1 I have a habit. Whenever I dine, watch films or ride taxis, I always leave the seat beside me vacant. I once truly believed Rick would fly into my city and surprise me out of the blue. Yet across our three years apart, he never visited once. I tried wedding gowns and booked the venue entirely alone, worn down to total exhaustion. Trembling, I sent him a message. [I have a 102-degree fever. No medicine at home.] He took thirty minutes to reply. [So what?] [Do you expect me to sprout wings and rush over with pills?] [I’m reviewing a project draft. Just get delivery meds.] My hands shook too hard to grip my phone, and I slipped into blackout. I woke to my best friend Arielle beside my bed, red-eyed as she handed warm water and tablets. “He only neglects you since you’re endlessly forgiving,” she murmured. “I would’ve broken things off ages ago.” Two weeks later, Arielle caught a severe fever too. I planned to hurry over to look after her. Then I spotted her social media post: a shot of a man’s hand gripping a soup spoon. Seasonal flu knocked me flat, but my knight dropped all work and drove five hundred miles overnight with homemade chicken soup. I knew that wrist instantly. The watch I’d spent six months’ wages buying for Rick sat right there. A harsh truth sank in. The spare seat next to me wasn’t empty from his distance. It was empty because he never cared enough to come. There was no sense saving that seat any longer; I’d only been fooling myself. I stood outside Arielle's apartment door, holding a bag of medicine. The door wasn't fully closed. Through the gap, I heard Arielle’s nasal, playful laugh. "You drove all night. What about the New York project? Are you really planning to stay in Boston for good?" Rick answered without a second of hesitation. "I don't care about the project anymore." "You were here with a fever, and I couldn't stop worrying. I've already applied for a transfer back to the Boston office. No more long-distance." Arielle’s tone was light. "Well, isn't Candice going to be thrilled to hear that?" "I only care about making you happy." My fingernails dug into the plastic handle of the bag, leaving a bloodless, stark white mark on my skin. Three years ago, holding my mother’s critical illness notice, I had tugged at his sleeve and begged him to stay. I asked him if we could avoid the long distance. He had picked up his suitcase and walked out without looking back. "Candice, you know how important this promotion is for me. I'm doing this for our future. Stop being so selfish." The night he left to pursue his career, my mother passed away. I spent the night alone, shaking and crying in the dark. Over the past three years, I had suggested ending the long distance countless times. I had even offered to give up my career in Boston just to move to New York for him. But he rejected me every single time. "The cost of living in New York is too high. You coming here would only slow me down." "Grow up, Candice. Stop using your emotions to hijack my career." Yet that very career and future became entirely worthless the moment Arielle caught a cold. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Rick was sitting by the bed, holding a bowl of soup. When he saw me, his forehead creased instantly. "What are you doing here?" I placed the plastic bag of medicine on the nightstand. "I came to check on Arielle. And, apparently, to see the knight who flew five hundred miles." Arielle quickly waved her hands in panic. "Candice, please don't blame Rick. I was burning up last night and just complained to him offhand." "I didn't expect him to actually drop his work and run back. If you're upset, I'll tell him to leave right now." Rick’s face darkened. "You're this sick. Why would I leave?" He set the bowl down, looking entirely shameless. "Candice, drop the attitude." "Arielle is your best friend. She has a 102-degree fever. Do you expect me to just sit back and watch her rot in here?" I looked at the bowl of chicken soup. The herbs, the shredded chicken, the perfect golden broth. It was a recipe I had spent weeks perfecting, writing down step-by-step instructions to teach him. Because he used to complain that the food in New York didn't suit his taste. He was using the exact method I taught him to care for another woman. "I had a 102-degree fever two weeks ago," I said quietly. "You told me to order delivery." Rick paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes. "But you got through it on your own, didn't you?" "Arielle is different from you. She isn't as independent. Are you seriously throwing a tantrum over your own best friend?" Suddenly, the memory of myself begging him for help seemed incredibly pathetic. I let out a soft, self-mocking laugh. Seeing me laugh, his expression relaxed, replaced by a patronizing sigh of relief. "Good, you're smiling. Let's drop this, and don't bring it up again." "I've already applied to transfer back to Boston, so we won't be apart anymore. You got what you wanted. Arielle just said she wants some cupcakes from that bakery on West Street. Go grab some." I turned and walked out. My phone buzzed in my pocket. "Hi Ms. Candice, the