Chapter 9
“Now you know why I left you, and I hope you’ll respect my decision.” I took another deep breath, looking at him. “So, please, don’t come back into my life again.”
In the end, Antonio didn’t say anything and left. I thought this was the last time we’d meet.
But I never expected to hear that night that he had attempted suicide.
I heard that when the doctor arrived, his body had already started to cool down. Antonio had submerged himself in a bathtub, and the cuts on his wrists were deep enough to see bone. It was clearly a sign he had made up his mind to die.
Thankfully, the housekeeper found him in time, and he was saved.
Oliver asked me if I wanted to visit him, but I paused for a moment before smiling and replying, “Are you being that generous? Maybe I should just make up with Antonio and have two boyfriends.”
Oliver chuckled at that, reaching out to touch my cheek. “I’m not that generous.”
In the summer of the second year, Oliver and I had our wedding. He event thoughtfully invited the people from my hometown who had once taken
care of me.
Ile said, “I want everyone who knows us to witness our happiness.”
Some would bring up the most painful parts of my past, while others, who truly cherished my history, vowed to love me for life.
Chapter 4
Η
I wasn’t sure what a “happy ending” truly looked like, but in this moment. it felt perfect.
The moment for the bride to walk down the aisle was almost here.
I sat nervously in the waiting room, adjusting my wedding dress and fixing my hair from time to time. That was when my phone on the table.
rang.
I picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number.
Without thinking too much, I answered the call. But there was only silence on the other end.
Just as I was about to hang up, I heard a familiar, hoarse voice.
It was Antonio.
“Gracie, I heard you’re getting married today.”
“Yeah.”
After my brief answer, Antonio fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. “I always thought it would be me marrying you.
“I did marry you, but I didn’t know how to appreciate you, and I deserved to lose you.”
“Gracic, you said you didn’t want to see me again, so even when I tried to use suicide to keep you, it didn’t work.”
“You were… so cruel to me the first time.”
I sighed deeply. “Antonio, when I loved you, I nearly risked my life for you. So no matter how much you hate me, I have no regrets.
“I know,” he said, his voice softening. “Even though I can’t accept it. I choose to let go.” He paused, then added quietly. “At least Oliver is the one who can make you happy.
“It’s just a shame… I’ll never get to see you walk into that happiness.
“From now on, I’ll travel the world. Everywhere I go, I’ll pray for you. I wish you peace and joy.
“If one day you stop hearing my blessings, it might mean I’ve passed away somewhere far from home.” His tone shifted, as though resigned. “But being far from you, dying away from home might just be the best fate I could have.”
Finally, he said, “Gracie, I’m sorry.
“And… I love you.”
The memory hit me suddenly, pulling me back to that summer ten years. ago when I found Antonio. The boy, dressed in a white shirt, sat beside me as we watched the orange sunset.
Suddenly, he turned to me and said, “Gracie, I want to watch sunsets with you for the rest of my life.”
Just as the wedding march began to play, I hung up the phone and placed it back on the table.
Then, I walked toward a new beginning.
