My friends got up one by one and surrounded me to comfort me with complicated expressions on their faces.

For eight years, they had grown used to seeing me get left behind by Hailey and had advised me countless times.

Hailey's heart wasn't with me. She only liked Eric.

Whenever he called, it didn't matter if it was a holiday, an anniversary, or even if I were deathly ill—she would give way to him.

But I didn't understand one thing. How could someone who showed off all the time have depression? Even if he did, didn't he have family or friends?

No. He was just purposefully seeking Hailey out and deliberately standing between us to humiliate me.

"It's okay. You guys can stop looking for it. It's not important. Tonight, we drink until we drop."

I wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes, forced a smile, and led the group toward the bar.

While everyone was laughing and making jokes, I looked down at Eric's Instagram post.

Hailey had gone to see him. Unlike with me, she was always careful and sweet with him, speaking softly and gently.

This post felt like a declaration of war against me.

Hailey had bought him matching rings. Their hands were tightly clasped, and their faces pressed together happily.

The caption said, "I'm sad to hear Hailey is getting married, but luckily, my girl said she'll only wear a ring for me in this life."

Those loving words made me feel sick. I grabbed the drink on the table and downed it in one shot, forcing the feeling down.

Everyone at the table noticed my strange mood and tried to comfort me gently.

"Don't be sad. Maybe Hailey just hasn't thought it through. Marriage is different from dating."

"Right! You've been together so many years. It'll work out."

By the end, even my friends sounded uncertain. I liked Eric's post and kept downing shot after shot, as if that could soothe the surging pain in my chest.

My friends fell silent and just kept me company with worried looks in their eyes.

A few minutes later, my phone chimed nonstop with notifications. I looked down to see that it was Hailey texting me.

She had sent many messages, mostly to chide me.

"What are you being so dramatic for? It's just a ring. Why did you have to like Eric's post and make him sad?"

"You're a grown man. I don't understand why you're acting so whiny like a woman. Apologize to Eric right now, or I'll make you regret it!"

I had only liked a post, yet it became my fault. I couldn't help but laugh mockingly. After that, I drank myself into a stupor and stumbled home drunk.

Hailey didn't like the smell of smoke or alcohol, so I had put up with it for eight years. Now, I didn't want to anymore. I staggered into my room and fell asleep immediately.

Hailey hadn't come back, and it didn't take a genius to guess where she was.

I wasn't in the mood to confront her. For the first time ever, I didn't wait up for her or leave a light on. I just slept straight through until the next morning.

…

When I woke up, I was greeted by the sound of Hailey demanding, "What are you doing? Can't you see how messy the house is? There's stuff everywhere. Daniel, if this is your way of acting out, I advise you to forget it. Go make breakfast."

Because of her poor upbringing and my pampering, Hailey had severe stomach issues. She could only eat breakfasts I made, or she'd be uncomfortable all day.

I gave a wry smile and looked at her, sidestepping her as I replied coldly, "Just buy something yourself. I'm going to work."

I would often be in a bad mood whenever Hailey gave me the cold shoulder, so this was nothing new to her.

"Daniel, I know my tone was harsh, but it's all for the sake of our future. And about yesterday… It was wrong of me to reject you so coldly. But you know how Eric is now.

"He can't handle stress, and I'm the only one he has. You don't want to marry someone who's always worried about someone else, right?

"Once Eric gets better, I'll be at peace, and I can belong to you completely. Don't be angry anymore, okay?"

She grabbed my hand and stiffly said a few words about it being for my own good.

I just found it laughable. Rejecting me publicly again and again was for my own good, and so was leaving me to be with another man?

She had used too many of these grand, empty excuses before, and now I no longer wanted to hear them. I shook off her hand forcefully.

"Got it. I'm going to work."

Hailey stumbled from the force. She was clearly angry, but that vanished quickly when she met my icy gaze.

I had never been this cold to her before. She felt a flicker of unease and could only let me leave.

The company I worked at was quite far from where I worked, totaling a two-hour commute. Back then, I'd willingly chosen to endure this so Hailey could be closer to her job.

Now, thinking about it, I would be much happier being closer to work.

Without hesitation, I quickly contacted realtors, found several apartments near my office, and started negotiating prices.

People at the company were surprised to see me come in so early.

After all, I had often been late before, always because I was taking care of Hailey and making her breakfast.

Because of this, even though my skills were outstanding, the higher-ups never dared to promote me.

My direct supervisor, Ethan Black, had talked to me about this many times.

"Establish your career first, then start a family. Daniel, you're at a critical point for advancement now. Don't lose sight of the big picture over small matters."

Those words had haunted me, especially when I saw colleagues who had joined at the same time as me getting promotions. My frustration had peaked then.

