Chapter 7 Goodbye To The Past

• Isla’s POV:
• Chaos and noise, never-ending.
• I stayed silent for a while, then suddenly stood up.
• I softly said to Aiden, “Let's talk.”
• With that, I walked out first.
• Aiden was stunned, only reacting after Mila nudged him. He quickly followed me.
• We sat on the bench downstairs, each occupying one end, with a space between us.
• Aiden choked up, “Isla, I'm sorry. I was crazy during the day. I said those things, and I even slap you. I... I really messed up.”
• My eyes were on the playground ahead.
• Summer nights fell late, and people were still out with their kids.
• I said, “They've added new stuff, huh? I remember when we first moved here, there was just a swing. We got tired of it real quick. Then your dad and Mom talked to the property management, and they added the cat house and the big slide. Kids these days are lucky, even got a merry-go-round now.”
• Aiden paused. He quickly smiled and said, “You want to play? I'll go with you...”
• “We're too old for slides, and I don't care about merry-go-rounds anymore.”
• Aiden's smile froze.
• I continued, “Aiden, I want to know, when did I stop being your only one?”
• I went on, “There's really nothing between Matthew and me.”
• Aiden immediately defended himself, “I know. I was out of my mind to say that. I know you're not like that. I was wrong. I really understand now. Give me a chance to make it right, please.”
• Aiden’s POV:
• “Stop being your only one”, this question cut through me like a dull knife. I covered my face with my hands, unable to speak.
• I knew how good Isla was to me.
• Since we were teen, I was mischievous, she was mature. She solved a lot of my problems.
• Since we started dating after high school, she never added guys on FB and INS. She let me check my phone anytime. In college, everyone knew Isla from the art school was dating her childhood friend from law school.
• Many guys wanted to date her, but Isla always gently turned them down.
• She'd say, “Sorry, I'm Aiden's girlfriend.”
• I was proud then, basking in everyone's envy. My vanity was greatly satisfied.
• When did it change?
• I wanted to ask myself that too. Maybe seeing more people later on made me restless. I wasn't content with just his sweet girlfriend a anymore.
• Thinking of this, I slapped myself twice.
• “Isla, I was wrong. I'm a bastard. Hit me, scold me.”
• I repented this way, but she was unmoved.
• She shook her head, calmly saying, “It's unnecessary.”
• I covered my eyes, choking up, “Can we really not go back?”
• “Yeah.”
• “No, I can't accept it. You're mine, Isla. You can only be mine.” Aiden cried, “Forget about Matthew and me with others. Let's start over, please. I can't stand the thought of you marrying someone else.”
• Her eyes widened in shock. She stared at him, “What did you say?”
• “I...”
• I opened my mouth but knew I wasn't making sense.
• Isla’s POV:
• I quickly moved from shock to acceptance.
• I gave a bitter smile and said, “So, you really stopped loving me a long time ago.”
• It really was over. That's why he could say those things, why he didn't care anymore.
• My eyes reddened. “Maybe you never really liked me. Just saw me as the girl next door.”
• “No way, that's not true.”
• I smiled bitterly. “In high school, everyone joked about us being a couple, and you always rejected it, said we were just neighbors, good friends growing up together. Maybe you got influenced by their jokes, or maybe seeing other classmates confessing after graduation made you curious to try dating me. Maybe it was never real love.”
• Aiden stared at me, stunned.
• “Don't say that. I did like you. At least, after we got together, I really liked you. You weren't just the girl next door.”
• I nodded. “So, you really liked me when you did, and really didn't when you stopped. Otherwise, how could you have cheated on me for two years?”
• Aiden had no response.
• I bit my lip, trying not to cry.
• The playground's laughter continued, and the streetlights were still dim and weak.
• The summer night's breeze carried a hint of coolness, blowing away their past intimacy, our vows, our youthful years, and brought in new beginnings.
• It also cleared the gloom in my heart. I smiled. “Let's formally say goodbye to the past.”
• Aiden suddenly burst into tears, his voice pleading.
• “Isla, I can't do it...”
• I gently wiped away my tears with my fingers.
• I stood up. “Goodbye, Aiden. Thanks to the Aiden who once loved Isla without reservation. I'm only thanking the past.”
• Aiden suddenly went silent.
• I said, “From now on, let's each take care.”
• Aiden’s POV:
• I sat alone on the bench, watching Isla walk out of sight, not moving for a long time.
• Things that come too easily are never cherished.
