Upon returning for Professor Forrest Morris's birthday party, I was surprised to find my ex-boyfriend, Yisroel Parker, protecting me from drinking too much. Amid the guests' playful teasing, Yisroel awkwardly produced a marriage license. Kneeling before me with sincere emotion, he confessed his presence today was to propose.

Everyone expected me to seize the moment and dash to the courthouse with him. After all, I had pursued him ardently for ten long years. But they forgot how Yisroel had once wrongfully accused me due to a rumor spread by a fellow student, Amelie Thomas. Or how he mocked my grandfather, Pierce Henry, at his birthday celebration, enraging him so much that he suffered a stroke. The subsequent online harassment nearly drove me to despair.

Now, my old college friend, Ozzy Fox, looked at me admiringly. "Yisroel gave up his dreams and knelt for a whole day before his parents to switch his major to medicine, just to treat your grandfather. He's been waiting for you these four years you’ve been away. Isn’t it time to forgive him?" he said.

"Katherine," he added with a grin, "if you don't hurry up and say yes, the courthouse will close at five!"

I smiled slightly, shaking off the hands pushing me toward Yisroel. After four years abroad, I had severed my ties with my old circles. It was no surprise they didn’t know I was already married.

"Marriage is a serious matter," I said coolly. "It's not something to joke about."

As Yisroel's marriage license slipped to the floor, it opened, revealing familiar handwriting. It marked the day we had started dating, with bold letters below saying, "Yisroel Parker is finally with me!"

From the moment I met Yisroel, everyone knew of my infatuation. On my eighteenth birthday, I began my daring pursuit. Even though he blushed red and fled from each confession, Yisroel showed he cared in other ways. He remembered I liked my coffee with two sugars and hated garlic-flavored chicken. He would brave rainstorms to pick me up from part-time jobs or cross half the city on Thanksgiving to sing a birthday song under my window.

Afraid I'd get jealous, he'd awkwardly declare he didn't like girls, which led to endless teasing from his dorm mates. It was clear to everyone I liked him, and his special treatment of me was just as evident. Yet, he never officially responded to my declarations of love, claiming I was like a star—dazzling and out of reach. Still, he couldn’t bear the idea of anyone else having me.

With determination, we finally got together. On that day, he gave me the keys to his apartment and his marriage license, promising I would be his only one for life. But that promise didn't last the summer.

Yisroel had taken a tutoring job and met Amelie Thomas, a sophomore from our college. Initially, I paid little attention and even offered Amelie advice on university life. Soon, I realized what she truly learned from me was how to pursue Yisroel herself. Amelie's presence led to fewer dates and more arguments between Yisroel and me. No more coffee deliveries; instead, I got lectures on maintaining my figure.

On our one-year anniversary, I prepared a surprise, but all I received was a curt message: he couldn't make it. Assuming he was busy with tutoring, I went to his location only to find him guiding Amelie's hands on the piano, their fingers intertwined as he kissed her cheek. As onlookers teased them, Yisroel only smiled in agreement.

Tears fell as I rushed to the piano in a fit of anger. Amelie shrieked, seeking refuge in Yisroel's embrace, while he regarded me with an indifferent gaze that wounded my pride.

"Yisroel, have you been spending this time falling for someone else?" I demanded.

Shielding Amelie, he coldly replied, "Katherine, I don’t want to waste time explaining things to you. If you’re here only to throw wild accusations at Amelie, you should leave. Don’t dampen everyone’s spirits."

I clenched my jaw, trembling with emotion. He never forgot our anniversaries or rebuked me for anyone. But now, because of Amelie, everything was different.

Running into the hallway, I heard hurried footsteps behind me. Yisroel caught me by the elevator, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry, Katherine. I shouldn't have treated you like that."

I turned my back to him, refusing to look.

With a sigh, he placed a beautifully wrapped gift before me. "I might forget many things, but not our anniversary. Amelie's exams are coming up, and she needed help with a piece. I planned to join you afterward, but you came running, just as impulsive as ever."

I glared at his hands. "But you were holding her hand..."

Laughing softly, he pulled out a wipe, thoroughly cleaning his hands. "Does this satisfy you? She had no prior knowledge. It was the only way to teach her."

Gripping his fingers, I was about to speak when Amelie approached, face pale with anxiety. "Katherine, it’s because of me that he’s been busy. I'm sorry for messing up your plans. Don't be mad at him."

Before I could respond, whispers arose around us.

"She really thinks she's some kind of princess. Yisroel must be exhausted with a girlfriend like that."

