Where Stars Don't Follow

After I got home, I checked my phone and found that there were only seven days left until it was the third of next month.

I decided to start packing, but I quickly noticed that I did not have much to pack. A suitcase was enough to keep everything that I needed to take with me.

When Sean arrived home, I was staring at the divorce papers on the table absent-mindedly. I wanted to bring up the issue tonight since it would soon be time for me to leave.

He changed into his slippers and went into the study. I took the divorce papers and was about to knock on the door when I heard Evelyn's voice coming from inside the room.

"Dr. Chandler, are you really going to divorce Maisie?"

I tightened my grip over the divorce papers. It turned out Sean was considering divorce, too. That would work in my favor. It seemed like we would be able to have a smooth, amicable discussion.

Suddenly, the study door flung open. I was about to initiate the conversation, but Sean said that he had to work overtime and left the house in a hurry.

After he left, I took a shower and went to bed.

I had a dream. In it, I was still a child. I circled my arms around my father's neck. With an affectionate look in his eyes, my father asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up.

I told him that I wanted to be like him and my mother, who were doctors that participated in the medical humanitarian assistance to help the sick and injured.

My mother smiled and said that I should eat well and grow bigger since I needed to be physically strong to be in their line of work.

It was still a little dark outside when I woke up from the dream. I walked over to the suitcase and found the white coat my father was wearing when he and my mother died.

In the pocket lay the letter that had the last words my father had written to me.

"Maisie, Mom and Dad may not be able to be with you anymore. However, we hope you won't wallow in grief and despair forever. You need to stay strong. You might fail sometimes, but you mustn't be defeated.

"Be brave as you come face to face with life's pain and sufferings. We believe that the best way one can make the most out of their life is by having no regrets when they die. If there's anything you want to do, go ahead and do it. Mom and Dad will be watching over you from above."

My eyes felt hot, and tears welled in my eyes.

I put on my father's white coat and stood before the mirror. I said in a choked voice, "Dad… Mom… I won't let you down."

The door was pushed open just then.

Sean entered the room. He frowned slightly. "Why are you wearing the coat? Are you thinking of joining the medical humanitarian assistance work again?"

I pursed my lips and held back my tears. "No. I was just putting it on for fun."

"Hm," Sean responded. Then, he offered me some words of comfort.

However, my gaze was fixed on the lipstick stain on the collar of his shirt. It was a bright shade of red. The stain was most likely made not too long ago.

Sean noticed I was staring and looked down as well. He spotted the red stain.

I was dazed for a moment. Then, I muttered, "Sean, let's get a divorce."

Sean paused momentarily. His face darkened the next instant. "What nonsense are you saying? How can you say that so nonchalantly?"

He vented his frustrations by storming off and slamming the door behind him.

A while later, he came back into the room. "Why is our wedding photo gone?"

I paused briefly before making up an excuse. "The frame has gotten a bit worn-out, so I've sent the photo to the shop to have them change it to a new frame."

If Sean had truly cared about me, he would have noticed that there was not a single trace of my existence left in the house.

…

In the middle of the night, while I was drifting in and out of sleep, I felt someone hugging me from the back.

A voice that sounded slightly gentler than it usually was asked, "Did you get jealous during the day? Evelyn and I are mere acquaintances. She accidentally smudged that lipstick stain on my shirt since I caught her when she was about to fall.

"There's nothing going on between me and her. She's just a colleague."

I squirmed free from his grip and said calmly, "Mm-hmm. I trust you."