Ephemeral

It was summer, and the sun was blazing in the sky.

Rhonda Horton was handing out leaflets at the entrance of a shopping mall.

Just then, she saw a young man and woman walking hand in hand into the shopping mall nearby.

Rhonda's eyes widened when she realized it was her boyfriend, Santino Byrne, and her best friend, Cristina Grey.

Santino had told her that he was going for an interview today. She wondered what he was doing here.

Rhonda's lungs constricted. She hurriedly followed them.

However, she lost sight of them when she entered the mall.

Rhonda frantically ran around. Just then, her phone rang with a message. It was a transaction notification of her credit card.

Santino had bought a piece of jewelry worth 49, 998 dollars.

Rhonda let out a startled gasp. It was almost half of her annual income.

She soon darted to the jewelry counter and saw a saleswoman sliding a flashy diamond ring on Cristina's slender ring finger.

The diamond on the ring was big and exquisite. It was the same one Rhonda had been dreaming about for a long time.

Her mind went blank when she saw the contented smile on Cristina's face.

Santino had gotten fired six months ago. He had been staying in her place, using her money to meet his needs. Bile rose in Rhonda's throat. How dare he use her money to buy a diamond ring for another woman?

She wasn't a pushover.

Rhonda sprinted over, grabbed the ring from Cristina's hand, and handed it to the saleswoman.

"Sorry. I want to return this ring."

"What the hell are you doing, Rhonda? I just bought this ring. What right do you have to return it?" Cristina bellowed.

Rhonda lost her cool. She glared at the woman and slapped her across her face.

"What are you doing?" Meantime, Santino returned from the cash counter. He protectively held Cristina in his arms and shouted at Rhonda.

"What's the matter with you? I spent only a couple of dollars from your account. Aren't you ashamed of being so stingy?" Santino looked at her with undisguised disgust.

Rhonda looked at him in disbelief. Betrayal, anger, and humiliation surged within her.

"You hooked up with my friend and spent my hard-earned money on her. Now you are asking me if I'm not ashamed of myself?"

"Yes, I'm with Cristina. What can you do? Look at yourself." He scrunched his nose up in disgust. "No man will love you!"

Rhonda had been saving up every penny for the past six months to support Santino. She had stopped buying skincare products and new clothes. Her clothes were old, and her skin had lost its glow. But for all the sacrifices, she only got heartbreak and betrayal in return.

A crowd of people gathered around them. Santino angrily threw the credit card and receipt at Rhonda's face.

"Here! Take it! It's obvious you only care about money. I've had enough of you!"

Rhonda's face hurt as the card grazed her skin, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

"Rhonda, a woman like you will only end up dying alone. No man can stand you." With that, Santino took Cristina's hand and left the mall.

Rhonda picked up the card and receipt on the floor, completed the refund procedure, and went straight back to the apartment she and Santino lived in.

This apartment had two bedrooms. She and Santino had been living in separate rooms all this while.

Rhonda used to think Santino was a gentleman who respected her. Thinking back, it all seemed ridiculous.

As soon as she returned to the apartment, she began packing Santino's luggage. Rhonda was determined to kick him out today.