Forever Goodbye

On our wedding day, right as the officiant told us to exchange rings, Charlotte suddenly leaned in and whispered, "I’ve been sleeping with your best friend." I stood frozen at the altar, completely paralyzed, yet she didn't even blink. She said it so casually, as if she were just talking about the weather. "While you were trying on your tuxedo, we were going at it in the fitting room right next to yours. "He couldn't hold back a groan, and you actually thought he was sick and spent twenty minutes checking on him. "By the time I stepped out to stand next to you, my legs were shaking so hard." All the blood drained from my face. I turned toward my best friend standing below the altar, and he beamed back at me, raising his glass in a proud toast. Just an hour ago, he had slapped my shoulder and told me I was the luckiest guy alive. "Even earlier today, while you were getting your hair styled, I was sitting in his lap. I got so nervous I bit his lip until it bled." Charlotte looked down at the ring resting in her hand before saying indifferently, "Dean, now you know everything. Whether you still want to go through with this wedding is up to you." Chapter 1 The crowd was dead silent. Everyone was waiting for that picture-perfect moment, including my mom. She held her hands over her mouth, desperately holding back tears of joy. I just stood there frozen, like all the life had been drained out of me. "Why… why did it have to be today?" My hands and feet went ice-cold. That ring felt like it weighed a ton, suffocating me. Charlotte looked at me, completely unbothered by how pathetic I was, almost as if she were relieved. "Don't blame Josh. He actually told me never to tell you. "But I'm tired of sneaking around, Dean. I'm sick of having to make up fake excuses and check in with you every single time I want to see him. "And I hate that Josh always looks so guilty whenever we sleep together." When she talked about Josh, her eyes softened with sympathy for him. It was as if marrying me were just some tragic, unavoidable sacrifice on her part, which was crazy because just yesterday she was so thrilled that she couldn't sleep a wink. She had curled up under the covers with me, blushing and smiling. "Dean, I can't believe I'm finally marrying you. This feels like a dream." Now, though? She was impatiently demanding that I make a choice. "Charlotte, you shameless b*tch!" With tears in my eyes, I hurled the ring straight into her face, turned around, and bolted, leaving the gasping crowd behind me. Nobody could believe I was suddenly ditching my own wedding. Josh sprinted after me and grabbed my arm, breathless. "Dean! What the hell is wrong with you?! Did Charlotte throw another tantrum?!" His eyes were full of anger and concern, acting as if he had no idea what was going on. That's when I noticed the hickey on his neck. It was so glaringly obvious. I remembered when I first suspected he was seeing someone. My very first reaction was to congratulate him. Even when he flirted on the phone right in front of me or bragged about how many rounds they went in one night, I never, ever connected the dots to Charlotte. My eyes stung, and a bitter smile pulled at my lips. "Did it feel good, Josh, sleeping with my woman?" His face instantly drained of all color. And just like that, I had my answer. A sharp sting hit the back of my throat, making my eyes water. I suddenly just wanted to ask why. Just three hours ago, during our pre-wedding shots, he had been the most energetic guy in the room. When the groomsmen were stalling and the timeline was slipping, he had rallied everyone and cleared the way to get me to the altar on time. He beamed at me with total pride and yelled, "With me here, nobody stops Dean from getting his bride! You guys better stay together and live happily ever after!" I really thought I had it all. The perfect love, the truest friendship, and a future where happiness was finally mine. How foolish was I? Chapter 2 Josh froze in place and stared over at Charlotte, a short distance away, in absolute shock. His voice trembled as he spoke. "You told him? Today of all days? It's your wedding day! Why couldn't you just wait?! "Dean, listen to me, please! It was an accident!" An accident? Was it an accident that every time Charlotte stormed out after an argument, his phone magically went straight to voicemail? Was it an accident that she knew the layout of his apartment better than I did? Even the dog Josh raised was closer to her than anyone else. Maybe I should have seen it sooner. I just chose to blind myself because I was dealing with the two people I loved most in this world. "Josh, you piece of sh*t!" Rage completely eclipsed my logic. Before I even realized what I was doing, my palm landed flat across his face with a crack. Charlotte lunged forward instantly and shoved me back. "Dean! Are you crazy?!" She stood right in front of Josh, shielding him while glaring at me with utter disgust. "Look, we messed