I left home for eight years because of a man.

He was my brother's best friend but covertly cherished me as his 'secret love.'

After eight years of secret love, I found a ring in his pocket on the eve of my 26th birthday.

A friend told me that he was secretly preparing a proposal and even sent me a blessing.

[Congratulations, Wanda! You’re finally getting your happy ending!]

But in the end, it wasn't me standing at the proposal and it wasn't me wearing the ring!

I stood in the corner and listened as he said to Jennie, "Jennie, I've waited eight years for you. Finally, you're here. After you left, it felt like my heart had died. It never beat again."

"Will you marry me? I can't lose you again!"

I laughed hysterically. All those countless passionate moments over the past eight years suddenly felt like nothing more than a cruel joke.

After turning and walking away, I found myself wandering the streets as the autumn wind chilled my face. I called my brother.

"Hey, I was wrong. I want to go home."

But after I left, he searched for me like crazy and begged me on his knees to come back.

It was too late. Tomorrow, I would be someone else's bride and the love I once felt for him would be gone.

——

"What is it? Why are you apologizing? Wanda, did something happen?"

My brother's soothing voice made my nose tickle.

Not wanting him to sense my distress, I teased him cheerfully.

"No, nothing happened! I just really missed you. Did you forget something today?

My brother chuckled. "Of course not, my little troublemaker. Your gift should be arriving soon."

"Happy birthday, Wanda!"

I laughed. "Yes. I'm so happy, Clark."

But as soon as I hung up, the tears wouldn't stop.

I'm sorry, Clark. I lied to you again.

When Julian returned, he found me fast asleep on the couch.

He knelt beside me and gently shook me awake. His eyes twinkled like stars.

"How come you fell asleep here? You'll catch a cold, silly."

I stayed still, just stared at him with tired eyes.

He seemed different today, a relaxed ease I hadn't seen in our eight years together.

He placed a package in front of me. "Your delivery. I picked it up from downstairs. Judging by the address, it's from Clark."

"What day is it? Why is he suddenly sending you something?"

I pulled my gaze away from him but couldn't shake the dull ache in my chest.

"It’s my birthday."

Julian’s hand froze mid-motion as he loosened his tie.

For the past fourteen years, he had never once forgotten my birthday.

Every year, he'd reserve a private room at the largest hotel in the city and invite my closest friends to celebrate with me.

But this year, he still needed to remember. He was too busy proposing to Jennie to remember me anymore.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and grabbed his phone before retreating into the study.

Half an hour later, Julian hurried downstairs. He carried a small cake and a meticulously wrapped gift box this time.

He unwrapped the cake, placed it before me and lit a candle.

"You know I don't eat cake, so I got a small one."

I tilted my head, almost amused.

"Is it pineapple?"

"Yeah, the clerk said this flavor has a great texture. Come on, make a wish. Whatever you wish for, I'll do my best to make it happen."

I stared at him, unmoving.

Seeing the confusion in his expression, I finally asked, "Julian, is there something you want to say to me?"

He paused for a moment, shaking his head with a gentle smile.

"No, why?"

I met Julian's sincere gaze and slowly closed my eyes.

Fine, Julian.

I wish for a future where you're not in it and may we never miss each other.

When I blew out the candles, Julian asked about my wish, but I kept it to myself.

I took the fork from him and forced myself to eat the cake, one painful bite at a time.

I thought pineapple must be the worst fruit in the world!

Sticky and cloying, bitter and astringent.

It wasn't until I was sobbing and hives covered my face that Julian realized something was amiss and tried to take the fork away.

"Wanda, stop eating!"

He snatched the fork away and threw it into the trash.

Holding onto my shoulders, he looked both guilty and furious.

"Why didn’t you say you were allergic? Why did you still eat it?"

I looked at him, smiling through my tears. "Julian, isn’t this version of me ugly?"

Was the me who loved you ugly, too?

Julian took me to the hospital.

While I was on an IV drip, the nurse asked if I had any medication allergies. Julian was about to answer when his phone rang.

I turned my head and saw the caller ID—my Jennie.

Such an intimate name!

Even though she had wronged him for eight years, he still loved her deeply.

Watching him hurry off to take the call in private, I turned back and answered the nurse’s question myself.

When Julian returned, the medicine had left me exhausted and weak.

He propped my head with his hand and bent down to look at me.

"Wanda, I have something urgent to take care of. Be good and stay here for the infusion. I’ll come back to pick you up later."

I grabbed the hem of his shirt and stared directly into his eyes as he turned back to look at me.

"Julian, I'm having an allergic reaction."

His brow creased in annoyance, a look I'd never seen on him before.

