The Dust-Covered Empty Seat

I had a habit. Whenever I had a meal, watched a movie, or took a cab ride, I would always save an empty seat next to me. I believed that Theo Anderson would suddenly appear in the city I lived in to surprise me. However, throughout our long-distance relationship for the past three years, he never visited me. Not even once. I hence prepared our wedding by myself, and I fell sick because of that. My hands were trembling when I sent him a text message. [I’m having a high fever, and I don’t have any medicine at home.] Half an hour later, he responded. [So? What do you want me to do? Do you want me to grow wings and fly over to your place with medicine? I’m still reviewing a proposal. You should just contact the delivery services.] I could not even lift my fingers because of the fever, so I slowly drifted into unconsciousness. When I woke up, I saw my best friend, Eleanor Reid, with teary eyes. She passed a glass of water and a pill to me. “You’re too patient with him, that’s why he’s bullying you. If it were me, I would’ve already thrown a fit.” Two weeks later, Eleanor also had a high fever, so I immediately wanted to rush over to take care of her. However, she posted a photo online, and there was a man’s hand holding a spoon in the photo. [I’m sick, but thankfully there is a knight in shining armor who flew over 500 miles to take care of me.] I recognized that hand. Theo was wearing a watch that I had bought him after saving up for six months. I suddenly understood that it was not because he was busy that he could not be by my side. It was because he did not want to come over. Since that was the case, I no longer had the need to save an empty seat for him anymore. Chapter 1 I was holding a pack of ibuprofen as I stood before Eleanor Reid’s apartment. The door was not shut tightly, and I could hear Eleanor’s stuffy voice as she chuckled. “You rushed over this late at night. Isn’t your project in North City important? Are you really going to stay in South City?” Theo Anderson answered without any hesitation. “It’s not that important. You’re alone and have a high fever. I’m worried about you, so I’ve submitted my request to be transferred to South City. We no longer have to be apart in the future.” Eleanor said happily, “If Lydia found out about this, she would be over the moon.” “I only care about your happiness.” My fingernails dug into the plastic bag handles, and it left a white mark against my palm. Three years ago, I had begged him to stay with me when I received the news that my mother was in a critical condition. He had only grabbed his suitcase and left without looking back. “Lydia, you know how important this promotion is to me. I’m doing this for our future. Please, be more understanding.” The night he left, my mother passed away. I was left sobbing alone. Throughout the three years that followed, I asked to close the gap numerous times. I was even willing to give up my career in South City just so I could be with him. However, he kept rejecting the offer. “The living expenses in North City are too high. If you come over, you’ll only affect the growth of my wealth. Be more mature, please. Don’t always threaten my career with our relationship.” The so-called future and career were nothing compared to Eleanor’s flu. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Theo was holding a bowl of chicken noodle soup as he sat on the edge of her bed. When he saw me, he immediately frowned. “Why are you here?” I placed the plastic bag containing the ibuprofen onto the shelf. “I’m here to visit Eleanor and her knight in shining armor that flew in from 500 miles away.” Eleanor immediately shook her head. “Lydia, don’t blame Theo. I was having a high fever last night, so I just randomly mentioned it to him. I didn’t expect him to really abandon his job and come here. If you mind that, I’ll ask him to leave now.” Theo’s expression sank. “You’re so ill. Why should I leave?” He put down the bowl and looked composed. “Lydia, stop trying to imply something. Eleanor is your best friend. She’s having a high fever. Do you really want me to do nothing and let her burn to death in this house?” I looked at the thick chicken noodle soup. It looked golden and delicious. It was a recipe that I had spent two weeks developing and taught him by pasting post-it notes. Just because he had said that he disliked the chicken noodle soup he had in North City. Then, he took care of another woman by feeding her the soup that I taught him. “I also had a high fever two weeks ago. You asked me to get food delivery instead.” Theo paused. “Didn’t you pull through? Eleanor is different from you. She’s not as independent as you are. Don’t tell me you’re jealous of your best friend?” I suddenly felt like a joke when I recalled texting him for help back then. I smiled mockingly. He let out a sigh of relief as he looked pleased. “You’re smiling. You should let this matter go then. “I’ve already put in my request to be transferred back to South City, so we will no longer be in a long-distance relationship. Your wish has finally come true. “Just