Love's Unexpected Journey

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Announcement

Elena had just stepped out of the shower, her hair still damp and curling slightly around her face as she wrapped herself in a towel. She felt lighter today, in the same way she'd been feeling over the last few weeks—a kind of tentative relief after all the emotional exhaustion of the past semester. It wasn't perfect, but it was better. She was starting to reclaim her space again, filling the silence with music, late-night study sessions, and sometimes, the company of Gaby.

Her phone buzzed from the nightstand. She grabbed it, expecting a message from her mom, or maybe another group text from her classmates complaining about their final projects.

Instead, it was a name she hadn't seen in a while. *Ivy.*

Her heart gave a familiar, painful twist at the sight of the message preview on her lock screen.

*"Ivy sent you a post: Look who's getting hitched! 💍"*

Elena froze. It felt like her whole world screeched to a halt. She stared at the notification, not quite believing it. Her hands trembled slightly as she opened the app.

There it was—posted just hours ago. Ivy, standing under a flowering arch in the middle of a beautiful garden, her arms wrapped around a man, both of them beaming. Ivy's left hand was prominently displayed, and even in the grainy image, Elena could see the unmistakable sparkle of a diamond ring.

The caption underneath read: *"Can't believe I get to spend the rest of my life with this guy. Love you to the moon and back, Daniel. 💍❤️ #engaged #forever"*

Elena's breath caught in her throat, her stomach lurching like she'd been punched. Ivy was engaged. Ivy was getting married. And the man in the photo—Daniel—was the one she'd met not long after things had started unravelling between them.

The rational part of Elena had known that Ivy would eventually move on. She'd even told herself she wanted that for her—to be happy, to find someone who could give her everything she deserved. But now, staring at this picture, at the glowing smile on Ivy's face, Elena felt the weight of it all come crashing down on her.

Ivy wasn't just moving on. She was building a future with someone else.

Elena sank down on the edge of her bed, her mind racing. The images from their past flashed through her head in a dizzying blur—late-night conversations in her apartment, stolen kisses on the quad, the secret smiles they used to share. She could still feel the softness of Ivy's hand in hers, the way Ivy would look at her when they thought no one was watching.

And now, Ivy was going to marry someone else.

She felt a familiar ache rise up in her chest, the kind that only Ivy had ever been able to stir. The feelings she had buried, the ones she had tried to move past, were clawing their way back to the surface.

She knew she shouldn't, but her fingers moved on their own, scrolling through the comments on the post. People were gushing, congratulating them, calling them the perfect couple. Some mutual friends even commented, asking about wedding dates and sending heart emojis. And there, buried among the others, was a small, simple message from Ivy's mother:

*"I'm so proud of you, sweetie. You've found your forever. 💕"*

Elena's chest tightened. That word—*forever*—struck her like a blade.

She sat there, staring at the screen, feeling the hot sting of tears behind her eyes but refusing to let them fall. It wasn't her place to cry. It wasn't her heartbreak to claim anymore. She had made her choice, and so had Ivy.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder, had things been different—had they fought harder for what they had—could this have been them? Could she have been the one standing beside Ivy in that picture, grinning like her whole world was right there in her arms?

But it wasn't her. It would never be her.

Elena's phone buzzed again, this time pulling her back to the present.

It was a text from Gaby.

**Gaby:** "Wanna grab a drink tonight? I'm at Oliver's."

Elena hesitated, still reeling from the weight of the engagement news. But Gaby had become her anchor over the past few weeks, always there, always steady. Maybe that's exactly what she needed right now.

She typed back quickly before she could overthink it.

**Elena:** "On my way."

---

When Elena arrived at Oliver's, she found Gaby sitting at their usual booth, sipping a beer and scrolling through her phone. Gaby looked up and smiled when she saw her, but her expression quickly shifted to one of concern when she saw the look on Elena's face.

"What's wrong?" Gaby asked, sliding the drink menu across the table.

Elena sat down with a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples. "Ivy's engaged."

Gaby's eyes widened, her beer halfway to her lips. "Wow. That's... I don't even know what to say."

Elena laughed bitterly. "Neither do I."

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the words hanging between them. Gaby didn't try to fill it with empty platitudes, and Elena was grateful for that. Instead, Gaby just reached across the table, her hand resting on Elena's, offering quiet support.

Elena exhaled slowly. "I knew this would happen eventually. I just... I didn't think it would hurt this much."

"Of course it hurts," Gaby said gently. "You loved her. That doesn't just go away because things ended."

Elena nodded, blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall. "I just... I wanted her to be happy. I still do. But it's hard knowing she's found that with someone else."

Gaby squeezed her hand. "You'll find that too, you know. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but you will. Someone who's right for you. Someone who sees you the way you deserve to be seen."

Elena smiled faintly, though her heart still ached. "Maybe. But it's hard to imagine right now."

"I get that," Gaby said softly. "But in the meantime, I'm here. And so is this bar, and the promise of terrible karaoke if you need a distraction."

Elena laughed; the sound weak but real. "That might be exactly what I need."

For now, the future felt distant and uncertain, but in this moment—with Gaby sitting across from her, reminding her that she wasn't alone—Elena felt just a little bit lighter.

Maybe Ivy had found her forever, but Elena wasn't ready to give up on hers just yet.