Betrayal in Anniversary

Our sixth anniversary was supposed to be special, but everything changed with just one call from his neighbor, Haley. My boyfriend invited her to join us because she wasn't feeling well. When I refused to go into the escape room with them, he lost his patience.

"Why are you being so difficult? Even Haley, with everything she's dealing with, can play. Why can't you?"

He seemed to have forgotten my severe claustrophobia.

Before I fainted from fear, I saw my boyfriend, Imran, hold Haley close, gently covering her ears.

"Don't worry, I'm here with you."

It was then I realized the person he wanted to protect was no longer me.

When I came around, I found myself lying in the first aid room of the escape room. The sudden appearance of ghostly figures had frightened me into unconsciousness for quite some time. I couldn't even tell if the image of those two embracing was a figment of my imagination before I fainted.

I glanced around the room, but Imran was nowhere to be seen. Then my phone rang abruptly. As soon as I answered, a voice filled with frustration came through.

"Clare, those figures were part of the game. Was it really necessary to pass out from fright?"

"You're lacking in resilience! All that screaming scared poor Haley."

"Anyway, I'll take Haley home to rest first. You can get back on your own later."

He hung up before I could respond, and his words felt like daggers stabbing into my heart. I remembered how, in the past, whenever I passed out from my claustrophobia, Imran would be right there, waiting for me to wake up. But in six years, it seemed like he didn't care about me anymore.

As I was about to leave and grab a cab back to the hotel, I saw Haley's latest update on Instagram.

"Got scared playing a game today, but thankfully Dr. Wright was there to comfort me~"

The picture showed her wearing a locket that Imran never took off. It was from his late grandmother, someone he never let anyone else even touch, yet he had given it to Haley without a second thought.

I turned off my phone and lay back down, feeling a wave of bitterness wash over me. Haley, Imran's neighbor, had recently taken a break from her studies in Italy. Ever since he became her psychologist, Imran had started to neglect me. He let Haley take my necklace, missed our dates repeatedly, and used his status as her doctor to justify spending nights away, comforting her.

And today, just to make her happy, he dragged me to the escape room against my will.

It wasn't until seven in the evening that I managed to catch a cab back to the hotel. Imran wasn't in the room when I arrived, and it wasn't until I was tending to the bruises on my hand that he finally returned. He carelessly placed a greasy takeout box in front of me.

"Haley was worried you might go hungry tonight and packed this especially for you."

"She was so concerned about you after what happened today. Look at how kind she is to you!"

I opened the box and couldn't help but grimace at the mess inside. It was a haphazard mix of leftovers from the food trucks—easily recognizable from the photo set Haley had posted earlier. There was Imran, feeding her some pasta and waiting in line for tacos. She had smeared ice cream on his face, and the two shared a trendy mocha latte...

With Haley, Imran was always gentle and attentive. He was even willing to eat from street vendors, though he was a notorious germaphobe. I recalled a similar night with him at a food festival when I had tried to share a small calamari dish with him, only for him to explode in anger, kicking me and the food out of the car.

It dawned on me how stark the difference was between love and indifference.

Just then, a group chat notification popped up. It was from the escape room's owner, sharing a video of our game. Haley had tagged me in the chat.

"Clare, here's the video from today's game."

The screenshots she'd taken cast me in an unflattering light, showing my terrified state, lost and flailing in the dark, eventually collapsing in a corner in a fit of screams. Ironically, Imran, my supposed boyfriend, was shown holding Haley's hand, protecting her, while he laughed at the images, showing no regard for how I might feel.

I looked at Imran and couldn't stop the tears from filling my eyes.

"Imran, have you forgotten about my claustrophobia?"

Imran paused, his attention momentarily diverted from his phone.

"Clare, when did you become so petty? It's just a game!"

"And I was there, wasn't I? As a psychologist, I'd never let anything happen to you!"

A faint, bitter smile crossed my face. His idea of being there for me was sticking with Haley through the escape room while ignoring me completely.

Seeing my silence, Imran finally shifted his gaze from his phone. He walked over and wrapped his arms around me, his voice carrying a hint of apology.

"Alright, I may not have thought things through. Don't be mad."

"After all, Haley's not well. I just wanted her to have a good time."

I pushed him away without a sound, speaking in a flat tone. "I know."

My lack of persistence seemed to unsettle Imran. It took him a moment to process before he noticed the injury I was tending to.

"Let me help with that."

As he applied ointment, he asked suddenly, "Were you really that scared in the escape room? I thought you'd gotten over it?"