Tristan froze for a moment, and I took the chance to yank my hand free.

"Trying to play hard to get?" He scoffed. "Don't come crying when this blows up in your face. I'm not playing along."

"You don't have to worry about that."

I rubbed my reddened wrist, then turned to leave.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with you? If you wanna break up, just say it!"

He grabbed my arm from behind, his expression livid.

I stopped, turned around, and looked him in the eye. "Haven't we already broken up?"

To me, we had been over for a long time.

Three months ago, I stumbled across something he had posted online.

"We've been together for seven years. I remember coming home late one night and finding her asleep on the couch. When she woke up, her hair was a mess. She yawned as she rubbed her eyes and told me she made me soup to sober up.

"That look really killed the mood, and I lost my appetite for the hangover soup she made. I suddenly realized that I don't love her anymore. She used to be my goddess, the girl I pursued for two whole years.

"But now, that goddess had turned into an ordinary woman who didn't bother to care about herself anymore. But we've been together for seven years. We were classmates. Our lives are too tangled up. Breaking up isn't easy. God, what a nightmare."

The post was dated a year ago. So, he had grown sick of me more than a year ago.

Of course, I had sensed the shift. He had changed—become more impatient, more distant. At first, I thought it was just work stress.

Later, I found out that he was getting close with the new intern at the company. He'd casually take her out to meet friends. One time, we even ran into each other at a party.

He had explained nonchalantly, "She's just an intern from work. She knows nothing about the world and is always curious. So I'd show her around."

I didn't argue, nor did I question him. I simply nodded. "Okay."

The young woman, unbothered, held onto his arm with a bright, sweet smile. There was a glint of challenge in her eyes.

"You must be Esther Wilder. Tristan's told me about you."

She was glowing. It was clear that Tristan was doting on her.

Later, I looked her up. Her name was Chloe Murray. She was 21 years old, with a beautiful face and an outgoing personality.

My friend said that my looks, character, family background, and education all far surpassed hers.

"She's got nothing on you except for that overwhelming sense of youth."

I was almost 28. Youth was no longer on my side.

Realizing this, I felt defeated and hurt, unsure of where Tristan and I were heading.

It wasn't until I saw the post that I understood. Chloe wasn't the root of the problem. What he was drawn to was the sense of novelty. If not her, it would be someone else.

During one of his outbursts, I brought up breaking up. He thought I was just being dramatic and didn't try to stop me. Instead, he told me to get out.

Even though I had already made up my mind to end things, when he yelled at me to leave, the tears still couldn't help but fall.

He looked at me with a face full of disgust.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as I ran out of his apartment. Later, when I went back to grab my things, I overheard him talking to his friends.

His friend suggested that he should try to comfort me, considering all the years we'd spent together.

He just replied indifferently, "If she really walks, great. Then I can finally be with Chloe without sneaking around."

"You pursued Esther for two years straight, and now you're just letting her go like this?"

"What, am I supposed to put her on a pedestal? I've been done with her for ages."

"You don't think that makes you a total bad guy?"

Tristan let out a scoff as he leaned back in his chair.

"After all these years, I've done enough for her. I yelled at her once, and now she's threatening to break up. Fine, let her be. Maybe giving her some space will do her good."

"Don't regret it if she doesn't come back," his friend said.

Tristan let out a sharp snort. "Don't worry. Esther won't run off. But if she did, I'd actually thank her. Chloe's been with me long enough. I think it's time to make her official."

"Jesus, you're heartless."

His friends shook their heads. Tristan slowly exhaled a ring of smoke and spoke with an indifferent expression.

"It's been eight years. I'm really done with her. Plus, she's like a plank in bed. Chloe's more on the same page with me."

I clenched my fists. My nails dug into my palm, drawing a deep red line of blood, but I didn't feel it.

After Tristan left, I packed up my things and went back to my parents' house.

Only Tristan and his close friends knew I brought up the breakup, but no one seemed to care.

When I got home, he was off celebrating Christmas with Chloe, then went skiing in Weisse before traveling to Egrein.

Meanwhile, I wasn't exactly idle either. I went on date after date.

Throughout the three months, neither of us contacted the other.

It wasn't until Mason sent us an invitation for our class reunion that we finally spoke again.

"What did you say? We've broken up?"

Tristan raised his voice, as if the idea just hit him. "Esther, you really need to know when to stop!"

"Did I say something wrong? We broke up over three months ago. You agreed to it, remember?"

He stood frozen, clearly unprepared for this, but I didn't care.

After a long pause, he scoffed. "You think you can just call it quits whenever you want?"

I didn't want to drag this out, so I turned and walked away.

His furious voice echoed behind me. "I'm giving you a way out, and you won't take it? Fine! Whoever begs to get back together first is the loser!"

I walked back into the room where the others were.

One of my classmates teased, "Esther, I'm really jealous of you and Tristan. You two have been together for so long, but you're still so close."

I decided it was time to set things straight. "You're all mistaken. Tristan and I have broken up."

