His Heart Is Another's

At the peak of a hill, William held me in his arms and whispered sweetly into my ear.

"It's so nice holding you like this while waiting for the sunrise together. Tomorrow marks our seventh wedding anniversary.

"Having you by my side these past seven years has made me so happy. I've prepared a surprise for you, and you'll see it tomorrow.

"Say… do you think we can watch the sunrise like this 70 years from now? By then, it won't be just the two of us because our children will be here, too."

I looked at him quietly and thought of how we had no future left. The night view was soft and dreamy, and so was he… until a phone call shattered the peace.

William glanced at the screen and looked at me with hesitation. I didn't have to look at him or his phone to know that only Ivy could make him this uneasy.

"Go ahead. I'll be here waiting for you."

William kissed my forehead. "You're the best, honey. I'll be back soon."

Smiling, I watched him walk away as the freezing wind of the mountains kept howling.

William never came back, and I saw Ivy's new post on Instagram instead. "He's my knight, always there when I need him.

"Even when I crave a slice of cake, he'll cross mountains just to get it for me. But he won't let me eat too much and says it's bad for the baby."

In the picture, a man was feeding Ivy cake. They looked perfect together, and the comments were full of voices of admiration. "You have such a great husband. I want one, too."

None of them knew that the great husband they were praising had just left his wife alone on a freezing hilltop. I stared at the watch on his wrist in the picture. It was a birthday gift I'd given William.

Then, I got up and called him, but Ivy picked up the phone instead. "Looking for William? He's in the shower, and I don't think he'll be going back tonight," she coyly muttered.

"I heard that tomorrow's your seventh anniversary, isn't it? It's been seven years, and he still hasn't fallen in love with you?

"I feel guilty for stealing your fiancé, and I really don't want to take your husband, too."

Her words were laced with smugness and provocation, and I expressionlessly hung up before turning to leave. I guessed I wouldn't be waiting for William anymore.

As I made my way down the hill on foot, each memory of the past churned in my mind. Each step I took felt like walking on cutting glass.

William had turned down every other woman and got on his knees to propose to me. He rarely smiled at others, but he was always gentle with me.

No matter what I wanted to do or eat after marriage, he'd always been patiently and lovingly there with me. It'd been seven years, and leaving him felt like losing my life. But I knew that his kindness and affection were all a lie.

He was the most devoted lover but never loved me, so I had to leave.

…

By the time I reached the foot of the hill, the sun was rising. I looked back at the peak and recalled that he'd promised me a grand surprise at sunrise.

I called him one last time, but all I heard was a cold, automated voice that said, "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."

I decided to leave him a voicemail and record our final call. Then, I tapped into several social media platforms and scheduled the release of a video that would end Ivy's music career.

With that, I removed my SIM card and threw it away. Then, I got in a cab and headed to the airport.

…

Meanwhile, William finally seemed to remember me. He rushed out of Ivy's ward and said, "I promised Judy I'd spend our seventh wedding anniversary with her."

Ivy grabbed him and refused to let him leave. "But I'm scared. Please don't leave me."

"I'm sorry, but she's waiting for me."

Just as he stepped out of the ward, his lawyer came running up. "William, Mrs. Sterling just sent a divorce agreement to my email.

"I've been trying to reach her, but she's gone. When I looked up her flight today, I noticed the plane she was on crashed."