The star in your name

Chapter 1

It was our seventh anniversary, and the top trending news story was, “Newly Discovered Star Officially Named After Local Scientist’s Girlfriend.”

The post that started it all? My husband, Blake’s.

“Your name, among the stars. You’ll never be alone, not even in the vastness of space.”

One of his grad students commented below, “Public displays of private romance are the best! Thanks, Blake! I’m so happy for you both!”

Unlike every other time, I didn’t frantically call him, demanding an explanation.

Seven years of this. I was tired.

Blake found me on the balcony, smoking.

He hated the smell, always scrunched up his nose at it.

After we got together, I forced myself to quit, even suffered withdrawal.

He paused, seeing the cigarette, but didn’t say anything.

He handed me a small, gift-wrapped box. His voice was flat.

“Happy anniversary.”

“Sorry, last-minute work thing tonight. Forgot to tell you.”

“It’s okay.”

I took a last drag, then opened the box. It was a star pendant necklace.

I closed the lid. “I love it, thank you.”

Blake froze, the excuses he’d been rehearsing caught in his throat.

He looked surprised. He’d expected a fight, a barrage of questions.

I’d expected the same. I thought seeing that trending post would have me screaming, crying, and throwing things.

It was our anniversary. I’d booked the restaurant where he proposed, arranged for fireworks, planned a whole surprise.

I left work early to meet him at his lab.

But instead of Blake, I got a news alert.

“Newly discovered celestial body, designated 960306, has been officially named ‘The Amelia Star’ this morning.”

“This marks the first stellar discovery for astronomer Blake Hudson, a significant milestone in his career.”

Below the news article, the top comment was Blake’s own post.

“Your name, among the stars. You’ll never be alone, not even in the vastness of space.”

The attached photo showed him and Amelia, cheek to cheek, at a fancy restaurant.

Amelia held up the star’s official certificate.

I clicked on the comments section. The most liked comment was Amelia’s: “Public displays of private romance are the best! Thanks, Blake! I’m so happy for you both!”

I tossed my phone onto the passenger seat and drove to the restaurant.

I ate two steaks under the exploding fireworks, a solitary funeral for our seven-year marriage.

As I reached for another cigarette, Blake snatched the lighter.

He frowned. “I thought you quit.”

“Cravings,” I mumbled, putting the cigarette back. I turned to go inside.

He grabbed my wrist, searching my face. “It’s our anniversary.”

I stared back blankly. “And?”

His frown deepened.

“You didn’t even get me anything. And you’re going to bed already?”

He leaned in to kiss me.

Blake always had this contradictory aura of coldness and tenderness.

Normally, this kind of attention from him would have me melting.

But tonight, all I could smell was the jasmine perfume clinging to his clothes.

Amelia’s signature scent.

I stepped back, avoiding his lips.

“You had a long day. Get some rest.”

Chapter 2

Ignoring Blake’s confused expression, I went to the bathroom.

When I came out, I had a text from Chloe, my business partner and best friend since kindergarten.

“You’re actually going through with Paris? You’re leaving Blake? If you come back in two days, I swear I will murder you.”

“I’m serious!”

I smiled.

“No turning back. If I come home early, you have my permission to end me.”

Three years ago, our company needed someone to head up our expansion overseas.

After discussing it with Blake, I agreed.

But three days in, Blake landed in the hospital with stomach pains.

I flew back that night.

And I never left again.

We dated for five years, married for seven.

I knew since high school that Blake could lose himself in his work.

Being abroad meant seeing each other only a few times a year.

I couldn’t leave him alone.

After we got married, friends often asked why I was with someone so seemingly ambitionless.

They said Blake was great boyfriend material, but not husband material.

I always smiled and replied, “Because he saved me. Body and soul.”

My childhood left me with depression.

Just as I was about to let myself drown, he jumped in and pulled me out.

He went with me to every therapy appointment, rain or shine.

Never missed one.

When I was better, I asked him, “Weren’t you scared? You were so young.”

He shrugged. “Couldn’t let someone with a smile that beautiful disappear from the world.”

“And life’s too long to face it without you by my side.”

Back then, Blake probably never imagined he’d become the reason my depression returned.

