Chapter 7
Asteria bought her last ice cream by nightfall and strolled out of the amusement park.
She sat on a nearby bench, savoring the ice cream, her eyes tracing the constellations
above.
The night sky was her sanctuary, the one constant she could always count on.
During the countless times she’d been cast out of her home, young Primo always held her hand, lying together on the grass, watching the stars.
But it no longer mattered. People around. her would come and go, but the sky would remain unchanged.
No matter where Asteria went, the stars above always shone for her.
Once she finished the ice cream, she stood up to head home. Just as she prepared to
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leave, a message from Yesha appeared under the twinkling sky.
[Dad’s sweet and sour fish is amazing; you must’ve never tried it.]
Asteria clicked open the video. The two families sat down to dinner, the table decorated with festive double happiness. symbols.
In the center of it all, Primo and Yesha sat, the picture of joy as they discussed the wedding, laughter echoing around them.
Asteria didn’t let Yesha‘ s petty games upset her; after all, she‘ d endured far
worse.
Instead, she found it almost laughable.
The wedding? Whose wedding were they really talking about?
Was it hers, or was it Yesha‘ s?
Without a second thought, Asteria deleted and blocked Yesha, then opened her chat
with Primo.
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The last time they had spoken was a week
ago.
Asteria scrolled through the endless chat history, her eyes skimming over messages she had sent, each one an attempt to share something of herself with Primo.
She had poured her thoughts into those messages, from grand plans to the smallest details, like what she had for lunch.
But Primo rarely replied, and when he did, his words were all about Yesha.
Asteria felt her desire to message him slip
away.
After all, with no response for so long, why continue trying?
When it rang, she was about to slip her phone back into her pocket. Primo‘ s
name flashed on the screen.
o are vo
Why aren’t you home.
yet? It’s so late; why haven’t you come
back?”
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Primo’s voice held a hint of reproach as though she were the one at fault.
Asteria glanced at the clock; it was already
8:20 p.m. She couldn’t understand why he was so eager for her return.
Primo often worked late, sometimes. disappearing for the entire night.
Every time, Asteria would leave a light on for him, waiting in silence.
If he’d been drinking, no matter how exhausted or aching, Asteria would always make him hangover soup.
But what had he ever done for her?
She couldn’t recall a single thing, and irritation began to creep into her voice.
“Can’t I have a life of my own?”
The words slipped out before she could stop them, and suddenly, she remembered Primo had once said the same thing to her.
There had been a time, not too long ago,
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when Primo hadn‘ t returned home, and when she couldn’t reach him, Asteria had panicked, searching for him in the pouring rain.
It was then that Primo had coldly spoken those very words to her.
At that moment, she realized that love and indifference often hid in the smallest of details, and she had loved so deeply in the past that she hadn’t noticed the quiet signs of distance.
Now, Primo’s voice softened, a tinge of regret lacing his words.
“Asteria, it’s been so many days since I’ve seen you. I miss you.”
“Tomorrow we’re getting married. I‘ m just worried something might happen to you. Please don‘ t be mad, where are you? I’ll come pick you up.”
Seeing Primo’s message, Asteria didn’t respond with much more than a simple
share of her location.
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It wasn’t long before he arrived, the roar of his favorite Cayenne cutting through the night air.
