10
359words
Our wedding day was the first time I saw him cry.
With tears in his eyes,he slid the ring onto my finger.
He cradled my face,kissing me tenderly.
Only brief touch of the lips,yet our souls resonated.
The small ring became a larger diamond.
"My dearest wife,I'll love you until death."
Julian said the first was just a token.He wanted the best for me.
One day,bored while waiting for Julian,I wandered into a bookstore.
Among the various books on the shelves,a white-covered novel in a corner caught my eye.
Tears of Redemption.Its title seemed unremarkable at first glance.
I took it down.The male lead was Ethan Blake.
Memories flooded back to me.
I could still see Ethan,as I left,holding my hand,asking if I'd remember him.
The book's plot matched my memories to the tiniest details.
Sarah,meant to die by overdose in high school,was saved.
Her later experiences mirrored mine.
I'd become Sarah,rewriting her ending.
After letting me go,Ethan lost all his privileges.
But his brilliance wasn't dimmed by lost luck or talent.
Even as an ordinary man,he shone.
I read,completely captured,flipping to the last page for Ethan and Sarah's ending.
But the final chapter was blank.Somehow,I bought the absurd book.
The shopkeeper smiled and told me he would give it to me for free.
"You're destined to meet this book.Perhaps you'll write its ending."
Puzzled,I nodded.
At home,facing the blank chapter,I hesitated.
I recalled Sarah's wish.
As kids,she and Ethan wished under a wishing tree.
Sarah said that she wanted to be loved,to find her soulmate.
Ethan wished for success,and to protect those he cared for.
I finished the novel.
Their wishes came true.
Ethan had his greatness,Sarah found a loving family.
But they parted ways,no longer staying at each other’s sides.
Closing the book,I heard a faint,ethereal voice.
"Thank you."
Soft as a feather brushing my ear.
Julian emerged from the bathroom,slipping an arm around my waist.
"My darling wife."
"Hm?"
"Why're you crying?"
Touching my face,I found wetness.
These tears held no sorrow,only a feeling of moving on.
Perhaps that world's Sarah had let go of her obsession with Ethan.