wedding dress you liked has arrived. When would you like to come in for a fitting?" "No need. Please cancel it." I used to think a long-distance relationship was just a long queue. As long as I kept the seat on my right open and waited, he would eventually sit down. Now I knew that the five-hour train ride was never the issue. He was never unable to return; he had simply changed his destination long ago. There was no point in waiting anymore. I didn't buy the cupcakes. I went straight back to my apartment and started packing. I threw the extra toothbrush, the dark gray towel, and the matching mug from the bathroom sink straight into the trash. No matter where I lived, I had always kept a double set of everything. I had foolishly believed he would suddenly show up in Boston to surprise me. So I stubbornly kept half of my life empty for him. Now he was back, but the surprise wasn't for me. Rick didn't come home that night. Arielle posted another update. The best part of being sick is having someone stay up to watch a 2 AM movie with you. The attached photo showed the projector screen and the soft, gentle profile of a man's face. It was the movie I had wanted to see for months. I had begged Rick to watch it with me, but he always dismissed it as boring. I liked her post. Three minutes later, a text from Rick popped up. [Get dressed and come downstairs. It's Grandma's 80th birthday today. I'm picking you up on the way to the family estate.] According to our original plan, today was also the day we were supposed to formally announce our engagement to his family. When I walked down, Arielle was already sitting in the passenger seat. She was holding a steaming latte, her other hand casually playing with a spare key to Rick's apartment. The keychain had a hand-woven lucky knot I had made for him. Now, it was stained with coffee. She turned to me with a sweet smile. "Candice, you don't mind me catching a ride, do you?" Rick turned up a French song Arielle liked on the radio. "Arielle just recovered. I didn't feel safe leaving her alone, so I brought her along to get some fresh air at the estate." "Besides, she's still weak." "You sit in the back." Half an hour later, we arrived at the family estate. Arielle couldn't wait to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Oh, I can smell the food already!" She naturally walked up to Rick's side, and the two walked in shoulder-to-shoulder. I followed behind them like an insignificant shadow. In the main hall, his grandmother sat on the antique armchair. "Rick, bring your girl over. Let me get a look at her." Arielle stepped forward gracefully. "Grandma, I wish you a very happy birthday." The old lady smiled, patting Arielle's hand. "This is the lovely girl you brought home last New Year's Eve, right?" "So pretty. No wonder you're always thinking about her." A few relatives who actually knew me exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes shifting toward me. I picked up a cup of tea and took a slow sip of the warm water. Last New Year's Eve, I had sat alone in Boston with a table of cold food. Rick had told me over the phone that a major crisis had hit his project, and his entire team was pulling an all-nighter at the office. As it turned out, his all-nighter was spent bringing Arielle home to meet his family. The old lady slid a stunning, deep green heirloom emerald bracelet off her wrist and placed it directly onto Arielle's. "This has been passed down to the wife of the eldest grandson. I'm giving it to you today." "Rick... I couldn't possibly. Grandma has mistaken me for someone else." Arielle made a show of protesting, but she made no move to take the bracelet off. Rick leaned down, whispering in my ear. "Candice, let Arielle keep it on for now. I'll have her give it back to you after the party." "Be sensible. Don't throw a tantrum today of all days." I shook my head. "No need to give it back." Rick stared, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes. "It's good that you can be so understanding. It actually looks quite nice on her anyway. I'll buy you a new one some other day." I set down my teacup. The aroma of the Earl Grey tea was rich. It was Arielle's favorite blend, and even Rick's grandmother had remembered her preference. The home I was supposedly entering for the first time was a place Arielle had already visited countless times. "Since the bracelet is already on her wrist, she should keep it." "Rick, we're done. Let's break up." The smile wiped off Rick's face instantly. "Over a bracelet? Candice, when did you become so incredibly petty?" "Yes, over a bracelet." Arielle frantically tried to pull the bracelet off. "Candice, please don't be mad. I'm taking it off right now. You two have been together for nine years. You can't let it ruin everything because of me." In her haste, her wrist turned bright red, and tears welled up in her eyes. Rick grabbed her hand to stop her. "Why are you taking it off? You didn't do anything wrong." "Arielle isn't fully recovered yet, and you're forcing her to humiliate herself in public?" I couldn't stand being there for another second. I turned and walked out. Behind