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Rose had moved into a new apartment with her stuff, the wedding ring no longer on her finger but sitting on her shelf. She had gotten a job as a barista at a local coffee shop and was making enough to get by |
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Caden never wore his, destroyed it two nights after the hospital when he'd gotten drunk. His and Rose's divorce was everywhere on the media, the court date arriving and Caden dismissing all the cameras and reporters. |
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Rose was ignoring the divorce after signing the papers and such. She didn't date, didn't sleep with anyone, just got by before going home and crying every night |
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After they were dismissed and the divorce was finalized, Caden went back home. That night he gazed at the empty spot beside him on the bed, the way he was cold without her arms around him or anywhere near him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. The man drifted off, caught up in his thoughts. |
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Tonight was no different from others: Rose went home, had dinner, laid down, and cried herself to sleep. She woke with a headache and headed to work. His words before he drove off resonated in her head daily, breaking her all over again |
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Caden's fame and success had been plastered everywhere, him standing next to famous figures yet always holding the same hollow expression. Day after day would he get up and stare in at his reflection, unwell at the thing he had become. He'd laugh at the right jokes, nod in the right places, pretend everything was alright while the inside was crumbling with the weight of the world too heavy for one man to hold. Each night he came home more tired, until...he met her. It was in a small town bar a hour or two from Phoenix. She was blonde, had green eyes, and was sipping on a glass of Scotch. Caden slid onto the stool beside her, offering to pay her tab when the two started talking. He got her number, driving back home feeling satisfied for the first time in a really, really long time. |
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Rose slowly removed every piece and thought of Caden from her life, starting with the ring, then the photos, then the thoughts about him. She gotten drunk a few times now and had been taken home by some guys but never too serious that a one night stand. She usually left by 4am and never talked to the guy again. She didn't want to date anyone, just needed someone to help her with the tension |
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He'd gotten rid of Rose completely, the rose tattooed to the back of his hand? Covered up with another. The ring he always wore that had C+R engraved? Tossed into the lake. The spot beside him on his bed? Filled with another. |
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Rose began spiraling when not even one night stands could get her...content at least. Nothing made her happy and she didn't try to make friends. She thought about attempting multiple times, even holding a blade to her wrist before her phone rang and interrupted her |
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Caden got stranded one night, calling Rose from a payphone. "Hey it's me, yeah I know you probably didn't think i'd contact you again but here I am. I got stranded, so i'm leaving you this from some payphone. I found a girl, her name's Kylie. She's really nice, i'm hoping you've found somebody, too. That's all I have to say, I guess. Bye." He left it as a voicemail, grabbing a taxi. |
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Sunny
