CHOICES - by Vivian Ikhomiya

Chapter 9 The house had never been that quiet.Even after Stella left, no one moved.The front door had closed minutes ago, yet it still felt as though her presence lingered in every corner of the room. Kelvin stood frozen. His eyes remained fixed on the door she'd walked through.The woman he loved had just ended their engagement.And for the first time...He believed her.His mother was the first to break the silence. "Well," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "if she's willing to throw away a marriage over something this small, then perhaps she wasn't the right woman for you after all." Kelvin slowly turned to look at her.Something about those words unsettled him.Something didn't feel right anymore.His father sighed quietly but said nothing.Just then, the front door opened.Anita walked in with two shopping bags in her hands.The cheerful smile on her face faded the moment she noticed the tension in the room. "What happened?" she asked, looking from one face to another. Kelvin didn't answer.His mother answered for him. "Stella called off the wedding." Anita gasped. "What?" "No..." She covered her mouth in apparent shock. "I'm so sorry." Kelvin nodded absentmindedly. "I just need to be alone." Without waiting for anyone's response, he grabbed his car keys and walked out.The sound of the front door echoed through the house.As soon as he was gone, Anita let out a quiet sigh. "What a shame," she murmured. His mother scoffed. "It was for the best." "If Stella couldn't handle this family now, she wouldn't have handled marriage." Anita slowly sat beside her. "I honestly tried to make her feel welcome." "I even defended her several times." His mother reached over and squeezed her hand. "I know, my dear." "You did more than enough." "You've always cared about this family." Anita lowered her eyes, hiding the small smile threatening to appear.For the first time...She believed the obstacle standing between her and the future she wanted was gone. Days turned into weeks.Weeks turned into months.Kelvin barely visited his parents anymore.When he did, he wasn't the same man.He no longer laughed as easily.He no longer stayed for dinner.He always seemed distracted.One Sunday afternoon, his mother brought up Stella again. "I heard she's still living with her parents." Kelvin remained silent.His mother continued. "She'll come around eventually." "It's not too late." Kelvin looked up. "No." His mother frowned. "What do you mean, no?" "She isn't coming back." "How do you know that?" He looked down at the untouched cup of tea in front of him. "Because if she wanted to..." He swallowed hard. "...she would've answered my messages." His mother blinked. "Messages?" "I thought you never called her." "I didn't." "I waited." "I thought giving her space was the right thing to do." His voice was heavy with regret. "But after she ended everything..." "I called." "I texted." "I went to her apartment." "She was gone." His mother opened her mouth to speak, but Kelvin interrupted. "You told me she'd come back." The room fell silent. "You told me to let her leave." His mother shifted uncomfortably. "I was only trying to—" "I know." He gave a sad smile. "You were trying to help." The words sounded painfully familiar. It was the same excuse he had repeated to Stella. Only now... He finally understood how much damage those words had done.

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