I See the Face He Truly Loves Chapter 11
On the evening of the final day of the exhibition, I stood in the middle of the exhibition hall by myself.
“First Meeting” glimmered under the spotlights.
I had written a short note on the display plaque of the necklace.
“Dedicated to the person I met when I was seven years old. He took up residence in my heart for a long time, but he eventually moved away. I’m the one who remains in the house now.”
I turned and left the hall after standing before the necklace for a long time.
The sky had already darkened, and the streetlights were starting to turn on.
From a distance, I saw Dominic’s car at the entrance of the parking lot. He stood next to my car, looking like he had been waiting for a long time. He was still wearing the same gray coat.
I approached him.
“Cassandra.”
I hummed in response.
“I visited your exhibition. You did a wonderful job. I looked at that necklace for a long time.”
“Thank you.”
Dominic fell silent for a few moments before he spoke again. “Have you been living well in the past year?”
“I have. What about you?”
“I’ve been alright.”
I knew Dominic was lying. He had lost an alarming amount of weight, and his cheekbones were protruding sharply from his face. He had also lost the light in his eyes.
But he had also learned how to iron his own shirts, ensure that his collar was straight, and match his cufflinks. He finally remembered the things I hoped he would remember, but he only did so after I left.
“I’ll be going now,” he said.
“Okay.”
Dominic turned and walked off. I stared at his retreating back. The wind sent the hem of his coat fluttering in the air.
“Dominic,” I called.
Dominic turned to look at me while I approached him and stood before him.
“Let me touch you one last time.”
Dominic was briefly stunned before he slowly offered his hand. His fingers were trembling.
I closed my eyes as I let my fingertips brush against his palm. I could feel his heartbeat.
Dominic still loved me, but that space in his heart remained empty. Not because Tiana had taken over, but because I had chosen to abandon it. He had finally cleared out his heart, but I was already gone.
I opened my eyes.
“What did you see?” he asked.
“Nothing. It’s empty,” I answered with a smile.
I didn’t tell Dominic the truth. I could see that his heart was overflowing with remorse and filled with nothing but.
my name.
But he didn’t need to know that. He needed to learn how to live with the empty space in his heart, just like how I had once lived while wearing two different masks.
I pulled my hand away, turned around, and got into my car.
Dominic stood rooted to the spot as he watched me drive out of the parking lot.
I watched him stand in place through the rearview mirror. His figure continued shrinking until he became a single, gray dot.
He didn’t chase after me this time.
Later, Michelle told me that Dominic never ever took off “First Meeting”.
Once, during a gathering, someone who had too much to drink asked him why he wore the necklace every day.
He explained that there wasn’t a particular reason. He simply wore it to remember someone.
Michelle also said that he was probably never going to remarry in this lifetime.
1 stood before the window in the studio. The rows of streetlights were lit up. A few children were running around, the sounds of their laughter echoing in the air.
“Well, that’s his problem,” I said.
The sun completely disappeared below the horizon.
I turned on the lights and looked at my design drafts for the next season. I had written a short note in the introductory panel.
“The sun will still rise even when you’re alone.”
I placed down my pen and picked up my phone. I scrolled through my contact list and noticed that Dominic’s number was still blacklisted.
I closed my contact list and placed my phone down on the desk. I saw my face reflected on the screen when it darkened.
Only my face was clearly reflected.
