It's Thanksgiving, and I'm waiting for Zeke Jones to come home after cooking up an extravagant meal.

When Zeke returns, he doesn't even glance at the meal I've prepared for him. Instead, he proceeds to pack a bag.

"I can't celebrate Thanksgiving with you this year," he says.

I take another bite of my turkey and say nothing.

At the stroke of midnight, Zeke's first love posts a new photo on her social media page.

In the photo, she's lying on Zeke's back with a bright smile on her face. The moon outside the window is bright.

"Happy to spend Thanksgiving with good company," her caption reads.

Instead of hysterically questioning Zeke about the post, I just tap on the "like" button without reacting in any way.

Zeke calls me. His voice sounds panicked as he tries to explain himself. "Please don't misinterpret the post. I will definitely spend Thanksgiving with you next year…"

I freeze for a few moments, letting out a small laugh. I don't offer him a reply.

Next time, he says?

Oh, Zeke, I'm afraid there won't be a next time.

By the time Zeke Jones got home, Thanksgiving was already over. Unlike what I usually did, I didn't head out to the front yard to welcome him home.

"Where are you?" the text from Zeke read.

I munched on my lunch and replied with a brief message that said, "Having lunch at home."

A short while later, he entered the house with his suitcase in tow.

"I'm hungry. Do me a favor and make me some grain bowl with a sunny side up egg," he instructed as he changed into a pair of house slippers.

On any other day, I would've instantly made my way toward the kitchen and cooked for him.

This time, however, I only responded emotionlessly, "I'm already done with my lunch. You can go ahead and order something in."

Zeke shot me a dissatisfied glance. Then, he suppressed his anger and said, "I know you're still mad about Thanksgiving, but I'm actually starving. Now's not the time for you to be kicking up a fuss."

I turned around and smiled at him. "I'm not mad."

He didn't believe me.

"Scarlett doesn't really have any friends or family here in Bergen City. As someone who's based here, I felt obligated to spend Thanksgiving with her and keep her company," he explained.

"Yeah, I know," I replied indifferently.

He stared into my eyes with a piercing gaze, trying to analyze my thoughts and emotions.

Afterward, he looked downward and asked irritably, "Can you not pull something like this? I'm exhausted—I don't want to have an argument with you. Can't you just be more understanding for once?"

"I'm not arguing with you," I explained patiently as I looked at him. "Are you done talking? I'd like to go do the dishes."

Zeke fell silent. He stared at me for a moment before taking out a necklace from his pocket and handing it to me.

While he looked down at me in a condescending manner, he spat coldly, "A present."

The necklace wasn't wrapped up at all. It looked so different from the one Scarlett Reed flaunted on her social media page. Her gift was beautifully wrapped.

There wasn't a single shred of joy on my face.

"Thank you," I said politely.

Subsequently, I didn't offer him any other response.

He looked visibly displeased.

"That's it?" he asked angrily.

"Yeah."

His expression soured before he stretched out his hand toward me.

"Where's my present?" he demanded.

Only just remembering the gift exchange, I said apologetically, "Sorry—it completely slipped my mind. Let me wire you some money so you can buy something for yourself."

Afterward, I picked up my phone and transferred him 100 dollars.

Zeke looked surprised. He probably didn't expect me to forget.

I'd always made it a point to celebrate holidays and milestones with intention. Exchanging gifts during holidays was a tradition of ours.

Throughout the years we'd been together, I kept the tradition alive. I'd always gotten Zeke a gift—even when he'd forgotten to get me something.

The air between us felt extremely awkward. So, I headed toward my closet and got changed.

I was just about to head out the door when Zeke anxiously yelled after me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm hanging out with my friends," I responded casually.

Subsequently, I ignored his cries and shut the door behind me.

Zeke once told me that he didn't like it when I went out to party. So, ever since I started dating him, I turned down every single one of my friends' invites.

Upset by the fact that I was never allowed to spend a night out with them, my friends eventually decided to stop inviting me to their get-togethers altogether.

I was finally able to spend some time with my best friends and catch up with them.

"I thought you ditched us for your boyfriend. Don't you dare refuse to hang out with us again. We're way more important than some guy, you know," one of my friends complained before we parted ways.

I nodded in agreement. "Don't worry. From now on, I'll make sure to be at every get-together as long as I have time to spare."

After I got into a relationship with Zeke, I directed all my focus and attention toward him. By prioritizing him in all aspects of my life, I lost my friends and my social life.

In hindsight, I realized it was an extremely foolish decision.

I checked my phone and realized that Zeke had transferred the money back to me.

By the time I reached home, it was 3:00 am.

After turning on the lights, I was surprised to find Zeke sitting on the couch. I was so stunned that I had to do a double take.

Despite noticing that I was drunk, he didn't bother lending me a helping hand to keep me from tripping over my own feet. Instead, he merely scowled at me with a disappointed look on his face.

"Can you get a grip on yourself? If you're jealous, just admit it.

"As a woman in a long-term relationship, do you think it's appropriate for you to come home wasted at 3:00 am in the morning?" he spat with disdain.

I felt incredibly dizzy. I placed a hand on the wall to balance myself as I slowly stumbled toward the couch and sat down.

When Zeke smelled the alcohol on my body, he furrowed his brow ever so slightly. "Didn't I tell you I didn't like those friends of yours? Were you out partying with them again?

"Unlike what you think, Scarlett and I are just friends. You didn't need to drink so much alcohol because of her."

Propping my head up with my hand, I snapped irritably, "You're reading too much into things. I just had a couple more drinks than usual because I had a great time with my friends."

My actions angered him.

"That's enough. I've tried to make things less awkward for you. What more could you possibly want?