"Wanda, you're not a child anymore. I’ve already told you—I have something urgent to handle. Don't be childish."

I slowly let go of his shirt.

At that moment, I finally understood. He was no longer the Julian who would do anything to protect me.

Seeing me let go, Julian ran out without looking back.

I watched his retreating figure and memories of when I was fifteen resurfaced. Back then, a group of debt collectors had shown up at my school.

Julian was in the middle of a vast business deal when he got a call from my teacher. He abandoned the deal worth millions and rushed to my school without a second thought. He broke three debt collectors' ribs at the school gates with his bare hands.

His hand was injured, blood streaming from his knuckles, but he still stood in front of me and warned them.

"His brother said he’ll pay off all the debts in five years. But if any of you dare to bother her again, I, Julian, will do whatever it takes to banish you from Blouver."

After they left, he pulled me into his arms and comforted me softly.

"Don’t be scared. As long as I’m here, no one will hurt you."

I stared at his bloodied hand and clung tightly to his waist.

At that very moment, my heart fluttered and I fell irrevocably in love with the man who'd shielded me, drawn to his warmth.

Even billion-dollar deals couldn't be considered 'urgent' to him, but now a single phone call from Jennie had achieved that.

Despite my best efforts to stay awake, the medication eventually took hold. I didn't know when I fell asleep, but I was awakened by a nurse gently patting my face.

When she saw me open my eyes, she sighed in relief.

"Where is your boyfriend? How could he leave you alone here for an infusion? This isn't just a common cold, allergy patients can't be left alone. What if you faint or go into shock? What if you miss the best chance for rescue?"

I was at a loss for words and said, "I'm sorry."

After some thought, I added, "He's not my boyfriend, just a brother."

The nurse sighed, removing the clogged needle caused by backflow and replacing it with a fresh one.

"Then call a friend. There are two more bottles to go and you can't handle it alone."

I smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, I'm not sleepy anymore."

Holding my phone, I carefully composed my resignation email and sent it to my manager.

The moment I hit send, the group chat with Julian's closest buddies erupted.

The uproar was over a screenshot of Jennie’s social media post.

It showed Julian squatting in the kitchen, fixing a leaky pipe. His white shirt was soaked, revealing his muscular build.

Above the photo, Jennie had gushed with pride. [Boyfriend vibes off the charts! I feel so secure. Ladies, I highly recommend dating someone like this in this lifetime!]

The group chat erupted into playful teasing as they tagged Julian.

[Bro, all these years and we never knew you could fix pipes!]

[Right. Or did you intentionally mess up her plumbing to have an excuse to move in together?]

***

I get it now!

So the "urgent thing" Julian had mentioned was helping Jennie fix her water pipes!

My phone buzzed again and someone mentioned me.

Daniel, Julian's closest friend, was the one who invited me to the group.

[@Wanda, do you girls find men who can fix pipes so attractive? If so, I'll enroll in a repair course tomorrow.]

The group chat went eerily silent.

After some thought, I replied. [It’s not about fixing pipes. What’s manly is someone who steps up whenever they’re needed.]

After sending the message, I left the group chat and sat on the infusion chair.

The autumn night was as cold as water and the boy who had once stood up for me was now shining a light on others.

When Julian called, it was almost dawn.

His voice was a little hoarse, tinged with caution.

"Wanda, are you home yet?"

I glanced at the taxi nearing the hospital entrance and softly replied.

He seemed to relax, then continued, "I'll explain about the group chat later. Stay home, don’t wander off. Wait for me."

I thought that since Julian had said this, he would come back soon.

So, I packed all my things, moved into the apartment my brother had bought for me across the street and then sat at the table waiting for him.

I wasn't waiting for an explanation. I just wanted a proper closure.

When I was twelve, my parents died in a plane crash and our family went bankrupt. Since then, we have been hounded by creditors.

The relatives who had benefited so much from my parents in the past suddenly vanished—hiding when they could, avoiding us at all costs. Not a single person offered a helping hand.

Only Julian, my brother's high school buddy and roommate, took us in.

From that day on, they've been the best of friends.

Later, my brother decided to go abroad—partly to escape the debt collectors and partly to seek new opportunities.

When he hesitated about leaving me behind, Julian patted his chest and said, "Just go. Your sister is my sister—I’ll take care of her."

Julian treated me so well, handling everything for me. Rain or shine, he drove me to and from school without fail.

His friends would joke that he was raising a little wife, but he'd laugh and playfully kick them.

Initially, I didn't think much of their teasing. Still, after the debt incident in high school, I started paying close attention to Julian's reactions whenever I heard those jokes.