I’m getting married, and my boyfriend of eight years has no clue.
That’s because he recently hired a new secretary, and those two are practically inseparable, burning bright.
For her birthday, Julian ordered a ten-tier cream cake.
At the party, they smeared cake everywhere, utterly forgetting that I’m severely allergic to cream.
After the ambulance rushed me to the ER, the moment I opened my eyes,
I agreed to the marriage my family had arranged.
Mom’s efficiency was truly something.
Back from the hospital, I was just about to use my smart lock to enter our house when she flooded my SnapChat with a dozen wedding plans for me to choose from.
“The wedding is set for three days from now. Take your time packing your things, no rush.”
“Mom, you decide. I love all these designs.”
Julian appeared behind me out of nowhere. Hearing the word “wedding,” he blurted out,
“Wedding? What wedding?”
He reached out, trying to peek at my phone screen, but I quickly pulled it away.
He was about to grab it when his phone suddenly rang.
I heard Chloe’s trembling voice on the other end:
“Julian, I just went downstairs to grab something, and I think someone’s following me! What do I do? I’m so scared, I circled the apartment complex, but I can’t shake him!”
Julian’s face instantly changed, his eyes filled with panic.
“Chloe, don’t be scared! Find a well-lit area, the security office should have someone on duty. Go there and wait; I’ll be right there!”
He hung up, the wedding completely forgotten.
Once again, he didn’t hesitate to abandon me, turning and rushing out into the night.
My expression remained utterly blank, devoid of any emotion, the entire time.
After he left, I started packing, preparing to move out.
It hit me thenI’d lived here for eight years.
Before turning off my phone to rest, I decided I’d be out of here within three days.
The next day, I planned to visit Aunt Linda before leaving. I never expected to run into Julian downstairs.
Chloe’s fragile figure trailed close behind him, both carrying groceries they’d just bought.
They looked exactly like a young couple moving in together.
Aunt Linda was coming down to meet me, and when she saw them, she started to open her mouth to question them, but I cut her off.
“Mom’s delivery for you arrived. Remember to check the expiration dates, don’t let anything go bad.”
I didn’t spare Julian a glance, but this time, he surprisingly took the initiative to explain:
“Don’t get the wrong idea, it’s just that her previous apartment complex wasn’t safe, so I found her a new place. I didn’t realize Aunt Linda lived here too. Why did you buy so much stuff?”
I waved my hand, directing the driver to carry my packages upstairs, while vaguely replying:
“You don’t need to tell me about your work. My mom bought it; who knows when I’ll be back next, so she bought a lot.”
Seeing that I hadn’t misunderstood them, Julian visibly relaxed.
“No problem, Northwood isn’t far. Just let me know whenever you want to visit.”
He still didn’t know I was moving back home, and I had no intention of telling him.
Linda had been about to speak, but seeing Julian’s protective gestures towards Chloe, her face darkened.
The four of us stood there in a tense silence for a while, until Chloe finally complained she was tired.
Julian immediately spoke up, telling the driver to pause moving my things.
He said his stuff was light, so he could use the elevator first.
Looking at the several full bags of groceries in his hands, I stepped aside for him.
A flicker of surprise crossed Julian’s eyes, and he hurried into the elevator.
The moment the elevator doors closed, I thought I saw a reflection of my old self in Chloe.
Back then, when Linda had just moved, he was just as eager to run errands for me, bustling around, doing everything.
He moved all my belongings into his place, smiling as he declared he was welcoming the future lady of the house.
Linda beside me sighed with a hint of regret:
“Are you really not going to let me ask? You’ve known each other for so long, it would be such a waste if you broke up over a misunderstanding.”
I shook my head.
“No need. There are no misunderstandings between us. He never lets a misunderstanding linger; if there’s no explanation, that’s the answer.”
Actually, Julian and Chloe hadn’t bought much; they could have moved it all in one trip.
But even after I had delivered Linda’s things and said goodbye, I still didn’t see him downstairs.
Out of politeness for an old friend, I pulled out my phone and messaged him, asking when he’d be back.
The moment I sent it, he replied with a voice message.
But when I opened it, it was Chloe’s sweet voice.
