After I Left, He Regretted Choosing His First Love

The night before I was supposed to register my marriage with Kevin Sanchez, I received a notification that our wedding photo shoot had been canceled.

I stared at my phone, confused. Then a message from Kevin came through.

Maura, let's skip the wedding photos after we register tomorrow. Something came up at work.

We can just AI-generate our wedding photos later. They'll collect dust on a shelf anyway. No point wasting the money.

My stomach sank. I was about to type a reply when my phone buzzed again.

Hello, your wedding photo session has been rescheduled to 5:00 PM tomorrow.

GroomKevin Sanchez

BrideBertha Barnes

My breath caught. Before we started dating, Kevin had told me about a girlfriend he'd been with for ten years, but swore it was long over.

Yet here they were, still tangled together, close enough to be taking wedding photos.

I finally understood. In Kevin Sanchez's heart, I was never the one who mattered most.

If he wanted his first love, then I would pick up the career I'd once set aside for him. I opened my laptop and submitted my Doctors Without Borders application without a second of hesitation.

After the application materials were submitted and entered the review stage, I opened my chat with Kevin and began typing.

Forget the wedding photos. And forget registering tomorrow. We're done.

He called back in less than thirty seconds.

Maura, I really don't have time tomorrow. Can you not do this right now?

You've always been so reasonable.

His voice was low, threaded with exhaustion.

Something twisted sharply in my chest, close enough to real, physical pain.

That was the thing Kevin said to me most often. That I was reasonable. That I was easy.

But I wasn't without a temper.

In three years together, he didn't want me prying into his life, and I played the dutiful partner.

He didn't want me in his social circle, so I stayed out of it.

But I could not stay in a marriage with a third person in it.

I'm not doing anything. A bitter smile tugged at my lips, and my voice trembled despite myself. Kevin, I mean it.

Kevin's patience snapped. His tone turned sharp.

Maura Henson, there's a limit to how much I'll put up with.

Can't you be a little more understanding? Work is already running me into the ground. Do you really need to pile on?

It's just a photo shoot. And because of that, you're telling me you won't register? Seriously?

Every word from Kevin Sanchez landed like a blow against something already cracked.

The man in my memory, for all his pride and reserve, had never spoken to me this way.

I opened my mouth. Nothing came out. My throat felt sealed shut.

When I didn't respond, Kevin let out a sigh, and his voice softened.

Look, I really can't make time tomorrow afternoon.

I put fifty thousand in your account. Go to the store tomorrow. Buy yourself something nice.

If that's not enough, call my assistant. I won't be able to pick up tomorrow, but keep it under a hundred thousand. The company needs the capital right now

He stopped mid-sentence.

A woman's voice drifted through the phone, soft and coy.

Kevin, does this wedding gown look good on me?

I think it really flatters my waistline. It'll look perfect in the photos tomorrow. It's just a little pricey, though. Ten million dollars.

He chuckled, low and indulgent

Ten million is nothing. If you like it, it's yours.

A laugh escaped me. The kind that came from a place beyond hurt, where everything just turned absurd.

No time tomorrow. Because he'd be with his first love, taking wedding photos.

He tried to buy me off with a hundred thousand, while spending ten million on Bertha Barnes without blinking. And he thought it was cheap.

What he offered me wasn't even a rounding error on what he spent on her.

The pain was dull and slow, like a blunt knife dragging across my heart.

Bertha squealed with delight, throwing her arms around Kevin's neck.

I love you so much! Here, you get a kiss as your reward.

The next second, I heard ita loud smacklips pressing against lips.

In that moment, something seized my heart and crushed it, grinding every organ in my chest to dust.

The call went dead.

Tears pooled in my eyes. I held them there, refusing to let a single one fall.

Starting today, I would never love Kevin Sanchez again.

Once my application went through, I would leave this place for good.

Right then, my phone buzzed with a friend request.

The verification message was brazen, not even trying to hide it.

I'm Kevin's first love. I need to talk to you.

I curled and uncurled my fingers, then finally hit accept.

Less than half a second later, a voice message popped up at the top of the screen.

Bertha's tone was light, almost cheerful.

Ms. Henson, right?

I heard that while I was away these past few years, you were the one keeping Kevin company?

Thanks for filling in for me. But I'm back now, so it's time for you to go.

Each sentence cut into me like a blade, carving line after line across my heart.

My body went rigid. My mind just stopped.

A stand-in?

Three years of loving Kevin, and I was nothing but a stand-in?

My phone buzzed again. Bertha had sent a shared account link.

It was a couple's account, filled with photos and posts of Kevin and Bertha together. Their daily life. Their love.

Over ten years of it.

But in our three years together,

Kevin never once allowed me to post anything about us online. Not a single trace.

Maura, we don't need other people to know we're dating. A relationship isn't a performance.

A bitter laugh slipped out before I could stop it.