Well, not anymore. I wouldn't be late again.

Ethan patted my shoulder. "That's a good attitude, Daniel. If you had shown this earlier, those important projects would have been yours already."

I nodded thoughtfully and pulled out the document outlining the company's next project from my files.

"Mr. Black, you know I've been stuck all these years. If you trust me, could you assign this project to me?"

Ethan looked surprised. This project required traveling to multiple cities for meetings, so someone like me—who seemed inseparable from Hailey—had no reason to volunteer.

But I was adamant in my stance. Ethan thought it over for the whole morning and finally gave me the project.

"Dan, I hope you don't let me down," he said.

I nodded firmly before throwing myself wholeheartedly into my work. I didn't look at my phone all day.

Hailey should have been happy about this. She always found it annoying when I shared my daily life and photos of food with her.

But by the time I finished work, my phone was flooded with messages.

Hailey had sent pictures of beautiful sights, things she encountered, and an invitation.

"Let's go to Sunset Villa for dinner and watch the sunset. Isn't that what you always wanted? Order anything you like. Consider it my apology."

I was surprised. That place had been open for three years. I'd mentioned it for three years, and Hailey had always acted like she didn't hear me.

Now, it was being offered as compensation. I thought for a long time as I stared at the message saying she was downstairs at my company. Eventually, I slowly made my way down.

Hailey rarely picked me up. Even though I'd bought the car, I wasn't the one enjoying it.

So, I naturally walked past the front passenger seat toward the back. She had to quickly grab my arm to stop me, asking, "Who sits in the back when there are only two people?"

This was indeed an unusual thought process. I thought about it for a moment before opening the car door. A faint, familiar scent lingered in the passenger seat—it belonged to Eric.

The seat had also been adjusted, probably to his preferred position. I felt uncomfortable because nothing there belonged to me.

When she saw me fidgeting, Hailey opened the car's glove compartment and skillfully took out some motion sickness pills.

"Are you feeling unwell? Here, take…"

She stopped mid-sentence as she suddenly remembered I didn't get car sick.

Hailey laughed dryly. "If the seat's uncomfortable, you can adjust it."

She moved quickly, but I still saw it. Inside the compartment, there was also a photo of Eric.

I thought I could handle it, but when I faced the truth for real, my heart still couldn't help but clench in pain.

"There's no need."

I looked out the window the whole way. Hailey kept trying to make conversation, but it always circled back to Eric before fizzling out.

By the time we arrived, my breathing was heavy, and my whole body felt cold. I hadn't realized it before, but I realized my girlfriend's entire life was filled with the shadows of another person.

Meanwhile, Hailey was particularly excited. She knew the place well and didn't even need a server's assistance. She pulled me around, giving me a tour.

Some servers even greeted her.

"Ms. Morgan is here! Is this your brother? You're so lucky. Both your brother and your boyfriend are so handsome."

It was a compliment, but both Hailey and I shifted our expressions at the same time.

She shot the waiter an unhappy look and quickly explained to me, "Eric's illness requires him to go out a lot. There's nothing between us. They're just making assumptions."

I hadn't said anything, yet she was already rushing to explain things. It only confirmed what the server said.

I just didn't want to argue anymore, so I found a random table and sat down to order.

Hailey's attention quickly shifted to the menu. Or maybe that wasn't the case—perhaps she never cared whether I believed her or not.

After all, I loved her. I was pathetic and would lie to myself anyway.

I stayed silent. Hailey was interrupted mid-order by a phone call. She merely glanced at it before immediately answering it anxiously.

I don't know what was said on the other end, but she nearly kicked over her chair in her agitation and ran outside, saying to me, "Eric's having another episode. I need to check on him. You eat first."

She ran off so fast that her words were almost inaudible.

The server gave me a friendly smile, but I had lost all interest and just listed a few random dishes.

An hour passed, and the food grew cold. The sun gradually neared the mountaintop, leaving a brilliant golden glow.

I took a photo of the scene with my phone. There was still no word from Hailey, but Eric had updated his Instagram.

In the photo, he was leaning heavily against Hailey's chest.

The caption read, "Only when you're here can I feel at peace. Thank goodness you're always there."

The sunset shining on me felt cold at that moment.

I posted an update to my Instagram too.

"Actually, watching the sunset alone can also be kind of romantic."

I knew Eric posted that on purpose for me to see. He wanted me to get angry and jealous before I would confront Hailey, making her hate me even more.

But after eight years, my heart had long been filled with an unending sense of coldness.

I didn't want to fight anymore, nor did I have the energy to fight anymore.

Even clowns got a break. Why did I have to keep performing my solo act every time?