I suddenly remembered all the parties this year, the little moments like this that had happened again and again.

Simone had taken off my hearing aid, her eyes soft, saying something I couldn't catch. Later, she put it back on. Everyone else said she was whispering sweet nothings, making promises that she'd never let me down.

If my hearing hadn’t already been restored, I probably would have missed the sharp edge beneath her honeyed voice, the cruel meaning she'd disguised in sweetness.

Ralph suddenly exclaimed, "Whoa!"

He dropped his arm from around Simone's shoulder and apologized in his usual carefree way. "Sorry, Justin. We usually joke around like this, don't get jealous."

Simone teased back with a laugh, "Oh, come on. You treat me like a guy all the time."

Then, as if no one else existed, the two of them started chasing each other, play-fighting across the room.

Everyone else acted completely unfazed, like it was just another ordinary scene.

I closed my eyes and turned to leave, but Ralph immediately reached out and stopped me. His expression was disapproving. "Everyone showed up at your birthday party out of respect. Are you just going to leave like that?"

Simone ruffled my hair, a helpless little smile on her face. "You haven't even opened your birthday gifts yet. Don't be mad."

I frowned and instinctively pulled away.

Ignoring the sudden flicker of change in Simone's expression, I spoke deliberately, each word cutting through the tension.

"We're done. Don't contact me again."

And without another glance, I left the private room.

On the way home, my phone kept buzzing with messages.

Simone sounded confused. "What's going on? Everyone came all this way to celebrate your birthday, brought you gifts, and you just left them hanging?

"Ralph was just being his usual easygoing, bold self, not like you. You're always so cautious. That's why he draped his arm around me. Didn't he drop it quickly and apologize to you?"

Other friends jumped into the group chat.

"Justin, aren't you overreacting a little?"

"Why walk off like that for no reason? Did we ever do anything wrong?"

"Damn, we try to be nice and this is what we get!"

I smirked coldly and replied, "Who's overreacting now?"

Then I blocked them all, leaving the group chat behind.

At home, I briefly recounted the whole thing to my parents.

I pressed my lips together. I was facing my worried parents when a sudden, sharp ache welled up in my chest. My voice caught, choking as I said, "I don't like her anymore.

"I don't want to go to college in Movaia with her. I don't want to be with her or marry her."

Mom wiped my tears gently. "Justin, this isn't a big deal. Your dad and I will help you cancel the engagement tomorrow.

"Wherever you want to apply for college, we've got your back. We're here for you."

Dad led me to the living room and placed the cake knife in my hand. "We didn't even get a chance to bring the cake over, but you're home now. Perfect timing. We'll have a simple birthday together, just the three of us.

"Back then when you were born, I laughed so hard my face wrinkled. Don't cry, birthday boy. Make a wish while cutting the cake, okay?"

I forced a laugh through the tears, letting the warmth of their blessings wash over me as I made my wish and blew out the candles. Just as I was about to cut the cake, the doorbell rang.

I straightened myself and opened the door, and there was Simone.

Rain poured steadily outside, with thunder rumbling and lightning flashing across the sky.

She was drenched, water dripping from her hair, but she didn't seem to care. She just smiled and held out a neatly wrapped jewelry box. "Look, I picked this out carefully for your birthday.

"Stop sulking. Everyone's still waiting in the private room. And don't bring up breaking up again, okay?"

I glanced at the necklace inside the box.

It looked strangely familiar.

The watch Ralph was wearing today seemed to be from the same brand.

I didn't move a muscle and refused to take it.

Simone froze in place for a long moment before finally lowering her arm. Her arm was numb, and annoyance crept into her voice as she snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you today?

"You were tearing up when you agreed to my confession. And now you're turning on me like this? Justin, do you even remember how obedient and well-behaved you used to be?"

My chest tightened, and I couldn't even bring myself to respond.

I'd been living in a dream, believing she only cared about me. I imagined us going to college together in Movaia, sharing meals and living side by side. Then, we would get engaged, married, and start a family after graduation.

But today, the truth hit me like a knife.

I finally understood that she never loved me.

To her, I was just the child she owed her life to, a nuisance she could easily ignore.

I took a deep breath and repeated calmly, "I'm not joking. The breakup is real. Don't contact me again."

Simone suddenly lost it. She threw the jewelry box onto the floor, anger flooding her eyes. "Justin, are you fucking done yet—"

Before she could finish, someone cut her off.

My dad stepped in front of me, shielding me. His brow tightened slightly as he said sternly, "Sim, watch your language.

"You've been standing in the rain. Why don't you go home, take a hot shower, and get some rest? It's late. I won't keep you here for dinner tonight."

My mom handed her a slice of cake with a polite smile. "Justin already made his wish, and there's no need for gifts. Take this cake home with you. Make sure you get home safely."

Simone stood there, stunned, for a long time.

I understood immediately.

In the past, whenever she came over, my parents had always been warm and welcoming. They'd never once shut her out.

She couldn't understand why their attitude had changed so suddenly today. She hesitated, clearly wanting to say something.

But the front door had already slammed shut in her face with a sharp bang, leaving her standing there, humiliated.

I had no appetite at all. After forcing down a couple of bites of cake, I went back to my bedroom to lie down.

