When There Is Nothing Left But Love

Hannah rolled her eyes dramatically, then wailed, “You’re not serious, are you? My wedding’s happening in a couple of days! What if I can’t fit into my dress? I can’t possibly ask his mother to alter it on the spot, can I? The dress was custom-made and embroidered by hand! It cost an absolute fortune! I’m on the verge of moving out. I have to lose weight, or there’ll definitely be a problem.”

Hannah’s noisy complaining could not hide the traces of a smile hovering over her lips. I grinned at that. If a little weight gain was all that Hannah had to worry about for the rest of her marriage, she’d have many blissful years ahead of her.

Hannah’s endless rambling was finally put to a stop by an incoming call from Chandler. She answered the phone only to redirect her flood of words into the mouthpiece. On the other end, Chandler just absorbed everything patiently.

I suddenly found myself very much an outsider in this romantic display of affection. I surveyed around the cafe casually. Abruptly, a familiar face popped up within the field of my vision. I froze.

I was slightly myopic, so I couldn’t be certain that the figure was indeed who I’d taken it to be. I squinted as hard as I could in that direction, but to no avail. I thus reached out and tugged on Hannah’s sleeve, gesturing subtly in that direction.

Hannah paused and looked over. She was similarly taken aback. Hannah quickly mumbled into the phone, “Chandler, I just saw someone I know. I’m hanging up!”

After she’d ended the call, Hannah hauled me out of the cafe. When we’d gotten outside, she immediately shrieked, “That woman was Rebecca, wasn’t she?”

I wavered, unable to say for sure.

however, but merely

and it was common to see people dashing from place to place. Nobody paid any heed to the sight

only seven in the evening! It’s not even midnight yet. Is she doing what I think

revealing dress that exposed various areas of her body with utter disregard for the winter cold. She

If the scene unfolding before our eyes had played out anywhere else, I

was K City’s most notorious red-light district. Vice oozed out of

me closer to take a better look. We could hear the sound of Rebecca’s cries now, clear as a bell. “Mr. Tuffin, you promised that as long as I agreed, you’d give me the money! Now that I’ve done it,

pleas. He fished out a couple of bills from his wallet and flung them roughly at Rebecca, vehemently cursing her all

we just witness

Rebecca, Joe clearly worshipped her. He

stooped to pick up the bills, utterly focused on counting them while shivering helplessly from the bitter cold. Clutching herself to preserve what little bit

stupefied expression mirrored mine exactly. We were stunned while we looked at each other as if to confirm what we’d just beheld. Haltingly, Hannah asked, “That

the direction that Rebecca had slipped off to, then nodded reluctantly. “I think

she suddenly end up like this? What in the world happened?” Hannah asked urgently. She was evidently still in shock. I could see the cogs in Hannah’s mind turning as she struggled to process what she