“Ruby, Julian is helping me fix the wiring at my place. This apartment hasn’t been lived in, there’s so much to sort out. You should probably head back, so we don’t waste your time!”
I was about to close my phone and call a cab when another message popped up from her.
“Ruby, please don’t overthink it. Julian is just helping me out; he just feels sorry for me, living alone in this big city”
Thinking of my own parents, separated for years, I swallowed the words in my throat and closed the chat.
After getting in the car, I was staring out the window, lost in thought, when Julian called.
“Why were you so harsh with Chloe? She’s my subordinate, what’s wrong with me finding her a place to stay? The company doesn’t provide housing yet, isn’t it my duty to help out?”
“Ruby, when did you become like this? At the birthday party, you were cold the whole time, saying you felt unwell and wanted to leave. I haven’t even had a chance to confront you about that, and now what are you throwing a fit about today?”
Chloe’s aggrieved sobs echoed in the receiver.
Her performance in front of me was a stark contrast to the innocent, naive intern Julian described.
I took a deep breath, finally understanding her little game.
But I was too tired to defend myself.
“Yeah, no worries. My bad. I was just asking. You go back to your business. I’m already home; I didn’t wait for you.”
His unspoken accusations were choked back by my indifferent words.
I hung up, and the car arrived at my apartment complex.
As I got out, Julian’s company whatsapp group started blowing up with messages.
When I tapped it open, the unread count was already 99+.
At the very top, Chloe had posted pictures of Julian fixing her wiring and plumbing.
“What kind of boss is this amazing?! I’d work my butt off for this company my whole life! I’d sign a contract for forever!”
Below, all the other employees’ envious and jealous comments poured in.
“I’ve never seen the boss like this. Didn’t the cleaning lady say he was a neat freak? Doesn’t look like it!”
“OMG, he looks so hot without his suit! I’m totally stanning Mr. Sterling now! No one can stop me!”
“That picture was posted by the future Mrs. Sterling, wake up! Work is your only way out.”
Before Julian hired a secretary, I was the one helping out for free. Then he hired Chloe, and she took over my work.
But I’d forgotten to leave this group chat.
After reading all the replies, I deleted the history and left the group.
I’d already decided to leave; seeing a preview of their life together didn’t hurt as much anymore.
In a haze, I remembered back when I first joined the company after graduation, he used to post about my daily work routine in the group every day.
The candid photos showed me either making coffee or writing out his schedule.
Everyone in the company knew he was crazy about me.
With love fueling me, even going to work became sweet.
The dry work group chat buzzed with life because of his overflowing affection.
But all that changed the moment Chloe appeared.
She took over all my tasks.
Julian started prohibiting any messages about me in the group.
He openly and subtly favored his newly hired secretary.
A colleague, who used to be close to me, merely commented that Chloe wasn’t as good at her job as I was, and Julian immediately docked her an entire year’s bonus.
I ended up secretly transferring her $5,000 later, just so she wouldn’t impulsively quit out of anger.
Back in the apartment that had been my home for eight years but still didn’t feel like mine, I quickly packed the essentials.
My gaze fell upon a thick photo album, filled with pictures from the past ten years.
I hugged it tightly, sitting on the edge of the bed, and flipped through it.
Each photo represented a gift Julian had given me.
Eight years ago, he’d promised that after giving me 9,999 surprises, we’d walk down the aisle together.
He swore he’d bribe me with his sincerity, bit by bit, until I willingly became his wife.
This specially customized album, meant for 9,999 pictures, now only had one blank page left.
It seemed all his efforts were in vain.
I carried the album downstairs to an empty spot and lit it with a lighter.
I watched as the photos burned, slowly turning into ashes.
And with them, my eight years of youth were incinerated.
Julian returned to this scene, his face draining of color in shock.
He rushed over, pushing me to the ground, trying to reach in and salvage it.
But the scorching heat made it impossible to get close; his hands were red in seconds.
Frustrated, he stomped on the album several times.
Watching the flames rapidly devour each photo,
He roared at me:
“What are you burning it for? What the hell is wrong with you? Everything we saved for so long, you just ruined it all!”
I awkwardly scrambled to my feet, brushing the thick dust off my pajamas.