up, okay? But do you have any idea how much Josh has given up for you over the years?! "Every time we went out to eat, he only ordered what you liked. Even when he was sick, he still dragged himself out to play video games with you! He swallowed his own pain for five damn years just to spare your feelings! So what if you let him have this one?" Charlotte's screaming sent my mind into a tailspin, a sharp ringing blaring in my ears. She and I had been together for eight years, and they had been sleeping together for five of them. All these years, they were hooking up right under my nose. And after every single hookup, they would act like nothing happened and gladly accept my affection. How hilarious. My mom caught up right then, overhearing every single word. Her eyes went wide, filled with complete disbelief. It wasn't even that long ago when Charlotte had practically promised Mom, swearing she'd treat me well for the rest of her life, sticking by my side through rich or poor. To prove her devotion, she had even transferred all her pre-marital assets to me and put only my name on the house deed. Yet now, her eyes were cold and distant. All she cared about was Josh. Josh, whom Mom had watched grow up and treated like her own son, had just personally shattered my happiness. "Josh! How could you do this to Dean?!" Mom was so overwhelmed with rage that her eyes rolled back, and she passed out, collapsing straight onto the pavement. Josh tried to step forward, but I snapped. "Get away from us!" Inside the ambulance, my hands wouldn't stop shaking as I clutched Mom's hand. My vision blurred through the tears, my words slurring together. "Mom... I'm calling off the wedding... Please, just be okay..." Chapter 3 After getting Mom checked into the hospital and settled, I drove back home to pack an overnight bag to stay with her. The wedding decorations were still plastered all over the walls, looking sickeningly bright. Charlotte hadn't been tall enough to reach the top, so I had lifted her in my arms to tape them. The sheets on the bed were something we had picked out together, too. The life we had built together, piece by piece, had completely shattered today. I had barely zipped my suitcase when the front door opened. It was Charlotte. She walked straight into the bedroom, clearly assuming I was just throwing another tantrum. "The house is in your name, so you don't need to pack up and leave. I'm the one moving out. "And the money I gave you before? You don't have to give it back. Think of it as compensation. "Just stop giving Josh a hard time. He hasn't had it easy." That last sentence blew open the rage I'd been trying so hard to suppress. "He hasn't had it easy?! Then what about me, Charlotte? I gave up everything for you—" "Enough," Charlotte cut me off, her tone completely indifferent. "I know how much you sacrificed back then. I get it. That's literally why I'm giving you a choice here. Dean, you need to learn to be grateful for what you have." I froze, tears instantly burning behind my eyes. It's been eight years of loving her. We had crammed into a leaky, run-down apartment together, sharing a single frozen meal because we couldn't afford another. Back when I had my whole career ahead of me, I quit my high-paying job without a second thought just to help her launch her business and chase her dreams. My parents had called me an idiot, and so did Josh. Yet, after everything, here she was, telling me to be grateful. When Charlotte caught my bloodshot eyes, she hesitated for a second. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me, trying to soothe me the way she used to. "Dean, like I said, the choice is yours. If you still want to marry me, I'll make it up to you and throw another wedding. But Josh has suffered so much. "Every time you held me, the aching look in his eyes just broke my heart. You could kiss me out in the open without a care in the world, but he couldn't. He had to stay in the dark, hurting all by himself." She made it sound so reasonable, yet every word felt like a blade twisting into my chest. Truth was, the signs had always been there. Whenever the three of us hung out, I could never seem to get a word in. Anytime Josh had a stomachache, she always conveniently had medicine ready for him in her purse. Even when both Josh and I got motion sick and threw up on a trip once, she walked right past me to rub his back. Afterward, Josh would always laugh it off and say, "Man, a woman who truly loves you will care about your friends, too. Dean, a girl like this is hard to find. You better lock her down fast!" Back then, I had caught a flash of disappointment in Charlotte's eyes. Though I didn't understand it then, I did now. "So, Charlotte, what do you even see in him?" I choked out, a bitter, tragic laugh escaping my throat. "Is it because of what he told me? That on your wildest night, he took you eight times? What, were you really that desperate for it, or was he just—" Before I could finish, the door burst