now, Eleanor said she wanted to try the cake from Sugar Bakery. Please go and buy it for her.” I turned around and left. My phone buzzed. [Ms. Scott, the veil that you like is in stock. When do you want to come over to have a look?” [It’s fine, you can return it.] Initially, I thought that a long-distance relationship was just a long wait. That as long as I kept an empty spot next to me, my partner would one day appear. Instead, I realized that 500 miles was just a plane ride away and that his not returning was because he had changed his final destination. There was no point for me to keep on waiting. Chapter 2 I did not buy the cake. Instead, I went home alone to pack his belongings. I threw his toothbrush, dark towel, and cup into the trash can. No matter which house I moved into, I would always prepare a set of items for him. I always thought he would suddenly appear in South City to surprise me, so I stubbornly saved half of the space for him. However, his return had nothing to do with me. Theo did not come home the entire night, and Eleanor uploaded another social media post. [The privilege of being ill is that I have someone to accompany me to watch a late-night movie at 2 am.] She posted a photo of a movie scene and Theo’s focused yet gentle side profile. It was a movie I had been wanting to watch. I had mentioned it to Theo numerous times, but he said that it was boring. I liked her post. Three minutes later, Theo sent me a text message. [Get dressed and come down in a while. It’s Grandmother’s birthday today. I’ll swing by to fetch you.] According to our original plan, it was the day when we officially announced our engagement to his relatives. When I went downstairs, Eleanor was sitting in the front passenger seat. She was holding a cup of hot latte, and she was toying with Theo’s apartment keys in her other hand. There was a keychain that I had personally made for Theo, and it was stained with coffee. She turned around and flashed a smile at me. “Lydia, you won’t mind me taking a ride with you, right?” Theo was playing Eleanor’s favorite song in the car. “Eleanor has just recovered, so I don’t want her to stay at home alone. Let’s bring her along to my grandmother’s place. Besides, she’s feeling pretty weak after being sick. You can sit in the back instead.” Half an hour later, the car stopped before the Anderson family mansion. Eleanor unbuckled the seatbelt excitedly. “I can smell the food all the way from here.” She naturally walked next to Theo. I followed behind them like an unimportant servant. When we walked into the living room, Theo’s grandmother, Mariam Anderson, was seated on the couch. “Theo, quick, bring your girlfriend over to meet me.” Eleanor walked forward politely. “Mariam, happy birthday to you!” Mariam smiled and patted the back of her hand. “You must be the girl Theo brought over last year, right? You’re so beautiful. No wonder Theo’s always thinking about you.” A few relatives who were in the know exchanged meaningful glances. Then, they all looked at me. I took a sip of the tea. Last New Year’s Eve, I was alone with a table full of dishes in North City. Theo claimed that his project had run into a huge issue, so everyone in the company was working overtime. It turned out that his so-called overtime was bringing Eleanor back to meet his family members. Mariam took a gold bangle from her wrist and put it on Eleanor’s wrist. “This is our family heirloom that’s passed down to every first daughter-in-law. I’m giving it to you today.” “Theo, I… How can I take this? Mariam has mistaken me for your fiancee.” Even though Eleanor was saying that, it did not seem like she was going to take the bangle off. Theo leaned in and whispered to me, “Lydia, let Eleanor wear the bangle first. Once the birthday dinner is over, I’ll let her return that to you. Be more understanding, please. I don’t want you to throw a tantrum today.” I shook my head. “She doesn’t have to give it to me.” Theo was momentarily stunned before a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes. “It’s great that you can think that way. The bangle suits Eleanor anyway. I’ll buy you a new one instead.” I put down the teacup. The tea was fragrant, and it was Eleanor’s favorite tea. Mariam even remembered what she liked. It was my first time meeting his family, yet it seemed like they were already quite familiar with Eleanor. “Since the bangle is given to her, she can wear it. Theo, let’s break up.” Chapter 3 The smile on Theo’s face faded. “Just because of a bangle? Lydia, when did you become so calculative?” “That’s right, it’s just a bangle!” Eleanor said as she frantically tried to take it off. “Lydia, don’t be angry. I’ll take it off now. You can’t ruin your nine-year relationship because of me.” She was rushing, so the bangle left a red mark on her wrist. She started tearing up. Theo grabbed her hand. “Why are you taking it off? You didn’t do anything wrong. Eleanor’s still sick. Why are you humiliating her in public?” I could no longer stay there. I turned around and ran out. I heard everyone gossiping in the room. “This young lady