The River of Regrets

I wanted to say something, but I had no idea what to say.

So, I ran.

After I got into a cab, the cruel truth hit me—the person I loved no longer belonged to me.

He had lied to me. My best friend had lied to me too.

I didn't understand why.

Just then, Rowan's phone call came in.

"Angela, you're back?"

His voice was as gentle as always.

If I hadn't walked in on everything today, I probably would've stayed in the dark.

"Yeah, I'm back," I replied softly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I would've come to pick you up. My friend said they saw you at the hospital. What were you doing there?"

"Just getting checked out."

For some reason, I didn't want to confront him just yet. Maybe a part of me still hoped he'd say it himself, confess everything to me in his own words.

"Well, I'll come find you. I'm actually near the hospital," he said.

It wasn't long before Rowan's car pulled up smoothly in front of me.

He'd changed into a new set of clothes and even fixed his hair.

When he saw me watching him, he quickly smiled and said, "We haven't seen each other in a year, and you're still as beautiful as ever. But I seem to have gained some weight. Angela, you're not disappointed in me, are you?"

I didn't rush to reply because my eyes had caught a tattoo on his collarbone.

SP 03.08.1997. It was Samantha's initials, followed by her birthday.

A cold shiver ran through me.

Just a year ago, Rowan had made a promise to me.

He had acted like he really loved me, even took me to his room and kissed my cheek.

He had smiled and said, "Angela, we've grown up together. You must know how I feel about you. Don't worry. I'll wait for you to come back."

But now, he had betrayed me.

"I'm not," I answered finally.

Hearing my response, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Good, I'll take you out for dinner to welcome you back," he said.

Once we were in the car, I noticed a woman's shirt and a baby's bottle in the backseat.

"That's from when my friend and his wife came to visit. It got left in my car," Rowan explained hurriedly.

I remembered what he had said in the hospital room earlier.

I couldn't understand—why would he say he loved me, then be with someone else, have a child with her, and lie to me?

I didn't say anything and just stared out the window.

The whole ride, he kept talking, asking me how I'd been doing for the past year.

I didn't really listen, because I didn't want to hear that. I wanted to hear him confess everything.

Feeling a little under the weather, I reached for a tissue to wipe my nose.

I opened the car's glove compartment and found a beautifully packaged box of tissues.

Just as I was about to grab one, Rowan stopped me.

"Use the tissues in the bag next to you. They're scented. I remember you like the ones with fragrance."

I froze.

I didn't like scented tissues. Every time I used them, I'd sneeze.

Once, he had seen me sneeze and told me, "I'll remember you can't use scented tissues."

I pulled my hand back and stared at the tissues with exquisite packaging. Suddenly, I remembered seeing these tissues online. They were quite expensive and meant for babies.

So, he couldn't bear to let me use them. How ridiculous.

"I don't like scented tissues," I said firmly.

"Since when? You used to like them," Rowan said, still unaware that something was off.

I didn't want to say anything. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.

When we arrived at the restaurant, Rowan ordered three dishes.

"Eat more. You must be tired from your trip back," he said.

I glanced at the dishes on the table but couldn't bring myself to touch any of them.

Every dish had mushrooms in it.

I hated mushrooms.

He used to remember that I didn't like them and would always make sure to take them out for me.

He didn't notice my reaction, continuing to eat while asking, "By the way, what are you planning to do now that you're back?"