On the eve of my wedding to Frank Connor, I accidentally saw him shopping with his colleague Tracy Lewis at a jewelry store.

I stood not far away, watching him put the diamond ring on her finger amidst the sales clerk's teasing.

When confronted, he said, "I just helped her put on a ring, that doesn't prove anything."

Tracy then posted a picture on Twitter of the ring on her ring finger with the caption: [I love anything you give me. I hope one day, I can say 'I do' out loud.]

...

[Eve, I'll pick you up after work.] Frank messaged me as I was about to leave work.

This was the first time he contacted me since our fight over the ring incident.

I knew this was his way of backing down, but I chose to ignore it.

Issues of loyalty aren't something that can be resolved with a few words.

I used to be easily appeased.

Every time we argued, he would ignore me for a few days.

Once my anger subsided, he would reason with me.

And I, always swayed by his few words, would look for problems in myself.

It happened so many times that I started doubting myself, even thinking there was something wrong with my personality.

And this time, he tried the same tactic to make up.

He gave me the silent treatment for three days, preferring to stay in the lab rather than come home.

Suddenly, I felt tired and unsure of what I was holding onto in this relationship.

I took a deep breath, deliberately ignoring his messages and focusing on work.

When I left the company, I saw Frank waiting for me on the roadside with a bouquet of flowers.

I wanted to pretend I didn't see him, but he walked over with his usual poise.

He seemed to have completely forgotten our argument from three days ago, speaking as if nothing had happened. "Eve, my car is over there. You're going the wrong way."

I glanced at him indifferently and walked on.

Frank followed behind me at a leisurely pace, staring straight at me. "Eve, Mom is waiting for us at home for dinner. Can we talk about this later?"

I stopped and turned to look at him. "That's your mom, not mine. We've broken up, so I have no obligation to please your parents anymore."

Frank's family was scholarly. His parents were strict with rules, especially in education and etiquette.

To cope with their rules, after a busy day at work, I had to put on a show.

Because of so-called love, I endured for many years.

But I didn't want to pretend anymore.

"We were about to get married, and you say we're breaking up..." Frank got agitated, his deep eyes showing a mix of anger and disappointment. "I always thought you were different from other girls, rational, but I didn't expect you to be so unreasonable."

I laughed coldly, "What do you think a rational girl looks like? Should I clap and cheer when I see my boyfriend wooing another woman?"

"I told you, it was complicated. With so many people teasing, she was embarrassed. If I had refused, wouldn't that have made things awkward for her?"

He didn't realize where he went wrong.

To be precise, he thought he did it right.

I looked at him. "Yes, that was your choice. I have no right to interfere. Similarly, you have no right to interfere with my choices."

Frank impatiently scratched his head. "I've explained this to you several times, why do you insist on dwelling on this issue?"

That day, when Frank put the ring on Tracy, I was having dinner with my colleagues, and quite a few of them witnessed the scene.

Frank used to pick me up after work often, so everyone knew he was my boyfriend.

When they saw that, their looks at me were filled with sympathy and awkwardness.

I desperately tried to cover up, wanting to speak for him, to say that things weren't as they seemed.

However, before I could say anything, Tracy tiptoed and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Frank froze for a moment but didn't push her away.

That was when I knew it was over between us.

Now, seeing him angry, I felt no waves of emotion, only a slight urge to laugh.

"Since we can't stand each other now, there's no point in holding on to it. Let's not waste each other's time," I said, feeling incredibly relieved.

Last month, when our parents met, they suggested we get the marriage certificate before the wedding.

But I insisted on having the wedding first, so even if we broke up now, there wouldn't be any legal or property disputes.

I rummaged through my bag and handed over the keys to his house. "I've already moved out my things. If anything's left, just throw it away. Here are the keys."

Frank didn't take them, he was angry.

Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. The caller ID showed Tracy's name clearly.

He hesitated a bit, then looked up at me.

Being close, I could see the name flashing on his phone screen.

"Answer it. Maybe she needs something from you."

After a moment's hesitation, he answered the call in front of me.

Frank talked to her, his gaze fixed on me the whole time.

I turned to leave, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist.

I didn't know what Tracy said, but I heard him nod and agree. "Okay, we'll be there soon."

After hanging up, he said, "Tracy wants to apologize to you. If you don't want to meet my mom, that's fine, but you can't refuse Tracy's invitation, right?"

