I turned and walked away, heading to a car that had been waiting for me. Wilfred, seated in the driver’s seat, looked at me with deep concern. Seeing that I remained silent, he leaned over and gently fastened my seatbelt. Neither of us said a word as the car rolled forward, the silence hanging heavily between us throughout the drive.
Eventually, we arrived at a harbor and boarded a boat to a small island. Once there, Wilfred handed me a new ID card.
“This is your new identity,” he said.
Looking at the ID, I saw that everything about me had changed—except my gender. I signed to him, “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
He gave me a faint smile. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m just glad you’re giving me a chance.”
Wilfred was my childhood friend. He was also the person I was originally betrothed to in an arranged marriage. If everything had gone as planned, he would have been my husband years ago. But I had thrown everything away for Nathan, falling for his sweet words and relentless pursuit. Now, years later, Wilfred was still here, helping me when I had nothing left.