A True Goodbye Leaves Without a Farewell Brief My girlfriend, Sienna Lawson, had been abroad for three months. On the day she returned, she walked out of the airport arm in arm with a man who looked strikingly similar to me. That man was none other than her ex-boyfriend, Garrett Cain. The tenderness she showed him was something I had never seen before. It was then I realized I had been a stand-in for five years. So, I chose to leave and disappear from her life. In the end, Sienna, unable to find me, lost her mind. Content Watching Sienna step off the plane with Garrett Cain, the bouquet and umbrella in my hands slipped to the ground without me even noticing. Cold raindrops pelted my face, but they were nothing compared to the icy chill in my heart. I had seen a picture of Garrett in a suit on Sienna’s phone once. He looked a lot like me—maybe a 70% resemblance. But I knew I wasn’t in the photo; I never wore suits. Sienna had explained back then that she’d Photoshopped my face onto the image. Even before I started dating her, I knew she had an ex who looked like me. But after we got together, I figured the past was the past. She was with me now. Seeing Garrett in person, though, everything clicked. I’d been a substitute for five years. Friends who knew Garrett used to tease me: “Ryan, your style—your clothes, hair—it’s starting to look a lot like Sienna’s ex-boyfriend Garrett’s.” I had laughed it off then, thinking they were joking. Looking back now at everything Sienna had done, the truth hit me. In our five years together, she had me cut my hair the way she liked, dress the way she wanted, and eat the foods she liked. But it wasn’t until today, when I saw Garrett with my haircut, wearing clothes like mine, and holding the very same soda crackers that Sienna always encouraged me to snack on, that it all made sense. Standing in the rain, I felt like the fool in a viral internet meme. I had loved her for five years. I had been Garrett’s stand-in for five years. No wonder she went on frequent “business trips” abroad, sometimes for weeks. This time, it was three whole months. Because Garrett had been abroad all this time. During those three months, Sienna barely contacted me. I always sent “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” and “Good night,” sharing every detail of my day. Her replies were always the same: “Yeah” or “Okay.” It was exhausting. I picked up the roses I’d dropped, looked at Sienna and Garrett laughing together, and let out a self-deprecating chuckle. They were a perfect match. I set the bouquet on a nearby public bench and drove home. Once home, I took a hot shower to prevent a cold from being drenched in the rain, then collapsed into bed. Predictably, I woke up the next day with a fever and pounding headache. After taking cold medicine and notifying my boss I’d take the day off, I planned to rest. That’s when Sienna came home. She walked in and looked at me, surprised. “Why didn’t you go to work?” I glanced at her. “I took a sick day.” She dropped her shopping bag on the couch, sat down, and demanded, “Why didn’t you pick me up yesterday? I told you to.” My head throbbed, and I didn’t want to argue. “I’ve been busy. Forgot.” She turned her head away in a huff, a familiar gesture to coax me into apologizing. In the past, I’d rush to make things right within hours. But now, I didn’t see the point. The fever and exhaustion made me want only to sleep. I left her sulking and went to lie down. Minutes later, furious, she barged into my room and threw the shopping bag onto the bed. “I thought about you the whole time I was away. I ought you all these clothes, and you treat me like this?” I glanced at the bag’s contents and let out a bitter laugh. Of course. They were precisely Garrett’s style.
Seeing that I didn’t even bother opening the bag, she snapped, “Fine! Ignore me, huh? Don’t talk to me anymore! The company just opened a branch in Riverside, and you’re going there. You won’t see me for six months!” I paused, then understood. Garrett was back, and she wanted me out of the way. It suited me perfectly. I had been thinking about leaving anyway. Now, she’d given me the excuse. “Sure,” I said. “I’ll pack and leave right now.” She looked at me, stunned, not expecting me to agree so readily. I had clung to him for five years, desperate to spend every moment together. Whenever she went on trips, I’d practically beg to stay on the phone all day just to hear her voice. To her, I couldn’t function without her. Dragging my feverish body, I started packing. The effort left me coughing violently, my head spinning. Sienna frowned and rushed to steady me. “Are you okay?” I pushed her hand away. “I’m fine. Just caught a little rain.” I continued packing as she stood there, conflicted. After a moment, she offered, “Why don’t you wait a few days? I’ll drive you. You’re not well.” I cut her off. “No need. It’s just a cold.” Grabbing my toiletries, I returned to find my suitcase ransacked. Sienna glared at me. “Why didn’t you pack the new clothes I bought? You’re just taking your old, ugly stuff?” I calmly reorganized the bag. “I’m used to my old clothes. They’re comfortable.” “I didn’t know you’d be home so early. There’s no breakfast. Order takeout yourself. I’m leaving.” I set the house and car keys on the coffee table, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out. I had arrived with nothing. I was leaving the same way. Downstairs, as I waited for a ride, Sienna ran after me, breathless. “I’ll drive you,” she said. “The bus will be uncomfortable, and I need to check on the branch anyway.” The trip wasn’t far—just over 200 kilometers. No flights were available, and she hadn’t booked a train ticket for me. I’d have to take a cramped bus, which wasn’t ideal given my fever. I was about to agree when a black sedan pulled up. A man wearing sunglasses stepped out.