As soon as the words left my mouth, every pair of eyes turned toward me.

"Esther, you're kidding, right?"

"No way. You and Tristan broke up?"

"What happened?"

"Things just weren't right anymore, so we ended it." I kept my explanation formal.

Just as I finished speaking, Tristan walked in. "Yeah, we broke up. I dumped her."

I didn't want to argue with him. I came to this reunion not just to catch up with old classmates but also to make it clear that Tristan and I had broken up. Otherwise, people would keep tying us together.

With that accomplished, I grabbed my bag, apologized to everyone, and made my exit.

"Tristan, did you two just have a fight? Go after her."

"Looks like Esther's really hurt."

"What are you doing? Why are you just standing there?"

"Hey, Esther, wait! Tristan's sorry!"

A few of our classmates tried to push Tristan to come after me, but he was reluctant. After a bit of pressure from Mason, he got up, dragging his feet.

A couple of classmates hurried after us.

"Esther, is there some misunderstanding? You've been together for eight years. Don't be stubborn. Just talk it out."

I stopped walking and turned to them. "There's no misunderstanding. We really broke up. It's been over three months now. We're both doing fine. It's just a breakup. I'm getting married on October 1st. I'll send you an invite."

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and a tall man stepped out. I glanced at him and then turned to my classmates.

"My fiancé's here to pick me up. I'll be going now. You all have a good time."

The classmates who had been trying to play peacemaker were stunned. They stared at the man, mouths agape, not knowing what to say.

"Are these your classmates, Estie?"

The man walked over to me and took my hand.

Just as I was about to introduce him, Tristan's shout rang out behind us. "Esther Wilder! Who is he?"

Tristan's face turned bright red, with veins bulging on his forehead. The fury in his eyes gathered, like a volcano ready to erupt.

"Who's this, Esther?"

"Come on. Introduce us."

"Is he your fiancé?"

"Wow, he's hot! He looks like a celebrity. No, actually, he's better looking than a celebrity!"

A few of the female classmates were gushing excitedly over the man beside me, curious about him.

Meanwhile, the male classmates were quiet, watching us thoughtfully.

Ignoring Tristan's murderous gaze, I lifted our hands, which were still tightly clasped together.

"Let me introduce you. This is my fiancé, Leon Russell."

Leon smiled and nodded at the group.

Tristan's eyes widened, and his face stiffened. The muscles in his cheeks twitched as he stared at me with confusion and disbelief.

It took him a long time to process my words. When he did, he exploded in rage. "He's your fiancé? Then what am I? What have I been for all these years? You're really something else, Esther."

The last sentence was said through gritted teeth.

"You're her ex, of course," Jemma Herring, one of my female classmates, said. She rolled her eyes at Tristan.

Several classmates knew about Tristan and Chloe's situation, and Jemma had previously stood up for me.

"Shut up! Who asked you to speak?" Tristan snapped at Jemma.

Furious, he stormed toward me.

Seeing that, Mason stepped forward and pulled him back. "Calm down, Tristan. Just talk things out. No need to be impulsive."

He stepped in front of Tristan, offering Leon an apologetic smile.

"Don't get involved, Mason. How can I not be angry? He's holding my girlfriend's hand! She cheated on me!"

"Didn't you say you two broke up? He's her fiancé now. Who do you think you are?" Jemma chimed in.

Mason tried to calm Tristan again. "You've had too much to drink, Tristan. Just go inside and rest for a while."

"Who said we broke up? We were just having a fight!"

Tristan refused to admit that we had broken up. Pointing at Leon, he shouted, "You, tell everyone. What's your relationship with Esther?"

Leon turned to the crowd. "I'm Leon Russell, Esther's fiancé. Nice to meet you all."

One of the classmates beside Mason quietly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Who is he? His name sounds kind of familiar."

"Yeah, I think I've heard of him too," someone else chimed in.

Leon casually took out a business card and handed it to Mason. "Let's stay in touch. I'll leave with Estie now."

Mason nodded and walked with us to the elevator.

Behind us, Tristan's mocking voice carried over. "Fiancé? You almost tricked me, Esther. Who else would want you except me?

"Don't think you can just find some guy to act with you and force me into marriage! I'm telling you, Esther Wilder, I don't want to get married. Your little games won't work on me."

His words didn't stir even the faintest emotion in me.

My feelings for him had been worn down to nothing after countless moments of heartache.

I couldn't care less about his doubts, his anger, or anything else. To me, he was nothing more than a stranger now.

"I told you to wait several years—"

Tristan followed me, reaching out to grab my arm. But Leon wrapped his arm around my shoulders and placed me behind him. He coldly interrupted Tristan, saying, "Wait for you? Who do you think you are?"

Leon exuded an intimidating presence, and everyone was taken aback. Tristan opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.

"My wedding with Estie is on the 1st of October, at Straburgh Grand Hotel. All of you are invited."

As the elevator doors closed, I heard a startled gasp from outside.

"Leon Russell? I remember now!"