Zephyr asked stiffly, “You’ve just only arrived. Why are you leaving? Didn’t we agree that you’d visit my art exhibition?

“I was just talking about more professional things with Nancy. We weren’t talking down on you.”

Was he offering me an explanation? But when it came to art professionalism, they could not hope to compare to me, who had built a foundation in art since I was young.

I composed myself, even though I was on the verge of a breakdown. After squashing down all of my emotions, I turned around aloofly. “You’re professionals, alright. I won’t be bothering you now. Have fun with your discussion.”

I met Zephyr’s eyes just now; they had no emotions.

The teenager who once spoke about his art passionately during art exhibitions was gone.

When he looked at me, his eyes were no longer gentle and affectionate. Instead, they were full of impatience and complicated emotions.

Even though we were just a few feet apart, I felt as if worlds separated us.

At the sight of my aloofness, Nancy was displeased.

She removed her coat right in front of me. Her tight-fitting shirt hugged her curves and made her look incredibly alluring. “I have a much better figure than Dew’s, and I’m much better suited as a model. Why don’t you use me as a model?”

Someone let out a gasp.

Zephyr’s expression changed. He hurriedly grabbed Nancy’s coat and covered her before ruffling her hair. “Stop messing around, Nancy!”

Disappointment filled my heart. She was messing around by just removing her coat, but he allowed people to judge and insult my portrait?

Once I packed my things, I returned home, only to find that someone had touched the invitation for the international art festival.

Hope bloomed in me. Did Zephyr do it because he thought that I did not want to give him the invitation? Was he going to ask me for it when he came back?

I remembered all that had happened between us in the past and prepared dinner for both of us.

In the past, Zephyr often pestered me to prepare dinner for him because it made him feel like we were family. “Dew, I only want to eat the dinner you cooked.”

As I recalled how loving we had once been, I felt my heart clench in pain.

I waited until sunset and reheated the food on the table multiple times, but Zephyr never came back.

My phone rang. When I looked at it, I saw Patrin sharing a tweet Nancy made.

[Dew, isn’t this your boyfriend? What’s with them?]

I looked closer at the screen and saw Zephyr peeling a prawn for Nancy. I had not seen that smile on his face for a long time.

I looked at it repeatedly like I was torturing myself, and tears spilled down my face.

I did not reply to Patrin and stuffed the cold food into my mouth.

My tears mixed with the food. Even though my tears were supposed to be salty, why did it feel so bitter in my mouth?

In a daze, I sat on the couch. Soon, I heard the door unlock.

When they saw me, they exchanged a barely noticeable glance.

In the end, Nancy said, “Dew, sorry about today. I had a sudden power and water outage, so I had to come back with Zephyr.”

“It’s fine. It’s not as if this is the first time you came here. You might as well move in,” I said calmly as I stared at Nancy.

Over the past few months, Nancy had used all sorts of excuses to stay at my house.

When it first happened, I was really shocked, and I had thrown a fit at the spot. “Why didn’t you stay at a hotel?! Why did you have to come stay here when you know Zephyr has a girlfriend?!”

But for the first time ever, Zephyr had snapped at me, “Enough, Dew! Do you have to kick up a fuss over this?!

“Nancy is my junior. She’s like a sister to me.

“Besides, I’d be worried if Nancy stayed at a hotel.”

His self-righteous reprimands made me wonder whether I was reading too much into the situation.

Then, I saw Zephyr and Nancy’s intimate photos in his study.

Anyway, right after what I said to Nancy, Zephyr removed his coat impatiently and threw it on the couch. “I told you multiple times before, and you’re still hung up about it?

“I just showed your beautiful body in the art exhibition today. Why are you talking so sarcastically?” The aloofness in his eyes slowly turned to rage. “Also, you never told me about the invitation before.”

My heart sank. He was angry because I did not give him the invitation on the spot?

Zephyr stared at me. Right when I wanted to defend myself, I heard him say, “Give Nancy the invitation. There’s no point for you to go there.”

