My boyfriend had a female "buddy." The moment she met me, this girl, Brooke, enthusiastically called me "sis," said she was a total girl's girl, and jokingly asked how I could have been so blind to fall for Alex. But that very night, I saw their chat history. She said her boyfriend didn't want kids, her parents were pressuring her, and she asked my boyfriend, Alex, to be a sperm donor. 【Don't worry, if you don't say anything and I don't say anything, nobody will ever know.】 【Didn't you always want one before?】 My boyfriend didn't reply. He told me he had to work late on Valentine's Day and couldn't be with me. But then a message came from an unknown number. I looked closely—it was a picture of the two of them together. 1 My boyfriend, Alex, had this super close female "buddy" named Brooke. Sun-kissed skin, a lean build, loved outdoor sports, and was really warm and friendly to everyone. I heard they'd known each other since they were kids, and their bond was incredibly tight. When I first found out about Brooke, I'll admit, I was a little annoyed, even a bit jealous. I’ve never really bought into the whole "men and women can be just friends" thing, but the moment I met Brooke, I relaxed. It was simple: when she looked at my boyfriend, Alex, her eyes were open and clear, without a hint of romance. Alex, on the other hand, seemed a bit… murky, hard to read. Back then, I didn't see any red flags. I was head over heels in love, and Brooke's enthusiasm kind of drew me in too. The moment she saw me, she chirped happily: “Mia’s here! Mia, you look so great today!” Alex, standing nearby, pretended to pout and teased, “How come you’re never this excited to see me? Why all the fuss for Mia?” Brooke winked playfully, came over, and linked her arm through mine. “Because I’m a girl’s girl!” she said. “Mia's way too gorgeous for you, it's a shame.” The two of them started goofing around. Watching them, I felt a pang of envy. They really were like a brother and sister. The indulgent look in Alex's eyes made my heart ache a little, but I told myself I was overthinking. There was clearly nothing going on. And Alex was good to me; I saw that clearly. Alex and I met in high school, went to the same college, and then, naturally, we got together. Brooke was abroad at the time. Alex had barely ever mentioned her to me. Later, I heard from mutual friends that they were childhood sweethearts. I asked him about it, a little jealous, but he just brushed it off. But after that first meeting, I believed they were just friends. After that, whenever we had small get-togethers with friends, they always kept a respectful distance. Brooke had a boyfriend too, Liam. He used to be Alex’s classmate and good buddy. The four of us often hung out together. For Brooke’s birthday, Alex gave her a watch. But at a later party, I noticed Liam wearing that same watch. The moment Alex saw it, he looked a little pissed, but he quickly got it under control. He casually asked Liam, “You like this watch too? Maybe I should get you one?” Liam glanced up lazily. “Matching ones?” Neither of them said anything else, but I definitely saw sparks fly when their eyes met. Alex was clearly unhappy, but Liam had this look I couldn't decipher. Brooke and I quickly tried to smooth things over. “Liam, come on, give it back. It’s one thing to like it, but don’t provoke him,” Brooke said. I added, “He didn’t mean anything by it, maybe he just really likes it. Don’t be mad, Alex.” Those two never really got along, and I never understood why. But I found out later. Alex had always been secretly in love with Brooke. But he knew Brooke didn't like him back, so he carefully buried that love deep down. If it couldn't be Brooke, then anyone else would do. I just got lucky and became his girlfriend. He said yes when I confessed my feelings. I remember being overjoyed for so long. However happy I was then, that’s how miserable I am now. How did I find out? I stumbled upon Alex’s burner account on some social media site. That account was filled with his repressed love for her, dating back years, almost to when the platform first started. He’d been documenting it all. Why was he so furious that day about the watch? Because he’d had that watch custom-made. He’d spent almost three months’ salary on it, just to get Brooke a birthday present. It suddenly hit me that for my birthday a few months earlier, he’d casually bought me a box of lipsticks. All shades I didn’t like. But I was thrilled. I couldn’t bring myself to use them, so I kept them on my vanity, looking at them every day. Thinking back now, I guess in his heart, I wasn’t worthy of his effort. Only Brooke was. 2 My parents always favored my brother. After my brother died in a car accident, my parents seemed to age overnight; their spirits were never the same. My father had an accident at his construction job—he missed a step, they got a small compensation, and then he was gone too. My mom got seriously ill. I was only in college then, working several jobs a day, trying to earn money to save my mom. But it wasn’t enough. Far from it. If Alex hadn't helped me out, I might not have made it. If he hadn't pulled me back, I would have jumped from that rooftop. Come to think of it, I really have no right to ask anything of him. My mom told me, with my brother gone, I was all she had. She didn’t want to die; she wanted to live. She said I had to take care of her. But that woman, who always favored him, eventually died from the torment of cancer. What she left me with was all debt. I owed Alex the most. But the person who pulled me from despair was also the one who pushed me back into the abyss. 