Five Years of Nothing

Yesterday, my fiancé told me he didn’t have time to come home with me for the holidays, but secretly, he had booked a flight to my hometown. I couldn’t help feeling a quiet thrill. Justin Baker had always been good at surprises back when we were dating. I just didn’t expect that now, when we were practically like an old married couple, he’d still do something like this.

I was just about to tell my dad the news when my stepsister suddenly dropped a message in the family group chat that she was bringing her boyfriend home for the holidays. The relatives in the family immediately started teasing her, wanting to see what he looked like.

The next second, photo after photo of her and Justin’s couple pictures flooded the chat.

“I told you he’s really handsome, right? And he’s the same age as me.”

“Oh wow, you locked him down so young? Dawn, you’re impressive.”

“Hmph, of course. He’s crazy about me.”

I stopped breathing. So that was why, when he found out I’d be spending the holidays at my mom’s place this year, he suddenly said he didn’t have time to come with me. It was because he already knew we wouldn’t run into each other.

My hands trembled as I sent him one last message.

[I’ve returned the engagement gift to you. We’re done.]

The younger relatives in the group chat were still asking Dawn Fowler for tips on how to win a guy over.

[A lot of girls pursued him, but I wasn’t one of them. Yeah, he was the one who pursued me, so I don’t really have experience with that. Maybe ask Trisha instead?]

I ignored the constant mentions blowing up my phone and simply muted the chat.

So that was it. The reason Justin Baker had been so hard to win over was that he already had someone in his heart, and I had spent three whole years just prying open a crack in something that was never real to begin with.

I let out a bitter laugh and went back to my room to pack. As I reached up to pull down a large suitcase from the top of the closet, something suddenly fell to the floor with a dull thud. It was an old phone. On instinct, I typed in Dawn’s birthday, and it unlocked. A group chat instantly popped up.

[Justin, you’re not actually going to marry Trisha, right?]

[Seriously, are you even going to break up with her? We’re all still for your wedding with Dawn.]

Justin replied with a voice message. He sounded like he was smiling when he said it.

“That’ll depend on Dawn.”

Then, he sent another voice message, but this time, it was Dawn’s voice.

“Hm… In that case, this year!”

At the end, there was a soft, playful squeal from her.

My heart started pounding violently. I gripped the phone so tightly it felt like I might crush it in my hand. Then, I