Life isn’t a multiple-choice question.

And I was never his fixed answer.

Chloe had seen it all, from the beginning.

She sensed something was off.

“The world’s a big place, Olivia. Full of delicious food and fascinating people. If you’re willing to move forward, there’s so much to look forward to.”

“Tomorrow’s July 1st. A fresh start.”

A few seconds later, another text:

“The Paris office opens in a week. Girl, if you can’t have a man, at least have money!”

Chapter 3

I woke up early for our monthly company meeting.

Blake was in the kitchen, making breakfast. Which was… new.

I knew he could cook. I learned that from Amelia’s Instagram.

She loved documenting their lives.

Every little thing he did for her was plastered online.

Like how he made her spicy ramen when they worked late.

How he drove her to and from work when it rained.

How he showered her with thoughtful gifts for every occasion.

Like this whole star thing. Apparently, Amelia had jokingly said she wanted a star.

And he’d just given her one.

I spent that night torturing myself, scrolling through Amelia’s Instagram, piecing together their story, reliving every special gesture Blake reserved only for her.

“Liv, breakfast’s ready. I made your favorite oatmeal.”

Blake pulled me to the table.

I took a bite, then put down my spoon.

He frowned.

I stared at the oatmeal. “I only eat it sweet.”

Someone once told me, “Sweet things release dopamine.”

So I developed a sweet tooth.

Blake blinked, then quickly said, “I made eggs too, I’ll get them.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m running late.”

Amelia’s latest post flashed through my mind: “Yay! Blake promised to bring me breakfast tomorrow. Scrambled eggs and oatmeal with bacon bits!”

Blake stopped me at the door, his brow furrowed.

“Are you mad? Because I wasn’t there last night?”

“It was work. I apologized.”

“The project’s almost finished. As lead, I can’t just… take off.”

“You’ve always supported my work. What’s going on?”

He was right. It had always been this way.

I loved him, so I tolerated it.

Even when he forgot my birthday, our anniversary, or disappeared for days, I never complained.

It was his dream.

Until one day, after wrapping up a research milestone, he came to my office to wait for me.

His phone kept buzzing.

He, who always claimed texting was too much effort, was suddenly glued to his screen, thumbs flying, a goofy grin on his face.

That was the first time I heard the name Amelia.

A “clumsy but adorable” grad student.

And the first time I realized he wasn’t averse to texting, or effort.

Just not with me.

I pulled my hand away.

My voice was flat. “I’m tired, Blake.”

“We need to tal-”

His phone rang.

His ringtone.

He answered without even glancing at the screen.

“Hey! What’s up?”

He didn’t even realize how his voice softened.

Amelia whined from the other end. “Blake, I’m starving!”

“When are you coming back? If I faint from hunger, it’s on you.”

He chuckled. “You had a mountain of crawfish last night. How are you already hungry?”

“Fine, fine, I’m on my way.”

I smirked.

As if sensing my presence, Amelia chirped, “Oh, and Blake? We should take your wife out to dinner sometime.”

“I kind of stole her anniversary last night, dragging you out for late-night snacks. I owe her a big apology feast!”

Chapter 4

Blake’s eyes flickered with guilt.

He unconsciously took a step back, clutching his phone.

I laughed, a cold, hollow sound, and turned to leave.

He stammered out a quick excuse to Amelia, then hurried after me, offering to drive me to work.

“Amelia helped with the star research, I couldn’t just name it myself.”

“It just so happened to be her birthday, and she mentioned wanting a star, so it worked out.”

“And the late-night thing…it was a group thing, not just us. Don’t overthink it, okay?”

I stared at him.

He’d been working on that project, on and off, for three years.

Amelia had been there three months.

Did he really think that excuse would fly?

Blake probably wasn’t even aware that whenever he lied, or got nervous, he fidgeted with his clothes.

At the office building entrance, Amelia called again, and Blake left.

For work, or whatever.

I didn’t care anymore.

This had happened too many times to count.

That summer was unusually rainy. One evening, I got caught in a downpour and woke up with a fever.

I mumbled for Blake to get me some Tylenol.

He got out of bed and started getting dressed.

