“wasted his future on her.”
I couldn’t stay silent anymore.
“That’s enough,”
I said quietly, stepping forward.
“You don’t have the right to speak about me like that.”
My voice wasn’t loud, but it was steady. For a second, everything froze. Then a sharp sound echoed through the hall.
Slap.
My head turned to the side as silence fell again. Slowly, I looked back. Caleum stood in front of me, his hand still raised, his eyes cold.
“Don’t you dare,”
he said.
My breath caught.
“I won’t let you disrespect my father,”
he added.
My heart dropped. This wasn’t the man I fell in love with.
“I’m done with this,”
he continued.
“I can’t live like this anymore. I deserve better.”
Better. The same word his family always used.
And just like that, everything became clear. The smiles, the warmth, the sudden kindness. None of it was real. This entire night wasn’t a celebration. It was a setup, a plan to humiliate me in front of everyone.
Laughter slowly filled the room again. People whispering, watching, enjoying it like it was entertainment. My ears rang. My face burned.
But I didn’t cry. Not there. Not in front of them.
I stood still for a moment, breathing slowly, then lifted my hand and wiped the tear that slipped down. Calm, too calm. Because something inside me had changed. One year of silence, one year of patience, one year of hoping ended in that moment.
I reached for my phone. My hands were steady now. No shaking, no hesitation. I dialed one number.