I wandered through the stores, my fingers grazing delicate fabrics, my eyes lingering on dresses I would have once dismissed without a second thought.
I hesitated. It felt unnecessary.
I was leaving soon; I couldn’t take them with me. Buying them only to wear them for a few days felt meaningless.
As I mulled over the thought, I idly scrolled through my phone. A new post caught my eye.
Ava’s latest update.
[Yay! Such a loving little family!]
The picture showed her sitting beside Hugo and Jasper at the dinner table, a warm, intimate glow cast over the elaborate spread before them. Red wine. Scattered rose petals. The perfect scene of a happy home.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was the mistress of the house.
Then, my gaze landed on the bottle of red wine.
I knew that bottle.
Hugo had bought it for our wedding. He once told me he’d save it for our golden anniversary.
Yet today, he had opened it early for another woman.
How ironic.
The home I had painstakingly built had become someone else’s prize, a reward for a love I was never a part of.
But I no longer cared.
I would be gone soon. There would be no golden anniversary, no future where I clung to something that was never truly mine.