open. Josh stepped into the room, looking like a deeply wronged saint whose honor had just been tarnished. "Dean, how could you say that about me?!" In his hand, he was holding a luxury watch, the exact one I'd been wanting for months. "I already told you it was an accident! Why do you have to humiliate me like this?!" His eyes were red as he stared at me. If this had been in the past, I would have immediately backed down, swallowed my pride, and forgiven him. But now, I just sat on the edge of the bed, utterly drained, watching him put on a show. My numb silence only made Charlotte angrier. She patted his back gently to comfort him, then spun around and screamed in my face. "Yeah! That's right! We were that desperate! "That day your dad passed away, when I called you crying on the phone? That wasn't me feeling sorry for you. That was Josh hitting it so hard from behind that I couldn't hold back my—" "Charlotte!" Josh cut in frantically, lunging forward to clap his hand over her mouth. Chapter 4 As soon as the words left her mouth, the room fell into deathly silence. My heart died right along with it in that sick, twisted joke of a reality. So on the day my dad passed away, when Charlotte said she was away on a business trip and Josh said he was bedridden with a fever… they were actually together. My desperate, helpless crying on the phone back then had been nothing more than background noise to fuel their thrill. Charlotte hadn't even shown up to his funeral. In the weeks after, when I was drowning in grief day and night, Charlotte held me tight, endlessly whispering sweet comfort into my ear. "It's okay, baby. Your dad is a star up in heaven watching over you now. And I'll stay right here to take care of you for him." And to think the truth was this disgusting. It hit me so suddenly, raw and painful. When Charlotte realized what she had just blurted out, panic flashed across her face. She reached her hand out toward me, her voice shaking. "Dean, I'm sorry... I was just angry. I said the wrong thing." I bit the inside of my cheek until it bled, struggling to keep control. Suddenly, I snapped and smashed everything in sight, including our freshly printed wedding photos. "Get the hell out!" The glass frame shattered on the floor, the broken shards carving a sharp, literal line on the ground between us. Josh took a step forward toward me, but a stray object I threw caught him straight in the face. "Ah!" He clutched his head, trembling in pain. Whatever tiny sliver of guilt Charlotte had just felt completely evaporated. She grabbed my wrist, slapping away whatever else was in my hand. Our photo album hit the floor, spilling a cascade of frozen moments across the rug. The day Charlotte confessed her feelings, the afternoon I proudly introduced her to Josh, and my birthday, when they both laughed as I blew out my candles. "Dean, what did you wish for?" "I wish the three of us would stay together forever." Charlotte's grip on my wrist loosened. Her eyes fixed on those scattered photos. She opened her mouth to say something, but Josh cut in first, whining. "Charlotte, my head… It hurts so bad… It's bleeding!" She snapped her head around instantly. Stepping right over the photos, she rushed to Josh's side. The heavy Bluetooth speaker had caught him on the temple, leaving a nasty, bleeding gash. Charlotte quickly helped him up and guided him out, never once looking back. When she reached the front door, she paused, though she still didn't turn around. "No matter what, he's your best friend. You shouldn't have laid a hand on him. He's already suffered enough." With that, she disappeared from my sight. Suffered? We grew up together. Knowing his family struggled financially, I always gave him the absolute best of everything I had—the bigger piece of chicken at dinner, the brand-new toys my mom bought for me. And now, even the woman I'd loved for eight years had to be handed over to him, too. I slid down against the wall onto the cold floor, my heart torn to shreds, as I stared blankly ahead. Later that night, Josh called me, his voice slurred with alcohol. "Dean, I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Please forgive me. I don't want us to end like this... "We've been best friends since childhood. I don't want a girl to ruin years of our brotherhood..." His tone cracked with heavy emotion, thick with what sounded like deep remorse. Then, a bartender took over the line. "Sir, we're closing up the bar. If you don't come pick up your friend, I'll have to leave him on the sidewalk." I sat in silence for a long time. Eventually, I grabbed my jacket and walked out the door. Before his parents passed away years ago, I had promised them I'd always look out for him. I told myself this would be the absolute last time. When I arrived at the bar, I found Charlotte pinning him against the wall outside, standing on her toes as she kissed him frantically. Her eyes were red, like she was punishing him for hesitating. "Josh, how many times