Hearing this, I suddenly felt he was so unfamiliar.

Although he wasn't a mama's boy who depended on his mom for everything, he respected his mom, Luna Connor, the most.

I thought he would always put Luna first in everything, but I never expected him to say such a thing.

When did Tracy become more important than Luna in his heart?

I couldn't break free from his grip, so I had to follow him to the appointment.

I got into his car, catching a whiff of a faint jasmine scent.

A small, delicate sachet hung in front of my seat.

He had once said he didn't like any dangling ornaments in his car.

Even the aromatherapy essential oil I made for him was probably thrown somewhere.

"Did you buy this?"

He glanced sideways, casually saying, "Why would I buy something so girly?"

After saying that, he seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing. His expression tightened as he explained, "This was a gift from the shopkeeper when Tracy bought some sachets. She didn't like the smell, so she gave it to me."

I didn't respond at all, just looking outside the window.

We arrived at the restaurant, and Tracy, who was already seated, was startled when she saw me but quickly changed her expression.

She greeted warmly, "Eve, come on."

Frank and I sat opposite her, and the waiter brought the menu.

Tracy said, "Frank, Eve likes seafood, so I'll order some..."

"No."

Before she could finish, Frank immediately interrupted, frowning seriously, "Don't you remember you're allergic to seafood?"

"I won't eat it then," Tracy cooed playfully.

"You're so greedy. Can you really resist it?" Frank disagreed, snatching the menu and starting to order.

Tracy propped her chin with her hands, smiling sweetly at him.

I sat beside them like a transparent person, watching their harmonious and intimate interaction.

I felt like I was in an ice cellar. The air around me seemed to turn bitter and unusually heavy.

When Tracy first joined Frank's research group earlier this year, he would complain to me every day about how careless and clumsy she was.

At first, I advised him not to be too hard on her.

But later, Tracy's name gradually filled our lives.

He mentioned her name three times in every five sentences he spoke to me.

He went from scolding her to admiring her.

He said she was very much like I used to be, passionate about life, enjoying it, lively, cheerful, and very ambitious.

As I reminisced about the past, Tracy's words pulled me back to reality.

"Eve, I was wrong before, and I apologize. Please forgive me."

She said the words of apology but showed no sign of guilt. Instead, there was a strange sense of superiority.

Her gaze at me was challenging, yet Frank couldn't see it through.

Seeing that I didn't speak, he wanted to hold my hand to remind me.

I avoided it, laughed out loud, and then calmly said, "I'm not angry. In fact, I want to thank you."

"Thank you for waking me up and for making me realize how foolish I was for trying so hard to hold on." However, I didn't say the latter half.

Frank was taken aback, looking at me with confusion. "Why would you thank her?"

"Thanking her for helping me cut my losses in time."

I said with a smile, slowly standing up. "I suddenly find watching you two quite nauseating. Enjoy your meal, I'm out."

Tracy's smile instantly disappeared, replaced by tears in her eyes, looking pitifully at me.

"Eve, have I offended you? Why are you so mean to me in front of Frank?"

Before I could respond, Frank angrily demanded, "Evelyn Felton, what exactly do you want? She's apologized, yet you're still being aggressive. Is this fun for you?"

I looked up into his angry eyes and calmly said, "Seeing you two cornered like dogs is quite entertaining."

After saying that, I ignored their anger and left the restaurant with my bag.

As I walked out onto the street outside the restaurant, I glanced back unintentionally.

Tracy had thrown herself into his arms.

Frank stood there and didn't push her away. He was saying something, probably comforting her.

I smiled bitterly, my eyes reddening.

In a daze, I remembered our past.

Frank and I met in college. We had known each other for four years and had been in love for five.

After graduation, he joined his professor's research institute while I found a job.

When I first started working, I didn't understand the intricacies of human relationships and faced a lot of difficulties.

To cheer me up, he bought a costume and played the clown in front of me.

He said, "As long as you're happy, I'll be happy too, but if you're sad, I'll be sad with you, so you should smile more."

I didn't know why, but such a good man like me had changed, too. I raised my hand to wipe away the tears, suppressing all the bitterness.

Without the so-called love, I threw myself entirely into work.

I didn't have the spare time to indulge in self-pity.