Love Deception

I lowered my head as I pretended it did not bother me by smiling and nodding, but in fact, it hurt me so much that I could hardly breathe. Chris seemed to notice something wrong with me, and he held my hand guiltily.

"It's our anniversary tomorrow. How about visiting the beach in advance? We can watch the stars while lying down on the beach and see the sunrise tomorrow."

I nodded in agreement.

During our journey to the beach, Chris kept talking about how he wanted to build a large theme park for our child once the IVF was a success. I used to share with him happily about how our lives would be once our child was born, but this time, I stayed silent.

It was already dark when we arrived at the beach. His phone started to ring, and a tender look appeared on his face when he picked up the call. However, he quickly frowned and looked hesitantly at me.

I tried my best to smile at him. "You should leave if you're busy. I'm fine on my own."

"I'm so sorry, I…"

"It's fine. I know you're busy handling the family's affairs. I'll wait for you here."

Chris hugged me. "I knew you'd understand."

Tears stream down my face uncontrollably as I watch him leave. That call must have been from Yvonne, as she was the only person whom Chris would treat with such care.

I got onto the boat and felt the salty air of the sea breeze hit my face as my hair billowed messily in the wind. The waves hitting the rocks at a distance sounded like the crash of broken promises.

I took out my phone to look at Yvonne's social media post. [He came running to my side from the other end of the city just to cook for me. This is what it feels like to be loved!]

The comments were filled with envious voices.

[Your Don really pampers you! I can't believe he's making barbecue for you with his own hands!]

[The Don is the kind of man a woman should marry!"

My gaze fell onto the custom-made watch on the man's wrist in the photo. It was the watch that had never left Chris' side in the last five years, the very same one with her name engraved in it.

I called his number, but it was Yvonne who picked up. "Are you still waiting for Chris to watch the stars and sunrise with you? You should stop waiting because he won't be showing up."

Tears started to well in my eyes as she taunted, "What a failure you are as a woman. It's been years, and you still haven't managed to get him to fall for you. You were dumped during your engagement party, and you were dumped again during your anniversary…"

I hung up before she finished.

I went to the boat crew to get the keys to steer the boat away from the shore by myself. I waited as I lay down on the deck to watch the stars in the sky, but my phone never rang. My heart felt colder than the chilling sea breeze.

Years of our happy times together flashed through my mind like a film reel. The memories felt particularly sarcastic as I was reminded of how much trust and love I had given him. When the first rays of sunlight appeared, I called his phone, but no one picked up.

I clicked into my mailbox to send out two emails with the subjects, 'The Research Process of the Super Hemostatic Agent: From Start to Results' and 'A Goodbye Letter to Chris Linari'. After that, I raised my phone and flung it into the sea without hesitation.

I threw out the phone like a curveball and saw it vanish into the waves. It did not even make a splash.

It was like all those years when I had given my heart to Chris. It vanished quietly without making a sound but sank so deep into the dark depths where one could hardly breathe.

I could almost hear my five years' worth of happiness break into pieces as the freezing seawater rose up to my chest. The embraces, kisses, and promises that we shared floated far out into the sea along with the waves and out of my grasp.

I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sink into the sea. I was finally able to break free.