The Changed Figure In The Photo

1
I own a Polaroid camera. It has a strange power: it can capture a photo of whoever a person will be with ten years in the future.
Teddy and I grew up together. We were classic childhood sweethearts. Ever since he learned to speak, he insisted he was going to marry me.
At six years old, he stuffed all his allowance into my hands. "Val, my dad says a man has to give all his money to the girl he loves."
At sixteen, he stayed up all night compiling a complete set of math study guides for me. "Valerie, as your future partner, your math grades are my responsibility!"
At eighteen, clutching a crumpled love letter, he confessed his feelings to me. "Val, I love you. I want to protect you for the rest of my life."
I smiled, took his letter, and we officially became a couple.
From then until now, it has been exactly twenty-five years. Over our time together, I took fifteen Polaroid photos of him. In every single one of those fifteen developed prints, the person standing right beside him was me.
In our seventh year of dating, while he was peeling shrimp for me at lunch, I snapped another photo on a whim. As the image slowly bled onto the white paper, my chest went cold.
This time, the person standing next to him had changed.
…
I stared at the photograph, my mind completely blank. In all these years, across sixteen photos, this was the first time a third person had ever appeared. My fingers trembled as I crumpled the edge of the print, keeping it tightly hidden in my palm.
I turned to look at Teddy. He was busy mixing my dipping sauce: two squeezed key limes, two spoonfuls of soy sauce, a dash of vinegar, and a pinch of sugar. He knew my exact taste.
"Here, Val. Time to eat."
Teddy opened a pack of disposable gloves and gently pulled them onto my hands. Then, he adjusted a cushion behind my back to make sure I was sitting comfortably.
Once he finished, he turned back to the counter to mix another bowl: one lime, two spoonfuls of chili oil, a heavy splash of vinegar, and a spoonful of minced garlic.
I froze. Neither Teddy nor I liked spicy food. But my friend, Gemma, did.
No wonder he had prepared such a massive portion of shrimp today. He had planned for her all along. He divided the peeled shrimp into two separate bowls: one for me, and one for her.
I couldn't recall when it had started, but lately, whenever Teddy got something for me, he would naturally get a duplicate for Gemma. Snacks, plushies, scarves, bracelets; it was always the same.
"Val, I'm going to run out for a bit to drop these off for Gemma," Teddy said.
My hands stilled. "Right now? Why don't you have lunch first?"
"I can't," he replied without hesitation, picking up the insulated bag and heading for the door. "Gemma likes them hot. If I eat first, they'll be cold by the time I get there. Go ahead and eat without me, I'll be right back."
The door clicked shut.
I sat in silence. Teddy had never said "I can't" to me before. Since we were kids, he had always listened to me. Our friends used to tease him about being completely whipped, but he would just puff out his chest and laugh.
"What do you guys know? Listening to your girl is the key to a happy life. Loving her is how a man succeeds!"
But now, for Gemma, he had pushed back against me for the first time.
The steam rose from the shrimp, the very meal I had begged for yesterday, but my appetite was completely gone. A sharp cramp bloomed in my abdomen. I pulled off the plastic gloves and curled up on the sofa.
My phone buzzed. I unlocked it to see Gemma's latest social media update.
"Thanks to Teddy for the personal delivery service. You saved a starving girl today."
The post was barely a minute old, yet Teddy had already liked it and left a comment: "An absolute honor to be of service, Gem."
Tris. Gem.
When had they become so familiar with each other?
A wave of dread washed over me. I pulled the newly developed Polaroid from my pocket. On the paper, Teddy and Gemma were standing close, their shoulders pressed together, both wearing radiant, happy smiles.
That afternoon, we had planned to go to the mall. Teddy's car was idling at the curb. I opened the passenger door, only to find him looking over his shoulder toward the back seat, a bright smile on his face.
Gemma was sitting in the back.
Sensing my presence, they both looked up.
"Val! You're finally here," Gemma said, leaning over my seat.
I nodded quietly, my eyes falling on the new lavender lumbar support cushion resting behind her back. Purple was Gemma's lucky color.
"Is that new?" I asked.
Teddy glanced at the cushion. "Yeah, Gemma mentioned her back was hurting last week, so I picked one up for her."
