1 At a company dinner, in front of the entire team, my fiancée’s assistant nonchalantly dropped a piece of eggplant he’d just bitten into right into her bowl. Without a second thought, Ava picked it up with her chopsticks and ate it. The moment we got home, I told her I was calling off our engagement. She pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed. “Because I ate the eggplant he gave me?” “It was the eggplant he’d already taken a bite of,” I corrected her. “Jeffrey, honestly, calling you insecure isn't an exaggeration. You blow every little thing out of proportion.” She scoffed. “Fine. You want to break up? Go ahead. Just don’t come crawling back to me when you regret it.” She was so sure that I loved her, that I could never leave her. But she didn’t understand that even the deepest love can be eroded by a thousand cuts. This time, I was really leaving. … I told my parents I wanted to change our families’ arrangement that very night. They were surprised, but they respected my decision. After that, Ava and I fell into our usual cold war. She blocked my number, unfriended me on all social platforms, and removed me from her gaming friends list—her standard operating procedure after every fight. She was confident I couldn’t bear to lose her, that I would eventually swallow my pride and come back to her, begging. But this time, as my cursor hovered over the ‘Send Friend Request’ button, I didn’t click it. A week later, a notification popped up in the company group chat. “Today is Ms. Willow’s birthday. She’s treating everyone to dinner tonight. Attendance is mandatory, no exceptions.” Not wanting to make things awkward for everyone else, I went. When I entered the private room, the first thing I saw was Ava in the seat of honor, with Liam pressed up right beside her. His lips were practically touching her ear as he whispered something to her. They were in their own bubble, a world no one else could enter. A moment later, they both burst out laughing, their faces so close they nearly kissed. I couldn’t watch anymore and found a seat in a quiet corner. People started presenting their gifts to Ava. I ignored it all, pouring myself drink after drink. But soon, a shadow fell over me. I looked up into Ava’s beautiful, impatient face. “Jeffrey, where’s my present?” In the past, I would have started planning for her birthday months in advance. The most memorable one, I spent over six months building her a perfect, to-scale replica of the house from her favorite movie, Up. When the balloons lifted it into the air, she’d said we would be just like the main characters, together until the very end. I believed her then. I never imagined her promise wouldn’t even last three years. Faced with her demanding question, I just said flatly, “I forgot.” My indifference clearly infuriated her. She lost all patience. “Jeffrey, are you done with this tantrum?” “Is this little incident really worth a week of sulking?” I looked at the smudge of her lipstick near Liam’s ear and felt a wave of nausea, like I’d swallowed a fly. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. And I was serious about calling off the engagement.” Her expression froze for a second, but she regained her composure when Liam took her hand. “Jeffrey, please don’t misunderstand,” Liam said, his voice dripping with false sincerity. “I only gave the food to Ava because I didn’t want to waste it. If you hate me that much, I… I just won’t eat at the table next time. I can eat leftovers when everyone’s done.” His words immediately sent Ava into a protective frenzy. “Liam, don’t say things like that! You deserve the best in the world. The one who shouldn’t be here is Jeffrey. Who does he think he is? Does everyone have to cater to his whims?” “Ava, don’t say that,” Liam cooed. “Jeffrey might be a little sensitive, but he’s still your fiancé. You have to be patient with him. I really don’t want you two to fight because of me.” “Patient with him? Who does he think he is? If my parents hadn’t begged me to go through with this engagement, I would never have gotten involved with him. He’s always getting upset over nothing. He’s not a real man at all.” Liam walked over to me and patted my shoulder, his tone patronizing. “Jeffrey, man to man, you’re being a bit dramatic this time. Ava’s been so upset she can’t even sleep. I know you two aren't the most compatible, but you have a family arrangement to think of. You should both just take a step back.” I slapped his hand away. “You know what I admire most about you, Liam?” I sneered. “Your ability to play the victim. The way you can steal someone’s girlfriend with your two-faced act and not even blink.” Liam’s smug expression faltered. Ava exploded. “Jeffrey, who gave you the right to slander Liam?” “Slander? Then tell me, why does he have a matching version of everything you buy for me, which he then flaunts at the office? Why is it that every time we fight, he’s the one spreading a twisted version of the story in the breakroom? And how does he know about the mole on your—” “Enough!” A sharp crack echoed through the room. Ava had slapped me, hard, in front of everyone. The world went muffled for a moment, but my vision