Everyone knew Ethan Hunt was my perfect, doting boyfriend. But on our anniversary, he suddenly announced his relationship with his ex-girlfriend on Instagram. When I asked him why, he smiled casually. "Because her waist... is smaller than yours." 1 My boyfriend has a new girlfriend. One minute before he went "Facebook Official" with her, he sent me a breakup text. Before I could even process it, I saw his new post: "Three years, and my love for you has only grown." The photo was of him and a girl. She was looking away from the camera, showing only her profile; he was looking at her, lips slightly pressed together. That was his nervous tic. The first comment below was his own, cringy and dramatic: "Welcome home. You can dock here anytime." Ethan's post blew up, but he didn't reply to anyone. My chest felt tight, a wave of nausea rolling over me. I took a deep breath and dialed his number. I always thought I wasn't that invested in this relationship. But... When I dialed, my hands were shaking uncontrollably. It rang once and was immediately hung up. Soon, a text from Ethan came through, his tone cold as if he were a stranger: "Not convenient. Text me if it's important." I typed a long paragraph, deleted it all, and finally sent one sentence: "We can break up, but say it to my face." Silence for a long time. Then, like he was granting a favor, he sent one word: "Fine." We agreed on a time and place. I felt dazed. In this relationship, Ethan was always the pursuer. He chased me aggressively, his confession so loud the whole campus knew. When I said no, he stood under my dorm all night in the freezing winter, smoking a pack of cigarettes. Anyone's heart would melt a little at that. Once, I casually mentioned missing my mom's cooking. He took a Greyhound bus overnight to my hometown to buy the specific dish, even though it was cold by the time he brought it back. When someone posted nasty rumors about me online, he tracked them down and made them apologize. Bit by bit, I was moved. We got together. People called him my "simp." I never thought our end would be so casual. 2 The coffee shop near the back gate of the university. I sat by the window. The coffee on the table went from hot to cold before Ethan finally arrived. He looked strange today. Usually, he loved the preppy, clean-cut look—light-colored casual suits, short black hair, always looking like the boy next door. But today... He was dressed in all black—black hoodie, black cargo pants—and his hair was dyed. Even more shocking, the guy who hated pain had gotten his left ear pierced and was wearing a small silver hoop. I froze. We hadn't seen each other for two days, and he was a different person. Seeing my shock, he smiled. "She likes it." Three simple words, and I knew how thoroughly I had lost this past year. Ethan was very self-centered. During our relationship, he treated me well but rarely listened to me. Once, I asked him to change his hairstyle. He just smiled, ruffled my hair, and said, "Chloe, I don't like it." And that was that. I stared at him for a long time, then cut to the chase: "Give me a reason." My reflection in the glass looked cold and indifferent. In reality, I was using every ounce of strength to hold back my emotions. I thought Ethan would make excuses or feel guilty. But no. He leaned back in his chair, smiling lazily. "Because her waist... is smaller than yours." I froze. Across the table, he smirked. "Anything else? If not, I'm heading back. She'll be unhappy if I'm out too long." The moment his words fell, I raised my hand and threw the coffee in his face. In that instant, I had only one thought: What a pity the coffee was cold. 3 Ethan left. After I splashed him, he only paused for two seconds, then calmly wiped his face and dropped two words: "I'm leaving." But after a few steps, he turned back. "Chloe, I treated you well this past year, right? Let's just say we parted on good terms. No need to say hi if we see each other." He didn't give me time to react and walked away. I sat in silence for a few seconds, then stood up, grabbed the warm coffee from the guy at the next table, apologized, and chased after him. Then, I poured it over Ethan's head. The coffee was warm, not scalding, but it made him look pathetic. Ethan just stopped. He stood straight, didn't even turn around. I stared at his soaked clothes. "Ethan, now we're even." I walked back with the empty cup. I returned the cup and bought two fresh coffees for the couple whose drink I stole. The girl didn't blame me; instead, she gave me a thumbs up. "Girl, you're a badass." I smiled but said nothing. Actually, I've always been a dull person—introverted, sensitive, silent, and boring. I have decent looks, so guys chased me, but they were always the type casting a wide net. If I rejected them, they'd be whispering sweet nothings to someone else a minute later. So, I never expected to be loved so fiercely. But a year ago, Ethan appeared. His loud affection, his grand pursuit, his thoughtful care—it was easy to fall into his gentle trap. In our year together, I never wronged him. I was learning how to love someone, learning how to be good to him. But just as I learned, he turned around to be someone else's harbor. I walked out and headed toward campus. I said it was over, but I still felt lost. So lost that I bumped into someone right at the gate. Just as I was about to fall, someone grabbed my waist, then let go as if burned. Thud. I hit the ground hard. The person rushed to help me up. "Chloe... are you okay?" The voice sounded familiar. I looked up. It was Lucas, a senior and Ethan's classmate. "I'm fine." I wanted to thank him, but