CHAPTER - 5

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Even after a week, the memory of that day haunted me

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Even after a week, the memory of that day haunted me. It played over and over in my mind, like a cruel, endless loop. I was caught in a whirlwind of emotions-heartache, confusion, desperation.

How could the man I loved, the one I was ready to spend my life with, betray me like that?

There had to be an explanation, something I was missing. Vivian wouldn't just do this without reason, right?

At dinner, I decided to confront my parents. Maybe they'd done something to push him away, to humiliate him in some way.

"What do you mean, we did something to that thug?" My dad's face twisted in genuine shock. "I'd never talk to such a person."

"Then why isn't he talking to me?" I pressed, my voice trembling with a mixture of hope and fear.

"Good," my mother interjected, her tone as cold as steel. "You should stay away from such cheap people."

I searched their faces, trying to find a trace of guilt or deceit, but there was none. They were as clueless as ever, too wrapped up in their own world to care about mine. Their ignorance made it clear that they had nothing to do with Vivian's sudden change.

Maybe it was the grief from his mother's death, I thought. Desperate for answers, I decided to visit his place, only to find it locked.

He wouldn't answer my calls or reply to my messages. I pleaded, begged for forgiveness, even though I hadn't done anything wrong.

But he remained silent, like a ghost who had vanished from my life.

In my despair, I thought of something that seemed like a solution at the time-something irrational and utterly foolish.

"I'll fake my own death," I whispered to myself, the words echoing in the empty space around me. "He'll come back to me. He has to."

I found myself at the community pool, its surface calm and undisturbed, a mirror reflecting my turmoil. I stared at the water, my heart racing. Was this really the right thing to do? But the thought of seeing Vivian again, of making him realize what he'd lost, drove me forward. Without another thought, I jumped in.

The cold water hit me like a shock, and almost instantly, I regretted it. I didn't know how to swim. Panic set in as I struggled to keep my head above water, my arms flailing uselessly.

The more I fought, the more I sank, until I felt the world closing in on me.

Then, suddenly, I felt strong arms around me, pulling me up, dragging me out of the water. I gasped for air, coughing and sputtering, as water poured from my mouth and nose.

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