Goodbye, My Lost Love

Chapter 14

Now, sitting alone in their abandoned wedding house, William felt the crushing weight of his mistakes pressing down on him. What was meant to be the foundation of their future had become a prison. Every corner of this house whispered of what could've been, of what he had so carelessly lost. He deserved every bit of this pain.

The proposal, the one he'd planned so carefully, so full of hope, now sat hollow in his mind. What was supposed to be the happiest moment of their lives now felt like a cruel joke. The woman who should've been there, sharing in that joy, was gone. It wasn't just her absence, it was her disappearance. She had vanished from his life, and he couldn't find her, couldn't bring her back.

The people around him exchanged confused glances, still trying to wrap their heads around it. How could Victoria have just disappeared? How could she leave without a word, without a trace, for ten whole years?

Her silence, her disappearance, spoke louder than anything else. A message he hadn't wanted to hear: no one had given her a reason to stay.

William reached for the diamond ring, the one he had designed just for her. The one he had imagined slipping onto her finger in some perfect moment, a symbol of their love. But now, it felt like a cruel reminder of everything he had failed to recognize. His hand trembled as he touched it.

Tears blurred his vision as he thought about her. All the things he should've said. All the times he'd taken her for granted. His calls went unanswered. His messages were left on read. There were so many things left unsaid, so many apologies that would never reach her. She was gone, slipping through his fingers like sand, and nothing could change that.

The weight of his loss suffocated him, a constant pressure on his chest.

"Victoria, how could you be so cruel?" he whispered to the empty room. "How could you just vanish without saying goodbye?"

Ava rushed to his side, her arms wrapping around him as though trying to shield him from the storm inside. "William, please, you've got to stop this. It's killing me to watch you do this to yourself."

But her words barely pierced through the fog of grief. His mind wandered back to that morning, to when he had asked Ava, desperation in his voice, "Did Victoria call?"

Ava had hesitated, her eyes shifting uncomfortably. "No... no, she didn't."

"Lies," William murmured, his hands tightening into fists. His pulse raced with anger. "Ava, I'm asking you again. Did you delete the call records? What did she say?"

Ava's voice wavered, but there was no conviction behind it. "I didn't! William, please, you have to trust me."

But before he could snap, someone from the shadows stepped forward, holding a video. The screen flickered to life, showing a late-night video call, one that would unravel everything.

The truth he had been searching for, for so long.

He and Ava had gotten into the habit of late-night video calls, sometimes even recording them. But this one, this specific video, was damning. It showed Ava talking to Victoria long after midnight.

"Is something wrong? It's so late…"

"William? He's in the shower right now."

"If you don't need anything else, I'll hang up. We still have the second half of the night ahead."

The room fell silent, a collective breath held.

The tension in those words hit like a punch. Everyone there began to put the pieces together, how many times had Ava blurred the line between "sister" and "something else"? How many times had she led Victoria to believe something that wasn't true?

"William, let me explain!" Ava cried out, her voice cracking, begging him to understand.

But William's anger boiled over. He shoved her away, his expression stone-cold. "Ava, whatever favor your family did for me? It's repaid. Now get out. Now."

Ava, her face streaked with tears, screamed, her voice raw and full of desperation. "William, I admit it! I was wrong. But I love you. That's why I did it all. We grew up together! You've always been there for me. Why can't I be the one? Why her? Why not me?"

Her words became sharper, each one more venomous than the last. "I'm younger, I'm prettier, I have more time to give you! Victoria is gone. Let me take her place. Let me love you."

Her makeup, once perfect, was now smeared from hours of crying, leaving her vulnerable, exposed.

William stared at her, his eyes cold, unwavering. "No. I've only ever loved Victoria Amelia. In this life, and the next."

He took a breath, his voice low and final. "Now, get out. Now."

Three months later, a custom-made wedding dress arrived at his door, the package heavy with the weight of what it symbolized. William staggered to the door, his body numb from days without sleep, surrounded by empty bottles.

With trembling hands, he opened the box. The scent of fresh fabric filled the air, but his mind wandered to a memory from the bridal shop. Ava had worn a dress like this once, spinning around and laughing, as if it were a joke.

But then, his thoughts shifted. He remembered Victoria, standing outside, talking quietly into her phone, her face softly lit by the shop window's glow.

That image of her, alone and beautiful, stayed with him. It was a reminder of everything he had pushed away, everything he had failed to keep.