"I'm warning you—stop testing my patience. I'm not a saint, Joanna. I can't always be the one compromising so you can get your way."

My head was throbbing, and hearing his voice was making my headache worse. I rubbed my temples and said, "Are you done? I'd like to head to bed now."

Upon noticing this, Zeke took a deep breath. Then, he calmed himself down and got up to try and walk me to the bedroom.

With whatever was left of my rationality, I moved away from him. Subsequently, I staggered into the guest room and locked the door behind me, ignoring Zeke, who was knocking on the bedroom door.

That night, I fell into a deep sleep. I felt like I slept more soundly than I usually did.

…

When I woke up the next morning, Zeke was sitting on the couch. His expression was dark, and he wasn't speaking to me at all. It was clear he was angry at me.

I didn't try to cheer him up. Instead, I brushed my teeth, washed up, and left the house.

I headed toward the dance company and handed in my resignation.

Previously, I'd decided to join this particular company because it was located near my home. Hence, it made it easier for me to tend to Zeke's needs.

Now, I no longer had a reason to stay.

My colleagues asked me to reconsider my resignation multiple times, but I was adamant about my decision.

I submitted my résumé to a dance company overseas, and I finally received a reply last week. They'd decided to hire me.

Joining that dance company had been my dream since I was younger, but I'd turned down the opportunity prior to this because of Zeke. Fortunately, it was not too late for me to pursue my dream now.

After I resigned, I called my best friend when I was in the middle of the handover process and told her the good news.

Once she heard about my new job, she felt incredibly happy for me. Then, she fell silent for a brief moment before asking, "What about Zeke, then? Did he agree to the fact that you're leaving the country?"

I let out a small laugh. "No—and he doesn't need to know. I'm traveling alone this time."

After I finished handing over the remainder of my work, I went to prepare the things I needed in order to travel abroad.

My parents were divorced. Aside from my best friends, who I grew up with, Zeke was the only person I was close to in the entire country.

I used to think that home was wherever Zeke was. However, I didn't feel that way anymore. I felt like I no longer had a place to call home.

By the time I returned to my house, Zeke was getting ready to head out.

Zeke was wearing a suit and a dark green tie. He looked incredibly striking.

When I saw the birthday cake he was carrying, I realized what was going on.

It was Scarlett's birthday today. He was about to go celebrate with her.

"Okay, stop guessing. If I tell you what the present is, it won't be a surprise anymore. You'll just have to wait for me to get there. I'll be there soon," he said joyfully.

He was currently on the phone. I didn't know what Scarlett said on the other end, but it made him break out into a hearty laugh. His smile was so wide that I could even spot his canines.

He rarely smiled when he was with me.

Despite how happy he looked, he wiped the smile off of his face as soon as he caught me staring at him. He'd give Scarlett the world, but he wouldn't even spare me a small smile.

His expression instantly darkened. He turned away from me in a disgusted manner and didn't say a single word. Afterward, he swiftly changed into his shoes and left the house.

Zeke was going to give me the cold shoulder again. He'd done the same thing in the past, and it was always because of Scarlett.

Every time that happened, I'd do everything in my power to appease him. Even if he didn't reply to a single one of my texts, I'd still act warm and friendly toward him.

Instead of doing what I used to do, I searched up some recipes of foreign foods and practiced cooking them at home. I needed to start becoming accustomed to life overseas before I actually moved over there.

…

While I was lying on my bed, I came across Scarlett's most recent post on my social media app.

"Thank you for yet another birthday gift this year. Grateful to always have you by my side," she wrote.

"I feel so emotional. I'm so glad that you're happy, Scarlett," one of Zeke's male friends commented under her post.

I checked the likes and realized that all of Zeke's close friends had liked the post.

His friends had never respected me. In their opinion, I was just someone that got in between Zeke and Scarlett's relationship. According to them, Zeke would be much happier if I didn't exist.

I scrolled through Zeke's social media activity and realized that they were right.

"Happy birthday, my princess," Zeke commented.

I read through their online interactions emotionlessly.

One of his friends even replied to him and wrote, "I don't think you should be posting that. If Joanna sees that comment, she'll probably throw a huge fit. You know how petty she is."

Once, I gently reminded Zeke to keep his distance from Scarlett. After all, he was a man while she was a woman. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to interact with her so much when he had a girlfriend.

After his friends heard about the incident, they called me petty and narrow-minded. They even mocked me and said I was being too controlling. They claimed I was robbing him of his friendship with Scarlett.

When Zeke heard what his friends said to me, he implicitly agreed with them. On top of that, he even told me off and said I should be more generous as a woman.

Unlike what his friend claimed, I did not throw a huge fit. Instead, I exited the app and began to watch some videos online instead. Afterward, I ended up falling asleep on the bed.

When Zeke came home, I was sound asleep. He woke me up in an annoyed manner and yelled, "I've been outside the entire night. Do you not care about me, Joanna?

"My friend's girlfriend has been blowing up his phone the entire night. You didn't even call me once! What is the meaning of this?"

I was staring at him with a confused expression. I had no idea why he was so angry.

I used to do exactly what his friend's girlfriend did. When that happened, he said, "You're my girlfriend, not my prison warden. Can you be less controlling? I feel like I have no freedom because of you."

Now that I had given him space, he was accusing me of not caring about him. I actually didn't know what he wanted me to do.

Despite my frustration, I didn't bring up the past.

"Why would I need to blow up your phone if you were hanging out with your friends? Since you and Scarlett are just friends, I have nothing to worry about," I replied nonchalantly.

Zeke looked like he was in disbelief. He was probably shocked that I mentioned Scarlett's name without sounding bitter or angry.