Her tone was defiant, but her reddened eyes and the tears glistening in them betrayed her feelings. We both knew we had lost in this marriage.
The signs had been there from the day we got married. The ill-fitting wedding rings, the ill-fitting dress, the ill-fitting love. The private social media, the wedding with no guests and the groom who slipped away halfway through.
It was our stubbornness that had cost us our youth. We foolishly believed that love could conquer childhood bonds.
It took today's painful lesson to finally wake me up from the dream I had woven for myself. In his heart, Lily would always be number one, she was irreplaceable. There was no room for anyone else in this love triangle.
Not me and certainly not our child. We were merely sacrifices in this failed gamble of love. Sadly, I realized this too late and the price I paid was too high.
I lay on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. After a long pause, my best friend gently nudged my arm. She held her phone up to me, her face full of undisguised disgust.
I glanced at the screen. In the video, the hospital bed, which was as white as mine, was filled with desserts and snacks that girls like. In the corner, a familiar pair of hands without wedding ring were carefully holding a thermal lunch box.
In the bottom-right corner, it was marked 'Someone you might know.'
The caption read, "What's it like to have a childhood friend who's a doctor? It's like being in the hospital is a blessing." It was clear who had posted the video.
I remembered the few times I mentioned wanting snacks in the past, only to be scolded harshly by Jacob, who called them junk food and said I was childish.
A wave of nausea rose in my throat and I covered my mouth, my eyes red with suppressed anger.
My best friend scrolled through the user's page, which was full of videos documenting sweet moments with her childhood friend.
She watched them all from start to finish, laughing sarcastically, "Being in the hospital is a blessing? I hope she stays that happy for the rest of her life. That way, the three of them can even save on a wedding house!"
Lily's hospital videos had garnered a lot of attention and followers.
The comment section was full of envy, "Is that what being in the hospital is like? Meanwhile, I'm stuck doing paperwork and holding my IV on my own. Does that make me independent?"