On the day I returned, Xavier had the entire city's night sky ablaze with fireworks in my honor. Everyone claimed that Xavier was deeply in love with me. During the three years I was gone, he had searched for me frantically, leaving no stone unturned. He even kept a stand-in by his side for all that time, seemingly for my sake. Yet, in the end, his devotion to this stand-in nearly cost me my life.

On my first night back, Xavier held me close as we watched the fireworks from a mountaintop. The sky was a riot of colors, reflecting the intensity of his feelings—or so I thought. Suddenly, his phone rang. He glanced at it, his irritation evident and hung up. The phone continued to ring incessantly.

“So annoying,” Xavier muttered, frowning as he resumed kissing me, though his distraction was palpable. 

“Answer it. What if it's something important?” I assured him. 

Reluctantly, Xavier answered the call. A girl's tearful voice crackled through the speaker. “Xavier, I heard she’s back. After three years of replacing her and being by your side, it's time for me to leave you.”

“Then leave!” Xavier snapped, his irritation boiling over. “Why call just to tell me this? You’re nothing but a bother.” He ended the call abruptly and turned back to me, his gaze intense as he pulled me into a passionate kiss. Despite our closeness, there was an underlying distance I could feel, a restlessness in his touch.

I was about to dismiss my growing unease when Xavier suddenly pushed me away, his face a mask of urgency.

“Becca’s stubborn. She might do something reckless,” he said, his voice strained with a mix of frustration and concern. “I have to go stop her from harming herself. Wait here for me. I won’t be long.”

Xavier grabbed his coat with a quick, almost jerky motion, his movements reflecting his agitation. He didn’t bother with a final glance, not even a fleeting look back. With determined strides, he descended the mountain, his coat flapping in the cold wind as he made his way down the winding path.

I watched him until he was a distant figure against the backdrop of the early evening sky, the first stars starting to peek through the fading light. His hurried departure left me feeling abandoned, alone on the mountaintop, with only the freezing chill for company.

I waited alone on that mountaintop, the biting cold wind cutting through my clothes and piercing my bones. The chill seemed to amplify the ache in my heart, making the pain feel a thousand times more intense. Despite the freezing night and the relentless wind, I remained there, holding on to the hope that Xavier would return.

The darkness deepened around me and every gust of wind felt like a cruel reminder of my solitude. I pushed through the excruciating cold, willing myself to stay despite the sharp pain that radiated through my body. Hours passed and with each minute that ticked by, my hope dimmed.

As the first light of dawn began to creep over the horizon, casting a pale glow on the world, the realization set in. Xavier was not coming back for me. My heart sank further as I made my way down the mountain, each step heavy with the weight of abandonment. My teeth chattered uncontrollably as I descended, the cold having numbed my fingers and toes.

By the time I reached home, I was so frozen that I could barely move. I tried calling Xavier, but each call was answered only to be immediately cut off. It wasn’t until noon that he finally returned.

Seeing me, Xavier rushed to explain, his voice edged with concern. “I didn’t expect Becca to do something so foolish. I had to rush her to the hospital and stay with her all night. I had to handle all her paperwork and administrative stuff.”

Becca had attempted suicide last night and the news pierced through me like a knife. A sharp pain shot through my chest and I turned to Xavier with a question that had been haunting me. “Do the words you said three years ago still count?”

Three years ago, Xavier said that he would love me forever, unwaveringly.

Xavier was taken aback, trying to speak but seemingly burdened with the weight of his words. Bitterness spread from my heart and I began to cough violently, tears streaming down my face. The cold wind I had endured all night made me dizzy and I almost fainted.

Xavier rushed to support me, his arms steady and reassuring. “I have never forgotten those words, not even once,” he said, his voice filled with a mix of desperation and sincerity.

At that moment, Xavier’s phone rang. The caller was Becca. Her muffled sobs came through the receiver, tinged with desperation. “Where are you? I was so worried when I woke up and didn’t see you.”

Xavier’s hand, which had been gently wiping away my tears, froze momentarily. He composed himself and looked at me with a calm, resolute expression. “Don’t worry. I’ve made it clear to her that our relationship is over.”

Even so, I could still see a fleeting concern in Xavier’s eyes for Becca. The noise on the phone grew louder, a chaotic symphony of distress. It seemed Becca had pulled out her IV and was trying to get out of bed, causing a commotion as nurses screamed for restraint.

Unable to bear the turmoil any longer, Xavier reluctantly let go of me. “I need to check on her, make sure she doesn’t do anything more reckless,” he said, his voice strained with a mix of frustration and worry.

The sudden release left me feeling weak and disoriented. I clutched my mouth as a new wave of coughing overtook me, violent and uncontrollable.

“Xavier… don’t… go. I’m sick,” I gasped between coughs, my voice barely a whisper.

Xavier gently kissed my forehead, his touch tender despite the urgency in his movements. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you. Just wait for me,” he said softly before turning and hurrying out the door.