3 This secret should have stayed buried deep inside me. If I hadn't seen that message, this fragile peace wouldn't have been shattered. Alex went to take a shower. His phone was on the table. The moment he stepped in, the screen lit up. I thought it might be an important message and was about to hand him the phone, but I accidentally saw the content. The profile picture was very familiar. The contact name was "Brookie." I froze. The message content appeared before my eyes, catching me completely off guard: “Don't worry, if you don't say anything and I don't say anything, nobody will ever know.” “Didn't you always want one before?” As if possessed, I scrolled up. “My parents are pressuring me, and Liam doesn't want to have kids.” “How about... you help me out?” For a moment, my mind went completely blank. “What are you doing?!” Alex, realizing he hadn't taken his phone into the bathroom, opened the door and saw me holding it, staring blankly. His skin crawled. Before I could even react, he started yelling at me, “Mia! Who said you could look at my phone!” “I didn't…” My lips trembled, my face pale. “Didn't what! Can't you give me some privacy!” He snatched the phone, saw what was on the screen, froze for a second, then turned his head away, clearly not wanting to talk about it. “You and Brooke…” “There's nothing going on between us. Don't overthink it.” “Nothing? If there's nothing, why is she asking you to be a sperm donor?!” My emotions just snapped, and I couldn't stop myself from asking. I've always been the weaker one in this relationship. But now, I was on the verge of being cheated on in the most bizarre way, and I just couldn’t hold it in. “Don't you dare slander us! Brooke isn't like that!” My trembling hand dropped, and I clenched my sleeve. “Then let's just break up. I'll make room for her…” “Break up?” He seemed shocked that I'd be so decisive. He gritted his teeth. “Don't even think about it!” He never would have imagined that I, who always did whatever he said, would be the one to suggest breaking up. “You still owe me so much money, and now you want to break up? You wish!” “If you leave me, who's going to treat you this well, huh? Your family's gone. You can only rely on me. Don't do anything rash, Mia. I'll handle this…” He seemed to say more, but I couldn't hear it clearly. He had lit a lamp for me in the darkness, but he could also extinguish my only light with his own hands. He'd been with me through so much; he knew my fears better than anyone. He understood perfectly. That knife plunged into my chest, and even now, it still aches. 4 After that incident, the rift between us never really closed. Having never been favored as a child, I thought meeting Alex was fate's way of compensating me. Later, I realized the only person who could save me was myself. I was going to break up with him, but not yet. I needed to find the right time, find concrete proof. Soon enough, my chance came. On Valentine's Day, Alex told me he had to work late at the office. But suddenly, an unknown number added me on a chat app. I accepted the request, and they sent me a picture. I looked closely—it was a photo of Alex and Brooke together. They were incredibly close, looking like they were about to kiss. My heart pounded. The person sent an address, and I rushed over there without a second thought. When I got there, it was a restaurant. I went inside and immediately spotted Brooke and Alex. They both looked stunned when they saw me. Then Brooke smiled graciously, naturally took my arm, and had me sit down. Alex, however, was frowning hard. He muttered, “What are you doing here?” I raised an eyebrow. “Aren't you supposed to be working late?” “So this is…” “Enough! Mia, haven't you made enough of a scene!” “Alex, how can you talk to Mia like that!” Brooke, seeing things were escalating, interjected, “They're here now, it's not appropriate for you to yell.” I looked up. Alex's mom had arrived, and with her was an unfamiliar middle-aged woman. It must have been Brooke's mother. I had no idea what was going on and felt completely on edge. Alex's mom never liked me. She thought I wasn't good enough for Alex, that I was marrying up. That was pretty standard. Her ideal daughter-in-law was Brooke. The moment she saw me there, her face fell. “This is a family dinner. What are you doing here?” She tilted her chin up haughtily, looking down her nose at me. “Auntie, Mia's here, so she's here. The more the merrier,” Brooke said, trying to smooth things over and giving me a subtle look. As soon as Alex's mom saw Brooke, her expression relaxed instantly, and they started chatting warmly. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Brooke was Alex's girlfriend. I felt completely out of place, so I made an excuse and went to the restroom. 5 “Mia, there's really nothing between me and Alex,” Brooke started to say as she followed me. “What are you telling her?” Alex had followed too, cutting her off. “What are you telling me?” I looked at the well-matched pair, tears streaming down my face. “Asking anyone else would have been one thing, but you? You think I don't know what that means? Why don't you two just be together and let me go, okay?” “Alex, stop trying to have it all. I'll pay you back every cent I owe you.” “What?” Brooke looked completely baffled, staring at us in confusion. I sneered inwardly. Still pretending? You cheating scumbags! “Haven't you made enough of a scene!” Alex grabbed my arm tightly, but I violently shook him off. “You still don't know?” I looked at Brooke. Might as well let it all out now. “Him, Alex, he's been secretly in love with you! For who knows how long!” “Every single day and night he's been with me, he's been thinking about you!” “He even has a secret account, it's all about you! That watch of yours? Do you know why he was so mad that day? He spent three months' salary on it for you!” Brooke stumbled back in disbelief. “I rejected him…” “Rejected what? Who was it asking him on the phone to be a sperm donor?” “What nonsense are you spouting!” Alex lunged forward, grabbing my face. I couldn't break free. His face was contorted with rage, utterly furious. The secret he’d hidden for so long, I'd just blurted it all out. You couldn't blame me. For all I knew, they'd been sneaking around behind my back for ages. “Don't you slander us! You want to break up? No way!” He shoved me away hard and turned to explain to Brooke. But to everyone's surprise, Brooke, looking completely distraught, backed away, then slowly helped me up from the floor where I'd been thrown. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, filled with utter disappointment and panic. “Mia… believe me…”
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