THE GREEN-EYED LENS
Fay knew she was crossing a line, but she couldn't stop. The clinical, logical side of her brain the part that performed complex heart surgeries was being drowned out by a sharp, stinging curiosity.
She picked her phone back up, the screen illuminating her face in the dark room. She didn't just look at the beach photo again, she tapped on Sofia's profile. If Kei was the "Ghost," then Sofia was the key to the Ghost's world.
As she scrolled, the jealousy began to settle in her chest like lead.
The First Post: A video of Kei and Sofia running into the ocean, screaming and laughing like teenagers. Sofia caught Kei by the waist, swinging her around in the shallow water. They looked so synchronized, so comfortable.
The Second Post: A "Story" showing a close-up of two tropical cocktails clinking together. The caption read: "Finally, some quality time with my favorite person. No distractions, just us."
The Third Post: A candid shot of Kei sleeping on a beach chair, her head resting on Sofia's shoulder. Sofia had added a heart emoji over the image.
Fay's grip on her phone tightened. She felt a hot, prickling sensation behind her eyes. Is that how it is? she thought bitterly. I throw a cake and she just runs off to a private paradise with her "best friend"?
Fay began to dissect every detail of Sofia's feed. She noticed how often Sofia was in the background of Kei's life at car launches at K-Street openings at private dinners. Sofia was there for the victories Fay had missed. Sofia was there for the ten years Fay had spent being angry.
"She looks so much better without me," Fay whispered, her voice trembling.
She felt like an outsider looking through a frost-covered window. For weeks, Fay had enjoyed the power of being the one to say "Go away." But seeing Kei so happy, so relaxed and so close to someone else made that power feel like ashes.
She scrolled back to a photo of Kei laughing at the dinner table. There was no mention of a "grumpy doctor." No mention of a hospital. No mention of the city at all. It was as if Fay Sterling didn't exist in Kei's sunny, luxury-filled world.
"You said you wouldn't give up," Fay muttered to the image of Kei's smiling face. "You said you'd stay. But one vacation with Sofia and you've already forgotten everything?"
The jealousy was irrational and Fay knew it. She was the one who had screamed at Kei to leave. She was the one who had shattered the birthday cake. But seeing Kei actually obeying her and finding joy elsewhere felt like a second abandonment.
Fay reached the end of Sofia's recent posts and stared at a photo of the two women standing on the Cliffside, silhouettes against the moon. They looked like they belonged together.
With a hiss of frustration, Fay threw her phone across the bed. She couldn't stand the sight of the blue water and the happy smiles anymore. She had wanted peace, but this wasn't peace it was the realization that while she was busy holding onto her hate, the rest of the world, including Kei, was moving on.