me, whispers drifted from the dining hall. "She has a terrible temper." "Exactly. Men have their harmless fun. She should learn to turn a blind eye." Arielle spoke up softly. "Rick, go after her. Candice is just angry. Make sure she's okay." Rick sneered. "We've been together for nine years. She's a thirty-year-old woman. Who else would even want her?" He raised his voice so it would carry out the door. "If someone wants to play hard to get, then we might just have to push the wedding date back a bit further." Later, the wedding boutique owner sent me a picture of the main dress to confirm. "Ms. Candice, the deposit is non-refundable. You came in so many times for this. Are you sure you want to cancel?" I stared at the screen for a long time. I had tried on seventeen different dresses in that shop all by myself. Every picture I sent to Rick was met with a cold, detached reply: Busy. You decide. I finally realized that one person's hope can never sustain a future meant for two. "Cancel it." The next morning, I went to the office and found a transfer notice sitting on my desk. Due to poor recent performance, Candice is hereby reassigned to the administrative support team. Right after that, a company-wide announcement went out: Arielle was being promoted to Project Manager. The proposal attached to her promotion was the very project I had spent seven sleepless nights writing and revising fifteen times. The author's name had been changed to Arielle. At the bottom of the document, the approver's signature read: Rick. I dialed Rick's number. "Saw the notice? I was just about to call you." "Rick, why is my proposal under Arielle's name?" He let out a dry laugh. "You embarrassed Arielle in front of my family yesterday. She went home and cried the entire night." "Giving her this project is a way to comfort her, and a small lesson for you." Arielle’s weak voice came through the receiver. "Candice, if you're upset, I can give the position back to you." Rick cut her off. "Don't give back anything. She brought this on herself." "Candice, if you behave and apologize to Arielle, the wedding is still on." "I'll make sure you get the next promotion." The sheer absurdity of it washed over me. He was using my hard work to keep another woman happy. I said, "Fine." After hanging up, I submitted my resignation and clicked confirm on the international offer I had received weeks ago. Right after I bought my plane ticket, my phone vibrated. An alert from my bank popped up: One million dollars debited. My breath caught. That was the inheritance my mother had left me, set aside for my dowry. Only Rick and I knew the password to that account. I called the bank customer service and tracked the recipient. I rushed to the luxury condo he had recently purchased. Rick and Arielle were sitting on the leather sofa, flipping through interior design catalogs. "Rick, I love the floor-to-ceiling windows in the master bedroom. The morning light must be gorgeous." Rick smiled warmly. "If you like it, we'll knock down the wall between the master bedroom and the guest room to make it bigger for you." On the coffee table lay the newly signed purchase agreement. The name under the owner's section read: Arielle. My chest heaved. "You took the money my mother left me?" He looked up, annoyance written all over his face. "We're getting married anyway. The money was just sitting in the account. Might as well put it to good use." "Then why is her name on the deed?" "Arielle grew up relying on charity. She's always wanted a place to call home. She was worried she wouldn't have a place here once we got married." "Putting her name on the deed makes her feel secure." A loud buzzing sound echoed in my head, and the final thread of my patience snapped. Arielle grew up on charity? Her parents died in a car crash when we were kids. I had begged my parents to take her in. My parents had treated her like their own daughter for twenty years, providing for her food, her clothes, her education. And now, in Rick's mouth, it was "relying on charity." Arielle grabbed my arm, her expression innocent. "Candice, if it really bothers you, I can move out anytime." "But please believe me, Rick loves you. He even reserved the quietest bedroom on the north side just for you." I violently yanked my arm back. "Don't touch me!" "Give me back my money!" Arielle lost her balance and fell to the floor with a sharp cry. Rick's face twisted in rage. He lunged forward and shoved me hard. I crashed against the doorframe, a dull, agonizing pain radiating through my shoulder. "Candice, you're out of your mind! It's just a house! Was it really necessary to get physical? I must have been blind to ever think about marrying a toxic woman like you!" Without looking back, he scooped Arielle into his arms and rushed out the door toward the hospital. I leaned against the doorframe to steady myself, then dialed my lawyer's number. After handing the entire matter over to the firm, I hailed a cab and headed straight to the airport. The afternoon sun pierced through the airplane window, casting a warm light over my face.
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