Then, without even getting my agreement, he handed the invitation to Nancy.

I stared at Zephyr in dumbfounded shock, and I finally realized that the Zephyr who looked at me lovingly and would buy me crepes despite it snowing heavily outside was no longer around.

I grabbed the invitation. “This is mine. You have no right to give it to someone else.”

When Nancy saw the increasingly tense atmosphere between us, she hurried over to play the mediator. “Zephyr, I can wait for you outside. I don’t have to come in. I’ll be happy if you just go out and tell me about it. Don’t fight because of me, okay?”

She swung his arm like she was acting all cutesy.

Just as I expected, Zephyr calmed down. He gave me a cold look. “I suppose I’ve finally come to realize you’re this sort of person, Dew.”

I did not have the energy to continue arguing with him. I just went upstairs, but when I reached the second floor, my tears fell.

I knew it; the one who fell in love harder always lost.

I was already twenty-seven years old. I should stop clinging to certain delusions.

I lay in bed and sank into my thoughts. Just when I was about to fall asleep, I heard someone knocking on my door. “Dew, can I borrow one of your pajamas? I came in a hurry and forgot to bring it.”

I did not answer. I thought that Nancy would have the sense to leave, but she opened the door and stood in front of me.

While she looked down at me, my expression sank. “Miss Kingston, coming in without permission is not something a normal person would do.”

Nancy intentionally rubbed her finger against the ring she wore. It was a normal ring, but it made my heart sink again.

“Dew, Zephyr has already given me this ring. He also promised to bring me to the art festival to share the moment he wins the award.”

“I see. If you have nothing else to say, leave.”

Zephyr came over and saw me staring at the ring Nancy wore.

Guilt and regret flashed in his eyes. That ring was the token of our love. Even though it was not made of expensive material, it was filled with our love.

“Nancy, it’s late. You should go back and rest.”

For the first time ever, Zephyr sent Nancy away.

She glared at me indignantly, but she still left.

Zephyr got in bed tentatively. “Dew, I gave Nancy the ring when she got her reward last time. I—”

I knew that he would not be able to come up with a good excuse, and I interrupted him. “You don’t have to give me an excuse. I don’t mind.”

Perhaps he saw that my expression was off, but he held my hand. “Dew, I didn’t do what I did in the art exhibition on purpose. Are you still mad?”

It was one of the few times he decided to apologize, but it was already too late.

When he saw that I was giving him no reaction, he placed his arm around my waist and caressed it as he breathed into my ear, “Dew, I still love you. But why didn’t you tell me about the invitation? Don’t you know how much I’ve worked to fulfill my teacher’s wish of giving Nancy an invitation?”

He always had all sorts of excuses for his actions. His teacher only had two students and wanted them to share their achievements together and support each other.

But no teacher would wish to destroy a couple’s relationship.

I scoffed. I felt my stomach churn in disgust. Their dirty pictures kept appearing in my head, and I flung Zephyr’s arm away before I pushed him aside.

“You disgust me, Zephyr. You touched Nancy the same way this morning, didn’t you? You’re so dirty!”

Zephyr was furious. His face turned red with rage, and his glare was so cold that he looked like he wanted to kill me. “Dew, we’re already adults, and you’re much older than I am. You must have been with as many men as I did with women. Why are you being so fussy?!”

In the end, the decision I made when I was young and ignorant came biting me in the butt. When my friends learned that I was dating someone younger, they had tried to persuade me to break up by telling me that no good would come out of doing so.

But I had refused to believe it. I thought that love would trump all odds.

Yet I was defeated in the end.

Zephyr leveled me a disdainful look, and I was stunned. Then, I flew into a rage.

“You don’t like it that I’m older than you, huh? Leave, then!” I removed my ring and threw it at him.

Zephyr wanted to say something else, but I pushed him out.

“Let’s break up,” I said firmly with the door between us.