If You Had Stayed - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

He insisted on pushing her motorbike out of the congested market, while Bernice held her little girl's hand. The distance was short, but a storm of questions and imagined scenarios raced through Bernice’s mind. She had no idea how she was going to face him, or what kind of interrogation he might put her through.

Stepping into a coffee shop, she settled her young daughter in the seat beside her and pulled out her phone:

"Honey, I've got a few things to take care of, so I'll be late. I've already picked up the daughter. Go on home first. There’s food in the fridge, could you put on a pot of rice for me..."

Before she could finish, the line went dead with a click.

Bernice flushed with embarrassment at the awkward mishap and offered him a strained smile. He smoothly stepped in to clear the air:

"Order something to drink. Is this your little girl? She's gorgeous—the spitting image of her mother."

"Oh, thank you."

With that polite, rehearsed reply out of the way, Bernice still couldn't think of anything else to say. She took a sip of her water and cast a quiet glance at him. He had changed so much from the man she used to know. He was polished, handsome, and carried the undeniable aura of success.

"You look so different now."

"Not really, I'm still the same," he replied, gesturing down at his tailored suit. "As for all this, it’s just the uniform of the job. I still prefer dressing casually."

He paused, his gaze softening. "You look like you've lost weight. How is life treating you?"

"I'm... fine."

A part of her wanted to vent about her dull, suffocating, and thoroughly miserable marriage, but the words caught in her throat. She had no right to burden him with her grievances. What if he just felt a sense of vindication, secretly laughing in her face? There was nothing more humiliating than crying on the shoulder of the man you once betrayed to confess how wretched your life had turned out.

His name was Jocelyn. He wasn't some stranger; he was the man she had loved with every fiber of her being nearly ten years ago. Back then, he was just an ordinary corporate employee pulling a modest, steady income. Bernice was a fresh college graduate still struggling to find her footing in the working world. They had been deeply in love, even mapping out a wedding. If not for the twist of fate when Jocelyn lost his job, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Just as they were planning to tie the knot, and both families were already discussing wedding arrangements, the rug was pulled out from under Jocelyn. His company hit a wall and dissolved overnight. It was the darkest period of his life. Jocelyn scrambled everywhere looking for work, but doors kept slamming shut, no matter how seasoned or skilled he was.

And right when Jocelyn hit rock bottom, Bernice walked out. Countless voices had whispered in her ear: "You marry to rely on a man; if your husband is unemployed, you're signing up for a lifetime of misery." Even Bernice herself felt inadequate compared to her peers. Hanging out with her best friends—who bragged about designer dresses and brand-new phones bought by their boyfriends—while her own fiancé was sitting at home jobless... It all just wore her down. And so, after nearly six years of love, she ended it with a few cold lines scrawled on a scrap of paper.