Love Fades Away
Chapter 1
The night my boyfriend confessed, he cried his eyes out.
He talked about seeing the future, about making a pact with me.
I asked why. He just said,
“I don’t remember, only that my future self will regret it, deeply regret it, Izzie. No matter what happens, you have to give me three chances, okay?”
Deeply in love with Lucas, I readily agreed.
But later, he seemed to have forgotten all about it, canoodling with his assistant.
That’s when I understood.
Because the moment I signed the divorce papers, I heard a familiar voice.
It was nineteen-year-old Lucas.
He was crying.
“Izzie, you promised, right? You promised to give me three chances.”
1
“Izzie, I think someone as magnanimous as you will let me and Lucas be together, right?”
It was a text from Lucas’s assistant, Mia.
The message was accompanied by videos and photos.
Passionate embraces under the Eiffel Tower.
Sweet nothings whispered in front of Louvre paintings.
Nude photos on a Maldivian beach.
Even pictures of them getting intimate in front of a floor-to-ceiling window.
That’s when it finally hit me: Lucas wasn’t the Lucas I loved anymore.
We’d started from nothing. I worked my tail off for his acting career, pouring all my earnings into his performances, running around for him.
For seven years, I fell asleep on the subway home, suffered stomach bleeds from too much business drinking.
I’d slowly built a company.
And Lucas finally became a nationally acclaimed actor, a sought-after star.
He chose to achieve all those things we’d dreamed of together with his assistant.
Without hesitation, I drafted the divorce papers.
Just as I was about to sign, a jarring voice pierced the silence.
“Izzie, no, you promised to give me three chances.”
The familiar voice shocked me, my whole body trembling.
I turned, and there stood nineteen-year-old Lucas, his form ethereal, wearing a $30 suit I’d bought while working a part-time job.
He looked the most handsome in that suit, just like my memory.
I stared at nineteen-year-old Lucas, then suddenly laughed.
“Okay, three chances.”
Just then, my phone rang again.
“Izzie! I’ve told you countless times, stop bullying Mia! She’s just my assistant, she’s already exhausted from traveling with me everywhere!”
“If you keep this up, our beach trip is off!”
I answered, putting it on speakerphone. Lucas’s furious voice echoed in the room.
I glanced at nineteen-year-old Lucas, offering a gentle smile, which caused anger to flash across his face.
“How could he talk to you like that! How could he?!”
Nineteen-year-old Lucas was trembling with rage, while twenty-seven-year-old Lucas remained cold.
“Izzie, you’ve gotten bold. You even have a dog now, huh? Get to Wind Entertainment in half an hour, or else…”
Nineteen-year-old Lucas hung up, and I calmly said,
“That’s your first chance, Lucas.”
I couldn’t tell if I was saying it to nineteen-year-old Lucas or myself.
I drove to Wind Entertainment, arriving forty minutes late.
The area around the building was packed, traffic a nightmare.
When I finally reached Lucas’s office on the top floor, I pushed open the door and heard him yell,
“Izzie, I warned you, be here in thirty minutes. And now…”
“Mm-hmm.”
I coolly interrupted, sitting on the sofa.
Mia was also in the office, her head down, eyes red, clutching her wrist.
My indifferent attitude seemed to enrage Lucas. He slammed his fist on the desk.
“Izzie, what’s your attitude! Are you still refusing to admit you’re wrong?”
Before I could speak, Mia said,
“Lucas, it’s okay, it’s just a watch, it’s not Izzie’s fault.”
Mia’s words only fueled Lucas’s anger. He suppressed his rage, speaking softly to Mia.
“What do you mean it’s not her fault? She’s so petty she even stole the birthday present I gave you. Don’t worry, I won’t take her side.”
Turning to me, his tone sharpened.
“Izzie, I’m giving you one last chance. Return the watch to Mia.”
This had happened countless times. Mia had framed me so many times, and no matter how much I explained, it was no use.
Lucas, who once trusted me unconditionally, now unconditionally doubted me.
I didn’t bother arguing. I stood, took off the worn watch from my wrist, and tossed it lightly at Mia’s feet.
This action caused both nineteen-year-old and twenty-seven-year-old Lucas to erupt.
Nineteen-year-old Lucas cried, “Izzie, please, don’t…don’t do this.”
Twenty-seven-year-old Lucas’s eyes were bloodshot, his anger uncontainable:
“Izzie! Do you think I’m a pushover?!”
2
The watch at Lucas’s feet was my only watch.
He’d bought it with his meager earnings after landing his first role, a small part. He’d been so happy.
After that, I never wore another watch.
I remembered him handing me the watch, his hand warm and sincere, his eyes red-rimmed. He seemed to feel guilty. He said softly.
“Izzie, this is all I can afford now. When I make more money, I’ll get you the watch you’ve always wanted.”
He did buy that watch later, but not for me. It was for Mia.
I didn’t say anything, turning to leave the office.
“You!”
Twenty-seven-year-old Lucas was speechless with rage, while Mia softly consoled him.
“Lucas, it’s alright, maybe that watch was important to Izzie. If so, it’s really my fault. It’s normal for Izzie to take it back, don’t blame her, I’m okay.”
Her voice was low, adding,
“Anyway, nobody’s ever celebrated my birthday. Having Lucas with me is enough. I don’t need the present.”
