Love Fades Away

Chapter 1The 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 of...