It was the seventh year of my marriage to Chloe when her rich first love came back home.He had a face that looked strikingly similar to mine, almost as if he were my shadow.At the class reunion, he cornered me in the restroom, his voice dripping with condescension: “Tell me, every night when she sleeps next to you, is she thinking of you or me?”
I couldn’t hold back. My fist flew.But Chloe, of all people, screamed at me, her voice laced with fury, “Why don’t you just drop dead?!”She had no idea. I was, indeed, dying.At the class reunion, Chloe’s first love, Liam, made his grand return.He was now a wildly successful man. Amidst a chorus of fawning compliments, he stepped past our old classmates and went straight to Chloe, greeting her with a simple, “Long time no see.”Just those four words, and Chloe’s eyes instantly welled up, turning blazing red.Our classmates chuckled, starting to stir the pot, “All these years, and Liam still only has eyes for Chloe!””If Chloe had married Liam back then, she’d be Mrs. Thorne by now. She wouldn’t have to run that small company.”
“Honestly, Chloe, it’s not too late to get a divorce now!””…”The room buzzed with gossip, all centered around Liam and Chloe.Meanwhile, I, Chloe’s husband, sat off to the side, feeling like nothing more than a part of the background.I studied Liam.He had a face that looked surprisingly similar to mine, almost like a mirror image.Deep down, I’d always known. I was just a replacement Chloe had found.I used to swear to myself that I would spend the rest of my life making Chloe truly fall in love with me. But now –Now, I was dying.
