Lisa sat on the edge of Estabel's couch, her hands trembling as she fidgeted with the corner of a cushion. The room felt cold and unfamiliar, despite the warmth of the midday sun streaming through the windows. A knot tightened in her stomach; this was the conversation she had been dreading since she made her decision in the hospital without consulting her best friend. This conversation might change everything between them.
Estabel walked in from the kitchen, two cups of coffee in hand. She handed one to Lisa, her usual warm smile present but distant, as if she sensed the weight of what was coming. "Alright, spill. You've been quiet since you walked in."
Lisa hesitated, staring at the coffee in her hands. Her thoughts were jumbled; every word she had rehearsed in her head was now scattered and lost. How was she supposed to explain this?
"I agreed to marry Brian again," Lisa finally said, her voice soft, barely a whisper.
Estabel froze, her cup hovering mid-air. "What? Marry Brian? But Linda—" Her confusion morphed into shock. "You can't be serious. Lisa, you can't marry Brian. He's in a vegetative state! And… he's with Linda, isn't he?"
"Not anymore," Lisa sighed, her chest tightening. "Linda doesn't want to be with him. I don't know how, but she managed to persuade Mrs. Priscilla to call off the marriage between her and Brian. She doesn't want to be tied to a man who might never wake up. But I—" Her voice faltered, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. "I agreed to take her place. Not like I agreed I offered to marry Brian instead."
Silence filled the room, stretching uncomfortably between them. Estabel set her cup down on the table, disbelief and frustration etched across her face. "You offered to do what? Lisa, this is madness! Are you okay? You're telling me you are going to marry a man who thinks you called off your engagement with him? Why would you do that? Why would you put yourself in a position where you're not valued? Do you think he would care about you when he wakes up?"
Lisa's voice trembled as she replied, "I know it sounds insane, but this is my chance to get him back. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. I know Linda stole him from me. She was never supposed to be with Brian, and everyone knew that."
Estabel's anger flared, her voice sharp as glass. "But, Lisa, you'll be marrying into a family that won't value you? They'll see you as nothing more than a convenient substitute. You'll be trapped! The Rowlands only care about their son, not you. Do you honestly think they're letting you in because they value your love for Brian or because they need a substitute?"
Lisa gripped the cushion tighter, nails digging into the fabric. She knew Estabel was right. But deep inside, the desire to be with Brian wouldn't let her walk away.
"I know they don't care about me," Lisa whispered, her gaze downcast. "But it's not about them. It's about Brian. He needs someone, Estabel. And that someone has to be me. I'm willing to endure whatever comes from his family if it means I would be with him."
Estabel shook her head, her eyes flashing with frustration and concern. "Do you hear yourself? This isn't some romantic sacrifice, Lisa. This is your life. You'll be married to a man who might never wake up, stuck with a family that will never see you as anything more than an obligation. And if he wakes up, he or his family will choose someone else over you. You deserve better than this."
Lisa wiped at her eyes, tears spilling over despite her best efforts to hold them back. "I don't know what I deserve anymore. All I know is that I can't walk away from him. Not now. Not when he needs someone the most."
Estabel's expression softened, yet anger simmered just beneath the surface. "And what about you? What happens to you in all this? You've always put others before yourself, but this… this is too much. You're sacrificing your entire future for a man who might never be able to appreciate or give you the love you deserve back. How can you live like that?"
"I don't know," Lisa admitted, her voice breaking. "I don't know how I'll manage, but I can't leave him. I love him, Estabel. I always have. Even when Linda took him from me, I still loved him. And now, when he's at his lowest, I need to show that I care about him. I can't abandon him. I just can't."
Estabel's eyes flashed with a mix of anger and sorrow. "So you're just going to let them use you? Let them see you as nothing more than a replacement. Lisa, you deserve to be someone's first choice, not a second option. You deserve better than this… than him."
Every word struck Lisa's heart like a dagger, but she couldn't turn back now. She had made her choice, and no matter how painful it was, she had to see it through. "I know you don't understand, but this is what I want. I need to do this."
Estabel stood abruptly, fists clenched at her sides. "No, Lisa. This isn't about what you need. This is about you being too afraid to walk away from something that's already broken. You're letting them trap you, making you believe this is your only choice. But it's not."
"I'm not afraid," Lisa insisted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm doing what's right, I only need your support."
Estabel's face twisted with hurt, disappointment flooding her features. "Then I can't watch you do this. I can't stand by and watch you throw your life away for a man who doesn't even know you're there."
Lisa felt as if the ground beneath her was crumbling. The one person who had always been by her side was about to walk away, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"Estabel, please," she whispered, her voice cracking.
But Estabel's expression hardened, her resolve set. "I'm sorry, Lisa. But I can't support this. I can't support you."
With that, Estabel turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving Lisa standing there, her heart shattered into a thousand pieces. The door closed with a soft click, but the sound echoed in Lisa's ears like a gunshot.
She had made her choice. And in doing so, she had lost her best friend.