Our Three-Person Chat Only Had Two Speakers Chapter 08

Our Three-Person Chat Only Had Two Speakers Chapter 08

I didn’t tell anyone my next destination.

I went to the Swiss Alps.

In that place closest to the sky, I witnessed the most devout pilgrims prostrating themselves, and saw the endless, majestic snow-capped peaks. Beneath the thick red walls of the ancient monastery, I listened to the deep, resonant chants accompanying the spinning prayer wheels.

I suddenly felt that the jealousy and betrayal I had obsessed over were as insignificant as dust.

I think I knew then.

I knew what I needed to do when I went back.

I didn’t go back to my hometown for a stable job like my parents hoped.

Instead, I updated my resume and applied to a city even further away.

About two years later, at an industry exhibition, I ran into a former colleague.

We exchanged pleasantries and talked about our current jobs.

He suddenly brought up Chloe.

“Remember that vendor complaint right before you left? The one Chloe was handling?”

I paused, slightly surprised.

—

Honestly, I thought Chloe crying to Ryan about that was just a sob story she made up to slander me.

I replied faintly,

“I remember.”

My old colleague sighed, his expression complicated,

“She really pissed them off. Before, whenever something went wrong, you’d be the first to rush over, apologizing and smoothing things over, taking the blame even when it wasn’t your fault.”

“She probably thought you’d come running to cover for her like always, so she was incredibly arrogant, insisting the vendor was just picking fights.”

He paused, taking a sip of water,

“But then you left, and no one was there to clean up her mess. That vendor was a major client with a fiery temper. They went straight to the boss and tore Chloe apart. She took a trip to Tuscany, and the day she came back, she was fired.”

I asked, “What happened after?”

He shrugged.

“After? Not sure. Heard she went back home and got married.”

That night, I returned to my apartment.

I opened my laptop, ready to review the presentation for the next day.

But my phone screen lit up on the desk, a text from an unknown

—

number,

[Mia, I really regret it. Can we start over?]

I knew it was Ryan instantly.

My finger hovered over the keyboard. I didn’t plan to reply, thinking of just blocking him again.

But then, the phone buzzed again.

He sent two more,

[Chloe’s getting married.]

[I had to pull a lot of strings to get your current number. She said she wants to invite you to her wedding. Just this last time, okay?]

I stared at the screen, falling into a long silence.

Eventually, I replied.

[Sure, send me the address.]

I looked at the address.

It wasn’t a fancy hotel, but a modest banquet hall in our hometown.

I understood immediately.

After getting fired, Chloe couldn’t find a decent job and couldn’t rely on Ryan.

She had to go back home.

Her dad was constantly demanding money from her, and her mom,

—

having a new son, had no extra energy or love to spare for her.

She probably stumbled through a mediocre job, and through a relative’s introduction, accepted a blind date and rushed into marriage.

Was this the ending she had schemed for eighteen years just to beat me once?

Noncommittal, I turned off my phone screen.

That day, I still took time off, flew back home, and attended the wedding.

The venue was small, the hall noisy, the smell of smoke and alcohol mixing with cheap perfume hitting my face.

Chloe was wearing an ill-fitting wedding dress, greeting guests at the entrance.

When she saw me, her eyes reddened visibly.

She opened her mouth, as if wanting to say something, but the words stuck in her throat. I said nothing, just took out the thick envelope I had prepared from my bag.

The envelope was thick.

So thick that her hand visibly dipped when she took it.

“This is what we promised each other the year we graduated college.”

“When you get married, I’d give you the biggest, thickest envelope.”

—

Chloe’s hand trembled as she held the envelope. Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

I looked at her—the woman who had been my best friend for eighteen years, who had tried to steal everything I had, who had hated me for reasons I never fully understood.

And I felt nothing.

Not anger. Not pity. Not even satisfaction.

Just a quiet, hollow peace.

“Take care of yourself, Chloe.”

I turned and walked into the hall.

Ryan was sitting at a table near the front, looking older than I remembered. When he saw me, he stood up, his eyes searching mine.

“Mia—”

I walked past him without stopping.

I found an empty seat near the back, sat down, and watched the ceremony unfold.

The bride walked down the aisle in her ill-fitting dress. The groom looked nervous. The vows were generic, the music standard.

Chloe cried during her vows, but I couldn’t tell if they were happy tears or sad ones.

When the ceremony ended, I slipped out before the reception began.

Outside, the evening air was cool and clean.

I pulled out my phone and booked a flight back for the next morning.

Then I walked to my parents’ house, where they were already waiting with dinner.

Life went on.

And for the first time in a long time, I was okay with that.