As we were about to graduate, we ran into Chloe on campus once.
I didn’t know Chloe, but I noticed him staring at a girl, and only when I asked did I find out who she was.
So that was the girl who had rejected him repeatedly.
The one he had pursued but couldn’t get.
Chloe was arm in arm with her boyfriend at the time..
I somewhat understood why Chloe had rejected him.
Chloe’s boyfriend wasn’t handsome and was short, about the same height as her.
However, he was dressed in designer clothes from head to toe.
So that’s where Zachary fell short.
He was good in every way, except for one thing – his family background was too ordinary.
He was a small–town student who had studied hard to test into a good university. His parents were ordinary workers.
The bag Chloe was carrying cost several thousand dollars.
This was something Zachary couldn’t provide for her.
12
After graduation, Chloe went to another city.
Three years ago, she returned to our city and started frequently appearing in our lives as Zachary’s friend.
Zachary’s emotions were stirred by her, and he gradually became distracted in our relationship.
No matter when, a single phone call from Chloe could pull him away from my side.
I argued and made a fuss, but it only pushed Zachary further away. He became increasingly impatient with me.
I had thought about breaking up, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why should I be the one to let go?
No matter how fierce our arguments got, I never mentioned the word “break up.”
I was afraid that if I brought it up, Zachary would really agree, and there would be no turning back.
I knew in my heart that I still loved Zachary and wasn’t ready to end things.
I thought I would continue to struggle with him like this.
But I didn’t expect that I would reach a point of complete exhaustion.
The love that was once so full, just like that, slowly spilled out until there was nothing left.
It turns out, my love for him could be depleted too.
When I realized he could no longer stir my emotions, I understood that I no longer loved him.
<
I felt no regret, only a sense of relief throughout my body.
The decision to break up was the result of my deep reflection over this period.
Since I had determined that I no longer loved him, there was no reason to stay together.
Once, I thought we would go on forever, get married, have children, and grow old together.
I had imagined our beautiful future life countless times.
However, cutting our losses now might not be a bad thing.
At twenty–eight, I’m no longer young. I might never meet someone I love as deeply again.
But so what?
Life isn’t just about love.
At twenty–eight, I’m not old either. It’s not too late to adjust myself and start anew.
I don’t regret this relationship.
Our beginning was beautiful, and I experienced what it felt like to be loved.
in this relationship, I loved deeply, gave my all, and also gained something.
I don’t feel like I wasted my youth.
This experience has made me more mature and composed..
I can love passionately, and I can also let go.
13
The next day, and the day after, Zachary still didn’t come back.
i didn’t know if he was still avoiding me.
Just as I was planning to go find him and confront the issue after work, I received a call from my mom.
My mom said that my dad had been complaining about leg pain for the past few days. They went to the hospital for an X–ray but
couldn’t find any problems.
I felt a bit worried: “Come over tomorrow. I’ll take Dad for a comprehensive check–up. The big hospitals here are more reliable, Mom, you should get a full body, check–up too.”
My parents lived in a small county town in our home province. It only took a little over an hour by high–speed train to reach our
provincial capital city.
took two days off work and went to pick them up at the train station at 9 AM.
After my dad finished his check–up, we were relieved to find out it wasn’t anything serious. He just needed to rest and take care of
himself.
My mom’s check–up didn’t show any problems either.
With one more day off on Friday, plus the weekend, I decided to take them sightseeing.
<
I booked a hotel room for them and took them out to enjoy themselves for three days, taking lots of photos.
On the way to the train station to see them off, I chose one of our group photos and posted it on SnapChat.
Just after posting, I received a call from Zachary.
“Uncle and Auntie came?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“I could have gone with you to take them around.”
“Didn’t you say you’re not good at dealing with elders and weren’t ready to meet the parents?”
The other end fell silent.
“Let’s meet and talk tonight. Constantly putting it off won’t solve anything.”
I hung up the phone right after saying this.