• I couldn't bear to lose Isla, but I had given in to temptation. Even though I found satisfaction elsewhere, I never thought of breaking up with Isla. I still saw her as his future wife.
• I didn't expect Isla to be so resolute. Five years of dating, twenty years of feelings, she let go just like that.
• I lost the girl who had been with me the longest, who could have been with me forever. My heart wasn't just missing a piece; my whole world had changed.
• Isla’s POV:
• I walked around the neighborhood for a long time. I knew every corner well after living here for so many years. Everywhere bore traces of their lives together.
• I thought, after living here for twenty years, if I was going to say goodbye to the past, it was time to move on.
• I took out her phone. I had slept soundly, but my phone had exploded with messages.
• Missed calls, messages, texts, emails, even short video app messages.
• Every app that could send messages was full, all because of her last post.
• My best friend Rebecca had sent the most messages.
• I just replied: [I'll explain everything when I see you at the studio tomorrow.]
• Then Coco had also sent many messages.
• Coco: [ OMG, am I dreaming? You're going to be my sister-in-law, wow, my brother looks like he just won the lottery.]
• I laughed at that message, then saw a post Coco had made half an hour ago.
• The caption: This guy's gone nuts with joy. X
• The photo showed three people, Matthew and his two buddies were drinking in a dimly lit room.
• I immediately spotted Matthew. His usually stern face showed a hint of tipsy abandon. His refined elegance seemed mixed with a touch of decadence, lost in this reckless celebration.
• I messaged Coco back.
• [Keep calling me teacher. Sister-in-law sounds weird.]
• Just as I sent it, Coco called.
• I was startled. I was actually nervous about answering a student's call.
• I cleared my throat, composed myself, and answered, “Hello, Coco.”
• “Sister-in-law, you finally replied! Ahhh, I'm so excited. I've looked at your marriage certificate with my brother a hundred times.”
• Coco was a lively 15-year-old girl.
• I, feeling a bit awkward, said, “Coco, just call me ‘Isla’.' 'Sis-in-law' feels really weird.”
• “Hehe, you’re both my teacher and my sis-in-law now. It’s not weird at all.”
• Well, alright then. I had no way to argue with that.
• “Hey, sis-in-law,” Coco said excitedly. “Let me tell you, my brother drank a ton of alcohol last night. I haven’t seen him drink that much in ages. He must’ve been really, really happy...”
• Third Person POV:
• It wasn’t just Coco who noticed Matthew’s happiness. His two friends, Jack and Will, did too.
• In the afternoon, Matthew did something out of the blue. He drove to their offices and picked them up, claiming he wanted to treat them to drinks. Usually, Matthew was the hardest to drag out for a get-together, so they were pleasantly surprised.
• When they saw the marriage certificate, Jack was incredulous. “This is fake, no doubt. It’s a pretty good fake, though. Tell me, where’d you get this? I need one to keep my mom off my back.”
• Matthew gave him a casual glance. “Are you blind?”
• “Bullshit! I don’t believe you, Matthew, of all people, got married. You always said you’d never tie the knot!” Jack shouted.
• Matthew stayed silent. He had believed that too. If he couldn’t marry the one he loved, why bother getting married at all? He’d resigned himself to a life without marriage, but fate surprised him. He never thought he’d actually marry Isla.
• “Precisely because it’s so unexpected, it has to be real,” Will said, calm and smiling.
• “Besides, Uncle and Aunt Logan never pressured him to get married. Why would he need a fake certificate?” Will added.
• Jack scratched his head. “That makes sense. So…”
• His eyes widened. “Matthew, you really got married?”
• “Yep,” Matthew said, pointing to the bottles of expensive liquor on the table. “Drink up. Tonight’s on me. Drink as much as you want. If you pass out, I’ll carry you home.”
• “No way, is this the wedding toast?” Jack exclaimed. “Come on, man, where’s the wedding? Where’s the candy?”
• Will looked at Matthew, his eyes gleaming. “I bet Uncle and Aunt Logan don’t even know about this yet.”
• Jack gave Matthew a thumbs up. “You’re the man, Matthew. Always straight to the point.”
• Matthew half-closed his eyes, saying nothing.
• “Brother.”
• Coco, having seen the posts on social media, burst into the bar. She grabbed Matthew’s arm, demanding, “Is it true? Did you really marry Isla?”
• Matthew smirked. “Yep, it’s true.”
• Coco screamed, “What! You’re awful! Isla had a boyfriend. What did you do to her?”
• Matthew’s smirk faded. “They broke up. Then she married me. Got it?”