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After a long silence, I finally spoke, but not to answer his question.“I’m sorry.
I thought you’d like it.”
My apology was the final straw,
igniting his simmering anger.
“You only care about yourself!”
He spat the words out, his voice icy.
Then, he turned and left.
Watching him go, something dawned
on me. He was still technically my
boyfriend. Given his character and
principles, even his feelings for Celia
wouldn’t lead him to cheat on me.
Thankfully, there were only three
days left. It would all be over soon.
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With my departure looming, I
gathered everything related to Karry,
discarding some items and burning
others. From his college photos to the
matching mugs, slippers, and pajamas I’d
bought, and the necklace I’d given him
each item was a symbol of my love.
The last things to burn were my love
letters. As I tossed them into the flames,
one by one, my thoughts drifted back to
the past.
At first, I played the same game as every girl crushing on him; I’d spent three months writing ninety–nine love letters.
Each one was rejected.
Later, seeing the immense pressure
he was under with his project, I came up
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with a plan. I paid him to be my boyfriend so he’d take my money and sleep with me.
Perhaps I was wrong. True love
couldn’t be bought. The novel said Karry
loved only Celia.
With that thought, I tossed the final
letter into the fire without regret.
The door burst open. Karry returned, immediately spotting the burning envelopes. He didn’t see the contents, but he recognized the brightly colored paper. They were the love letters I’d tried to give
him.
His heart skipped a beat. His
question was involuntary. “What are you
doing?”
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Through the flickering flames, I saw
the stunned look on his face. I felt a
strange calm.“Burning things. They’re
useless now.”
Karry felt a knot of unease tighten in
his chest. He’d sensed the change in me
and the strange things I’d been doing. He
wanted to avoid a confrontation, but his
words were still sharp.
“Yes, you got what you wanted. They‘
re useless now.”
It was not the first time he had
mocked me, but it didn’t hurt me like
every time before. I felt only a profound
sense of peace.
“It’ll all be over soon…”
་་
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My cryptic comment left him
bewildered. He didn’t linger, nor did he
pay attention to the burning letters. He went straight upstairs to his study.
I remained seated, watching the
flames consume the last of the letters.
Finally, they sputtered and died, reduced
to ashes.
“Karry, you may forget this
humiliating history with me now. Let’s
both get a fresh start.”
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