It was Garrett Cain. He walked up to Sienna Lawson, flashing her a warm smile. “Sienna, I’m here to drive you to work.” Then his gaze shifted to me. “And you must be… Ryan Lander? You do look quite a bit like me. Sienna mentioned it before, and I didn’t believe her. Now I do.” Sienna looked at me, a flicker of panic in her expression. She started to explain, “Ryan, this is—” I cut her off with a cold smile. “No need for introductions. I know him—the first picture in your phone’s ‘favorites’ album.” Of course, I recognized him. I had been his stand-in for five years. Her album only had two photos: one of Garrett and another of her and Garrett. Garrett laughed. “Didn’t expect you to keep my pictures, Sienna. To be fair, I didn’t delete yours either. Sometimes, late at night, I still look at them.” Sienna shot him a warning glare, clearly uneasy with me standing there. Garrett shrugged, unfazed, the two bantering like a couple deeply in love. And me? I was the extra in their little reunion. Garrett suddenly said, “Oh, Sienna, that luncheon at the Regency Grand Hotel this afternoon. We need to get there early to prep. You didn’t forget, did you?” Sienna slapped her forehead, looking torn. “I almost did! But I need to drive Ryan to Riverside…” She hesitated for a moment before glancing at me apologetically. “Ryan, the luncheon is crucial. Maybe you could—” “Go ahead. I’ll get there myself,” I interrupted, not giving her a chance to finish. A luncheon, huh? It is just an excuse to throw Garrett a welcome-back party. I had left a high-level corporate job to help her with her fledgling company. I remember the night she took me out for fried skewers by the roadside, and I spent no more than $20. And now, Garrett returns, and she books the city’s most luxurious hotel for him. Even the cheapest dish there costs thousands. It wasn’t the roadside food I minded. It wasn’t even the glorious celebration. It was realizing that five years of genuine love had been for nothing. As a cab pulled up, I waved it down, got in, and left. From the rearview mirror, I saw Garrett hand Sienna a dress she took with a shy smile before getting into his car. She didn’t spare a glance at the cab I had taken. There wasn’t even a text on my phone. But I didn’t care anymore. Rolling down the window, I let the morning breeze wash over me as I took one last look at the city I had stayed in for Sienna. Goodbye. No—good riddance. I would never return. Not for Sienna. Not for this city. I felt no attachment to either. As the saying goes, when you love someone, it’s soul-crushing. But when you despise them, everything about them—including where they live—becomes unbearable. The fever had me feeling lightheaded and sick to my stomach. Taking a long bus ride in this condition would probably kill me, so I asked the cab driver to take me across state lines. He agreed, for a price. When we arrived, the driver woke me up. “Where to exactly?” he asked. Groggy and feverish, I shook my head. “I don’t have a place yet.” The older man, probably in his fifties, looked at me with a hint of pity. “That young lady I saw earlier—your girlfriend, right? How could she let you travel while you’re this sick?” I shook my head again. “She’s not.” He didn’t press further, pulling out his phone and making a call before driving me toward town. I drifted off again. When I woke up, I was lying on a bed.
Still groggy, I felt an overwhelming thirst. I sat up, and just then, the door opened. A woman with a ponytail walked in, carrying a glass of water. She handed it to me with a small smile. “You must be thirsty. Here, drink some warm water.” I dumbly accepted the glass and downed it in two gulps. “Uh… is there more?” She stifled a laugh. “Of course, silly. It’s water—we’re not running out anytime soon.” She left and quickly returned with another glass, followed by the cab driver. The driver said, “I don’t know where you plan to work, but if you need a place to stay, this house is available for rent.” He explained that it was his old home, where he had lived with his family before they moved. After his daughter had a car accident that left her with mild brain trauma and depression, she couldn’t handle the noise and stress of the big city. He brought her back here, to this quiet little neighborhood. The area was serene, with courtyard-style houses. It suited me perfectly. I owed the man for helping me, so I rented the house and paid him three years’ rent upfront. The property was split into two small units connected by a walkway. His daughter, Cassidy Grace, lived on the left side, while I took the right. Before leaving, he said, “Take care of my daughter, will you?” I joked, “Aren’t you afraid I might run off with her?” He chuckled. “Kid, anyone who cries in their sleep for two hours isn’t someone I’d peg as a bad person.” I froze. So that’s why he’d asked earlier if Sienna was my girlfriend. With all his years of experience, this man had seen right through me. He took care of me while he asked me to look after Cassidy. She bought me medicine, made me meals, boiled water, and even gave me rides to work on her little electric scooter. Thankfully, my workplace was only a few miles away. I felt genuinely cared for for the first time, not coerced into compliance. During this time, Sienna didn’t call or text. I didn’t reach out either. Without her, life was better. It felt like I’d reclaimed the sunny, confident version of myself I had lost five years ago. Cassidy and I played badminton video games and spent time outdoors. I felt healthier than I had been sitting at a desk for years. She was forgetful as a result of the accident. Sometimes, she’d drop me off at work, only to return an hour late, thinking it was already time to pick me up. Her recovery would take time, possibly a lifetime. I had a friend in the medical field who had made significant breakthroughs. Once I resigned, I planned to take Cassidy to him for treatment. That was the least I could do to repay her kindness. One evening, as I lay in bed scrolling on my phone, I saw a new Instagram post from Sienna. It was a picture of her and Garrett at a hotel—he in a suit, she in a white gown. The caption read: “Powerhouse Collaboration: Here’s to the company’s future!” Anyone would’ve assumed it was a wedding photo if not for the background. Someone commented, “Wow, Ryan looks amazing in a suit! Never seen him dressed up like that.” Sienna replied: “That’s not Ryan. He’s… another friend of mine.”
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