The Day He Called Off Our Engagement, I Bought Iceland Tickets Chapter 02

I stared at the words “one and only” on the screen, and my fingers began to tremble before I even realized it.

It had been eight years.

Michael had never once posted me on his Instagram feed.

Every time I asked, he would say, “Lily, at my age, I don’t like putting my private life online.”

So it turned out he did like showing off his relationship online.

I just had never been worth posting.

When I got home, there was a stuffed animal sitting in the entryway with a note tucked underneath it.

[Michael’s hot chamomile tea for cramps works so well! Here’s my favorite plushie as a reward!]

I stood there as my eyes began to burn.

Last month, my period cramps were so bad I could not get out of bed, and I begged him to make me a mug of hot chamomile tea.

At the time, he had been on the phone with Sophia Reed, looking impatient.

“Lily, can you stop being so dramatic? What would a grown man like me know about making that? Just order something on DoorDash.”

But as I looked at Sophia’s note, I realized he did know his way around the kitchen. He even knew how to get the water temperature just right for her.

I crumpled the note into a ball and threw it into the trash along with the plushie.

The computer in the study was still on, and he was still logged into his account.

I sat down and scrolled through the posts one page at a time.

In addition to taking Sophia to Iceland every September without fail, he had spent all those so-called weekends at work taking her to every Instagram-famous spot nearby.

Two years ago, my favorite singer held a concert, and I bought two tickets, begging him to go with me.

He said, “Places like that are crowded and loud. If I have that kind of time, I’d rather work a little longer.”

But according to the posts, he turned around and took Sophia to an outdoor music festival.

In the vlog footage, he carried her bag, shielded her from the wind, and crouched down to tie her shoelaces.

Meanwhile, for the past three years, every photo from our outings had been one I took myself, with the camera held out in front of us.

He always looked impatient and said, “I don’t have the eye for artsy photos. I can’t get the effect you want, so this is good enough.”

Just then, Michael FaceTimed me.

The familiar cabin under the northern lights flashed in the background. When he saw my red eyes, he actually frowned for once.

“What happened? Were you crying?”

My throat tightened, but I still shook my head.

“The wind blew something into my eye.”

He seemed relieved, and his voice went flat and dismissive. “I’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll go with you to take the wedding photos.”

I was about to tell him I had already canceled it.

Then Sophia suddenly squeezed into the frame with a smile and naturally linked her arm through Michael’s.

“Lily! I came to Iceland for vacation and happened to run into Michael on his business trip. You don’t mind, do you?”

Before I could speak, Michael turned his head and laughed.

“What is she supposed to mind? Hurry up and show her the keychain.”

Sophia proudly held up a northern-lights keychain.

“I picked this out especially for you!”

I looked at that cheap tourist-trap gift and thought of the entryway drawer, where eight identical keychains were already sitting.

All at once, I understood. This was her way of marking her territory in front of me.

I did not answer her. I simply looked at the screen and spoke slowly.

“Sure. When you two get back, I’ll have a big gift ready for you too.”