remembering the hard fall, I kept quiet. He frowned. "Ethan's post?" I laughed. "He announced his ex from three years ago." Hearing his name, I couldn't help but add, "I, the current girlfriend, got the breakup text one minute before his post. Funny, right?" Lucas didn't speak. He turned and walked away. I paused, then scolded myself for oversharing. He was just an acquaintance; why burden him with my mess? He probably found it annoying. I looked away and went back to the dorm. On the way, I became even quieter, avoiding eye contact with anyone I knew, walking faster. I was afraid someone would ask, "Chloe, when did you break up? I saw you eating together a few days ago. How does he have a new girlfriend already?" I didn't know how to answer. Being publicly dumped was humiliating. I hurried back to the dorm, changed, and climbed into bed, wrapping myself in the duvet. I wanted to cry, but mostly, I wanted to vent. I wished I could drag Ethan over and beat him up. I regretted not throwing two cups of coffee earlier. Soon, my phone rang. It was my roommate, Sasha. "Chloe, where are you?" I pulled the covers down, answering weakly, "Dorm. Why?" "Ethan got beat up!" I sat up instantly. The anger clogging my chest dissipated a little. After a pause, I asked, "Who did he offend?" Sasha seemed to be at the scene; it was noisy. A few seconds later, I heard her answer: "It was Lucas." "Omg, I'm dead. He was so hot!" 4 Lucas? Why him... Sasha's voice was fuzzy over the bad connection, and the call cut off. I sat on my bed in a daze, remembering Lucas turning and walking away at the gate. I thought he was annoyed, but he went to fight for me? While I debated going to see, the door opened and Sasha burst in. She was humming a tune, clearly in a good mood. Before I could ask, she pulled me off the bed and spilled everything. Lucas beat up Ethan. To be precise, they had a brawl. Both got hurt; neither won easily. Sasha grabbed my hands. "Chloe, you have no idea. The way Lucas asked him 'Who do you think you are, cheating like that?' and then punched him... it was explosive!" My heart skipped a beat. Gripping my shirt tightly, I acted calm and asked softly, "What about Ethan?" Mentioning Ethan, Sasha paused. She looked at me, hesitating. "He fought back, and..." "He said he knew Lucas has had a crush on you for a long time." 5 I froze for a long time, then laughed. "Impossible. Lucas and I barely talk." Sasha didn't believe it. "If you aren't close, why would he fight Ethan for you?" "Justice, maybe?" I chuckled lightly. "He's done it before." Sasha pursed her lips but didn't argue. Lucas was like the perfect academic god in a drama—upright, excellent, and kind. He had even been commended by the school for bravery. Actually, I wanted to text Lucas to say thanks. We had been friends on social media for a year but rarely spoke—just a "like" relationship. I hesitated for a long time, not knowing what to say. In the end, I let it go. ... Afternoon. Following my habit, I went to the cafeteria alone for dinner. Unexpectedly— I ran into Ethan and his ex-girlfriend. I was a quiet person, usually looking down or straight ahead when walking, rarely looking around. So, it wasn't until I sat in my usual corner with my tray that I noticed Ethan and a girl sitting diagonally across from me. From my angle, I could see her profile perfectly. Identical to the photo in Ethan's post. They were eating. Ethan had ordered a bowl of spicy hot pot, bright red with chili oil—something he never ate. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he looked up and smiled at her. In reality, Ethan never ate spicy food. He had a bad stomach; spicy food gave him cramps. I stared, my fingers unconsciously scratching the metal tray. Then... Ethan suddenly looked over. Caught off guard, I locked eyes with him. Honestly, I was a bit nervous and guiltily wanted to look away. But someone beat me to it. Our eyes met for a split second, then Ethan casually turned his head and put a piece of meat in his girlfriend's bowl. I stared for a few seconds, then laughed softly. It's true that the one left behind has the hardest time moving on. He was the cheater, so why was I the one feeling guilty and nervous? Just as I was about to look away, the girl stood up, seemingly to buy water. I saw her full face. In that moment, my mind went blank, displaying only one word: Substitute. Yes, the classic trope. The guy can't forget his first love, so he finds a girl who looks like her. And I looked 70-80% like his first love. 6 In that moment, I understood. The "waist smaller than yours" crap was all lies. Actually, he didn't need a breakup reason. He got with me because of my face, which resembled his white moonlight. How ridiculous. I forced myself to look down and eat. But mechanically stuffing rice into my mouth, even my favorite braised pork tasted like ash. The rice felt dry and stuck in my throat. I patted my chest, debating whether to go buy water, when a bottle appeared in my vision. Poland Spring. I looked up to see a smiling face. "Alone? Mind if I join you?" It was Lucas. I smiled and waved my hand to say I didn't mind, but the rice was stuck, choking me. Lucas was always observant. He immediately unscrewed the cap and handed me the water. I didn't stand on ceremony, taking huge gulps. The blockage cleared, but I choked on the water. As I coughed violently, Lucas patted my back. "Slow down." His tone was gentle. It took a while to recover. I took the tissue Lucas offered, wiped my mouth, looked up, and accidentally saw Ethan. He was looking at me, his eyes dark and unreadable.
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