"Amelie suits him better, considering everything she does for him. And this woman storms in, making a scene, without feeling embarrassed at all."

"She must’ve been giving Amelie trouble, no wonder she’s been down recently."

At these words, Amelie shook her head, eyes red. "Katherine only misunderstood because we spend time together. Please don’t blame her..."

Her remarks solidified their assumptions. Though furious and eager to explain, Yisroel dragged me away. Outside, I tore away from his grip, tears flowing freely.

"Why didn’t you let me explain? I’ve never bullied Amelie!"

Patiently, he wiped my tears again and again. "Amelie's exams are near—I don’t want anything stressing her."

Brushing off false accusations for her sake hurt. I wanted to ask his true feelings, yet the words caught in my throat.

Yisroel stayed until midnight; we spent our anniversary together, yet I felt no joy. He spent the night texting Amelie, speaking to me less than ten times.

Unable to sleep, I lay awake, puzzled over what had come between us.

I didn’t see Yisroel for two weeks until he appeared again in Amelie's social media post. They shared a drink, celebrating her successful exams. He gifted her a piano, wore a childish watch she’d given him, and played "Love's Remembrance" by her side.

Just as I closed my phone, Amelie texted me a cheeky emoji. "I may have met him later, but he’s mine now. Our souls match perfectly."

When I showed the chat logs to Yisroel, he rubbed his temples with a sigh.

"It's just youthful teasing, nothing to lose sleep over."

"You'll see how challenging her life is once you get to know her. I've taken her tuition money, so I owe her a good education. Katherine, please don't complicate things for me."

"When will you start acting as mature as Amelie? This is really draining."

I felt a lump in my throat, making even breathing a struggle. A wave of dizziness hit me, and I stumbled slightly, wincing in pain. Yet Yisroel only sighed helplessly.

"Katherine, faking illness is something only kids would do."

Just then, his phone buzzed with a notification. He played a voice message, and I heard Amelie's playful voice. The gentle smile that spread across his face told me everything I needed to know.

The person standing before me was no longer my Yisroel.

I turned away silently, taking just a few steps before he called out to me.

"Katherine, Amelie's courses end in two months. I hope you won't bother her with personal issues until then."

"You should take some time to calm down and think about your recent pointless behavior."

I nodded calmly and walked away quickly.

For the next two months, I respected Yisroel's wishes, steering clear of Amelie and, more importantly, him. To keep myself from getting wrapped up in his matters, I focused all my energy on preparing for my graduate exams. Yisroel and I were like two roads diverging, growing further apart with no intersection in sight.

But on Grandpa's birthday, just as I was about to share the good news of my acceptance into a graduate program, Yisroel arrived with Amelie.

In front of our guests, Yisroel approached Grandpa and me with a stern look.

"Grandpa, I have a gift for you, but first I need to ask Katherine a few questions."

"Katherine, I've always seen you as simply immature, so even when you caused trouble for Amelie, I held back. But why did you have to insult her mother? Do you realize that your words cost someone their life?"

Stunned, I looked at Yisroel, not understanding his accusation.

Before I could ask, Amelie stepped forward, tears streaming down her face.

"Yes, my mom's a janitor, but she worked so hard to give me a better life. What did she do wrong?"

"I know you've always been upset with me because of Yisroel, but why target my mom? If it wasn't for your taunting and bullying, how could she have taken such drastic measures?"

"There's video evidence, so don't even try to deny it!"

She showed a surveillance clip. In it, I was sitting in the library reading when a cleaning lady approached me and said something. I then poured water from my cup onto the floor...

Afterward, the cleaning lady and I walked to a camera blind spot, and only I reemerged.

"My mom worked hard cleaning the floor you dirtied. She begged you to stop, but you led her to a secluded spot to mock her, telling her to kneel and apologize, then leave the school."

"To protect me, she... she..."

Under the weight of angry eyes, I rushed to explain.

"She said the library was out of water and she'd get in trouble for the dirty floor, so she asked if I could pour some water from my cup."

"We went to the blind spot because she needed help moving some things!"

But my explanations felt weak against the compelling video evidence. I watched the footage over and over until I spotted a familiar figure between the bookshelves. Even from the side, I recognized Yisroel immediately.

The shelf was near where I sat; he must have heard my conversation with the cleaning lady.

With shaky hands, I paused the video and, with a heavy heart, looked at Yisroel.

"You were there. You heard what we talked about, right?"

He furrowed his brows, staying silent for a moment before finally nodding under my hopeful gaze.

"I heard it."