I waited by the roadside for three hours.
Not a single car passed, not a single message came through. Just silence.
Eventually, I gave up and ducked beneath the canopy of a roadside shelter, the cold seeping into my skin. Night fell slowly, cruelly. The only thing I received from Drew was a video Laura posted online.
In it, a full moon lit the sky like a watchful eye. Drew was holding Laura's arm, steadying her as she tried to light a firework. He was smiling. Laughing voices rang out behind them—happy, unbothered.
Then someone off-screen shouted:
"Drew, aren't you going to pick Sienna up? The feast at the amusement park is about to begin. She's going to miss it!"
Drew froze. The lighter paused midair. The firework slipped from Laura's hands and rolled to the ground. The laughter stopped.
He looked torn. Guilty.
Then, after a heavy silence, he muttered, "It'll be fine if I'm late. Sienna's understanding. She won't be mad."
I didn't finish the video. I didn't need to.
The amusement park was only three hours away, yet eight had passed—and still, no Drew.
I rose to my feet, slowly, and slid the engagement ring from my finger. I didn't cry. I didn't speak. I simply pocketed it like it was just another thing I no longer needed.
The man I was waiting for… he didn't exist anymore.
Whatever ceremony we were meant to have—it wasn't happening.
---
The celebration stretched long into the night. Fireworks lit the sky until midnight. Tents popped up across the grass. Laughter, music, warmth—just not for me.
And not for Laura, either. Not for long.
When she and her daughter Anne tried to step into a tent, they were stopped—by my friend.
"Get out. This tent was for Sienna. You're not welcome here."
Laura stood frozen, tentless. Drew scrambled, trying to find shelter for them, but the park was already full. No more tents. No more room. No more excuses.
Tears glistened in Laura's eyes.
"Sienna must be mad… That's why she's acting this way, isn't it? This is my fault. If I hadn't been too scared to light the fireworks… if Anne hadn't begged so hard to stay… you would've gone to get her. We don't belong here. We should leave."
Drew's breath hitched—not because of her words. Because he remembered me. Remembered he had left me behind.
He stood up fast. Urgent. Ready to run. But then he looked at Laura and Anne, standing there with nowhere to go.
His resolve cracked.
He couldn't leave them.
He grabbed Laura's wrist gently.
"Enough. This isn't your fault. If Sienna's mad… she's mad at me. Take my tent. I'll drive back."
He handed Laura and Anne off to his friends, didn't even take his bag. Just turned and started walking toward the car.
He was already late—but his pace was quick. Intentional.
Then Laura called after him.
"I'll come with you. If Sienna's upset, I can explain."
He hesitated—then nodded.
He thought I wouldn't leave until he came. That I'd need someone to talk me down.
He didn't realize I'd already seen enough.
But Anne, being so young, couldn't make the ride without her toys, her blankets, her things. Packing took another hour.
And Drew—impatient, restless Drew—sat in that car and waited the whole time. For her.
On the road, Laura fed him cookies so he could keep both hands on the wheel. She filmed that, too. Posted it.
I saw everything—every second of their drive together. I watched all of it. Then I saved the videos to my phone.
And I sent Drew one final message:
"I've gone home. Don't come back for me. Have fun."