The Search for True Love... or Regret

Willow had always been calm and collected. I'd never seen her lose her composure like that before.

When her eyes met mine, I said emotionlessly, "I'll just ask the waiter to clean this up. You can go."

"My friend rear-ended someone else's car. I need to go take a look," she explained.

She must've noticed that I was being unusually calm.

"Is it that childhood friend of yours?" I asked.

She nodded before turning to leave.

The spread of food looked delicious, but I'd lost my appetite. Not wanting to waste food, I continued eating despite the fact that everything now tasted stale and flavorless.

When I walked out of the restaurant, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

I thought there were going to be drinks at dinner, so I left my car at home. Hence, I could only take a taxi to the hospital.

I waited for what felt like forever, but not a single taxi showed up. Since I had no other choice, I took out my phone and called Willow. I dialed her number a dozen times, but she didn't pick up any of my calls.

The pain was getting worse. I was in so much agony that I broke out in a cold sweat.

I suppressed the pain and tried to walk forward to hail a cab. The next thing I knew, I blacked out.

By the time I woke up, I was lying on a hospital bed.

A nurse told me a passerby found me on the ground and sent me to the hospital. As it turned out, I had appendicitis. I was told to get ample rest after my surgery was over.

"Is your wife not here to take care of you?" the nurse asked.

"She's a busy woman," I said with a bitter smile.

"She should still prioritize you over her work, though."

I pursed my lips and said nothing more.

When I didn't return home the entire night, Willow called me. After she found out I had been hospitalized, she immediately rushed over to see me.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in the hospital?"

I thought about the countless calls I'd made to her. I was in a tremendous amount of pain last night. I wished she had shown up, but she didn't even pick up any of my calls.

Upon thinking about this, I lowered my gaze. "It's just a minor surgery. You didn't have to come all this way."

After a brief pause, I asked, "How's your friend?"

Willow shook her head and replied, "He's not injured, and the insurance company is covering the car's repairs. Everything's fine."

Then, she glanced at the time and said, "There's something urgent I need to tend to at work. I'll head back to the office for now and bring you lunch later in the afternoon."

I wanted to tell her that it wasn't necessary, but she had already turned to leave. Since my lower abdomen was still aching, I decided to get some shut-eye.

I woke up around 1:00 pm and called Willow.

"Sorry, Benjamin, I'm still at work."

Before I could say anything, I heard a man's voice in the background of the call.

"What do you feel like having, Willow?" the voice asked.

Willow had forgotten about me and was currently having lunch with Zachary instead.

This time, I didn't feel hurt or upset. I had probably gotten used to being forgotten by her.

I didn't call her out on her lie either. Instead, I simply said, "It's okay, you can focus on your work. I'll just order takeout."

Then, I hung up the phone and clicked on the food delivery app to order lunch.

After I was discharged from the hospital, I went home and began to pack.

Later in the day, Willow came home from work and found me packing a suitcase.

"Where are you going?" she asked, surprised.

"Business trip."

"For how long?"

"About a week."

"Are you sure you need so many things for a week-long trip?" she asked.

I nodded. "My stay is tentatively set for a week. If I can't finish my work within that time frame, I'll have to extend my trip."

Willow didn't ask me any more questions. I wasn't surprised—she'd never really cared about what went on in my life after all.

After I had gotten my visa, I made a trip back to my childhood home to visit my parents. They felt like there were better work opportunities overseas, so they were very supportive of my decision.

I felt like it was a new beginning for me as well.

The night before my flight, I stared at Willow, who was lying in bed beside me, and mentally bid her goodbye.

"Let me drop you off at the airport tomorrow morning," she offered.

I didn't turn her down.

The next morning, Willow drove me to the airport in her car. On the way there, she suddenly received a call.

After she hung up, she turned to look at me and said, "Something came up at work, I need to head back and deal with the situation. I'll drop you off at the junction right up front. You should be able to make it to your flight if you get a cab."

I looked out of the car window and felt a dull ache in my chest. This trip to the airport was the last chance we'd get to spend time with each other. Afterward, we wouldn't see each other ever again.

I took a deep breath and replied, "Okay, you can just drop me off right over there."

Then, I picked up my luggage and got out of the car.

I took a taxi to the airport. While I was waiting for my flight to take off, I took out my phone and stumbled across Zachary's social media page. He had a fever and was currently receiving an IV drip in the hospital.

I noticed Willow's figure in the background of the photo.

She'd lied to me once again. She didn't drop me off on the street because something came up at work; she did it because Zachary had a fever. She was in a hurry to send him to the hospital.

I smiled bitterly, but I didn't feel too upset about it. I was about to leave the country anyway.

…

After a hectic day, Willow finally returned home. She stared at the now-empty living room and suddenly thought of me. Hence, she picked up her phone to call me, only to realize that the call wasn't going through.

Her heart dropped. She instantly opened WhatsApp and sent me a text.

After waiting for a long period of time, she still didn't receive a reply.

Willow headed to the bedroom and realized that all my belongings were missing. It felt as if I was never there.

She was puzzled. I was only going on a week-long business trip, but it looked like I had moved out entirely.

She didn't know why, but she started to feel anxious.

That same night, she didn't manage to get any sleep at all. When morning came, she left for work.

Later in the afternoon, she received something in the mail. She opened the envelope and realized it was a divorce agreement…