“Amelia’s faucet broke, and she doesn’t know how to fix it. I’m gonna go take a look.”

I just stared at him.

I didn’t know whether to ask why he was going to fix her faucet, or if they were that close that a leaky faucet warranted a personal visit.

Blake didn’t give me a chance to ask.

He left.

Oblivious to the fact that I was shivering under a blanket in an air-conditioned room, drenched in sweat.

So different from college, when I’d rush into the library after class, seeking refuge from the heat.

He would follow, a slight frown on his face, pulling me back.

He’d pull out a tissue, wiping the sweat from my forehead, scolding me gently, “Do you think you’re invincible? Running into an air-conditioned room when you’re sweating like this? And then who has to take care of you when you get sick? Me.”

At the office, Chloe tossed a folder onto my desk.

“Study up. Screw up in Paris and you’re fired.”

I dove into the material, studying with the intensity of a student prepping for finals.

Before leaving, I checked my email. The lawyer had sent the finalized divorce papers.

I grabbed the documents and drove through the pouring rain to Blake’s lab.

As I parked in the garage, my phone buzzed with a notification.

A new video from Amelia.

It was from a recent comic convention.

Amelia won a game, then excitedly kissed Blake, right there in the crowd.

The caption read, “From the moment we met, I knew. Even if it couldn’t be public, I wanted you.”

“And now, it finally is.”

I turned off the screen and laughed, a bitter, choked sound.

Twelve years. We’d spent our entire youth together.

And yet, the man in the video felt like a stranger.

Someone I’d never known.

A muffled sob echoed through the garage.

Chapter 5

“Blake, please, don’t leave me…”

“I love you…is that so wrong? I’ve loved you since college…”

I followed the sound. A woman, eyes red and swollen, had Blake cornered against a car.

Desperate, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

His arms, which had been hanging limply at his sides, wrapped around her.

They kissed, a long, drawn-out kiss in the rainy night.

A sudden flash of lightning illuminated the garage.

“Who’s there?!”

They finally saw me.

Their ragged breathing filled the silence.

Blake looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“L…Liv? What are you doing here?”

I walked towards them, one slow, deliberate step at a time.

“Olivia, it’s not…it’s not what it looks like. It’s me, I…I love him! It’s my fault… Ow!”

Before she could finish, I slapped her hard across the face.

Then I threw my wedding ring at Blake.

Stunned, he pushed Amelia away.

He raised his voice. “Olivia, let me explain, it’s not what you…”

I cut him off, shoving the divorce papers at him.

“We’re done, Blake.”

Chapter 6

Blake followed me, tripping and falling to the ground.

“Olivia, please, you have to listen to me. It’s not like that with her.”

“Ouch!”

I paused at his cry.

Then I quickened my pace towards my car.

He caught up just as I was closing the door, his clothes soaked, his face a mask of desperation.

“Liv, she’s just a kid, we were just messing around…”

I laughed. “She’s three years younger than us.”

“A giant toddler, then?”

He looked at me, tears streaming down his face, like I was a bus pulling away from the curb.

“Olivia, you can’t do this to me, not after all this time.”

“Twelve years, Liv. You can’t just leave.”

“I can’t…I can’t live without you…”

“Amelia…Amelia is just…a fling.”

His voice wavered with every word.

Amelia’s anguished cry pierced the air.

“Blake! I’ve loved you for ten years! If you don’t want me, I don’t want to live!”

She held a shard of glass to her throat.

“Blake, look at me! Look at me!”

“If you don’t turn around, I’ll do it!”

He instinctively let go of me and turned back.

I smirked, closed the car door, and drove away.

In the rearview mirror, I saw Blake holding Amelia, then glancing back at me as I disappeared into the rain.

I rolled down the window, letting the rain wash over my face, blurring the tears I hadn’t realized I was crying.

Back at the apartment, I started packing.

Midway through, a mutual friend called.

Blake, the master of time management, comforting his lover while dispatching friends to soothe his wife.

Twelve years. More than just love, there was a whole network of shared connections to untangle.

My friend sighed. “Olivia, I just hope you don’t regret this.”

I finished packing, and as I opened the door, there he was.

Soaked to the bone.