Side story 1: Zara Lowe and Chris MoyerChris regretted his actions. He stood in front of Zara's car, humbly begging her to stay.He admitted his mistake, saying that the young woman was just a neighbor he grew up with, a childhood crush. He only had eyes for Zara now.Zara looked at his reddened eyes and suddenly remembered the day they had dinner with both their parents to discuss their marriage. She had looked at him the same way, begging him to stay. However, what had he done?…After my business trip, I had half a day to explore the ancient city of Bruneau.Standing alone by the city moat, I rested my hands on the railing, watching the calm flow of the river while listening to the birds chirping cheerfully in the air. There was a faint fragrance of flowers in the breeze.My restless heart gradually calmed down.Suddenly, it began to rain. The fine drizzle fell on me, feeling warm and cool at the same time.I opened the umbrella I had bought at a shop around the corner and
The girl who was being bullied was small and skinny. She was pushed around like a little chick by the bully who held her by the collar, silently shedding tears.I couldn't stand it and kicked the bully, rescuing the girl. I did something good, but why was I the one punished? And it was such an embarrassing punishment.It was at that moment that he came over."Stop crying. I'll help you pick up the trash." After understanding the situation, he patted my head to comfort me.I looked up at his stern yet kind face, feeling deeply moved by the warmth in his eyes. I secretly thought to myself that he seemed like a god.From that day on, 18-year-old Zara Lowe gave her heart to the 24-year-old Chris Moyer. In her eyes and heart, there was no room for anyone else but him.…"Zara, when's a good time to meet? I want to talk to you in person.""Sure." As the saying goes, an elder brother acts like a father. Zachary truly cared about me. "I'll be back tomorrow. Let's meet at the cafe aroun
Zachary angrily jabbed my forehead with his finger, pushing my head back bit by bit. "I just don't get it. You're neither short-sighted nor visually impaired. How did you end up falling for someone who's obviously unreliable like Chris?"And that Faye, who is she? Didn't she disdain Chris for not being able to study abroad? Now that he's become successful, she just conveniently came back to rekindle their past? She knows Chris is with you but still pesters him every day, calling him 'buddy' all the time. In my opinion, she's just phony."Zachary was so angry that he was breathing heavily. He looked like he was ready to beat Chris up.However, I remained calm. I had seen and experienced so much that nothing surprised me anymore.For five years, Chris held the title of my boyfriend but was habitually ignoring me. His usual demeanor was cold and indifferent, treating me like a pet. When he was feeling bored, he would come and pamper me. When something came up, he would discard me. Goi
Thinking about it now, the pain still felt so vivid. I couldn't believe someone I loved so much could be indifferent to me.Seeing that skirt, I suddenly realized that Chris wasn't distant from everyone. He wasn't incapable of hand-washing clothes—he was just cold to me and unwilling to wash my clothes because I didn't matter to him.That skirt was what Faye wore to the dinner when both our parents met for the first time.Chris and I had been together for many years, and he wanted to settle down. So, we arranged for our parents to meet and discuss our marriage.I was so happy that day that I got up early, dressed meticulously, and tried on over ten different skirts. I even changed my hairstyle several times. Then, I went to the shopping mall and carefully selected suitable gifts for his parents. I even ordered a beautiful fruit cake.I did everything I could, down to the smallest details. I wanted to show my best self on that day because our relationship was entering a new chapter
Chris left just like that.His parents, understanding the gravity of the situation, exaggerated their efforts to liven up the atmosphere around the table.They insisted that Chris and Faye were just like siblings who grew up together and were very close. They said Chris couldn't bear to see his so-called sister suffer any grievances and told us not to overthink it.However, who would believe that there was nothing between them? He brought his childhood friend to the dinner where we were supposed to meet the parents and discuss our marriage. He even left me, his girlfriend, and my parents behind because of his childhood friend. The way he prioritized her was way too obvious.His parents tried to discuss our engagement plans with my parents, but my father was uninterested. My mother was visibly upset as well, giving no response.Eventually, they gave up and just focused on the meal. It was obvious to us that they were just putting on a show. If they truly wanted to discuss the eng
I was simply unimportant to him.It was just like the succulents I had on the windowsill. Every day, I would spend at least half an hour tending to them, and if any of them showed the slightest sign of trouble, I would immediately set them aside for extra care.Meanwhile, Chris never looked at those plants. Instead, he would be particularly displeased when I spent time on them. Perhaps, in his eyes, I was just like those succulents—unworthy of his attention and care. He never tried to appreciate them.After hearing my story, Zachary's fists were clenched so tightly that his veins bulged, revealing his anger.I laughed mockingly at myself and tried to calm him down. "Why are you so angry? It was the past anyway."After more than five years together, despite my wholehearted efforts, I couldn't compare with the person in his heart. I used five years to show that my love was just a joke."Damn it, those two bastards have gone too far!" Zachary couldn't hold back and cursed out loud.
Zachary spat out with a dark expression, "Haven't I been strict with you all these years? My throat was dry from all the nagging. If you had listened to even one word, you wouldn't have wasted five years of your life."It was very true.When I first got together with Chris, Zachary had warned me that Chris was unreliable. He said that Chris' eyes only showed indifference and lacked any affection or warmth for me.He said being well-matched in social status wasn't just nonsense or some old-fashioned saying. The Moyers were far superior to our family. As someone from an ordinary family, marrying into the Moyers would be tough. He advised me to think carefully and don't be stubborn.Even though my family was just an ordinary working-class family, they showered me with love. They gave me everything they had without hesitation.Unfortunately, I was so fixated on Chris back then that nothing and no one could stop me from going after him. I confidently told Zachary that Chris loved me an
Chris was standing on the balcony, examining the succulents that I hadn't checked for many days.While I was away, I had thought about sending him a message to ask him to check on them, but then I figured those succulents could survive without water for ten days or so. So, I left it at that.What I didn't expect was that Chris, who used to scoff whenever he saw me tending to those succulents, would now be holding a small spray bottle and playing the role of gardener.This was the first time in the five years we had been together that he had done something like this. It felt strange. Perhaps he knew I was coming back today and was putting on a show.However, why would he do that? Was he trying to show that he realized his mistake and wanted to apologize to me?It was unnecessary anymore.I pushed my suitcase into my room and closed the bedroom door without speaking to him.He remained on the balcony, silently watching me. I knew he was waiting for me to greet him first, but I did