Stepping Away From Dead Love

After discovering that Sienna Lyon had cheated on me, I gave her three chances.

The first time, I pulled out the love letter that a shy 18-year-old Sienna had handed to me with trembling hands.

When Sienna took the letter, her face was filled with remorse. Then, she deleted Matt Sauter’s contact from her WhatsApp right in front of me.

The second time, I pulled up a video of Sienna and me exchanging our wedding vows from my phone’s gallery.

Sienna watched in silence for a long time. Then, she ordered the security guard to turn away Matt, who had come to borrow money.

She, who had never touched a drop of alcohol, got completely drunk that night.

The third time was outside Matt’s hospital room, when I handed Sienna the stomach cancer report.

Sienna lit a cigarette. The smoke made me cough uncontrollably.

Yet her gaze never left Matt, who was in the room.

The answer was already obvious.

At that moment, I knew there would be no future for her and me.

From the moment I discovered Sienna Lyon’s affair to the diagnosis of my stomach cancer, a year’s worth of unresolved questions came crashing down on me.

I thought that I would break down, and that I would lose my mind.

However, I only felt calm, like my heart had been reduced to ashes.

My tears had long since dried from those countless sleepless nights.

The long wait had finally come to an end.

In the world of adults, there was no need for so many words.

I sensed the mood and turned to leave.

Sienna, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up.

“Callum Sutton, don’t joke around about stomach cancer. Be grateful for what you have and stop making a scene. Matt is an orphan with no one to rely on. Why can’t you just accept him?”

I turned to look at Sienna. My face was full of confusion.

“Stop making a scene? What scene have I made? I haven’t gone around broadcasting your affair with Matt to the whole world, nor have I gone out of my way to ask Matt to leave you.

“I’ve merely laid out your past promises and vows before you. Is that making a scene? Is that being ungrateful?

“Do you want me to stand by and watch you cheat time and time again as if I didn’t know? Sienna, I'm not blind or deaf, and playing dumb is something I could never learn to do in this lifetime!”

My heart had long since gone numb from the pain. I had also sworn never to let Sienna stir even the slightest flicker of emotion in me again.

Yet my eyes still stung.

Sienna, who used to be heartbroken at the sight of a single tear from me, seemed oblivious.

She let out a cold laugh. However, the words that came out of her mouth cut like knives.

“I was just concerned that Matt was sick and had no one to take care of him. Then, you came here, making a joke out of stomach cancer.

“How much longer are you going to use the past to morally blackmail me? Don’t you know that people change?

“Yes, I used to love you very much, but feelings change. Don’t you know that?”

Sienna’s words pierced my heart like a sharp sword.

It turned out that Sienna’s love was ever-changing. She did not belong solely to me.

At this moment, her love was directed toward Matt. So, she had withdrawn her love from me. That was why she cheated on me time and time again.

I thought our past together was a beautiful memory. I even thought we were giving each other a second chance.

However, to Sienna, it was nothing more than emotional blackmail.

Memories of the past came crashing down on me like a horde of vengeful ghosts.

My face paled as a sharp pain stabbed at my stomach. I felt on the verge of collapse.

Yet my numb heart suddenly felt a piercing, searing pain.

Seeing how pale I looked, Sienna tossed her cigarette aside and rushed over to support me.

I shoved her away. Her touch had once been warm, but at this moment, it made me want to vomit.

I leaned against the wall and threw up until I felt dizzy. My vision darkened. My face was drenched in a mix of tears and sweat.

I was too worked up. I could barely stop trembling.

Sienna was horrified and called for a nurse, who gave me a sedative.

I ended up in bed. It took me a long while to recover and gradually calm down.

Sienna stayed by my side. When she saw that I had calmed down, she handed me an apple she had peeled herself.

I did not take it. I just turned my face away so I would not have to look at her.

“Callum, what’s done is done. You have to live in the present.”