After I finally managed to separate them, I immediately checked Elvis for injuries.
"Miranda, you saw it yourself! Elvis threw the first punch!" Caesar shouted.
When I confirmed that Elvis only had some minor scrapes and nothing serious, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I saw what happened, so I'm apologizing on his behalf. We can call an ambulance if you need one, and we'll cover all your medical bills."
My cold tone made Caesar panic.
"Miranda, he attacked me first! I'm bleeding! Why are you taking his side?"
I soothed Elvis, who was clearly regretting his outburst, while responding to Caesar with obvious irritation. "He's my boyfriend. If I don't have his back, am I supposed to have yours?"
Caesar reached for my hand, but I stepped back out of his reach. The calm facade he'd been desperately maintaining finally shattered completely.
The look in his eyes was heartbreaking, but I felt absolutely nothing.

Elvis winced suddenly. "Miranda, my face is killing me."
I spun around to examine him more carefully. Elvis had a cut at the corner of his mouth that I'd missed before, and now, I could see it was actually bleeding.
I carefully cleaned the wound with a tissue. "This needs to be properly cleaned. Let me take you to get it looked at."
Elvis wrapped his arm around my waist. "A kiss would make it better."

I sighed and stood on my tiptoes, placing a gentle kiss near his wound. Caesar watched from the side without saying a word.
When he saw me fuss over Elvis while completely ignoring him, Caesar finally realized with painful clarity that I truly didn't love him anymore. What his friends had asked that day had actually come true—I wasn't coming back.
He'd always thought he was the one who could easily let go of these eight years. He'd assumed he was the one in control of our relationship. But in this moment, he understood that he was the person who couldn't let go.
I turned to leave with Elvis while Caesar stood frozen in place, watching me go.
As we walked further and further away, Caesar's presence in my life slowly faded. From today on, Caesar would just be another stranger passing by. I would never think of him again.
Elvis was so rattled by Caesar's appearance that he proposed to me the very next day. He'd initially wanted to wait until my favorite flowers were in full bloom before proposing, but seeing Caesar had given Elvis a sense of urgency.
"Miranda, we're never going to be apart again," he declared.
To put my mind at ease, Elvis even had a lawyer draft an agreement. If he ever cheated on me, I would get all of his assets, and he would be left with nothing. I was willing to trust Elvis because I believed I deserved to be loved.
On the day of my engagement party at Lake Cosmos, I received a package from home. It was the wedding dress Caesar had once given me, the one I'd cut to pieces.
He had restored it perfectly. It looked brand new, but I knew it would never be the same dress it once was.
Inside the dress box was also a card. "Miranda, I'll wait for you forever."
Elvis was beside me and saw the card too. He smiled confidently and planted a big kiss on my cheek.
"He'll never get that chance!" he said happily.
That night, both the dress and the card disappeared. I knew Elvis had thrown them away, but I didn't try to stop him.
…
In the second year of my marriage to Elvis, I gave birth to our little angel of a daughter. Not long after our daughter was born, Caesar sent over a bunch of expensive gifts.
I wasn't sure what to do with them, and Elvis was livid that Caesar still hadn't gotten the message. He definitely didn't handle it gracefully.
"Sure, these are nice, but our daughter deserves the best. We'll just give them to the nanny," Elvis said.
He still looked irritated. "The guy's stalking another man's wife and kid. I'm seriously tempted to have him taken care of."
I had to bite back a smile. "Why waste energy on someone else's drama?"
Those words—"someone else's drama"—immediately brightened Elvis's mood. He scooped me up and spun me around.
I threw my arms around his neck, laughing until my sides hurt. He kept spinning until I was practically dizzy.
When he finally set me down, I was still catching my breath, and my cheeks were completely flushed. Elvis swallowed hard as he watched me.
"Sweetie, let's have the nanny watch the baby tonight. I think we should turn in early. I promise I'll make it worth your while."