The Last Light in the Dark

There was a brief silence on the other end before Mom spoke up with concern. "Isn't your seventh anniversary with Lucas coming up? Shouldn't you stay with him for that special occasion?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "That won't be necessary."

After hanging up, I booked my flight.

At dawn, Lucas pushed open the door to our house and walked in, looking a little worn out. When he saw me sitting in the living room, he smiled and walked over.

"I spent the whole night observing the skies. I'm so exhausted," he said.

I looked at him, suppressing the feelings of disgust that surged inside me. I asked evenly, "How did the observation go? Did you see the star?"

He nodded, looking slightly excited. "Yeah. It'll be my seventh-anniversary gift to you this year."

Then, he reached out and gently held my hand. "Our anniversary's tomorrow. I already booked the flight tickets to Trenland for a little getaway."

"Okay," I replied softly.

After he went back to the bedroom, I opened Serena's social feed.

The latest post popped up instantly, "Saw a new star last night. I've got a feeling that it's going to be named after me this time."

Underneath the post, her friends left playful comments.

"Haha! Dream on! You think you have a romantic boyfriend like Professor Thorne?"

"Who is it? Sounds impressive!"

She replied vaguely, "You'll see soon enough."

The next day, the observatory's official social account announced that Lucas had discovered a new star, and he had named it "S".

Countless comments flooded Serena's post from the previous day.

"Wow, it's true. That's pretty impressive, Serena!"

"Did Professor Thorne see your post and name it for you on purpose?"

Just then, Lucas walked through the door.

"Wilma, did you see? I named the star 'S.' It stands for 'seven' in light of our anniversary."

I looked up at him coldly. "Then what's going on with your assistant? That's not what she said in her post."

Lucas froze slightly as panic settled on his features. He quickly shook his head and denied it.

"She's making things up. It's utter nonsense. This has nothing to do with her. Don't believe those silly jokes she posts."

I stared at him in silence, my face expressionless.

Finally, I uttered, "Alright."

He seemed relieved and immediately changed the subject.

Grabbing my hand, he said, "Come on, let's not overthink this. Are our bags packed? It's time to head to the airport."

At the airport, his phone kept buzzing nonstop. He surreptitiously pulled out that other phone. In the next moment, a strained expression appeared on his face.

"Wilma, I'm so sorry. The observatory just called. Something urgent came up. I have to stay and work overtime," he said with a troubled frown.

"Why don't you go ahead first? I'll catch the next flight," he suggested.

"No worries. Work comes first. Go do what you have to do," I said understandingly.

Lucas nodded and turned to hurry away.

I watched his figure disappear into the crowd.

Then, I pulled out my phone and scrolled to a previous message from Serena. She had written, "Sorry, Wilma. Looks like I ruined your anniversary trip with Professor Thorne!"

She then attached her chat with Lucas.

"Delete that post right now. Don't cause any misunderstandings."

"Sorry, Professor Thorne. Don't be mad, please.

"Are you really going to stay mad at me? Come on, I bought a new dress just for you.

"I'd give my life for you! If you don't come, I can't go on living!"

I laughed coldly as I took screenshots of the messages. Then, I uploaded every bit of evidence I had directly to the observatory's official website.

I only wrote one single line, "This is my seven-year anniversary gift to you."

After confirming that I'd published the post, I sent a digital copy of the divorce agreement to Lucas' email. Next, I powered off my phone and removed the SIM card. I tossed it and the Trenland plane ticket Lucas had booked for me into the trash.

Without looking back, I walked toward the security gate for my flight to Mordeva.