“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what was real.”
That became the center of everything.
Darius did not only distrust Simone.
He distrusted his own judgment.
He replayed moments constantly.
Was she texting Devon then?
Was that late meeting real?
Did she mean it when she said she loved him?
Was the proposal ever real to her?
Was the engagement party real?
Was Miami real?
Dr. Bell stopped him one afternoon.
“You are allowing what she did later to rewrite every moment before it.”
“How am I supposed not to?”
“By understanding that humans are capable of contradiction.”
Darius stared at him.
“She may have loved you in Miami.”
“And cheated later.”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t need to.”
Darius hated that answer.
Eventually, he understood it.
Not every happy memory had been false simply because the relationship ended dishonestly.
Some things were real when they happened.
That mattered.
Six months passed.
Darius saw Simone once.
Not intentionally.
He was leaving a grocery store when she walked toward the entrance.
Both stopped.
Simone looked different.
Shorter hair.
No engagement ring.
Of course.
Darius realized he had not seen her face in months.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey.”
They stood awkwardly beside a row of shopping carts.
“How are you?”
“Good.”
Simone smiled slightly.
“You always say good when you don’t want to answer.”
Darius almost smiled too.
“You still know me.”
Her smile faded.
“Some things.”
Darius nodded.
“How are you?”
“Better.”
“I’m glad.”
She looked toward his cart.
“You still buy that terrible cereal.”
“It’s good.”
“It tastes like cardboard.”
“You ate it for five years.”
“Under protest.”
For a few seconds, they sounded like themselves.
The old selves.
Then reality returned.
Simone looked down.
“I’m still in therapy.”
Darius nodded.
“Me too.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah.”
A woman pushed a cart around them.
They stepped aside.
Simone said, “Devon and I haven’t spoken since that week.”
Darius looked at her.
“You don’t owe me that information.”
“I know.”
She swallowed.
“I just wanted you to know I didn’t leave you for him.”
Darius considered the sentence.
Months earlier it would have mattered.
Now it didn’t.
“I hope you didn’t end it for me either.”
Simone looked confused.
“What?”
“Whatever you’re changing.”
He met her eyes.
“Do it because you don’t want to live like that anymore.”
Her eyes filled slightly.
“I am.”
Darius nodded.
“Good.”
She looked at him.
“Do you hate me?”
He expected himself to hesitate.
He didn’t.
“No.”
Simone seemed surprised.
“I was angry enough to.”
“And now?”
“Now I mostly hope you learned something.”
She gave a sad smile.
“I learned a lot.”
Darius looked toward the store.
“I should go.”
“Yeah.”