reunion

At the reunion, he arrived, successful and with a stunning girlfriend.

She said, “If you hadn’t let me go, you’d be Mrs. Fuller now.”

He sat across from me, arm around his girlfriend, his expression indifferent. “That’s all in the past.”

The others, eager for drama, egged them on.

Under his gaze, I self-consciously covered the scar on my wrist and forced a smile. “Yeah, we… we’re long over.”

1

“I remember, it was Tara who broke up with him, right?”

While his girlfriend was in the restroom, the whispers started.

Tara is me.

Finnigan Fuller sat opposite, a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes were icy.

This was our first encounter in six years.

It was all a bit unexpected. I only came because the class president said Finnigan wouldn't be there.

I never thought I’d see him here.

Now, Finnigan was a success story, a prominent young entrepreneur in the city, back from some fancy overseas degree.

He looked sharp in his suit, handsome and confident.

The watch on his wrist alone was worth a fortune.

Everyone was fawning over him.

Me, on the other hand, wasn’t what I used to be.

“She did initiate the breakup,” Finnigan confirmed, his voice calm, answering their question.

Everyone started speculating.

The usual assumptions: I was a gold digger, couldn’t handle the struggle, bet on the wrong horse, lost it all.

“Tara, I heard the guy you were with after him went to jail, right?”

“And you had to cover his debts. Are you at the reunion looking for a handout?”

Amidst their taunts, Finnigan’s calm, deep-set eyes stayed on me. He didn’t say a word.

I laughed awkwardly, offering no response.

The door opened, and Finnigan’s girlfriend returned. Sensing the strange atmosphere, she smiled and asked, “What happened while I was gone?”

Finnigan’s demeanor changed instantly. He took her hand gently. “Nothing, just reminiscing.”

She sat down gracefully, her gaze settling on me. A dimple appeared as she smiled. “Finnigan told me about you. If you hadn’t let him go, you’d be Mrs. Fuller now.”

Schadenfreude flickered in several eyes.

Back then, the Carters were at the peak of their wealth and influence. Everywhere I went, I was the center of attention. Their envy hadn’t faded with time; instead, it fueled their delight in my downfall.

Finnigan broke the awkward silence, his voice cool and authoritative. “It’s all in the past.”

Everyone fell silent, understanding he didn’t want to continue the topic, and the conversation shifted.

His girlfriend raised her glass to me. “Thanks for letting him go. You must come to our wedding.”

I silently covered the scar on my wrist and mumbled, “Congratulations.”

2

“Why didn’t you explain everything to him?”

My best friend, Chloe, was fuming on the phone.

The reunion ended early. I stood outside in the cold, wrapped in my coat, exhaling a puff of warm air. “He has a girlfriend.”

A pause on the other end.

“A girlfriend?” Chloe sounded incredulous.

“Yeah.”

Classmates left in groups, the streetlights re...