So in Kevin's mind, being with me was a performance. Being with Bertha wasn't.

His principles had an exception, and that exception was her.

A sharp, strange pain surged through my chest.

Their photo was pinned at the top of the account, impossible to miss.

Kevin's eyes held a tenderness I had never seen.

Bertha was beaming, cradled in his arms.

My hands shook as I noticed the mole on the tip of Bertha's nose.

In the exact same spot as mine.

In every memory I had, Kevin would run his thumb over the mole on my nose.

I'd once thought about having it removed.

He refused outright.

Maura, there's no reason to remove it. It's what makes you unique.

I'd smiled and dropped the idea.

But now it all made sense.

He just didn't want me to stop looking like her.

I bit down hard on my knuckle, forcing the tears back, and turned toward the window.

Under the dim streetlight below, a girl was ducking her head, shyly confessing her feelings to someone.

The blush on her face looked exactly like mine had, back then.

The very first time I saw Kevin, I fell for him on the spot.

I'd assumed my feelings for him would only ever be like a moth bumping against a lampshade, clumsy and hopeless.

But then a violent incident at the hospital threw us together again.

A patient's family member, unable to accept a failed surgery, had stormed through the hospital with a knife, stabbing anyone in his path.

I wasn't hurt, because Kevin stepped in front of the blade for me.

Blood poured from his abdomen, and my tears poured just as freely.

But Kevin just smiled, reached up, and wiped my tears away.

Don't cry. It doesn't hurt. Getting hurt for you is something I'd do willingly.

That willingness made me believe we were running toward each other.

The truth was, I was the moth all along, and I'd already been burned to nothing by the flame.

I just hadn't realized it until now.

Three years of feelings, even uglier than I'd imagined.

My heart felt like it was being wrung in a fist, the pain so raw I couldn't keep my eyes open.

The darkened screen suddenly lit up again. A call from the hospital.

Dr. Henson, your Doctors Without Borders application has been approved. You leave in three days.

No need to come to the hospital before then. Just get your essentials packed.

Something settled in my chest, and the call swept away most of the anguish swirling inside me.

Joining Doctors Without Borders had always been my dream. The hospital had only started offering spots in recent years.

But I'd never applied. Because of Kevin.

Now, finally, I was getting what I'd always wanted.

I hung up.

I let out a long breath and typed a reply to Bertha.

I'm not the one leaving. You're the one taking back secondhand goods.

Ms. Barnes, do the world a favor and keep your trash off the market.

No reply came. I closed my phone.

I stood up and started packing, planning to check into a hotel first thing in the morning.

For the next three days, I didn't want to see Kevin Sanchez.

It was almost midnight by the time I was nearly finished.

I had just set my suitcase by the front door when Kevin pushed it open and walked in.

His suit, always immaculate, was wrinkled beyond recognition.

And on his neck, faint lipstick marks.

I forced down the bile rising in my chest.

He spotted me and froze, surprise flickering across his face, followed by a flash of panic.

Maura, you're still up?

I didn't answer.

His eyes landed on the suitcase in my hand, and understanding dawned on his face.

Are you going on a work trip? There's something I need to talk to you about.

I gave him a flat look, my voice cold

Your business has nothing to do with me. Don't tell me. I don't want to know.

Before Kevin could react, I turned and headed for the guest room.

But as I went to close the door, he jammed his foot in the gap.

I couldn't shut it. He pulled me back out to the living room and sat me down in a chair.

Kevin sat across from me and slid a prenuptial agreement across the table. Maura, I'm sorry. There's going to be one more person in our life. Two, actually.

I lifted my gaze and stared at him, cold, saying nothing.

He kept talking anyway.

The person who added you today, Bertha Barnes. Her parents were my mentors. They were in an accident.

Their will asked me to take care of her. From now on, we'll all be living together

This prenuptial agreement is to make sure that after we're married and she moves in, you'll treat her well.

His gaze locked onto mine, something sharp behind his eyes.

I laughed inside. A hollow, bitter laugh.

Taking care of his late mentor's daughter. Taking care of her all the way to a wedding photo shoot.

How he managed to say something so righteous with a straight face was beyond me.

Kevin Sanchez truly thought I was a fool.

I smiled, casual and loose. But that's only one person, isn't it?

Kevin paused. His throat bobbed. She's pregnant. So that makes two. I'll need you to look after her.

As he said it, his eyes softened with a tenderness I knew too well. Only it had never been for me.

My nails dug into my palms. I was trying to stay calm, but my heart swelled and ached all the same.

During our first year together, I had been pregnant too. He coaxed me with sweet words, told me he wanted to be child-free, that he didn't want kids. He coaxed me into terminating the pregnancy.

Now I finally understood. Child-free was the excuse. It wasn't that he didn't want children. He just didn't want me to have them.

But none of it mattered anymore.

I said nothing. In Kevin's eyes, my silence was consent.