Gemma beamed. "Val, your boyfriend is incredibly thoughtful. I'm so jealous."
Teddy grinned. "Don't be. Go find yourself a guy."
"Fine," Gemma teased, leaning closer to his shoulder. "But you have to help me look. He has to be exactly like you."
They kept up a lively banter, and I found myself unable to utter a single word.
The GPS indicated a left turn was coming up, but Teddy kept driving straight.
"Teddy," I spoke up. "You missed the turn."
They were too deep in conversation to hear me. I bit my lip and raised my voice.
"Teddy!"
The cabin went quiet. Teddy glanced at me. "Val? What's wrong?"
"You missed the turn."
He glanced down at the navigation screen. "Oh, I wasn't paying attention."
"You've driven this road a thousand times and you still missed it? You're hopeless, Teddy," Gemma laughed.
"Well, if you hadn't been distracting me, I wouldn't have missed it," Teddy grumbled playfully, though his eyes remained warm. "Keep it down back there. Learn from Val, she never distracts me while I'm driving."
I felt a sudden pang in my chest. My mind drifted back to a summer afternoon years ago, right after Teddy got his driver's license. He had taken me out for a drive, meticulously checking and tightening my seatbelt several times before starting the engine.
Back then, he had looked at me with absolute seriousness. "Val, your safety is my top priority. Don't talk to me while I'm driving. I can't afford to get distracted."
Yet now, he chatted with Gemma without a second thought, completely forgetting his own rule, and completely forgetting my safety.
As they started bickering again, a wave of nausea hit me.
When we parked at the grocery store, Gemma looped her arm through mine as we walked inside. Teddy and I had a routine of doing weekly meal prep, stocking up on groceries every Sunday. Since it was the weekend, the store was packed.
I crouched down near the seafood counter to pick out some fish. The water-filled plastic bags were heavy, and I struggled to lift them. I turned around to ask Teddy for help, but both he and Gemma had vanished.
Clutching the heavy bags, I scanned the crowded aisles. I finally spotted them in the produce section.
Gemma was holding two different types of chili peppers, and Teddy was standing beside her, actively searching his phone to see which one would go better with rice.
A man who was highly sensitive to spicy food, my boyfriend, was standing there researching hot peppers for another woman, trying to figure out how to cook them to her liking.
My fingers went numb. The sharp pain in my stomach returned, stronger this time, making my vision blur. The heavy bags slipped from my hands, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
The noise made them turn around, and they both rushed to my side.
"Val! What's wrong?"
"Val, you look incredibly pale."
Teddy lifted me into his arms and carried me back to the car. He poured a cup of warm water from his flask and held it to my lips.
Gemma looked frantic. "Is it your period? I get awful cramps during mine, and I look exactly like she does right now."
"No, her cycle isn't until the end of the month," Teddy replied automatically, before turning back to comfort her. "It was probably those raw oysters she wanted last night. It's just a stomach bug."
He paused, looking at Gemma. "Do your periods usually hurt that much? Let me know if you need me to bring you anything next time."
Gemma smiled softly. "Thanks, Teddy."
When we got home, Teddy found some medication and made me take it. Then, he boiled some warm apple cider and brought a mug to my bedside.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Gemma. He set the mug down, glanced at the screen, and immediately walked toward the entryway to put on his shoes.
"Are you going out?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said, grabbing his keys. "Gemma's period just started, and she asked me to drop some things off for her. Drink the cider while it's warm, Val. I'll be right back."
As his hand touched the doorknob, I called out to him.
"Teddy."
"My stomach is really hurting. Can you please stay?"
He hesitated for a second. "Val, she lives alone. She has no one else to rely on. Be good, okay? I'll be right back."
She has no one to rely on, so you have to be her anchor. What about me?
The pain in my abdomen flared again. I bit my lip, forcing the words out.
"It takes over half an hour to drive to her place. A delivery service would get there faster than you. Teddy, are you just dropping things off, or do you just want to be with her?"
Teddy's brows drew together, a flicker of irritation crossing his face.
"Val, why are you being like this? You were the one who told me she was going through a hard time after her parents' divorce, and that I should look out for her. I'm just trying to be helpful. Can you please be a bit more reasonable and stop picking fights over nothing?"
