Letting Go of Old Love

The line went quiet for quite some time, almost as if Jamison Perry was startled by Mae Ruiz's unexpected request.

Jamison cleared his throat, and in the background, Mae could faintly hear a woman's gentle voice: "Jamison, the doctor..."

He quickly responded, "Sorry, darling, this matter is urgent and I have to catch a flight today. I'll do my best to make sure you see me by tomorrow morning, okay?"

Mae let out a bitter, silent smile. "Okay."

Just before the call ended, she thought she heard a deep sigh on the other end. He must have felt lucky, thinking he'd fooled her once again.

Her body stayed tense throughout the night, and her calf wound started bleeding again. Mae's body shook uncontrollably, a chilling cold spreading from her heart to every part of her body. It was both icy and painful.

Mae went back to her bedroom, curling up in a bid to warm herself. Before she knew it, she drifted into a fitful sleep. When she woke up again and checked her phone, it was already late afternoon the next day.

Jamison hadn't come back. There was only one message from him: "Darling, I'm sorry, I missed the flight."

Her phone kept buzzing with new notifications. Trying to swipe them away, Mae accidentally opened one.

It was Celeste Taylor's latest update. Just a short sentence: "Every single time, you're there."

The accompanying picture showed a man standing by a window, his back facing the camera. But Mae recognized him instantly, with a deep familiarity that had settled into her very bones over the years.

It seemed that when heartbreak reached its peak, it turned into numbness. Mae casually closed the app and hailed a cab to the hospital.