I loved Dylan for seven years, so much that everyone said my love for him ran deep into my bones.

Just as I was preparing to propose to him, I overheard him at his birthday party telling his friends,

"Oh? You like Lydia? I can give her to you. I’m bored with her anyway."

The very next moment, he slid his hand under a young girl's skirt beside him.

This time, I decided to give up on him.

I threw away the ring I had designed for him, tore apart the wedding suit I had sewn and left.

Friends were all speculating how long it would take before I came back.

Dylan sneered with disdain, "She’s just an orphan with no family. Where could she go without me? Three days at most."

But to his surprise, I never returned and found a new home.

I had been with Dylan for seven years and had planned to propose to him on his birthday.

Since I had to pick up the ring I had designed, I arrived late to his birthday party.

They were in the room, and I was about to go in when I overheard a conversation between him and his friends through the crack in the door.

"Why isn’t Lydia here yet?" Someone asked.

"She’d better not come. She’d just ruin the vibe," Dylan said casually, sipping his beer.

"You don’t know how lucky you are! She’s got a face as stunning as a movie star."

"It’s not just her face; her body’s even hotter than the porn stars on OnlyFans!"

"Even if she’s a goddess, once you’ve seen her sitting on the toilet seat straining, her face all red, you won’t be able to get it up anymore." Dylan shrugged.

"If you’re not into her anymore, let me take a chance, let me make a move…”

"Oh? You like Lydia?" Dylan turned to his friend and said, "If you really wanna do it, I can give her to you. I’m bored with her anyway."

"Come on, Dylan’s just joking," another person said, looking skeptical.

"I always mean what I say," Dylan replied, smirking

As the room erupted in laughter, an even more heartbreaking scene unfolded.

Dylan pulled the girl next to him onto his lap.

"Let me introduce you all.This is Sarah, a student from the dance academy," he said, slipping his hand under her tight dress and squeezing her.

"Ah!" Sarah let out a startled cry, covering her mouth, before shyly leaning into Dylan’s chest.

My fingers clutched the door frame tightly; my body froze, unable to move.

"Miss Lydia, are you here to see Mr. Dylan?"

A voice snapped me out of my trance and made me jump. I turned around hastily to see a servant carrying a tray of desserts.

She pushed the door open.

Everyone at the party turned to me, their expressions a mix of surprise and awkwardness.

But Dylan remained composed, not even bothering to push Sarah off his lap. Sarah, on the other hand, stared at me with open provocation.

"I thought you weren’t coming," Dylan said.

"Am I interrupting?" I asked, pretending to be calm as I hid the ring behind my back.

"Oh, not at all. Come in. Now, since you’re here, let me tell you directly. This is Sarah. I’m her first man, and I need to take responsibility of her. I hope you can accept that."

I sneered. He probably didn’t remember that he was my first man, too

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Dylan continued, "Of course, if you can’t accept it, I won’t force you. But if you want to stay with me, that’s fine too."

"No problem. I accept," I said calmly.

Now, it was Dylan’s turn to be stunned.

He must’ve thought I would cry and make a scene like before. The last time when he gave a female subordinate a ride home late at night, I had smashed his car in a fit of rage.

He never expected me to accept his new lover without a fuss.

"Anything else you need to say?" I asked him.

"No," Dylan replied, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Then I’ll be going."

"Wait, you haven’t had the birthday cake yet," the friend who had joked about pursuing me tried to stop me.

But I didn’t look back and walked away without hesitation.

I heard them talking behind me.

"Dylan, how do you train women? She doesn’t even care that you’ve got a new girlfriend! Teach me your ways!"

"Are you blind? Does she look like she doesn’t care? She’s really mad this time!"

"Maybe you should try to win Lydia back."

"Hmph, no need. She’ll come back within three days. I’ve seen all her little tricks before."

He then added, raising his voice. "She’s just an orphan with no parents or family. Where could she go without me?"

I clenched my fists, tossed the ring I had prepared for him into the trash can, and quickened my pace.

I returned to my apartment and pulled out the wedding suit I had tailored for Dylan. In a fit of rage, I tore it to shreds.

Then I opened the closet and gathered all the jewelry Dylan had given me over the years.

Logging onto a second-hand trading website, I listed everything for sale.

Within hours, the items were sold one after another. I donated all the proceeds to the orphanage where I had lived as a child.

My friend Olivia called shortly after, her voice filled with gratitude. “Lydia, thank you for your donation. It’s truly a lifesaver.”

“No need to thank me,” I replied calmly. “It’s all money from a scumbag, so I spent it with a clear conscience.”

The sum was insignificant compared to Dylan’s extravagant lifestyle, but for the orphanage, it could provide the children with a brighter future.

A bitter smile crossed my face as I wrestled with mixed emotions.

“Did you and Dylan... fight again?” Olivia asked cautiously.

“We broke up.”

“You’ve broken up a hundred times before.”

“This time, it’s real.”

“Alright, if you say so,” Olivia said, clearly unconvinced. Then, she changed the subject. “By the way, I want to invite you to my wedding.”

“Wedding?” I paused. “With who? The new boyfriend from three months ago?”

“Yeah, him. We’re holding it at the orphanage. Can you come?”

