THE DIGITAL GHOST
While the ocean breeze was washing over the coast, the air in the city felt stagnant and heavy. Fay sat in her darkened home office, the only light coming from the blue glare of her phone screen. She told herself she was checking medical journals. She told herself she was looking for updates on a new surgical technique.
But her thumb kept drifting.
Against her better judgment, Fay opened her social media. She hadn't searched for Kei's name in years or so she told herself but the algorithm knew her better than she knew herself. There, at the top of her feed, was a post from Sofia.
It was a carousel of photos tagged at a private beach villa.
Fay's heart did a strange, painful flip. The first photo was of a sunset, but the second one… the second one stopped Fay's breath. It was a candid shot of Kei. She was sitting on a wooden deck, her hair windswept and messy, wearing a simple white shirt. She wasn't looking at the camera, she was laughing with Sofia with a half-eaten grilled prawn in her hand.
She looked happy. She looked peaceful. She looked nothing like the woman who had stood in the rain or the woman who had been chased out of a library with a shattered cake.
Fay scrolled to the next photo. It was a group shot of Kei, Sofia and their mothers. They were all smiling, surrounded by the glow of fairy lights and the remains of a massive seafood feast.
@Sofia_V:Finally dragged the CEO out of her cave. 🌊 Seafood, sunshine and zero emails allowed. Sorry not sorry, Luz Group! 💅 #BeachDays #KStreetQueen #Recharging
Fay stared at the tag: @Kei_Luz_Official.
"So that's where you went," Fay whispered to the empty room.
She felt a sharp, bitter pang of jealousy. It wasn't just that Kei was at a beautiful beach; it was that Kei looked so whole without her. Fay had spent the last two weeks convinced that she was the one holding all the power, the one who had successfully pushed the "nuisance" away. But seeing Kei surrounded by family and laughter made Fay realize she was the one sitting alone in the dark with a cold cup of tea.
"I don't miss her," Fay said out loud, her voice sounding thin and unconvincing. "I'm glad she's gone. The hospital is quiet. My life is back to normal."
She looked back at the photo of Kei's laugh. Fay remembered the sound of that laugh from ten years ago it was bright, loud and completely honest. She hadn't heard Kei laugh like that since she returned.
Fay's thumb hovered over the 'Follow' button on Kei's account. Her pulse thudded in her ears. If she followed her, it would be a white flag. It would mean she cared.
With a hiss of frustration, Fay locked her phone and threw it onto the sofa. She stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the cold city lights. She tried to think about her surgery schedule for Monday, but all she could see was the orange glow of a beach sunset and the way Kei's eyes crinkled when she was truly happy.
"She's probably not even thinking about me," Fay muttered, gripping the windowsill.
She was wrong, of course. But as Fay stood there denying the ache in her chest, she realized that the silence she had fought so hard for was starting to feel a lot like a prison.