has quite a bit of a temper.” “That’s right. It’s normal for men to have other lovers. She should just look the other way sometimes.” Eleanor said worriedly, “Theo, you should chase after her. Lydia’s angry now, I’m worried something might happen to her.” Theo snorted. “I’ve been with her for nine years. She’s thirty now. Aside from me, who would want that old witch?” He then said loudly, “If someone is trying to play hard to get, then I have no choice but to delay the wedding.” The bridal shop keeper sent me a photo of the wedding gown to reconfirm my order with me. [Ms. Scott, we won’t be able to refund your deposit. You’ve come here so many times, are you sure you don’t want it anymore?] I stared at the phone screen for a very long time. I had tried around seventeen different wedding gowns there. Every time I sent a photo to Theo, he would only answer coldly that he was busy, leaving the decision up to me. It turned out that one person’s hope was not enough to support a shared future between two people. [I don’t want it anymore.] The next day, I went to the office. There was a transfer notice on my desk. [Because of your poor performance, you’ve been transferred to the administration department.] Immediately after, the company announced that Eleanor had been promoted to a department head position via a company-wide email. The proposal that I spent seven late nights on and went through fifteen versions of had become Eleanor’s work. I scrolled to the bottom of the document. Theo was the one who approved the proposal. I called Theo. “I guess that you’ve seen the notice. I’m just about to look for you.” “Theo, why is Eleanor’s name on the proposal?” He chuckled. “Yesterday, when you humiliated Eleanor at my grandmother’s birthday dinner, she cried the entire night. I gave her this proposal to comfort her and to teach you a lesson.” I heard Eleanor’s sobs through the phone. “Lydia, if you’re not happy about it, I can give you the position of department head.” Theo interrupted her. “Why would you do that? This is what she deserves. Lydia, as long as you listen to me and apologize to Eleanor, the wedding will not be called off. I’ll promote you in the next cycle.” I found this whole incident ridiculous. He had stolen my work just to cheer Eleanor up. I said, “Alright.” After I ended the call, I handed in my resignation letter. At the same time, I accepted an overseas offer. Chapter 4 After I bought my flight tickets, my phone suddenly buzzed. I received a notification from the bank indicating that someone had withdrawn a million dollars from my account. I stopped breathing. My mother had left that for me as my wedding fund. Theo and I were the only ones who knew the password to that bank account. I immediately called the bank’s hotline and traced the receiver before rushing to the mansion that they had just bought. Theo and Eleanor were sitting on the leather couch as they flipped through the interior design catalogue. “Theo, I really like the French windows of the master bedroom. I bet the lighting would be great.” Theo replied lovingly, “If you like it, we can knock down the wall between the master bedroom and the guest bedroom, and you can take the whole space.” There was a signed sales purchase agreement on the coffee table. Eleanor’s name was written on the legal document. My breathing hitched. “You took the money my mother left for me?” He glared at me in annoyance. “We’re going to buy a house after we get married anyway. Instead of letting the money stay put in a bank account, we might as well use it to buy something.” “Then why did you write her name on it?” “Eleanor didn’t have a good family growing up, so she’s been wanting a home. She’s afraid that once we get married, she will no longer be important to us, so I bought the house in her name to cheer her up.” I felt something in my brain snap. Eleanor did not have a family growing up? When her parents got into a car accident, I begged my parents to adopt her. My parents took care of her like she was their own for twenty years. They took care of her needs and supported her education. To Theo, it sounded like she grew up with no support at all. Eleanor grabbed my arm and spoke with an innocent voice. “Lydia, if you dislike it, I can move out at any time. But please believe that Theo still thinks of you. “The guest room at the back of the house is very quiet. He specially reserved that for you.” I pulled my hand back forcefully. “Don’t touch me! Give me back my money!” Eleanor fell to the ground and let out a gasp. Theo’s expression immediately fell as he pushed me aside. I hit myself against the door frame, and I felt pain in my shoulder. “Lydia, you’re being unreasonable! It’s just a house. Do you really have to hurt her? I must be blind to want to marry a vicious woman like you!” Then, he left with Eleanor in her arms without any hesitation. They went to the hospital. I stood up against the door frame and called my lawyer. After I granted the full power of attorney to my lawyer, I hailed a cab and went to the airport. The sunlight shone through the plane window and onto my face.