Chapter 100
There were seven photos, each featuring a girl. The first four were her and Neil, under cherry blossom trees, on lover’s bridge, and with a Ferris wheel They were wearing matching outfits and grinning like they had won the lottery. The next two were a stark contrast, filled with sorrow She was crying in a selfie, and her wrist was stained with blood. The last one was the worst. It was a corpse, presumably drowned. Soaked to the bone and tangled in seaweed, her skin was pale and bloated
It took me a few minutes to regain my bearings, and my voice was shaky, “Mom, who is she?”
“Ever seen anyone who looks like her?‘ Faith gently shot back another question
I nodded Yeah, Bonnie was practically her doppelganger.
Faith put the photos away, sighing, Trene, her name is Karina, a girl Neil once had a thing for.”
“Mom, spill it What’s this got to do with me?” I was starting to freak out
With Faith filling me in, I learned that there was more to Neil than I knew. Turned out that it was around graduation when I and my buddies, like Stella, were away for an internship. That was the only time I was away from Neil that long, trying to find something to chat about online every day I remembered how Neil changed his Facebook background to a cartoon peach, which threw me into a tizzy, fearing he was in love
My gut was right.
Neil met Karina during that time, the first girl he really fell for. It was different from his past flings; he was serious about Karina, but his family was dead against it.
Neil’s grandpa was seriously ill, and wanting to see Neil get married, they set out to find a suitable match. They thought I was a good fit. When I learned I was to marry Neil, I didn’t hesitate to say yes, which only fueled the Whitmore family’s opposition to Karina
“Why didn’t you tell me then?” I asked.
since they hadn’t been together long, once he agreed to marry
mean on our wedding night, every word was a stab in my heart. And his promise that I would regret marrying him and suffer my whole life finally made sense. The girl he loved
know it was wrong to keep you in the dark, you had a right to know. But we were desperate, and by the time she jumped, you and Neil were already married. It
and my smile was bitter, “I got
stood up, and grabbed my coat, “Can I get
you this hoping you’ll reconsider Neil. It’s our fault for being so harsh back then. Neil’s a victim too.”
to talk, so I
Rosemont. My emotions were all over the place as my mind filled
wouldn’t tell me
Karina was his true love, and Bonnie was just a
I’m the joke, clueless about
not even the second
down the window, letting the chilly wind dry the
You’ll catch a cold.” The
stubbornly replied. Perhaps the cold could blow away my
the time I got home, it was pitch dark. My parents were surprised
guessed something had happened at my in–laws‘
are so red” my mom asked
a few tears.” I lied; my
they teach that scumbag son of
mom
New Year’s, I decided that I’ll stay with Harold for a couple years, then get the divorce”
My mom probed
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