I didn’t cry out of a desire for attention. I was genuinely ill. The doctor had told me that I had only three months left to live. If only Xavier had known that Becca's drama was merely a ploy to get his attention, while I was truly dying.

My body grew weaker by the minute and I felt I couldn’t hold on any longer. I managed to call 911 before losing consciousness.

When I regained my consciousness, I found myself in a room filled with medical equipment. The doctor was preparing for an examination, but I quickly made up an excuse about feeling better and slipped away. I couldn’t bear the thought of him discovering my cancer. As I fled, I heard a commotion coming from the adjacent room. 

“Don’t you get it? I don’t care whether you’re alive or dead. It’s over!” Xavier's back was to me as he spoke harshly to Becca. “From now on, don’t call me anymore.”

“I know I’m just a replacement. Your heart has always been with her, even after she left you. I never stood a chance. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore.”

Becca’s tears burst forth, her face pale, stubborn and filled with a deep sense of brokenness.

Xavier was about to leave when he turned around and saw me. His body stiffened. Becca also looked up at me and I didn’t miss the fleeting resentment in her eyes.

Xavier walked up to me and took my hand. “Silvia, why are you here? Didn’t I tell you not to follow me?” He paused and his gaze softened. “Never mind. Let’s go home.”

I didn’t tell Xavier that I had been there because I fainted. Initially, I had planned to tell him the truth, but now, I suddenly didn’t want to. It seemed that there was more than just me in his heart.

After getting back together with Xavier, I discovered he had a second X account. On this account, he followed only one person—Becca.

On Becca’s X account, she had documented everything about her and Xavier over the past three years, though she had hidden specific details about them.

The most recent post from Becca was updated a week ago: “His old-love is back. I, as a mere replacement should give up. I’ll walk away.”

The account showed that on the day Becca posted this, Xavier’s secondary account had logged in and out hundreds of times. I closed the X page, feeling a painful swelling in my heart. What was Xavier thinking with each login and logout, repeatedly viewing Becca’s post? Was he thinking about the ten years we spent together, or the last three years he spent with Becca?

Half a month after my return, we attended an alumni gathering where Becca was also present. As soon as Xavier spotted her, his entire demeanor shifted. Becca’s eyes were swollen, her nose red and puffy. When a concerned classmate asked her what was wrong, Becca cast a furtive glance at Xavier and, with a shaky voice, replied, “It’s nothing. It’s just my birthday today and I’ve been waiting for someone who never showed up.”

Suddenly, the clatter of a dropped utensil against a plate shattered the silence in the room. A sharp pain shot through my chest, like a multitude of fine needles piercing my heart. I looked at Xavier, seeking an explanation.

Xavier turned his head towards me and whispered softly in my ear. “I didn't know anything. I told that there’s nothing between us anymore. You’re the only one I love, Silvia.”

To everyone in room, Xavier’s explanation seemed like a public display of affection. The strong love that remain between us.

“Yeah, we all know that, man,” a guy teased, his tone light but edged with sincerity. He turned to me and added, “Silvia, you know Xavier was practically losing his mind after you left. He was a mess. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d ended up in a mental institution. Thank goodness you’re back.”

“Yeah,” a woman chimed in. “Who hasn’t heard about the infamous couple from campus? You two would probably have kids by now if you hadn’t disappeared into thin air.” That woman was Carmen.

As I listened to the laughter and jokes around the table, I noticed Becca’s face growing increasingly pale. She downed one glass of wine after another, as if trying to drown her discomfort. Xavier held my hand, smiling at everyone, but his occasional glances towards Becca were full of pity.

It had been five years since our graduation and the evening was filled with nostalgia as we indulged in college-era games: beer pong, cards and a lively round of Truth or Dare.

When it was Xavier’s turn, he drew the Truth card and was asked, “Xavier, have you ever loved anyone else besides Silvia in your life?”

Xavier and I were known as a couple that everyone in our campus recognized. The room fell silent and all eyes turned to Xavier, including mine. His answer held the weight of a decision that might determine whether I should reveal my current condition to him and entrust him with the most important person in my life.

Xavier paused, his gaze dropping as he considered his response. Though it was only a second or two, it felt like an eternity to me. He finally looked up and said, “Of course not. Silvia is the only woman I’ve ever loved and I’ve vowed long ago to marry her.”

Everyone burst into laughter. Amidst the laughter, Becca’s face turned ashen.

It was my turn to draw Truth in the next round. Following the usual rules, the master game, Rex asked me, “Silvia, is Xavier the most important person in your life?”

The crowd cheered again, “Seriously, Rex? What kind of question is that? You’re asking the obvious, adding one point to them.” 

Despite the light-hearted reactions, everyone’s attention was on me. Xavier, too, looked at me with a mix of nervousness and hope. The three years we had spent apart had left us both uncertain about our place in each other’s hearts. Were we still the most important people in each other's lives, or had time and distance changed that?