was crystal clear. I could see the pity, the scorn, the contempt on the faces of my colleagues. As the ringing in my ears subsided, I heard Ava’s loud declaration. “From now on, everyone is welcome to like the photos of me and Liam together. When we hit one thousand likes, I’m dumping Jeffrey and marrying Liam.” With that, she grabbed Liam’s hand and stormed out. Just before the door closed, he shot me a triumphant, mocking smirk. After they left, the room started to empty. Someone snickered. “He pushed his luck without having the capital to back it up. I bet he regrets it now.” A kinder colleague offered some advice. “Pride is worthless, man. Just apologize. Otherwise, she’s really going to marry that guy.” I knew this was just her way of forcing me to apologize. But this time, I couldn’t bow my head. Not even if it killed me. Soon, the once-boisterous room was empty except for me. I picked up a bottle of hard liquor and downed it. The alcohol burned its way down to my stomach, and the sting brought tears to my eyes. A decades-long relationship was ending, just like that. Maybe an engagement a thousand miles away in Crestwood would finally get her off my back. I didn’t know why, but my face was wet with tears again. Back home, I started packing. Ava and I were childhood sweethearts. We’d spent more than half our lives together. The ties were so deep, there was too much to sort through. This little red flower—the first prize she ever won in kindergarten. She’d run over to me on her chubby little legs and given it to me. I vaguely remembered her saying, “I want to give my Jeffrey all the best things.” This photo—a secret shot I took of her blushing face when she got her first period. She hadn’t paid attention in health class and thought she had a terminal illness. She’d run to me, telling me to take care of myself for the rest of my life, that I could get a new girlfriend, but not one prettier than her. I was completely bewildered until I realized what was happening. I ran to the store to buy her pads and we looked up how to use them online together. I teased her for not listening in class, and she bit my arm in embarrassment. It didn’t hurt. It just made my heart itch. Later, we got together. Different universities forced us into a long-distance relationship. Our memories from that time were a stack of train tickets. Four years. One hundred and twenty thousand miles we traveled to be with each other. Back then, her world revolved around me. She never once complained about the long journeys. My fingers brushed against a small, hard box. Inside were the rings we had made together. For her, I came back to this northern city right after graduation. The day I got back, she dragged me to a workshop to forge these rings. I still remember her words as she slipped mine onto my finger: “Jeffrey, with this ring, I’ve got you for life. You can never, ever leave me.” Neither of us ever thought she would be the one to let go. Liam’s interview for the company had been a disaster. Ava had found him completely unimpressive, and I hadn’t given the underqualified candidate a second thought. But somehow, he was hired. He went from being an invisible nobody to Ava’s executive assistant. The first real red flag was when the matching ring, the one that was supposed to be ours, appeared on Liam’s hand. At first, Ava would patiently explain and comfort me when I questioned it. But soon, her patience wore thin and was replaced by annoyance. My repeated willingness to forgive, to compromise, to please her, only made her more brazen in her favoritism toward him. Company dinners now featured only Liam’s favorite dishes. He worked half a day a week, spending the rest of his time with Ava, while I was saddled with his assistant duties. She talked about him more and more, first with unconscious praise, then by comparing me to him, complaining that I wasn’t as romantic or as sweet-talking as he was. It came to a head during an afternoon tea break. Ava mentioned how much she liked her milk tea. Liam said he wanted to try it, and without a word, she handed it to him. He drank from her straw, his lips touching the mark of her lipstick. Then she took it back and continued drinking as if nothing had happened. In that instant, a vise gripped my heart, sharp and painful. After that, his transgressions became more frequent. He’d go with her for facials and help apply her lotion. When she sprained her ankle, he swept her into his arms and ran to the nurse’s office, even though I, her actual boyfriend, was standing right there. She even canceled the birthday celebration she’d promised me because Liam came down with a cold. Every time I expressed my unhappiness, she would snap, “Jeffrey, you have such a dirty mind. Liam and I have a purely platonic friendship. Stop projecting your filthy thoughts onto him.” But as time went on, even she said it with less and less conviction. The final straw came during a major industry event. The invitation specified bringing a partner. Ava never even told me about it. She took Liam instead. I only found out after several people asked me if we had broken up. When I confronted her, she was angrier than I was. “I was just helping