With that, she grabbed the man’s arm and headed upstairs to the second floor. The place where I had not set foot since I grew up.
I stood there, rooted to the spot while watching them as my heart sank even deeper. I knew what would happen once they reached the second floor.
The thought of it and the pain that followed shattered the emotional barriers I had tried so hard to maintain. With a clenched fist, I mustered all my courage and pleaded desperately, "Auntie! Please, don't …."
She paused for a moment, her steps faltering. However, then, with the man’s support, she continued upstairs.
The man glanced back at me, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
It was like the damage had already been done. It was an irreversible reality.
That night I could not sleep and just sat in the living room while listening to the muffled, ambiguous sounds from the second floor. The lights in their room flickered on and off, each change like a stab to my chest.
I clenched my teeth to stifle the sobs threatening to escape, and in my head, I kept chanting, "Haven't you let go already? You know perfectly well this is not possible. Your feeling for Auntie is doomed not to happen."