My True North After Their Deceit

savings funding my boyfriend'

were buildi

rprise him with a proposal at his g

Janessa-my best fr

sed on t

e hospital, the nigh

innocently

t like when their dog got sick. They' ve been such

od ran

he had finally dumped his "ATM machine" to m

"emergency" transfer, had

dress I bought her while ac

pital room, ready to ga

the naive g

e on his phone, and prepared to burn t

pte

as I saw him on one knee, not for me, but for her. My world, built on four years of unwaveri

. He was Eric Williams, my boyfriend, studying law thousands of miles away in sunny California. Our

ting presence. "He talks about you all the time." She was Eric's classmate, my eyes and ears in California, the bridge that

rd statements were a testament to my belief in our future: flights, rent, groceries, study materials-every expense meticulous

calls, his voice thick with a tenderness that always melted my heart. "You're m

gar mama is happy. Gotta keep the ATM machine functional, right?" It was a

ox in my hand, a diamond glinting within, ready to surprise him with a proposal, to solidify our future once and for al

hter and camera flashes exploded around a focal point, drawing me closer. I pushed th

y Eric. He was there, i

over me, but it wasn't motion sickness. It w

on on

sn't look

a woman standing before him, her face

ng to deny the horrifying tableau unfolding before me. I squeezed my eyes shut, willi

d, stark and undeniable. Eric, my boyfriend

ees buckled. It felt like my lungs had forgotten how to breathe, like my heart had stopped be

r me. "Janessa, my love, you are the most incredible woman I have ever known. These past three

aying his bills, flying across the country, planning our future, he was telling her she was th

ousand times yes, Eric!" She threw her arms around him, a triumphant

e I had picked out, paid for, and shipped to her last month, believing it was for the graduation gala she claimed

hands trembled, the velvet box slipping from my nerveless fingers, clattering to the ground, its contents spi

buried in his shoulder. "I knew you'd propose, h

to Janessa's finger. A different ring. Not the one I' d bought for him, the expensive watch I' d

ult. "They're so perfect together!" someone gushed beside me. "Known each other forever, alway

mpus sweethearts. Everyone knew they'd get mar

e with the force of a physical blow. The flowers I held, meant for a joyful celebration, slipped from my grasp, falling to the ground like my sh

inous grey. A suffocating pressure built in my head, then a dizzying rush. My legs gave out. The last thing I heard befo

the antiseptic smell of a hospital room, the soft beeping of machines

tly, her voice calm. "Panic attack, brought on

ately fumbled for my phone, my fingers shaking as I tried to dial Eric. No answer. I tried again

ense of this nightmare. I called, but it went straight to voicemail.

, hot and stinging, landing on the screen of my phone, smudging

, huh? I heard about what happened. That sweet young man, Eric, proposing to his girlfriend, Janessa. Such a lovely couple. Always so atte

d told me he was sick last winter, that he had been worried sick about his dog. He had called me

ys together, always so in love. Everyone on campus knew they were meant to be. Such a big surprise for the

They'll be here

bitter contrast to the reality that was slowly, painfully, sinking in. The nurse's innocent words ha