Liam network! It’s for the good of the company! Why are you being so petty?” We didn’t speak for a long time after that. So long that I thought we were really over. Until she sent a late-night text: “Babe, my stomach hurts.” All my carefully constructed defenses crumbled in an instant. And so the toxic cycle began again: I would confront her, she would get angry, I would appease her, and she would forgive me. I closed the ring box and threw it in the trash. In the back of a drawer was a handwritten apology note from when we were eighteen. She’d written it because she’d missed one of my texts. She cared so much back then. Now, the only person she cared about was Liam. I took out the letter, tore it into tiny pieces, and let them fall into the trash. With decades of memories cleared out, the house felt empty. My heart felt empty, too. The company chat was still buzzing with photos of Liam celebrating Ava’s birthday, making her laugh. Knowing where her favoritism lay, my colleagues were all too happy to validate them. “OMG, Ava and Liam are so perfect together.” “Find a guy like Liam, not a petty, moody one like Jeffrey.” “Jeffrey only has his family to lean on. Liam got to where he is all by himself. There’s no comparison.” I couldn’t look anymore. I called my lawyer and told him to pull all of my investments from Willow Corp. The next day, I went to the office to clear out my things. I found Liam in my private lounge, wearing shorts with his feet propped up on my desk. His belongings were scattered everywhere, and all of my things had been thrown outside the door. This was the lounge Ava had designed specifically for me. Everyone in the company knew it was my sanctuary. No one else dared to set foot inside. This was him, shamelessly taking a dump on my head. I didn’t bother arguing. I just called the police. At the station, Liam started to panic. “I was just getting some documents for Ava. Do you really need to call the cops over this?” “That is my private space. Did I give you permission to enter?” I said coldly. “Entering without permission is called trespassing. Taking things is called stealing.” He didn’t argue. Instead, his eyes filled with tears. I had a bad feeling. Sure enough, I turned around and saw Ava standing there, her face a thundercloud. “Ava,” Liam whimpered, throwing himself into her arms. “I was just trying to get your files, but Jeffrey seems to hate me. He’s accusing me of being a thief. The villa you gave me is already overflowing with your gifts. Why would I want any of his shabby things?” This little room was Ava’s gift to me, a private haven. It was a reciprocal gift for the wooden cabin I had built for her. We had so many sweet memories here. I thought this, at least, would be our last untouched piece of sacred ground, the final shred of dignity for our love. But Ava was determined to shatter even that last illusion. She comforted Liam while explaining to the officer, “It’s all a misunderstanding. We all know each other. Sorry for the trouble.” Then she turned to me, her voice dripping with disgust. “What have you become, Jeffrey? A jealous shrew? Does it make you feel powerful to abuse your authority and hurt an innocent subordinate like Liam? You’ve disappointed me so much.” The accusations rained down on me. Before I could even respond, Liam started his performance again. “Ava, don’t blame Jeffrey. It was my fault for being careless. I can spend a few days in jail, I don’t mind being laughed at. Just don’t let me come between you two.” Ava squeezed his hand, her face full of adoration. “Liam, you’re just too gentle. That’s why people always take advantage of you.” She glared at me. “Jeffrey, I’m telling you, this isn’t over. Apologize to Liam. Now.” “He entered my private space without permission, and you want me to apologize to him? You think he’s the victim here?” At my words, Liam started sobbing again. Ava sneered. “Your private space? That lounge is Willow Corp’s property. And in case you forgot, the entire company is in my name. You just have temporary access. And if you keep this up, I don’t mind filing a complaint against you for false accusation.” With that, she took Liam and sorted out the issue with the police. Her words were like daggers to my heart. A heart I thought was already dead began to ache again. All these years, I had poured everything into building up her company, thinking I was working for our future together. In the end, all I got was: you just have temporary access. Before leaving, Ava shot me a warning. “Just so you know, the like count is at 990. If you don’t change your attitude, I’m really going to marry Liam.” I looked at Liam’s contemptuous smirk from behind her and suddenly saw how pathetic I’d been. His schemes were always clumsy. A smart woman like Ava couldn’t have missed them. She had simply chosen to ignore them. The scales of her affection had tipped long ago. This was all just an elaborate way to get rid of me, the clingy boyfriend she was tired of. And I had been the fool, begging for reconciliation time and time again. With that realization, the last embers of my love for Ava died out completely.
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