Without hesitation, I agreed. “Of course.”

It was ironic. I had been with Dylan for seven years and even planned to propose to him, yet we never made it to marriage. Meanwhile, Olivia and her boyfriend of three months were tying the knot.

After hanging up, I immediately booked a ticket and flew to the city where I had spent 18 years of my life.

On the wedding day, the orphanage was decorated warmly and beautifully.

There was no luxurious venue or extravagant setup, but the 30 children served as flower girls and boys, along with their innocent singing, filling the hall with pure and heartfelt joy.

When the groom appeared, the best man beside him instantly caught my attention.

His face seemed familiar, yet I couldn’t quite be sure.

“That best man is so handsome!” I overheard several women whispering nearby.

“Who is he?”

“He’s Ethan, the founder of a successful tech company who grew up at this orphanage. His story is super inspiring—he’s gone viral online!”

My heart skipped a beat—it really was him!

But he was nothing like the lanky boy I remembered. Now, Ethan stood tall and confident, exuding charisma and commanding attention wherever he went.

“Hi, Lydia. Long time no see.” Ethan approached me after a while.

“Hi, Ethan.” I smiled at him, surprised he still remembered me.

At that moment, Olivia tossed her bouquet into the air. It landed right between Ethan and me.

Ethan effortlessly caught it and handed it to me. “They say the person who catches the bouquet at a wedding will have a happy marriage.”

I waved my hand with a bitter smile. “You should keep it. I’m not cut out for marriage.”

Ethan looked at me with a complicated expression. He opened his mouth as if to say something but decided against it.

During the wedding banquet, Olivia’s husband shared their story:

“We had only known each other for three months when I proposed. Many people said it was too rushed, but from the day I met her, I knew she was the one I wanted to spend my life with.”

Listening to his words, I couldn’t help but mock myself.

Yes, if it’s true love, why would it take seven years?

And why would a woman need to propose?

I took a sip of wine, trying to suppress the bitterness rising inside me.

After the party, I stood by the roadside trying to hail a cab, but not a single car stopped.

A light rain began to fall, and a passing car splashed water all over me. I stood there, drenched and disheveled, tears stinging my eyes.

Just then, Ethan walked over, holding an umbrella.

“Need a ride home?” he asked.

Ethan drove me back to the hotel.

On the way, he started reminiscing about our childhood.

“Do you remember that time when you tried to save a stray cat from the sewer and almost fell in yourself?”

“Of course I remember! Then you hid the cat under your shirt and brought it back, only to get scolded.”

“And there was another time we snuck out at night to catch fireflies and ended up being punished to clean the toilets the next day.”

“It seems like we always got into trouble together.”

“No, it was always you causing trouble, and I had to take the blame for it. I’ve never met a little girl as mischievous as you were.” He giggled.

“Hahaha... Well, I’ll treat you to a meal sometime to make up for it,” I said with a grin.

“Deal!”

The atmosphere in the car grew lighter and more cheerful.

It felt like riding a time machine, traveling through the rain back to my childhood, leaving behind the tears and heartbreak of the past few days.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the hotel.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and thanked him, “Thanks for driving me back tonight.”

Ethan turned to look at me. “No need to thank me. Talking with you has been fun.”

His gaze lingered on me, carrying a hint of melancholy.

As I opened the car door to leave, I hesitated for a moment.

“Do you want to come up to my room for a cup of coffee?”

“Sure!” he replied without hesitation.

At the hotel elevator, we both reached to press the button simultaneously, and our hands touched.

I flinched as though shocked, but he grabbed my hand tightly instead.

Dylan’s words from a few days ago flashed through my mind, and I stopped resisting.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Ethan pinned me against the wall and kissed me fiercely.

Once inside the room, Ethan suddenly seemed to snap out of it.

He let go of me and said, “Sorry, I got carried away. I shouldn’t have forced you.”

“You didn’t force me.” I tugged on his tie, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear.

“This time, you might be causing trouble again,” he said with a grin before sweeping me off my feet and tossing me onto the bed.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or my desire to take revenge on Dylan, or I just needed someone to fill the emptiness inside me.

I unleashed all my pent-up frustration on Ethan, leaving marks all over his body.

He didn’t hold back either, making the night feel like our last.

***

Seven days later, Dylan’s assistant called me.

“Lydia, when are you coming back? The project you’re responsible for is already delayed.”

“Didn’t I resign? I submitted my resignation email last week. Did Dylan not see it? Should I send it again?”

“Who approved your resignation?!” Dylan’s angry voice came through the phone. “You’ve got to stop being so reckless! Do you have any idea how much damage your behavior has caused the company?”

“Oh? Really? I had no idea a regular designer with a monthly salary of 5,000 could be so critical to the company,” I replied and hung up the phone.

I was initially a children’s book illustrator, but I joined Dylan’s advertising company three years ago because I loved him.

“You just need to spend more time with me. You don’t have to work too hard. Your salary isn’t even enough for me to buy you a bag,” Dlyan had said then.

I agreed, thinking this would give us more time together and make us closer.

I didn’t realize it would only speed up his growing indifference toward me.

I blocked Dylan’s and his assistant’s numbers.

This time, it was a clean break.