are you going to push me away?! You know damn well I love you! Why do you keep rejecting me?!" Josh forced himself to shove her back, his voice raw and husky. "Because he's my best friend! I can't steal his happiness!" "What about your happiness?!" Charlotte grabbed his hands, shouting with raw desperation. In that split second, all the love they had suppressed for years completely erupted. Josh yanked her into his arms, holding her tightly. "I love you too… But what about him?" Through their sobbing, I watched as Charlotte made her choice. "If he won't accept it, we'll just leave." I stood hidden behind a concrete pillar, and a smile broke across my face. Through my blurred vision, ghost-like memories of the past flickered before my eyes. I remembered Josh saving up three months of his paycheck just to buy me that high-end gaming PC. I recalled Charlotte sitting beside me, cutting up fresh fruit and feeding it to me. Back then, they had competed over who could treat me better, squabbling like kids. However, in the next second, those memories popped like fragile soap bubbles, dissolving into nothing. The love and the people in those memories belonged strictly to the past. So I pulled out my phone and opened my email, scrolling down to the job offer sitting buried at the bottom of my inbox. Years ago, I chose to stay in this city for Charlotte. Now, I was finally leaving. Chapter 5 On the day Mom was discharged from the hospital, I stepped downstairs for just a moment, only to hear frantic screaming echoing from the ward. When I rushed back into the room, Josh was standing by Mom's bed, begging for forgiveness. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Campbell! I'm the one who hurt Dean and ruined their relationship! I was shameless! I seduced Charlotte! You can hit me or curse at me all you want! "Don't worry, I'll walk away on my own and give Dean his happiness back!" Mom, whose health had barely begun to recover, was pushed over the edge again. She stood up abruptly and screamed, "Shut up! I will never let Dean stay with that b*tch!" However, the moment her foot hit the ground, she collapsed straight to the floor, clutching her chest tightly as if she couldn't breathe. "Mrs. Campbell! What's wrong?!" Josh reached out to help her, but I threw him off and screamed in pure rage. "What the hell are you doing?!" He flinched in terror, stammering out his words. "Dean... I... I just came to apologize to your mom." After slamming the emergency call button, I helped my mom back onto the bed. Josh, his eyes red, reached out to grab my arm to explain. Before he could utter a word, I slapped him hard across the face, glaring at him with pure hatred. "Stealing my girlfriend wasn't enough, so now you want to kill my mom too?! Josh, you are disgusting!" I hit him hard enough that his head snapped to the side, leaving sharp red finger marks on his face. I grabbed his arm tightly, trying to kick him out of the room. Just as we reached the doorway, Charlotte appeared. The moment her eyes landed on Josh's swollen face, rage flared in her eyes. "Are you crazy?! He's practically your brother!" She shoved me back hard, pulling Josh into her arms with desperate concern. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Before her words even settled, I crashed heavily into the metal IV pole. The sharp hook dug deep into my back, sending white-hot pain through my whole spine. Blood instantly soaked my clothes and seeped onto the floor. Mom's eyes went wide. She tried desperately to speak, but she couldn't make a sound, passing out cold a second later. Ignoring the agony in my back, I crawled toward the hallway inch by inch, screaming for a doctor. Charlotte froze, a flicker of worry finally crossing her eyes. Josh was about to bend down to pull me up, but I roared at him instantly. "Get the fuck away! Stop pretending!" Charlotte's face darkened completely. She grabbed Josh's arm and pulled him toward the exit, her gaze icy. "If he doesn't want our help, then let him be. Come on, I'll take you to get your injuries treated first." Watching their cold backs as they walked away, my heart broke completely. When the blinding surgical lights went out, the doctor officially declared Mom's death. She had suffered a massive heart attack, and resuscitation had failed. I collapsed onto the floor, trembling violently as I broke down sobbing. Just like that, the very last person in this world who loved me was gone. … Three days later, after burying Mom, I packed my life into a suitcase and took a cab straight to the airport. My phone had been buzzing continuously with hundreds of texts and calls from Charlotte and Josh these past few days. However, I hadn't answered a single one. It was only when the plane broke through the clouds and warm sunlight streamed through the window that I pulled up the photo of the three of us on my phone. "Goodbye," I whispered before permanently deleting the memory. From this day on, you and I will be worlds apart.