“No! It wasn’t like that at all!” Chloe insisted, her voice desperate. “I never, ever wanted to be with Dylan. After you left, I kicked him out of the company and I just… I waited for you to come back. I was only good to him because his parents looked after me for a while when I was a child. That was all it was! Caleb, you’re the only man I’ve ever loved. I made a terrible mistake back then, and I‘ m willing to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Please, just just give me one last chance?”
I was utterly tired of this pointless conversation. I glanced at my watch, my voice growing impatient. “Is this all you wanted to tell me today?”
Chloe’s fingers tightened into fists. Her voice was strained. “Caleb, do you… do you truly not care at all anymore? These past five years, I’ve thought about you every single waking moment.”
She spoke with such strained bitterness, but I couldn’t help but let out a short, hollow laugh. “Chloe, do you honestly mean to tell me you never had a single ounce of feeling for Dylan?”
Chloe froze, a flash of panic darting across her eyes. I watched her, a mocking glint in my eye. “If you truly felt nothing for him, why did you let your employees call him ‘the boss’s Prince Charming‘? I distinctly remember a guy once bragging that you liked him, and you didn’t hesitate to post a scathing clarification on the university forum.”
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Her lips moved, as if to defend herself, but no words came out. I didn’t have the patience to stand there in a stalemate. I continued, “You know me, Chloe. I’m a straightforward person. I either love, or I don’t. I don’t love you anymore. I only love my wife and my daughter now. We’re incredibly happy, and I hope you won’t try to disturb our lives anymore.”
With that, I turned to walk away. But Chloe’s voice, desperate and raw, cut through the air. “Caleb, I… I admit, I did have some kind of special feeling for Dylan back then. It was just… I was under so much pressure with my startup, and you were so busy with your studies, you couldn’t be there with me every day… But believe me, you were the only one I truly loved! Even when I misunderstood you, I never wanted to break up. I even thought we’d get married right after graduation, I…”
I cut her off, my voice sharp and cold. “Enough! Chloe, don’t you understand? The moment your heart began to stray, our ending was sealed. All of this, everything you’re saying now, it’s just to make yourself feel better! Even if it hadn’t been Dylan, it would have been someone else. We would have ended up divorced, regardless. Because no matter how you try to hide it, your character is
already set.”
Chloe was rendered speechless by my words, only managing a soft, heartbroken murmur. “I’m sorry, Caleb…” Beyond that whisper- ed apology, she could only choke back tears.
I turned, meeting her gaze calmly. “Chloe, I genuinely loved you once. I pursued you with everything I had. But that’s all in the past. Now, I can’t even remember what it felt like to love you, or why I ever did. If your apology is truly sincere, then I hope you’ll stop dist- urbing my happy life. Neither my wife nor I want to see you again.”
Chloe’s eyes were crimson, brimming with tears of overwhelming regret. She covered her face with her hands. I had no reaction. I simply turned and walked away. This time, I didn’t look back.
