Still unwilling to accept it, I opened Adela's feed.
A photo in the snow, taken by someone else. The location tag: her hometown.
I zoomed in. There, reflected in her eyes, was Derek, holding the phone.
Finally not spending New Year's alone.
Heat flooded my eyes. The hand holding my phone wouldn't stop shaking.
Something blazed inside my chest, clawing its way up, burning so fiercely it hurt.
Derek and I had been together for ten years. Ten years of building everything side by side. From being so broke we squeezed into a hundred-square-foot rental eating instant noodles, to owning our own company—I thought that after weathering every storm together, we would never be torn apart.
But reality delivered its cruelest blow yet.
All through the New Year holiday, Adela's social media feed kept updating.
Taking him to meet my mom and dad.
Gifts for Grandma and Grandpa.
The photos showed health supplements, fruit baskets, premium cigarettes, fine liquor, and cash. I did a rough count—around $300,000.
Colleagues flooded the comments, asking if she was engaged.
Adela replied with a playful emoji.
The diamond ring he bought me.
The photo showed two hands clasped tightly together.
...