Chapter 2The Ten-Year Red Thread Burns to Ashes

As I walked out of the bathroom, I overheard one of her friends asking her in a hushed tone, “Ava, are you sure about this? You really don’t love Liam anymore?”

Her reply was flat, devoid of emotion. “He’s just some broken relic from the past. You can have him if you want.”

“…”

The ceremony began.

Leo, sensing my state, found someone else to stand in for me at the last minute.

Ava watched with a serene expression as Leo knelt before her, waiting for him to slide the ring onto her finger.

I stood in the furthest corner, watching her smile and say, “I do.”

A bitter jealousy surged through me. I wanted to rush the stage, to stop them, to scream at Leo and ask him why he’d stolen my girlfriend.

Why did he hide her away? Why did he let me search for three agonizing years?

And I wanted to ask Ava why she was pretending not to know me.

Why didn’t she come find me when she returned? Why did everyone keep this secret from me?

I wanted to burn the whole wedding to the ground.

But I didn’t.

I just sat in my corner and, after they exchanged their vows, I was the first to applaud.

I clapped so hard that people nearby turned to stare.

I didn’t care. I just held Ava’s gaze when she looked out at the crowd.

Our eyes met. My nose stung, and the tears I’d been holding back finally broke free.

Ava’s expression flickered for a fraction of a second before her gaze slid away, her dark eyes as cold and empty as ice.

My fingernails dug into my palms. I think I was going insane.

I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.

[Ava, I don’t wish you a happy marriage.]

[I hope you never find the one you love. I hope you spend the rest of your life searching!]

The moment I hit send, I felt like a fool.

The man she loved was already her husband. My curse was meaningless.

I left before the reception ended. If I stayed any longer, I was afraid I’d lose control completely.

Over a year ago, after another long stretch with no news of Ava, I had tried to kill myself.

But I failed. My neighbor found me and I was rushed to the hospital.

When I woke up, Ava’s mother was holding my hand, her face streaked with tears, begging me to live. For her daughter.

But a world without Ava was just darkness. It was too much to bear.

We had grown up together, started dating right after middle school. We were just about to pick a date to get married after graduating from college.

Then her company collapsed, leaving her with a mountain of debt. She couldn’t take it. She jumped. And then she was gone.

I went to the police station countless times, questioned every single person who was there that day. The story was always the same.

No one saw her.

Now she was back. But she didn’t love me anymore.