Zachary and I had been together for seven years, but neither of us had met the other’s parents.
At first, it was because we were young and hadn’t considered things that far ahead.
After turning twenty–five, I started thinking about marriage.
During the Spring Festival, I tentatively suggested to Zachary that I wanted to go back to his hometown with him.
He didn’t agree, saying it was too sudden and he hadn’t given his parents any notice.
Last May Day holiday, when my parents came to visit, I wanted Zachary to join us, but he refused again.
He said he wasn’t good at interacting with elders and wasn’t ready to meet the parents.
He even complained that I was always putting pressure on him.
After that, I never brought up the topic of meeting parents again.
14
Ô
D
At the train station, there was still quite some time before departure, so I sat outside chatting with my parents.
As it was getting close to time, I walked them towards the entrance.
“Olivia!” A familiar voice called out from behind.
turned around to see Zachary holding several gift boxes.
“Uncle, Auntie, I’m Olivia’s boyfriend. I’ve been busy these past few days and couldn’t come to accompany you. I’m sorry,” he said with a smile on his face, continuing, “These are some health supplements I bought for you. It’s just a small token, please don’t mind.”
My parents looked at him in surprise, then at me, unsure if this was real.
“Mom, Dad, it’s almost time. You should go now. I’ll explain later.” I urged them.
1:06 PM
<
“Mom, Dad, it’s almost time. You should go now. I’ll explain later,” I urged them.
My parents entered the station, looking confused.
Turning back, I changed my expression: “Zachary, who told you to come?”
“I’m your boyfriend. It would be impolite not to see Uncle and Auntie when they’re here.”
“Now you know about being polite? You didn’t say that before.”
“Olivia, I wasn’t mature enough before. It was my fault. I apologize.”
“Your behavior today was very abrupt,” I looked at him calmly. “Let’s go back. I have something to tell you.”
As soon as we entered the apartment, I sat down and went straight to the point: “I was deceiving myself before, pretending not to see the problems between us. Actually, the state of our relationship has been abnormal for a long time. I’ve thought seriously about it during this time and made a decision. Zachary, we-”
“Olivia, let’s get married!” Zachary suddenly interrupted me, pulling out a delicate little box from his pocket.
He opened the box to reveal a dazzling diamond ring.
I was momentarily stunned.
He continued: “The reason I haven’t been home these past few days is because I’ve been thinking about proposing to you. I went to several places to find this ring. It’s the style you like.”
The diamond ring in front of me had a heart–shaped design, indeed the style I liked.
I remembered seeing a design like this in a magazine once. At the time, I had held up the magazine to Zachary, asking him if it looked nice.
Actually, I was just testing his attitude towards marriage.
He had glanced at it casually, pushed the magazine away, and said coldly: “It looks awful.”
At that time, I was very disappointed.
Because I really wanted to marry him and had been dreaming of him proposing to me.
Now, he was actually proposing, but I no longer felt any joy.
Expectations have an expiration date too. Once expired, they become void.
“Olivia, will you marry me?” Zachary looked at me with deep affection.
“No.” Each word was wrapped in indifference.
15
As if it was an expected answer, Zachary didn’t show any surprise.
He forced an ugly smile, looking like he was about to cry: “Was it on your birthday?”
“Hm?” I didn’t understand what he meant.
He said with difficulty: “On your birthday, when I stood you up. The next morning, you didn’t make breakfast you me messages. When I went out to plav vou se l
1:06
<
He said with difficulty: “On your birthday, when I stood you up. The next morning, you didn’t make breakfast, you stopped sending me messages. When I went out to play, you no longer called me repeatedly, asking where I was, urging me to come home. When Chloe got close to me, you didn’t get angry anymore. All the changes started from that night.”
I shook my head: “No, that night was just the last straw. We had problems long before that, accumulating day by day until it finally exploded.”