Dad was worried. He sat at the edge of the bed and asked softly, "Justin, have you really thought this through?"

Around Mom, I had to hold back a bit. However, Dad understood me better than anyone, especially how I felt about Simone.

I stared down at the white hearing aid in my hand, unsure what to say. A rush of emotions hit me. How could people change so much?

When I was a kid, after moving to this neighborhood of villas, I loved trailing behind Simone, addressing her endearingly.

Our families got along well and even did some business together.

One day, our families went out to a factory in the suburbs, and an explosion suddenly tore through the place.

I remembered the survival skills my parents had taught me and managed to escape. Simone, though, was trapped in the blaze.

I watched the fire rage and saw her frozen in place as the flames crept closer. Somehow, I found the strength to charge in, grabbing her and running for the exit before anyone else could react.

We were almost out.

And then the factory exploded.

I was hit hard by the blast and fell into a long coma.

When I woke up, I couldn't hear anymore.

My parents looked grim. Simone's parents were hesitant, words stuck in their throats.

I spent days lying in bed. I was drained, silent, and unwilling to interact with anyone.

Simone eventually stopped going to school. She snuck snacks to me constantly, but I didn't touch them.

The hospital felt too depressing, so she snuck me out one day and took me to a shop where she picked out this white hearing aid for me. She had hand-painted the tiny fish designs on it herself.

She fumbled a little as she helped me put it on, even though she was just a kid herself.

Then she looked at me very seriously and said,

"Justin, you saved me.

"My tutor said your name means just and fair. If you did something good, then the world has to be fair to you, right?

"So you’ll be okay. You have to be."

"They say fish only remember things for seven seconds. But I'm different. I'll protect you forever," Simone had said, teasingly calling me her princess.

That promise from our childhood was something only I remembered.

If the nine-year-old me had heard the 18-year-old Simone say, "I really wish you'd never been saved when you were nine. You should've just been left to die," he probably would've cried from the hurt.

But over the years, because of my hearing loss, I'd gotten used to people whispering behind my back.

So I accepted Simone's change in attitude without making a fuss.

After all, people changed as they grew up.

When I saved her back then, the Scott family had tried to make amends. Over the years, they'd given up nearly half of Scott Group's profits. That was already more than enough to show sincerity.

At the end of the day, we were even.

I was my own person, not someone's shadow, and I didn't need anyone else to survive.

So I looked up at my dad and said with certainty, "I've thought it through."

With my dad by my side, I changed my college plans from Movaia to Juville.

I thought I'd be up all night, but instead, I slept surprisingly well. I didn't wake up until almost noon. Still groggy, I instinctively checked my phone and found two new voice messages from Simone.

Her voice came through the speaker, edged with coldness.

"Justin, are you done throwing a tantrum? Unblock me already. You're an adult, stop pulling this childish crap.

"Ralph felt really guilty after you stormed out yesterday. He said he didn't know how to make it up to you. He even went up to the rooftop, threatening suicide. I barely managed to talk him down.

"There's still some time left in summer break. I'm planning to take him and a few friends to Hayville to go skiing and clear his head. Don't get jealous. Honestly, his suicide scare had something to do with you, too."

The sheer audacity of it made me laugh out loud in anger.

Ralph would never kill himself.

Back in school, he loved calling himself a real alpha male, always claiming he wasn't like those boring, studious guys.

No one had more dirty tricks than him.

For instance, four months ago, it was the birthday of my friend, Noland Lowe. He'd carefully picked out his outfit, set up the scene, and was ready to confess to the person he liked.

Ralph was the only one who refused to cooperate. The moment he entered the private room, he started cracking loud, suggestive jokes.

"Wow, Noland, you're really something. All that experience from dating, huh?

"Don't be shy. We're all friends here. What can't you say?"

When Noland got upset, he immediately raised his hands in mock surrender, then shifted the blame. "Seriously? You guys can't even take a joke?

"Fine, fine, my bad, okay? This is exactly why I don't like hanging out with you guys. Always so damn sensitive."

Another time, when everyone was grinding nonstop for the college entrance exams, exhausted to the bone, he went around snapping unflattering photos of people.

Then, he dumped them all into meme packs before posting them on the school confession page with a caption that read, "The heartthrob of our class. First come, first served."

It wasn't until everyone complained to the homeroom teacher that he finally backed off.

And I'd known for two years already that he joined the photography club as a "club assistant" just to get close to Simone.

I never took him seriously. Back then, I was arrogant. I believed that what was mine couldn't be taken so easily.

Now that he'd really taken her away, I accepted it.

It was my fault for misjudging people. It turned out I saved someone who never knew how to be grateful.

"Justin, if you have even a shred of conscience left, come apologize to everyone. Especially Ralph…"

Simone's messages kept popping up one after another.

I didn't even finish listening before I blocked and deleted her contact.

Outside my room, my mom was urging me to go shopping for winter clothes with her. "It gets pretty cold in Boraska. I'll take you to buy some thicker coats."

I nodded and agreed.

What I didn't expect was that after we finished shopping on the second floor of the mall and were about to leave, we ran straight into Simone and her group.

Among the seven or eight of them, Ralph stood out immediately in a black dress shirt.

He spotted me right away, walked over leisurely, and draped an arm around my shoulder as if we were close. "Justin. What a coincidence."