From Darkness to Light: Darwin's Rise

1

Darwin stood in the heart of the biggest amusement park in the city, "Enchanted Gardens" his heart racing with excitement and nervous anticipation.

He had saved every spare penny for months, meticulously planning and scrimping to make today perfect for his beloved Lisa. The whole park was his for the day, a surprise he couldn't wait to unveil.

He told Lisa that he would meet her at 18:00, but Lisa never showed up.

"D-Did she forget?" Darwin whispered to himself, trying to shake off the creeping doubt.

With a heavy heart, he dialed her number, his fingers trembling with each press of the buttons. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. The silence on the other end felt heavy, making him worry even more.

“Come on, pick up," Darwin muttered under his breath as the phone continued to ring. He hung up and a moment later he decided to call again, he knew that if she didn’t come, his money would be wasted.

Surprisingly, this time the phone was picked up, but instead of Lisa's sweet voice, he was met with a storm of anger and frustration.

"Lisa, where are you? I've been waiting for you," Darwin asked carefully.

"Darwin, I was on an important meeting today! Why are you calling me so many times?" Lisa's voice was sharp, cutting through him like a knife.

"I just... It's our anniversary, Lisa. I wanted to surprise you," Darwin stammered, his heart sinking even further as her words hit him.

"Anniversary? If you had enough time to plan this ridiculous surprise, maybe you should have spent that time looking for a real job instead of wasting money on something so frivolous," Lisa retorted, her tone dripping with scorn.

In a cold, dismissive tone, she added, "Honestly, Darwin, you're so poor and useless at handling priorities."

"But Lisa...it was about us, our relationship..." Darwin said sadly, he thought Lisa would be happy for this surprise, but clearly she didn’t care about it.

"Relationship? Darwin, you're so clueless. A relationship can't survive on your pitiful attempts at romance. You should be more practical, like focusing on making a decent living," Lisa sneered.

The words struck Darwin like a physical blow, leaving him reeling with hurt and confusion. How could she say such things? Didn't she understand how much he loved her, how much he wanted to make her happy?

A heavy weight settled in his chest, a crushing sense of disappointment and disbelief. He felt like the ground had been ripped out from under him.

"I'm sorry, Lisa. I just wanted to make you happy. I love you," Darwin whispered, his voice trembling with the raw ache of his shattered hopes.

"Love? Don't make me laugh. Your love won't pay the bills or buy us a future. You're just dragging me down with your unrealistic fantasies," Lisa spat, her words cutting deep into Darwin's soul.

Darwin took a deep breath and, with a surprising tenderness, said, "Lisa, no amount of money or practicality can measure the love I have for you. I wanted to create memories, make you feel special. I believe in us, in our dreams together."

But all he heard in response was the click of the line going dead, leaving him standing alone in the emptiness of the amusement park, his heart shattered into a million pieces.

Darwin sighed deeply disappointed,"I never imagined our anniversary would turn into this," he whispered to himself.

He was about to turn away, to try and find some solace in the empty gaiety of the amusement park, when he heard a shout from behind him.

"Darwin! Hey, man, look at this!" called out a voice, strained with urgency. It was Nick, one of his closest friends who had come early to help with the surprise for Lisa.

Darwin turned to see Nick running up to him, phone in hand, a look of disbelief etched across his face. "You gotta see this, man. Isn't this Lisa?"

He extended the phone towards Darwin, who took it with a shaky hand. The bright screen showed a live stream, the image a little shaky with each of Nick's breaths. On the screen, a vivacious internet celebrity Rachel Summer, with a microphone was weaving through a bustling street, her camera operator following closely behind as they conducted impromptu interviews with passersby.

Darwin's heart skipped a beat as the celebrity approached a familiar figure—a woman with the same chestnut hair as Lisa, laughing alongside a man Darwin had seen before. The celebrity bounced over to them with an infectious smile.

"Hey, you two lovebirds! You're live right now. Tell us, are you a couple?" the celebrity asked, pushing the microphone towards them.

The man, tall with an easy smile and a casual arm draped over Lisa's shoulder, nodded confidently. "Yeah, we are."

Lisa looked up at him, her eyes shining with affection. "We absolutely are. We love each other like crazy, don't we, babe?" Her voice was warm, filled with a tenderness Darwin had longed to hear.

Before Darwin's disbelieving eyes, the couple leaned in for a tender, passionate kiss that seemed to last an eternity. The celebrity cooed in delight, "Come on, everyone! Shower them with love! Let's see those heart emojis if you think they are relationship goals!"

The comment section of the live stream flooded with reactions. Viewers typed fervently, expressing their awe and admiration.

"OMG, they're so adorable! #Relationshipgoals!"

"This is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. You guys are melting our hearts!"

"You're giving us all the feels. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!"

"You deserve all the happiness!"

"What is that?" David wondered confused and angry.

He felt his hands tremble, the phone almost slipping from his grasp. His heart pounded against his chest, a cacophony of hurt, betrayal, and confusion drowning out the sounds of the amusement park around him.

The celebrity giggled, breaking the moment. "Awww! You two are absolutely adorable, how long have you two been together? Tell us your story!"

Lisa turned back to the camera, her smile never faltering. "Oh, we've been together for over three years now," she said, her voice sugary sweet.