast on the table and a note: [Honey, I'm sorry! Something urgent came up at work. Let's reschedule the photoshoot for tomorrow.]

She touched the bowl of breakfast, it was still warm. He hadn't left long ago.

Turning on the car's dashboard camera, Michelle saw it all, crystal clear. Her fiancé cheating with her younger sister played out like a script repeating itself again and again.

Tears blurred her vision as she quietly threw the breakfast into the trash and turned off the footage. Those obscene noises, like her lingering feelings for Parker, were abruptly silenced.

When Parker returned that night, he was surprised to find Michelle hadn't prepared dinner, an unusual occurrence.

He searched the entire apartment but didn't find her. Panic seized him and he rushed out to look for her.

Finally, he spotted her returning from the direction of the cemetery, looking utterly lost and broken.

Relieved, he strode forward and enveloped her in his arms, his voice filled with concern, "Why didn't you call me to go with you to see your mom's grave?"

Parker didn't know Michelle had recently reunited with her biological mother. He assumed she had been visiting the grave of her long-lost biological parent, who was likely deceased.

Michelle quietly extricated herself from his embrace, her voice calm, "Just went to bury some things."

"What this time? A flower or old belongings?" Parker chuckled. He always found her belief in superstitions amusing.

She didn't reply but answered silently in her heart. Of course, I buried all the love I had for you.

Parker took her hand as they returned to the apartment, but his attention was glued to his phone, occasionally responding to messages.

Michelle tilted her head, observing him. She couldn't understand. Though he was right there beside her, holding her hand firmly and warmly, it felt like he didn't belong to her.

Meanwhile, her phone began vibrating incessantly. It was Janet, sending a string of photos, used condoms, thirteen in total. The last image was of Janet's body, covered in suggestive marks.

[Michelle, does Parker treat you like this too?]

[Oh, silly me! I forgot, Parker hasn't even touched you yet.]

Michelle's fingers trembled uncontrollably as she scrolled through the images, her eyes red. In just one day, Parker had slept with Janet thirteen times! Was his desire truly that insatiable?

Noticing her pale complexion, Parker looked at her with concern, "Honey, are you feeling unwell?"

Her tears fell uncontrollably, like broken strings of pearls, but she forced herself to lie, "No, I'm just missing my mom too much."