Lucy stopped coming to me when she needed help. Instead, she went directly to Gregory. Even for things as trivial as needing tampons, she’d ask him to run to the store for her.
Gregory, too, began withdrawing from me. He barely spoke to me and spent all his time at home hovering around her.
Last weekend, neither of them came home.
When I called, I found out Lucy’s mother had fallen ill and Gregory had rushed to the countryside with her after work.
For two days, they didn’t answer my messages or return my calls.
On the third day, when they finally came back, I opened the door to find them in a tight embrace.
Lucy was sobbing into his chest. "Gregory, my heart belongs to you. I can’t bear to lose you..."
He stroked her hair gently. "Don’t worry. I won’t let you marry someone else. I’ll marry you myself."
It wasn’t until they finally separated that they noticed me standing frozen in the doorway.
Gregory pulled me aside, his face lined with frustration.
"Lucy’s mother is gravely ill and doesn’t have much time left. Her only wish is to see Lucy married. To honor her, Lucy was planning to marry some random man," he explained.