Chad dropped his hands. Tiffany fell to the
ground, gasping for air.
Chad stared at his hands.
She loved him so much. How devastated must
she have been, knowing it was all a lie? It was
all fake, but she got into the car.
Chad remembered Ashley’s last words, now
L
he understood the pain in them.
He hunched over, clutching his chest,
screaming and crying.
When I heard all this news, I was in Europe,
studying fashion design.
I earned a full scholarship for my design
talent. I’d given up my future for Chad, but
luckily, it wasn’t too late to wake up.
Sarah started a fashion brand. My designs
made a splash. Big corporations back home
were sending offers, including a very
generous one from Mu Enterprises.
Sarah didn’t know, should she take the offer.
She knew about me and Chad and was
worried.
“You can stay in Europe, take care of the
international stuff. I’ll find another designer
back home.”
“I’m coming back with you,” I said.
“But Ashley… I don’t want you to see him”
“I know. You’re afraid I’ll run into Chad and
remember everything. It hurts to change, but
I’ve grown up. I gave up myself for a guy
once, and I don’t want to pass on the
oppurtunity.
“No one knows this brand better than I do,
and I know I can take that brand to heights
it’s never seen before.”
The future is wide open.
<
Nothing could stop me.
Back in the US, Sarah handled the deal with
Mu Enterprises. I designed and put on my
first show in New York City. I didn’t expect
Chad to invest in the brand, I did not expect
to see him that fast.
Chad looked bored, playing on his phone. But
when the design hit the runway, he sat up
straight.
She was wearing a suit, so sharp and clean,
standing in the spotlight.
When our eyes met, his heart almost stopped.
I just gave him a quick look and looked away.
He wanted to run over and hold her, never let
her go. But one of the assistants pulled him
back.
“Chad, keep it together.”
He couldn’t wait. After the show, Chad
pushed past the staff and ran backstage.
He tore through the mess, frantically looking
for Ashley.
“Chad!” A cold voice came from behind. He
saw the person he thought about all the time.
“Ashley!” He grabbed my wrist, so tight it
hurt. I tried to pull away, but he held on
tighter. “You’re alive.”
“Yeah, I’m alive. Are you disappointed?”
<
All those years of torture, wasn’t he trying to
kill me? If I died, Tiffany would’ve been so
happy.
“No, Ashley. I’ve been wanting to see you.”
“I listened to Tiffany back then. I’ve figured
everything out now, and I regret it.
He looked down, his face full of pain. I’d
never seen him like that.
“Regret? Chad, you can’t fix everything by
saying ‘sorry.‘ No one can be hurt 99 times
and still be okay with the other person. From
the moment you did that, the outcome was
set.”
His calm words were like a rope around
Chad’s heart, slowly tightening.
“Ashley.”
“Don’t call me that! It makes me sick.”
He flinched. He was about to say something,
but then a fire broke out.
“Fire! Help!”
People were screaming, wood collapsing,
smoke rising.
It was the warehouse where all the new
clothes were stored.
“Ashley!”
I ran into the fire, trying to save as much as I
could.
The brand had just launched, and these
clothes were everything. I didn’t want my hard
work to be destroyed.
“Ashley! Get out of there!” Chad yelled, but I
ignored him.
I grabbed one last dress, ready to run out,
when the roof started to come down.
Chad wrapped his arms around me, shielding
- me.
The wood had already burned to charcoal. It
fell on him, charred and bloody. The smell of
burning flesh filled the air.
“Ashley,” Chad said, his eyes wet. Then he
fell.
<
His warm blood dripped onto my hand.
“Forgive me,” he whispered.
Lying in the hospital, Chad was on a
ventilator, but he wouldn’t let go of my hand.
I looked at the face I’d touched so many
times. Every expression was familiar.
“Chad has nightmares every night. He says
your name in his sleep.” The assistant
hesitated.
“He knows you can’t forgive him. He just
wants a chance for you to see he’s changed.”
Chad squeezed my hand.
“We’re not the same people anymore. It’s
over. There’s no point in talking about it.”
“Let go. It’s better for both of us.”
The machines beeped, counting down the
seconds.
Chad squeezed his eyes shut and let one tear
fall.
When he opened his eyes, I was gone.
There was a bouquet of irises on the bedside
table, lit up by the sun. Fragile and fleeting.
Just like we used to be.
After making a hit of my business, I went
back to Europe.
Sarah showed me the news headlines. Chad
had found out that Tiffany started the fire out
of jealousy. They were tearing each other
apart on social media, revealing all their dirty
secrets.
It was all a big joke.
“Do you regret it? Wasting all those years?”
Sarah asked.
“Maybe I made mistakes, but I made choices.
I can’t regret what I chose to do.” I smiled.
“At the end of life, you won’t be able to go
back, that’s why you just need to make the
best of it.”
