On Our Anniversary, He Called Her Name Chapter 07

On Our Anniversary, He Called Her Name Chapter 07

My phone rang again.

A message from Fate.

The grapes are sold out. The watermelon needs time for the owner to cut. How about oranges?

I replied: Anything.

He replied: Then I’ll buy some of everything.

I put down the phone and stared at the ceiling.

The music outside was still playing.

It changed to an older song, and the elderly women danced with even more energy.

The doorbell rang.

I thought Fate had forgotten his keys, so I went to open the door.

River Lord stood outside.

She had lost a lot of weight. Her eyes were red and swollen, her hair messy. She wore a wrinkled hoodie I had never seen before.

When she saw me, she paused. Then she smiled.

It was an ugly smile.

“You won,” she said.

I leaned against the doorframe and said nothing.

“I came here to tell you,” she said, taking a step forward, “I won’t let you get away with this.”

I still said nothing.

She waited two seconds, and her eyes reddened again.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“What should I say?”

“Say you’re proud. Say you’re happy. Say you finally beat me and made me lose everything.” Her voice shook. “Say you’ve wanted to see me like this all along.”

I looked at her face.

For the first time in three years, I saw her this close.

There were dark shadows under her eyes, her lips were dry and peeling, and one pimple at the corner of her mouth hadn’t been covered.

“I never thought about it,” I said.

She froze.

“Then why did you send that screenshot?”

“Someone asked me for it, so I gave it.”

“If you hadn’t sent it, none of this would’ve happened!”

“If you hadn’t replied to that comment, none of this would’ve happened either.”

Her mouth opened.

“When you posted on social media three years ago,” I said, “did you ever think this would happen?”

She said nothing.

Footsteps came from behind her.

Fate walked over with bags in hand. When he saw River, he paused, then came to my side and handed me the bags.

“Oranges, watermelon, and strawberries.”

I took them.

He stood beside me and didn’t leave.

River looked at the two of us, and her eyes reddened again.

“Were you two together all along?”

Fate smiled faintly.

“What does that have to do with you?”

Her tears fell.

“You’re bullying me,” she said. “All of you are bullying me.”

She turned and ran.

I watched her back disappear into the stairwell.

Fate stood beside me without moving.

“Go inside,” he said. “The strawberries need to go in the fridge.”

I closed the door.

As I put the fruit into the fridge, my phone rang.

A message from Shew.

“She went to see you?”

I didn’t reply.

Another message came.

“I’m sorry.”

I stared at those three words for a long time.

Then I put my phone on silent and slipped it into my pocket.

Fate called from the living room, “The strawberries are washed. Want some?”

“Yes.”

I walked out.

Outside the window, the crooked tree swayed in the wind.