The blood in my veins seemed to turn to ice. For twenty-five years, he had promised me: "Valerie, whenever you need me, I'll be there."
Yet now, when I begged him to stay, he told me to be reasonable.
The front door slammed shut. He was gone.
I grabbed my Polaroid camera and ran out after him. Teddy was already halfway down the stairs, his footsteps hurried. I stood in the dim stairwell, aimed the camera at his retreating back, and pressed the shutter.
The sharp click felt like the sound of something breaking inside me.
The camera spat out a blank white print. I clutched it tightly, waiting like a prisoner awaiting a final verdict, even though I already knew the answer.
Suddenly, I felt a warm rush of fluid between my thighs. I reached down and pulled my hand back. It was covered in blood.
My vision darkened, and the world faded into a blur of distant sirens, voices, and footsteps.
When my consciousness finally returned, I was lying in a hospital bed.
"You're awake," the attending doctor said, handing me an ultrasound report.
Six weeks pregnant. Threatened miscarriage.
I stared at the words, utterly stunned.
"The situation doesn't look great. Your levels are incredibly low," the doctor explained gently. "Do you want to try and save the pregnancy? You should discuss it with your partner."
I gathered my strength, picked up my phone, and called Teddy.
Three consecutive calls went unanswered. I sent him a text. No reply.
With no other choice, I dialed Gemma's number. After a few rings, she picked up.
"Val? Hey, is everything okay?"
"Gemma, is Teddy with you?"
"Yeah, he is."
"Can you tell him—"
Before I could finish, Teddy's voice drifted through the receiver, warm and familiar. "Gem, I added a bit of ginger to the brown sugar tea. It's better for your stomach. Drink it while it's hot."
That tender, protective tone was once reserved entirely for me. He had been too busy to answer my calls because he was standing over a stove, making tea for another woman.
A heavy weight settled in my chest. I hung up the phone and looked at the doctor.
"Don't save it. Please help me with the discharge papers."
It was three in the morning by the time I made it back to the apartment. Teddy wasn't home.
I checked my phone. No missed calls. Just a single text message from him sent at ten-thirty last night.
"Let's talk when I get home. Gemma is in a lot of pain, so I'm going to stay with her for a bit."
A bit had turned into the entire night.
On our living room sofa sat three cushions, each representing our lucky colors. Teddy's cushion sat right in the middle, wedged between mine and Gemma's. It was the perfect metaphor for our relationship.
I stood in the entryway, looking around the apartment. Suddenly, I noticed that almost everything in our home had accumulated in threes. Three pairs of slippers in the hallway, three towels in the bathroom, three toothbrushes by the sink, three mugs on the table. Even when he bought matching pajamas, he bought an extra set for her.
It was as if he had already prepared this home for her arrival, in the very space where he had promised to love me forever.
I felt a profound sense of exhaustion.
I walked into the closet, pulled out my suitcase, and began to pack. A few seasonal clothes, some daily essentials, my camera, and my laptop. The rest of my belongings, I arranged to be shipped back to my parents' house.
As I reached down to zip the bag, a Polaroid print fell from my coat pocket, landing face-down on the floor. It was the photo I had taken of Teddy's back last night.
By now, the image would have fully developed. But I didn't care about the verdict anymore.
I left my keys on the counter, pulled my suitcase behind me, and walked out of the apartment.
As the cab sped toward the airport, memories of Teddy flashed through my mind: the boy who had handed me his pocket money, the teenager who had stayed up to help me study, the young man who had promised me his forever.
He had spent eighteen years getting close to me, seven years loving me, and a single night letting me go.
At the terminal, I booked a flight to Monterey. A distance of thousands of miles would be enough to cut the ties of our past.
My phone buzzed. It was a text from Teddy.
"Val, I bought those cinnamon rolls you like from the bakery. They're in the warming drawer. Make sure to eat them when you wake up."
He had gone back to the apartment. But he hadn't even bother to check the bedroom. He had no idea I was gone.
The boarding announcement echoed through the terminal. I turned off my phone, stepped onto the jet bridge, and left everything behind.