Mia’s words calmed Lucas, who gave me a grudgingly polite look.
“Izzie, give Mia back her watch, and I’ll get you a better one later.”
“No need. I don’t want the one on the floor, or any others you buy.”
I said coldly, striding out of the office.
But nineteen-year-old Lucas rushed forward, grabbing my arm.
“Izzie, Izzie, no, let’s get the watch back. It’s the one I gave you.”
His eyes were red, but his tone was tentative, as if afraid I’d get angry.
Looking at his youthful face, my heart softened.
“Okay, but that’s your second chance. Are you sure you want to use it?”
Nineteen-year-old Lucas nodded without hesitation.
I ruffled his hair and turned back to the office.
When I reopened the door, I saw something that sent nineteen-year-old Lucas into a rage.
Mia was in Lucas’s arms, whispering something in his ear.
They quickly separated when I entered.
“Izzie, when did you become so rude! Don’t you know you’re supposed to knock before entering someone’s office?”
I glanced at him, walked to them, and bent down, but Mia subtly stepped on the watch strap.
I straightened up.
Mia looked down, eyes cast.
“Izzie, I really didn’t mean anything by it.”
Seeing Mia act “sad” again, Lucas couldn’t help himself.
“Izzie, look at you, what kind of state are you in? Mia is so understanding, and you keep making things difficult for her. Apologize to her.”
Ignoring Lucas, I stared into Mia’s eyes, struggling to contain my anger.
“Excuse me.”
Mia pretended not to hear.
“Izzie, I really didn’t mean anything.”
Lucas grabbed my chin.
“Apologize to Mia.”
I looked at the furious Lucas, then at nineteen-year-old Lucas.
He was stunned, tears streaming down his face.
My heart ached for him, my anger fading. I said softly,
“I’m sorry.”
3
“Oh, Izzie, you don’t have to, you don’t have to.”
Mia cautiously stepped back, but I saw a smirk on her lips.
Ignoring Lucas, I picked up the ruined watch and left the office.
On the way out, nineteen-year-old Lucas sobbed, apologizing repeatedly.
I patted his head.
“It’s okay, Lucas, you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Looking at his face, I softly asked,
“Do you know what tomorrow is?”
Lucas looked at me, then at the car’s clock. His face flushed, and he seemed excited.
“It’s the day I propose to you.”
Yes, six years ago, on our first anniversary, we’d made a pact. No matter how much money we had, he would propose to me six years later on Valentine’s Day, on the beach.
“That’s my boy, so will you come with me tomorrow?”
I said softly. Nineteen-year-old Lucas’s eyes shone; he stared into my eyes for a long time.
Then, as if making a decision, he shared a secret.
“Izzie, do you know why I can see the future?”
“The night I confessed, I wished on a shooting star to see the future. But I won’t remember it until midnight tomorrow.”
Nineteen-year-old Lucas shed another tear.
“So tomorrow night, he will regret it.”
However, neither of us anticipated that twenty-seven-year-old Lucas would be on the beach.
He wasn’t there to keep our date, though.
“Izzie, you were spying on me, following me here! Good, you’re good!”
The beach, where we were supposed to have our proposal, was adorned with roses and fireworks.
In the center of it all stood twenty-seven-year-old Lucas, holding Mia’s hand tightly, even when he saw me.
“Three chances are up, Lucas.”
I whispered, nineteen-year-old Lucas despairingly shaking my arm.
“Izzie, Izzie, don’t, maybe he did this for you, let’s go see, okay?”
His voice was almost a plea.
Twenty-seven-year-old Lucas’s voice was icy.
“Izzie, get over here!”
I turned gently to nineteen-year-old Lucas, then walked toward them.
“Izzie! What do you want? You stole Mia’s watch, I didn’t care, now you want to ruin my fireworks display to make up for it?!”
As I approached, Lucas started shouting.
“No, I’m here to watch the fireworks, if you don’t mind, give me two chairs.”
I shrugged indifferently.
Lucas seemed taken aback by my reaction.
I ignored him, taking the weeping nineteen-year-old Lucas to sit down.
I softly comforted him, but his tears wouldn’t stop.
Seeing my lack of reaction, twenty-seven-year-old Lucas relaxed, cuddling with Mia.
Unfazed, I held nineteen-year-old Lucas’s cold hand.
Time passed, approaching midnight.
As Valentine’s Day ended, the fireworks began.
Under the fireworks, I pulled out a ring, knelt, and said softly to nineteen-year-old Lucas,
“Lucas, will you marry me?”
He covered his mouth, tears in his eyes.
“You, you still want to marry me?”
“Of course, I’ll always love you.”
I looked sincerely into his eyes. His brilliance was my eternal love.
After a long moment, he nodded vigorously, extending his hand.
“Izzie, I do, I do.”
I smiled, my heart full of joy, gently taking his hand.
Just as I was about to put the ring on him,
The clock struck midnight.
Nineteen-year-old Lucas dissolved into stardust before my eyes.
My tears flowed freely.
“Goodbye, my beloved Lucas.”
A sharp female voice echoed behind me.
“Lucas, Izzie looks so pitiful, all alone, wondering who to propose to. I’m much luckier, I have Lucas.”
I turned to see Mia and Lucas standing behind me, Mia sneering.
Lucas was in tears.
