After I remarried, my childhood sweetheart knelt down to chase my wife to the crematorium
Chapter 1
Okay, so, picture this: I’d been secretly dating my next–door neighbor, Danny, since I was a sophomore in high school. Six years, people! I was finally ready to go public, you know? Throw
a little get–together, surprise him, make it official with family and friends. Super cute,
right?
Wrong.
I was practically humming as I planned the menu when I heard familiar voices coming from Danny’s house. Nosy? Maybe. In my defense, our windows are practically kissing. I couldn’t
help but overhear.
“So, Danny boy, your precious princess, Lily, is
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coming back into town. What are you gonna do
about the stand–in you’ve been using?”
Silence. Awkward, thick silence.
Then, one of his frat–boy buddies, probably
Chad or something, chimes in, all smirky. “Gotta
hand it to Danny, though. Landing both Lily and
that scholarship girl, Ashley. Six years of the
“good–girl” treatment must’ve been, like, a
vacation.”
Another voice, deeper this time, maybe Matt:
“Word is Lily is planning a welcome–home
party. Supposedly she sent Danny an invite and
expects him to bring Ashley as a date, he
should definitely go, just to see her face.”
…And that’s exactly what he did. The next night,
Danny took me to Lily’s party. He put on this
whole show of being totally in love with me
holding my hand, making a point of introducing
me to everyone as his “amazing girlfriend.”
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But when Lily burst into tears and ran outside,
guess who was left standing there with a half-
eaten chicken wing?
Me.
Danny shoved me out of the way and chased
after her, leaving me covered in wine, lipstick,
and feeling lower than a snake’s belly.
I stumbled back home, went straight up to the
attic he always told me was “off–limits” and
flipped on the lights.
And there it was. Wall–to–wall pictures of him
and Lily. Prom photos, beach trips, stupid
couple poses with matching hoodies. The whole
freakin‘ shebang.
Something inside me just snapped. I called my
older brother, Mark, who’s living in Europe now.