The flames cast a warm glow on my face, but my voice was ice cold.
“Nothing. I just opened it and saw some bugs crawling inside, maybe cockroaches. So I burned it.”
Seeing my actions, he finally realized he’d gone too far.
He took a deep breath before speaking:
“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I was just too rushed. We’ve been collecting this album for ten years. Didn’t we say we’d show it at our wedding? Why did you suddenly burn it?”
“If there were bugs, you could have waited for me to come home, or sent me a message. I would have figured something out.”
I didn’t even want to look at him anymore.
This man standing before me was no longer the boy who’d promised to protect me forever.
“You haven’t been home in a while; you must be busy with work. I wouldn’t want to bother you with such a small matter.”
He stood beside me, his gaze fixed on the burning pile, filled with regret and sorrow.
The scene was nothing short of ironic.
He was the one who destroyed our ten years of connection for another woman, and now he was playing the role of a heartbroken lover?
I turned to go back inside.
But he must have thought I was just being dramatic. He reached out, grabbing my arm, pulling me into his embrace.
The sickeningly sweet scent of Black Opium perfume made me sneeze repeatedly.
He still didn’t let go, instead growing concerned:
“Are you catching a cold? I’m sorry, I admit I’ve been too busy lately and neglected your feelings. Once I’m done with work in a couple of days, how about I take you to retake all those photos? We’ll replace all the burned ones, twice as many!”
If I had heard those words before, I might have forgiven him in a moment of weakness.
But after being rushed to the hospital, I never wanted anything to do with him again.
He could forget my life-threatening allergy for another woman; I couldn’t keep lying to myself about a relationship like that.
Once he calmed down, I firmly pried his arms away.
“You don’t need to apologize to me. If you really feel bad, how about you make up for it with a birthday party for me?”
Because of my cream allergy, my birthday parties always lacked the main character and were never perfect.
But I was leaving the day after tomorrow. I wanted to experience one last birthday celebration with him.
Hearing my request was so simple, his eyes darted around anxiously.
A subtle uneasiness crept into his expression.
After nodding in agreement, he was about to ask something when his phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and hastily explained:
“Something came up at work, I need to deal with it. Don’t wait up for me tonight. I promise I’ll do what I said. Don’t overthink it.”
He spoke quickly, his steps already backing away impatiently.
By the time he finished his sentence, he was already dozens of feet away.
I knew that was Chloe’s special ringtone.
But I didn’t expose his lie to his face.
The next morning, the party decorators arrived at the house.
And so did Chloe.
She claimed she designed the plan, so she was there to supervise.
But after a full day of decorating, I realized the setup was just a simplified version of her own birthday party.
In the evening, after the staff left, she walked up to me, her face full of provocation.
“Ruby, everyone worked hard all day, what do you think? Is it good enough for you?”
I stared at the necklace around her neckthe one I’d lostand my voice turned icy:
“Secondhand goods are all you deserve. Keep it.”
The moment the words left my mouth, she glanced to the side, then suddenly picked up a crystal ornament from the cabinet and smashed it to the ground.
Shards cut her foot, and she cried out in pain, a picture of false distress.
Before I could react, Julian’s hand had already struck my face.
“Have you caused enough trouble yet? Chloe took time off to help you decorate the party, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“If you’re not satisfied, then you can decorate it yourself!”
He didn’t give me a chance to explain, and after his outburst, he scooped up Chloe and rushed out.
I sat alone on the sofa, watching the lively yet desolate living room, all night.
When morning came, no one showed up for the party.
Of course. For ten years, Julian was practically my only friend.
When the birthday cake arrived, I unwrapped it and cut a small slice for myself.
I lit the smallest candle, closed my eyes, and made a wish.
I wished I’d never see him again for the rest of my life.
Because of my allergy, I still didn’t eat the cake.
When the countdown ended and my phone started buzzing wildly, I dragged my suitcase and left the place without a backward glance.
On the way to the airport, I sent Julian one last message.
“Let’s just end this. No need to contact each other again.”
It wasn’t even a breakup, really.
Just “an end,” and ten years of my youth were over.
The moment I turned off my phone before boarding, he started bombing my phone with calls, like a maniac.
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