“I know. There were too many things I didn’t do well before. It’s right for you to be angry. Olivia, I just ask for one more chance. I’ll
change everything. I’ll become the boyfriend you want me to be, until you’re willing to marry me.”
His voice was choked with emotion: “I’ll make you breakfast every morning, pick you up and drop you off at work. No one else will sit in my front passenger seat. You like shrimp, so I’ll peel them for you from now on. During holidays, I’ll travel with you wherever you want to go. I’ll reduce my gatherings with friends and come home for dinner every day. I’ll never forget your birthday again, and I won’t
miss any anniversaries.”
I blinked, looking at him without saying a word.
He became more urgent: “I didn’t handle my relationship with Chloe well. From now on, I won’t see her anymore. I’ll delete all her contact information – WeChat, phone number, everything.”
I sighed softly: “So you see, you know very well what you did wrong. As a boyfriend, you know what you shouldn’t do, how you shouldn’t treat your girlfriend, but you did it all anyway. When I questioned you, you even turned around and blamed me. It’s just because you didn’t care about me. You took advantage of the fact that I liked you, didn’t take my feelings seriously, didn’t respect me, and assumed that no matter how you treated me, I wouldn’t leave you. This is what they call ‘those who are favored become reckless,
right?”
“I’m sorry!” He just kept apologizing.
“We’re no longer in love. Breaking up is the best outcome.”
“No, that’s not true! Olivia, I still love you. I’ve always loved you!”
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t felt your love. All I’ve felt is your coldness, neglect, and trampling of my feelings. I believe the person you love is Chloe. For her, you’re always available, always there when she calls, always protective. That’s what love is!”
“I thought I still had feelings for her too. But that was all an illusion. When i felt like I was about to lose you, I realized that you’re the one I’ve always loved. The thought of losing you is unbearable! Chloe has dated so many boyfriends, but I’ve never felt this way. I even get jealous when you just ride in another man’s car. I was stupid and slow to clearly recognize my feelings for you. What I felt for Chloe was just a bit of lingering unwillingness from not having won her over before, it was a man’s damn pride and base instincts acting up, I couldn’t resist the temptation!”
“I don’t love you anymore,” I said calmly. “I don’t want to compromise myself to be with you anymore. I’m good enough to deserve a beautiful love, to deserve someone who is wholeheartedly devoted to me.”
Zachary crouched down on the ground, covering his head in despair.
I was about to go pack my belongings when the doorbell rang.
As soon as I opened the door, Chloe rushed in with a backpack, looking panicked.
“Zachary, you deleted me on WeChat? And I can’t reach you on the phone. How could you do this to me?” Chloe crouched down opposite Zachary, her face covered in tears. “The water pipes in my apartment burst. You’re the only one who can take me in.”
Before I could speak, she suddenly looked up and glared at me defiantly: “This is the apartment Zachary bought. You have no right
to object!”
“I’m not objecting. You two do whatever you want,” I said.
7 ~~uyinɩ. TOU nave no right
“I’m not objecting. You two do whatever you want,” I said.
With that, I went back to my room and started packing.
“Get out!” A loud roar came from the living room.
“Zachary, you’re yelling at me?” Chloe’s voice was full of disbelief. “You’ve never been harsh with me before. How could you?”
“I don’t want to say it twice. You’re not welcome in my home. Get out now!”
After a few minutes of silence, I heard the front door slam shut violently.
I only packed my important clothes, leaving everything else behind. In total, I only had two suitcases.
As I dragged my suitcases out, I saw only Zachary left in the living room.
He ran over in a panic and grabbed my suitcase: “Don’t go, Olivia, please.”
“Stop wasting your efforts,” I calmly pulled the suitcase back.
Just as I stepped out the door, I heard his voice from behind: “You’ll never forgive me, will you?”
I turned back: “Goodbye, Zachary.”
Goodbye, the person I once loved with all my heart.
As we part ways here, may we each find our own path and never meet again.
(The End)
