Sometimes unfortunate events force you to do unthinkable things -- things you swore yourself you will never do. Things like marrying a stranger for the wrong reason and pretend to be someone's wife in exchange of something you desperately need in or...
"I... Uh... I don't know." Lisa honestly answered.
"You decide. Because if you ask me, I don't want it in our new apartment." Jennie frankly said with conviction.
Lisa neared the box and opened it. It has been more than a year since she last saw her photos with Rosie and the engagement ring, her heart's still sad for the loss of an ex-lover and bestfriend– but love? Just like she told Jennie, her love remains but NOT more than friends or romantic love. Lisa then closed it then looked at her wife who shifted her attention to the floor to avoid seeing Lisa's sad face.
"Ok. I'll throw this box, but I'm taking this one photo of Rosie..."
Jennie kept quiet, trying her best not to cry from extreme heartache. However, Lisa noticed her wife's cold, disappointed, and angry reaction.
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"Jennie, please understand. These are my personal shots when I still had my DLSR camera because I was also an aspiring photographer... I won the National Geography best portrait photo award because of this." Lisa raised the photo before she added, "This engagement ring, I will sell it and add the money to our rent deposit."
"No. You're not. You can use the money for your college, but never for our new apartment. And no, I don't want any trace of your ex in our apartment neither. I'm sorry." Deeply hurt and angry Jennie stood up and went straight to the bathroom, where she silently broke down and cry – she couldn't believe the intense pain of loving someone who might still be in love with someone else.
"Jennie?" Lisa's knocked on the bathroom door, her voice cracked for she's about to cry too. She's torn between her wife and the photo – it's not because she wanted a memory of Rosie,it's the memory of her mom's reaction when she received the award and she was published on National Geography magazine as the youngest aspiring photographer to win the award.
"I wanted to keep the photo because of mom... the photo brings back the memories of her being extremely happy and proud of me for winning the most coveted award. The happiest I've ever seen her before she fell into coma... But if it hurts you, I'll throw it away. I'm sorry for upsetting you. Please forgive me." Lisa's heart ached and small tears escaped her eyes, too – she'll sacrifice everything for her wife's happiness.
Jennie felt guilty and selfish after she heard the reason why her wife wanted to keep the photo. "But why did you hide the photo in the box if it reminds you of your mom?"
"I was devastatingly heartbroken when Rosie broke up with me and left. And seeing the photos and everything that reminded me of her everyday almost killed me, so I decided to box everything... I thought at least I still have it when she returns, but..."
"I thought you're not in love with her anymore?" Jennie's cut off her wife, her voice cracked, still silently crying inside the bathroom.
"I'm not... That's why I'm throwing it away and selling the engagement ring... And whether she returns or not, I have no romantic feelings for her anymore... Now I can look at her photos without feeling anything than normal sadness that it ended between us... I can now look at her photo without her in my mind but my mom's happiest face."
