After I Let Her Go, She Regrets It

In the fifth year of our relationship, my girlfriend and I were ready to get engaged.

But on the day of the engagement, she was kissing her travel companion in a foreign country thousands of miles away.

She made a post on Instagram saying, "To Freedom."

I calmly broke up with her.

But she said over the phone, "Don't be silly. It's just a kiss."

I didn't make a fuss. I decided to move on.

1

[I'm back. Come pick me up at the airport.]

The message from my girlfriend arrived just as I finished cleaning up the mess from our wedding banquet.

Yesterday was supposed to be our wedding day, one I had spent three months preparing for.

Two months ago, she went on a solo trip abroad, giving me the silent treatment out of spite.

We only managed to reconnect three days ago, when she promised me that she'd be back for the wedding.

But on the day of the wedding, I waited from dawn until late into the night, facing our family and friends alone. I called her countless times, but never got through.

It wasn't until midnight that she updated her social media.

In the nine-square grid of photos, she was on a foreign street, her cheek kissed by a young man I didn't know.

The caption read: "To freedom."

After tidying up the house, I still went to the airport.

My girlfriend walked up to me with her suitcase, gave me a big hug, and was as cheerful as if nothing had happened.

"Did you miss me? I've been exhausted for the past two months!"

In the past, I would've smiled, hugged her back, and let the issue slide.

But now, all I felt was resistance.

I gently pushed her away and asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you even remember what day it was yesterday?"

...

"Of course." She took off her sunglasses and nodded indifferently.

...

Then she said, matter-of-factly, "It was just a wedding banquet, wasn't it? You've got money. We can always throw another one.

"You made me so angry before, so you deserved a lesson. Don't you agree?"

She was referring to the argument we had two months ago, after we took her mother to a follow-up appointment at the hospital.

Her mother had accidentally seen photos of her hugging and even kissing another man in her album. She had cautioned her daughter, saying that since she had a boyfriend, she shouldn't be getting so close to other men.

Her mother wasn't in good health, so she didn't argue back. But once we got home, she blamed me for not standing up for her.

The next morning, she packed her bags and took off on a trip abroad.

I sent her countless messages, trying to make peace, but she didn't reply to any.

Now, looking at her, acting so nonchalant and even smug about making me upset, I felt disappointed and heartbroken.

...

Of course, she remembered what day it was yesterday. After all, she had agreed to return just three days before the wedding.

"Alright, I'm finally back, so stop sulking," she said as she reached for my hand.

...

I dodged again.

She was unhappy. "I've finally got my mood right to come back and be with you, and this is how you treat me?"

Just as I was about to say something, my phone in my pocket rang.

When I answered, my mother's anxious voice rang out. She said that my father had fainted and was in critical condition.

"I'll be right there!"

I immediately became anxious, and without paying attention to my girlfriend, I turned around, got in the car, and headed for the hotel.

I took my dad to the hospital, and the doctors pushed him into the emergency room.

My mother sat on a bench in the corridor, sobbing.

"Your girlfriend went too far.

"Your father has been waiting his whole life to see you get married and start a family.

"And what did she do? She disappeared on the wedding day, and it made your father so angry that he coughed up blood…"

My mother held my hand as she spoke.

"Listen to me, son, break up with her!"

I was silent for a long time before finally saying, "Okay."

For five years, I had been bending over backward to keep our relationship steady.

But I was exhausted.

So, I chose to let go.