Then a crack of thunder split the air outside, and rain came pouring down.

Kevin's phone buzzed. A custom ringtone.

Back when I still loved him blindly, I had taken his phone and tried to set a custom ringtone just for my calls.

He'd taken it back. Maura, that's childish. It doesn't fit my image.

I could only swallow my disappointment.

The thunder grew louder. Kevin's expression shifted, worry creasing his brow.

Maura, it's thundering. Bertha's alone. She gets scared.

He stood, reaching over to ruffle the top of my head in passing, like soothing a cat that never scratches back.

Stay home by yourself tonight. I'm going to be with Bertha. Don't forget to sign the agreement.

Kevin forgot that I was afraid of thunder too.

That malpractice riot at the hospital had happened on a night just like this. Thunder and rain. It left a scar in my mind that never healed.

He had held me in his arms and promised me

Every rainy night from now on, I'll be right here beside you.

But the moment his first love came back, he forgot every vow along with her.

Kevin left without hesitation, as if leaving me behind was the simplest thing in the world.

But I refused to fall apart over a man like him, and I refused to stand still waiting for a love that was never going to arrive.

I sat in the living room all night, unmoving.

The moment the sky began to lighten, I dragged my suitcase out the door, one step at a time, leaving that place and everything it had broken in me behind.

I found a hotel nearby and tossed my luggage into the room without caring where it landed.

I collapsed face-first onto the bed and buried my face in the pillow.

When I woke again, it was almost evening. My eyes were so swollen I could barely open them.

The second I turned on my phone, the screen was flooded with missed calls.

But it was the dozen unread messages that made my vision blur red. All from Kevin.

Maura, we're supposed to be at City Hall soon. Where are you?

Why can't I reach you?

I'll wait for you.

I read through every message with cold eyes. My stomach turned.

It was the first time I truly understood that a single heart could be split in two and offered to different people.

It disgusted me.

I deleted him without a second thought.

I opened Instagram and started scrolling through videos, trying to dull the nausea.

But the very next thing that appeared on my feed was a new post from Bertha.

The first photo was a marriage certificate.

Bertha Barnes and Kevin Sanchez's marriage certificate.

The second was their wedding photo.

The comments were full of people gushing about what a gorgeous couple they made.

Something in my chest was carved out, raw and bleeding.

So this was what Kevin meant by I'll wait for you?

I managed a bitter smile,

wiped the dampness from the corners of my eyes, and liked the post.

Three years. At least it ended cleanly.

I placed the phone face-down on the bed.

I lay there for another half hour before my stomach started cramping.

A full day without a single meal.

When I'd checked in, I remembered seeing a row of restaurants near the hotel.

That was when I heard it. Panting from the room next door, rising and falling in waves.

My face burned.

I got up, splashed some water on my face, and had just opened the door

when the sounds next door stopped.

A man stumbled out of the neighboring room, barely dressed, frantic.

I froze.

He turned around, and every emotion I had forced down surged back at once.

It was Kevin.

My vision went dark at the edges. But he looked at me like I was a lifeline.

He grabbed me and pulled me into the room, his voice urgent

Maura, check on Bertha, quick. She says her stomach really hurts.

Bertha's face was drenched in sweat. She clutched her abdomen, moaning nonstop.

I frowned, but swallowed the bile rising in my throat.

Professionalism won. I told her to lie flat and examined her.

No bleeding from the lower abdomen. A small mercy.

The tension between my brows eased slightly. I turned to Kevin, and my voice went cold on its own.

Nothing serious. She needs to lie down for an hour or two and use a warm compress on her lower abdomen.

She's less than three months along. Sex is absolutely off-limits. It's dangerous.

You're the father. How do you not know that?

Kevin didn't argue. He just lowered his head.

I was being gentle

He got halfway through the sentence before realizing what he'd just admitted. He scrambled to backtrack.

That's not what I meant.

I let out a cold laugh and slapped him across the face.

Kevin Sanchez, you make me sick.

I turned and slammed the door behind me.

The slap had snapped his head to the side. He stood stunned for a beat, then chased after me.

He caught my wrist and held on, refusing to let go.

Maura, let me explain.

You didn't show up at City Hall today. I drank too much. I thought she was you.

I laughed. No sound came out.

Kevin, do you really think I'm that stupid? That easy to fool?

He stared at me, genuinely confused.

I gave him one last bitter smile, shook his hand off, and walked back to my room.

This time, he didn't follow.

Because Bertha was calling for him from inside.

I thought I would break down crying again, pathetic as always.

But my eyes were so dry they had nothing left to give.

I picked up my phone and called the hospital.

Hi. Is it possible to move up my flight date? I can cover the cost myself.

The voice on the other end said yes.

I grabbed my suitcase and went straight to the airport, boarding a plane headed across the ocean.

One month later, I answered a call from an unknown number.

Maura, you've been away on your assignment for a month now. When are you coming back?