Chapter 20 - The Echoes Fade
Groom: Watching the gala on a tiny television in the breakroom,
seeing them both there,
radiant and powerful.
Coworker: Hey, is not that your ex-wife?
The one speaking on TV?
Wow, she is famous now.
Groom: Yes,
that is her,
she is doing very well.
Coworker: And the other one in the front row,
is not that the billionaire you almost married?
Man, you really messed up.
Groom: I know,
you do not have to remind me,
I remind myself every single minute of the day.
Coworker: Turn the TV off,
break time is over,
we have a spill in aisle four that needs mopping.
Groom: Grabbing the dirty mop,
the smell of bleach stinging my nose,
I walk toward the spill.
Bride: Leaving the gala,
feeling lighter than I have in years,
the final chains of the past breaking.
Father: You look happy, Marie,
truly happy,
not just pretending for the cameras.
Bride: I am, Dad,
I finally feel like that chapter is closed,
the ghost is gone.
Maid: Tucking Leo into bed,
kissing his forehead,
feeling the absolute warmth of a safe home.
Leo: Goodnight, Mommy,
I love you to the moon and back,
forever.
Maid: I love you more, my sweet boy,
sleep tight,
tomorrow is a brand new day.
Groom: Scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees,
watching the dirty water swirl down the drain,
like the years of my life wasting away.
Mother: Calling my phone,
complaining about the neighbors,
complaining about the cold.
Groom: I ignore the call,
I cannot listen to the toxicity anymore,
I just want silence.
Bride: Looking up at the stars from my balcony,
breathing in the crisp night air,
embracing the beautiful unknown of my future.
Maid: Turning off the bedside lamp,
closing my eyes,
drifting into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
Groom: Walking home in the freezing rain,
no umbrella,
no destination but a cold, empty room.
Bride: The world keeps turning,
the wounds heal into scars,
and the scars fade into stories.
Maid: A story of survival,
a story of a mother's love,
a story that ended exactly how it was supposed to.
Groom: A story of ruin,
written by my own hand,
sealed by my own lies.
Bride: The end of the drama,
the beginning of peace,
farewell to the shadows.
Maid: The light always returns,
if you wait long enough,
and if you fight hard enough.
Groom: There is only darkness here,
a permanent eclipse,
the final echo of a broken promise.
End of the story,
May you like
the curtains fall,
the stage is empty.
