You Were Once My Starry Sky

The other side was silent.

By this time, the class group chat had already blown up.

Back then, Jose and I were the talk of the town, and all our friends were rooting for us.

Now, just two years after graduation, we had gone our separate ways, and plenty of people in the group chat were enjoying the drama.

Some nosy person tagged me in the chat, making sure I didn't miss the news.

Without hesitation, I replied: [Yeah, their relationship is special. Emma's been very attentive. She's even taken care of him in bed.]

After that, I immediately left the group chat.

I didn't even need to check to know the group was exploding by now.

Emma clearly got the message too, and she bombarded me with texts in a rage.

[You bitch! Jose and I have been together since childhood. You're the real homewrecker!]

I took screenshots of each message and blocked her.

Out of sight, out of mind.

After I'd done all that, a WhatsApp notification popped up with a friend request from an unknown number.

[What do you mean by what you said in the group? What do you mean by 'caring for him in bed'?]

[Accept my request and explain yourself to Emma!]

I casually replied: [You two did it. Can't handle people talking about it now?]

After typing that, I sent him the messages of Emma cursing me out.

He was typing for a while before finally sending a response.

[Emma's still young and doesn't know any better.]

Over twenty, and still "young"?

How do those two things even go together?

[Best of luck to you both.]

After typing that, I tossed my phone aside and started packing my things.

My phone stayed silent.

Jose probably thought I was just throwing a little tantrum. I used to always come crawling back to him, so now he thinks it's a huge favor to bother pacifying me.

But inside, I felt nothing.

Ever since the drowning incident, my PTSD kept me awake at night, with the images of that day playing on a loop in my mind.

The air in my lungs had been running thin, and every now and then I'd see flashes of myself sinking and struggling underwater.

I remembered Jose diving into the water, swimming straight for Emma without hesitation.

He froze for a second when he heard me calling for help, but he still swam to her first.

"Emma's weak. Hold on just a little longer."

Emma flashed a smug smile, mouthing something at me.

"You'll never win against me!"

Then she shoved my head underwater.

The river water rushed into my nose and lungs. At that moment, I was standing on the edge of death.

I woke up in a panic from the dream, only to find Zion curled up on top of me, fast asleep.

My phone chimed.

I snapped out of it; it was an email from my advisor.

"Avery, have you thought about what we talked about last time? You're doing really well in your field, and it would be a shame to give up your career over a man. Besides, if you pass up this opportunity, it'll be hard to return to this industry later."

My advisor was earnestly urging me to reconsider.

I majored in Computer Science in college, and my academic performance was excellent. My advisor always appreciated my hardworking attitude.

I learned a lot working under him.

I had once given up the chance to study abroad for Jose.

But now I had finally figured it out.

Chasing a career is better than chasing a man.

"Miss, I'm ready to join the project."

My advisor responded with excitement.

"Get ready! I'll take you abroad by the end of the year!"

Since I had the chance to improve myself, I definitely wasn't going to let it slip away.

My advisor sent over some materials for me to quickly get familiar with the process.

Picking up the knowledge I had set aside for years wasn't something that could be done overnight.

Running between the lab and school, I quickly put Jose's matters out of my mind.

During this time, Jose sent me a few messages. His attitude was gentler than before, constantly trying to find out where I was living.

I replied: [None of your business.]

He tried calling me several times using different numbers.

I never answered.

Later, his mom, Liliana, called me.

"Avery, meet me at the café at 4:30 this afternoon.

"You and my son need to resolve your issues. If you don't come, you'll bear the consequences."

Without waiting for my response, she hung up.

I let out a cold laugh. If it weren't for the business ties between our families, I would've cursed her out for that attitude long ago.

Well, I had some things I needed to resolve with her too.

At the appointed time, I went to the café.

Before I even stepped into the private room, I overheard Liliana's complaints.

"I told you from the start girls from small-time families are always so vain. But you didn't listen. Now look at that one argument, and she's run off! This is all your fault for spoiling her!"