There were 25 days left until our divorce was finalized. For the past five days, Tiffany's usually quiet social media had become unusually active.

During the day, she and Cedric fed pigeons in the plaza. At night, they watched parade floats from the rooftop of a hotel beside the amusement park.

I saw every step they took and every place they went together.

As for the promise she made to me, I was sure she had already forgotten it.

I got up and began packing. The floor was still a mess of scattered clothes and half-open luggage. That was when I received a call from her assistant, Jillian Ferguson.

"Mr. Marsden, don't forget the fireworks show at eight tonight, on Wilhelm Bridge. If anything goes wrong, Ms. Scorsese will absolutely kill me."

In the five years I had been married to Tiffany, Jillian was the only person who knew the truth about our marriage. Not wanting to make things harder for her, I said I would go.

But when I actually headed toward Wilhelm Bridge, I found myself lost in thought.

Five years ago, shortly after we got married, Tiffany had arranged a surprise fireworks show just for me. Jillian had quietly tipped me off then too.

Now, five years later, I was going to the exact same place.

Only this time, I felt completely different about it.

By the time I arrived near the bridge, the area was already filled with tourists. There were even several news crews setting up their cameras.

A strange feeling settled in my chest. Maybe I had misunderstood what this was, so I called Tiffany's phone.

It was busy, and I called again.

I wasn't even sure what I was hoping to hear. But no matter how many times I tried, she didn't answer. She never showed up either.

It was almost eight o'clock.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "The fireworks are about to start! I heard Ms. Scorsese planned the whole thing for her husband. I guess we're lucky enough to watch it too!"

I stood there, frozen. Tiffany had always maintained the image of being single in public. There was no way the "husband" they were talking about was me. It had to be someone else.

I knew the best view of the show was on the north side of the bridge.

Since I was already there, I figured I might as well go take a look. After all, the fireworks had done nothing wrong.

The crowd was thick, and I was gradually pushed to the front.

That was when I saw her.

Tiffany stood in the prime viewing spot, wrapped tightly in Cedric's arms. Fireworks exploded one after another in the sky above us, bright and dazzling.

Each boom echoed sharply in my ears. Over the sounds of the crowd and the fireworks, I could hear Tiffany uttering a heartfelt confession to Cedric.

A reporter stepped up with a microphone and asked Cedric, "Sir, how do you feel about that?"

Tiffany looked up at him with obvious anticipation. Cedric accepted the microphone with a small, shy smile and opened his mouth to speak.

But then our eyes met, and Tiffany froze. She murmured instinctively, "Matthew..."

For a moment, Wilhelm Bridge fell into complete silence, and even the fireworks seemed to fade. Everyone turned toward her voice and followed her gaze to where I was standing.

Cedric looked at me, then turned to her and asked, "Who's that?"

Tiffany licked her lips awkwardly, clearly unsure of how to respond.

I smiled and stepped forward, unfazed by the attention. "My name is Matthew Marsden. I'm Ms. Scorsese's..."

She immediately tried to stop me, but I finished the sentence anyway. "Cousin."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I finally let go of the tension in my chest. "Aunt Elena asked me to come check out her future son-in-law. Sorry if I startled anyone."

Tiffany's expression relaxed at once, and she gave me a subtle nod of approval. She had never wanted me to reveal our relationship in public, and her mother, Elena Fletcher, felt the same.

Every time I went out with her, she insisted I call her Aunt Elena.

This woman, whom I had called "Aunt Elena" for five years, was the perfect excuse, carefully prepared from the beginning.

The fireworks show carried on. No one was paying attention to me anymore.

Then the weather turned. Out of nowhere, rain came pouring down. Tiffany quickly pushed through the crowd. "Cedric's not well. He can't be in the rain. Please, make way."

She carefully shielded him as she helped him into the car.

And once again, I was left standing alone.

The rain was ice cold, but I didn't feel a thing. Maybe five years of marriage had already numbed me.

…

I got home and took a hot shower. By the time I came out, Tiffany was in the living room.

She hesitated, then actually thanked me. "Thank you for stepping in out there. I mean... we're still secretly married. If things had come out, it wouldn't have looked good for Cedric. One day, I'll find a way to make our relationship public."

I didn't remind her that there would be no more chances to go public. This marriage was already ending, and it might as well be erased from existence.

It was better for both of us.

Then, as if remembering, she asked, "But why were you even there?"

I smiled and looked at her for a long time without saying a word. Only when her gaze started to shift did I finally speak. "Jillian asked me to go."

Only then did she remember that the fireworks show had originally been something she promised me. But she had been too busy enjoying her time with Cedric to even think about it.

"Sorry. Next week... Wait, no, I have to travel for work. Next month, for sure. I'll take you then."

