She was there sitting on the edge of the bed in the darkness of her room, staring at what used to be the symbol of their love, of their union. Their promise of forever, in sickness and health, for better or for worse. Or that’s what she thought. The golden ring was barely hanging on her lean finger anymore. It looked at least two sizes bigger now. She must’ve lost too much weight, she told herself as she let out a tired sigh.

Its color which used to shine brightly like their love is now fading, as though it knew the loss of its own meaning. The diamond upon it was barely shining anymore. It was perhaps also one of the evidence of the reasons why her marriage didn’t work out in the end.

A lonely tear escaped her eye, as if to acknowledge her own feelings. Closing her eyes slowly, she started to take rapid breaths, trying to prevent herself from having another surge of emotions. Another meltdown. Her heart started to beat faster, her breathing irregular, her face contorting against the flow of tears that was threathening to run on her already tired and sunken cheeks.

But it was too late. Her vision became blurry as tears were running down her cheeks. She tasted once again the salt on her lips. It has been a few months since she was in that state. A few months since she left. Her small frame seemed to have gotten smaller, and she looked paler than ever before. It has been a few months and yet it felt like an eternity to her. Time has never been more relative to her now. Since it happened, she didn’t go to work, didn’t take any calls. Barely registering the knocks or screams at her door. She couldn’t face anyone right now, not even her own reflection.

She then pathetically crawled up the bed, searching for her pillow, the only remnant of her presence in the room. She hugged it like it was her lifesaver, the only thing left linked to her. They got it during their last trip in Japan, in Osaka specifically, her wife’s hometown. Ex-wife. This thought crushed her. Her scent was still present on it, giving her flashes of the love of her life.

She reminisced her memories every night like this now. How did it end up like this. How did the love of her life walk out the door and just leave her all alone.

She then closed her eyes, as if it would take all the pain away.

Flashback – 7 years ago

It was a hot and sunny day on the campus of Ewha Women’s University. Students of all departments were walking, or rather mid-running in every directions. Laughs, friendly quarrels and unindentified words could be heard everywhere. The university was bursting with life and that’s exactly how she imagined her first year of college.

She walked freely and slowly, looking everywhere, taking in all the details. It was actually lunchtime, and she thought about reading her book outside, on the picnic tables to “get some fresh air and vitamin D” like her friends would always tell her. Or nag at her more precisely. It was true though, she was the kind of person to stay inside. Not to keep her skin white, she was naturally, but because she liked comfort. She remembers, she would always cry when she was little because other kids would run after her, their hands full of mud and other disgusting things they would find on the floor.

The only good thing that came because of these kind of events was her best friend, Chaeyoung, who was actually one the kids chasing her and that actually got her. The teacher actually punished the both of them when he saw both of the girl’s dresses wrinkled and dirty from fighting. They got 15 minutes against the wall and Chaeyoung being the cheeky kid that she was, would not leave her alone. As oddly as it sounds, that’s how they got close. Growing up, Chaeyoung confessed that she wanted to befriend her so badly but she didn’t know how, so she thought of scaring her because the only thing she knew about her was her fear of getting dirty.

She smiled at the memory. Thinking about her best friend, she checked her phone looking for any messages, and soon enough she received a text from Chaeyoung telling her that her classes would be over in about 2 hours. Good, she thought.

She went for the tables, finding one near a big tree providing shade if she needed it. She opened her book finally, “The price of salt” by Patricia Highsmith which was suggested by Chaeyoung.

She stayed there for over an hour, not without getting tired nor bored, the occasional fresh breeze making it easier to withstand the sunlight. Instinctively, she throws a look around her, noticing a flood of students dispersing on the campus but also most people who were sitting on the tables next to her. That’s when she saw her.

She was writing on her notebook, rare thing nowadays when most preferred typing everything out. Brown hair and hazel eyes, she looked so focused, a little frown showing on her face. It was cute and quite attractive as well, she must admit. Continuing her shameless staring, her eyes went down to the girl’s striped shirt with dark colors, contrasting with everybody else’s bright, summery colors. It was as if she was ahead or out of time, already prepared for the autumn season.

She was about to look somewhere else when she caught the girl’s eyes. , , , she mentally exclaimed. She must’ve felt her intense staring. And now was taking place a very strange stare contest where both parties were equally confused about what was going on. At her horror, after a few seconds t