Second Lead in My Own Love Story

"Hey, look! Doesn't the bracelet on Avery's wrist look exactly like Sarah's?"

On the sofa, Luke's body went rigid for a split second.

"No way. Luke hand-braided Sarah's. There's only one like it in the world."

"Avery must've been jealous and copied it herself."

"That's a little much, don't you think? This is seriously embarrassing."

"Why don't we just ask Luke? He'd definitely know."

"Luke, what do you say?"

As if by unspoken agreement, everyone turned to look at Luke.

Sarah's eyes went red, like she was about to burst into tears the second she heard an answer she didn't like.

Luke looked up. His gaze flicked past me, then quickly pulled back as if he'd been pricked by needles.

"I never gave Avery a bracelet."

He said it calmly.

"I don't know where she got it either. Maybe she just liked the way it looked."

After speaking, he curved his lips into the faintest forced smile.

"It's just a bracelet. Don't bully Avery over it. We're all old classmates."

Satisfied, Sarah leaned into him, carrying herself with the confidence of a winner.

"Exactly. Avery's actually pretty pitiful. She's had a crush on Luke all these years and never got anywhere with it, so she secretly found a matching bracelet for herself. Honestly, when you think about it, it's kind of sad.

"Do me a favor and let's just drop it, okay?"

Everyone laughed again.

"Alright, alright. We'll listen to Sarah."

"After all these years, she's still so sweet."

"No more talking about it. Let's not bring it up again."

"Avery, you should let it go too."

The class sports coordinator smiled and tried to comfort me.

I pressed my lips together, forcing back the tears that were about to spill over, and nodded hard.

"Yeah. I should let it go."

I didn't stay much longer. I made an excuse and went home.

On the way back, Luke called me twice. I didn't pick up.

Then he sent me a text.

Luke: [What happened tonight was just a fluke. Everyone was there—I couldn't embarrass Sarah in front of all those people.]

Luke: [I'll explain everything when I get home.]

I didn't know what exactly he planned to explain.

The cross-arm toast? The bracelet? Or the ten years of letting everyone believe I was delusional, stuck in a one-sided crush?

All I knew was that once he walked through the door, he'd act exactly the same as always. Say a few nice things, smooth it over, and keep me playing the fool.

But ten years had passed. Even the dumbest person has to wake up eventually.

I pulled out my phone. The wallpaper was still the photo Luke and I had taken back when we first got together.

The background was our high school academic building. In the sunlight, I was looking at him. He wasn't looking at me.

My fingers brushed over that young face before I tapped the screen and deleted the photo.

Then I opened the drawer, took out a pair of scissors, and cut apart the braided bracelet I had treasured for ten years.

This should've ended a long time ago.

Smiling through my tears, I wiped my eyes dry and asked a coworker for the contact info of a divorce lawyer.

By the time Luke got home, I was packing my suitcase.

Seeing the open luggage spread across the floor, he paused for a moment.

"Going somewhere?"

He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the couch, walking toward me as if nothing had happened.

"I'm busy this week. I can go with you next month instead. Put the suitcase away for now."

I didn't even look up.

"That doesn't have anything to do with you. I'm going alone."

The smile on Luke's face faded.

"What's wrong? Why are you so upset?"

He crouched next to me and put his hand over mine, probing beneath his smile.

"Is this because I didn't take your side tonight? You saw how it was. Everyone was just having fun. I couldn't kill the mood.

"Besides, we're already married. Don't overthink it. I brought you something."

He pulled a small jewelry box from his pocket and opened it eagerly.

"I saw it while driving Sarah home. A diamond bracelet—the most expensive one in the store. Let me put it on you—"

"No thanks."

I cut him off.

He froze for a second, genuine confusion flashing in his eyes for what felt like the first time.

I looked at him, and the words leaving my mouth suddenly felt incredibly easy.

"Luke, let's get a div—"

Before I could finish, Luke suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly.

"Avery Anderson! Where's the bracelet? Where's the bracelet I gave you?!"