I shook my head. "Let's see when the time comes."'

Tiffany seemed pleased by how easy I was being. She gave me a light hug. Never before had her arms felt so cold.

She did end up going on that business trip, just as she said. Only this time, she brought Cedric with her.

Outside of work, they went for candlelit dinners, visited museums, and ate seafood at a street stall she had never been willing to visit with me.

She had once said to me, "I'm a CEO. I can't eat at places like that. It's beneath me."

But in front of Cedric, Tiffany had no status to maintain. She was just a woman in love.

…

Three days until the deadline, Tiffany finally came home. She had been away for over two weeks, and during that time, I never once contacted her.

Looking at the spotless mansion, she realized, perhaps for the first time, what I had contributed to our five years of marriage.

"Babe, you've worked so hard," she said.

It had been so long since I last heard her call me that. I couldn't even remember when it was.

"I was thinking of taking you to see the fireworks the day after tomorrow, but they've recently banned all firework displays…"

I could hear it in her tone. She simply didn't want to go with me anymore. Cedric had probably said something.

"Then don't worry about it," I replied.

Tiffany paused, clearly caught off guard that I was letting it go so easily. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

If this were before, I would have lost it and demanded to know why she never kept her promises. But now, her empty words no longer mattered to me. "It's just fireworks. It doesn't matter."

Just like Tiffany. She didn't matter anymore either.

After a long silence, she spoke again. "Then, how about I take you to that mansion in the western suburbs the day after tomorrow? I heard you can see hot air balloons from there."

I glanced at my phone. The calendar showed that the day after tomorrow was Valentine's Day.

Would she really come see me on such an important day?

She was probably just brushing me off.

"Don't you need to be with Cedric that day?" I asked.

Tiffany's expression stiffened. "I've spent plenty of time with him. It's time I spent some time with you."

Even as she said it, she seemed to realize how absurd it sounded. Her eyes dropped to the floor, but I didn't call her out on it. I simply played along with the lie.

That day also happened to be the day our divorce would be finalized.

It was fitting, in a way.

…

One day left until our divorce was finalized, and Tiffany hadn't shown up at all in the past two days. She had been busy with Cedric, probably trying to smooth things over.

Still, she would send me trivial messages every night, celebrity gossip, photos of stray cats she saw on the street, and funny memes from social media. It was as if we were just a normal married couple living apart, chatting about nothing in particular.

In five years of marriage, Tiffany and I had never shared that kind of daily banter. I didn't understand why she was suddenly doing it, and I didn't want to understand.

Over those three days, I had been busy moving out. I had gradually packed my things and sent them off to Newford. Moreover, I finalized a lease agreement with a realtor and arranged to rent out all 100 properties under my name.

Eventually, the movement caught Tiffany's attention. That night, she called me. "Jillian said you've been moving?"

I responded casually, "Yeah. Aren't we supposed to go to the western suburbs? I like it there."

Tiffany was silent for a moment, then said, "If we're setting off fireworks over there, that's fine."

I shook my head, then responded with a hint of jest, "Better not. You might get arrested."

She seemed relieved. "Then just wait for me there tomorrow night."

I answered with a quiet hum, just as a notification popped up on my phone confirming my flight booking.

Tiffany paused again, then repeated the words, as if sensing something. "You have to wait for me."

"I will," I said.

…

But the next night, she never came. Jillian called to apologize. Tiffany had a meeting and would be running late. On social media, however, Cedric was in a hot air balloon, and Tiffany was right there in his arms.

I glanced at the time. My flight was leaving in four hours. The divorce agreement would take effect in two. There probably wouldn't be a chance to tell her in person.

There were three hours left, and I stood in the mansion Tiffany had given me, looking out at the river beyond. Dozens of hot air balloons floated in the air. I had no way of knowing which one was theirs.

Thinking of the promise she had made yesterday, I couldn't help but laugh.

If she knew this was the last promise I would ever wait for her to keep, would she come back right now?

I went back inside and looked at the small suitcase in the living room. I didn't have much here. This place had always been nothing more than compensation for the 100th time she broke my heart.

Leaving here now felt oddly meaningful.

With just two more hours left, my lawyer sent over a message of congratulations. "Congratulations, Mr. Marsden. Happy divorce day! I'll have the divorce decree delivered to you shortly."

The divorce decree arrived in the final hour. Just like that, my marriage had officially ended. I picked up my suitcase and prepared to leave.

Traffic on the highway to the airport was a little backed up. As I sat in the car, I happened to glance out the window and saw Tiffany speeding toward the western suburbs.

I looked down. That fleeting moment of passing one another on the highway would be the last time our paths crossed.

But then, she stopped her car and turned to look in my direction.