I'll Never Love You Again

Halfway through my meal, Katherine's call came in. Her voice carried a trace of urgency. "Grayson, you saw Leslie's post, didn't you?" "Yep." "I'll come home after celebrating his birthday. Next year, I'll spend it with you. Don't make a fuss, okay? Be the bigger person." There was a time when I would have reacted with shouting and tears, but not anymore. I simply replied, "Okay." The next morning, a little past seven, my phone rang, jolting me awake. It stopped after three rings. I picked it up and saw Katherine's name on the screen. She had always been too lazy to use her key, so she'd call and let it ring three times as her signal for me to open the door. No matter what I'd been doing, I would always rush to let her in. But not today. I tossed the phone aside, pulled the blanket over my head, and went back to sleep. She knew where the spare key was—under the shoe rack by the door. I had stayed up until three last night packing, and my head still felt heavy. The pho

My friends agreed it was the right decision. Parents' health came first. After a few rounds of drinks, someone finally asked, "What about Katherine? Will she follow you home?" I fell silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly. "No. We'll probably break up." I used to think we could build a home here, one day bring my parents over, and make it complete. But that home doesn't exist anymore. The only home I have is the one with my parents, the one that will never abandon me. When I got back, Katherine was sitting on the couch in a white dress. Her long black hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her makeup was meticulously done. She was holding her phone, video chatting with Leslie. From the other end of the call, Leslie's voice rang out. "Katherine, you're gorgeous, even in something as plain as a white dress. You look like an angel." Katherine laughed, covering her face shyly. "Really? You always know what to say." I stood there quietly. That dress wasn't plain. I had s

The moment our eyes met, Katherine froze—surprised, embarrassed. Beside her, Leslie smiled, a deliberate challenge hidden in the curve of his lips. Katherine stepped forward, her movements stiff, her tone forced. "What a coincidence, running into you two here." Leslie chimed in, feigning an apology. "Katherine said I looked hungry, so she brought me here for dinner. Hope we're not interrupting." Derek, apparently forgetting Katherine had declined his invitation earlier, waved them over without hesitation. He called the waiter to add a few more dishes and insisted they join us. Katherine hesitated, then moved to sit beside me. I rose without a word, shifting to Derek's side and leaving the seat across from me open for her and Leslie. Her friends weren't wrong—she and Leslie did make a better match. It was probably better if I didn't get in their way. Katherine looked nervous. She tried several times to speak, but each attempt was interrupted. I focused on catching up with Dere

Katherine explained again, "His stomach isn't in good shape. If I don't take care of him, he might end up in the hospital. Don't overthink it—I'll come back first thing in the morning." Once more, I responded with indifference, "Alright." Katherine seemed like she wanted to say more, but I heard Leslie calling her in the background. She hastily added, "Don't overthink it. I'll be back as soon as his stomach feels better," before hanging up. I stared at my phone and let out a soft laugh. Tonight, I had gotten carried away and drank a few extra rounds with Derek. Now, my head was spinning, and nausea churned in my stomach. I was drunk too. I stumbled to the bathroom and vomited several times before feeling slightly better, though my stomach began to ache. Only then did I remember my own stomach wasn't healthy either. Drinking so fast tonight, I'd forgotten to eat first. Forcing myself up, I fumbled for my stomach medicine. Too impatient to boil water, I swallowed the pills wi

I scrolled through some short videos for a while, then turned off my phone and went to bed. Katherine didn't come home that night. She only returned the next day, just before noon. After changing her shoes at the door, she walked over and explained, "Leslie had another stomach problem after I took him home last night. I stayed to take care of him and ended up sleeping on his sofa." I gave a nonchalant hum and continued looking at my phone. She reached out to hold my hand, but I pulled away. Katherine finally broke down. "Grayson, I can't stand this cold attitude anymore. Can we please talk?" "What's wrong with this?" I asked, genuinely puzzled. Hadn't she always wanted me to leave her life alone? Why wasn't she happy now? She seemed to arrive at her own conclusion. "Is this because of Leslie?" I stayed silent. Clenching her teeth, she said, "If you don't like me being around him, I'll cut ties with him. Just stop acting like this, okay?" Her eyes pleaded with me. For