The Real Goodbye

Still, the rabbit died three days later. I should have known then that what isn't meant to be yours can't be forced. Yet, I foolishly and naively tried to hold on to Keith's love.

Keith went to the doctor's office while Sadie sat calmly by the bedside, her gaze steady on me.

She was different from me—her face carried a poised and dignified smile and her flawless makeup exuded a mature elegance. "Zoey? That's a nice name, but what a pity you're not lucky in life."

I frowned at her, unsure why she was saying this.

She stretched out her hand under the light and chuckled, "Look at this. It's just a tiny cut, barely broke the skin, yet Keith panicked and rushed me to the hospital. He insisted on getting scans and blood tests—afraid of an infection. Honestly, by the time we finished, the wound was probably already healing. So, it's understandable that he didn't have time to buy you that garlic bread and cream soup from Candor Street, right?"

"How do you know about the garlic bread and cream soup?" I asked, startled.

Sadie looked at me playfully, with disdain in her eyes. "Why wouldn't I know? Those were comfort foods that Keith would buy for me whenever I was sick before I went abroad. You see, after all these years, some habits never change."

My fingertips pinched the quilt a little tighter and finally dug into the palm. As a woman, I couldn't miss the provocation in her words. My numb heart suddenly stirred with the desire to fight back.

I scoffed. "But he's still engaged to me. He’s, my fiancé. Whatever he did for you in the past is just that—the past. You're just someone living in past fantasies."

Sadie didn't get angry. Instead, she leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Do you know why Keith agreed to be engaged to you?"

I bit my lip, stubbornly refusing to yield even though I didn't have an answer. "Of course, it's because he loves me."

Her red lips curved into a mocking smile and her cold fingers brushed against my cheek. "Six years ago, Keith confessed his feelings to me three days before he agreed to be engaged to you, but I rejected him. I told him I didn't like dating younger men. I told him to go find a younger girl, have some fun and then come back to me. I never expected he would actually do it. Isn't that hilarious?"

As the pain in my heart surged, I stood up and pushed Sadie to the ground with all my strength. I shouted, "Then why did you come back? Get out! Get out!"

Before Sadie could respond, Keith's angry voice rang out behind me. "Zoey, what are you doing?"