My boyfriend suddenly lost contact with me during his business trip. Filled with anxiety and concern, I called the police.
The following day, the police brought my boyfriend, who appeared rather pleased, and his ex-girlfriend out of a hotel.
He had no explanation for this.
Later, his ex-girlfriend posted a picture on her Instagram account showing them intimately holding hands and strolling along the beach.
The caption read, "What's mine is mine. No one can take it away, and the one who is not loved is the other woman."
I flashed a self-deprecating chuckle, gave her a like, and left a comment.
[Pretty nice. Wish you get married soon and make a long life together.]
——
It had been three days since Oliver Wilson was brought back by the police.
He didn't send me any messages in these three days.
Our chat records were still from the night before he lost contact.
I could learn about information about him by checking his ex-girlfriend Heather's Instagram.
After they were discovered to be alone in the hotel for three days, Heather stopped pretending and hiding.
She openly shared daily updates about her and Oliver, hoping that everyone would become aware of their relationship.
In the past, when faced with such situations, I would call Oliver to question him, argue with him, and make a scene.
However, our argument always ended up with me being the first to apologize.
After that, the matter would be settled and put behind us.
But after so many times, I got tired.
Previously, I always thought breaking up was a terrible thing.
However, after this period of solitude, I found that Oliver was not my only option.
Since I had discovered his betrayal, I thought that we had ended our relationship.
But to my surprise, on the fourth day of my avoiding him, he showed up at my doorstep.
As I looked at the well-dressed man standing before me, I remained remarkably calm.
I said, "You came just in time. I've packed all your belongings. Take them away today."
Oliver's expression turned gloomy, and it darkened even further after he heard my words.
"Are you going to continue acting like this?" he asked.
"What have I done?"
Surprise flashed in my eyes, and I looked at him in disbelief.
He stared at me, forbearing and restrained, and said in a deep voice, "Amelia, you can throw a tantrum, but you can't go too far. Let's forget about this time. Next time..."
"Wait, what are you talking about?" I couldn't listen any longer and interrupted him, "Mr. Wilson, if I understand correctly, we have broken up. Who are you to accuse me now?"
Oliver was stunned, his face tense.
"Breakup? How come I didn't know we have broken up?"
I laughed angrily and cast him a cold gaze. "Well, let me make it clear to you right now the. We have broken up."
"Amelia, don't push it!" he warned.
He got angry and reached out to pull me.
I took a step back, avoiding his touch, my eyes full of disdain, "Mr. Wilson, get ahold of yourself."
I felt disgusting as he touched me with hands that had been intimate with other women.
I openly displayed my resistance and kept my distance from him.
Oliver pressed his lips, his eyes tinged with anger.
He gazed at me for a long while before uttering, "Whatever."
With that, he turned and left.
I twitched my mouth slightly and took out all his belongings.
Since he said it was my decision, I would just throw those garbage back where they belonged.
Just like Oliver, dirty things were like garbage.
Keeping them would only disgust me.
I threw his things into the trash bag and carried it downstairs.
Then, I walked directly to the trash can and threw it in without saying a word.
Upon disposing of those things, I felt refreshed.
Unexpectedly, when I turned around, I met a pair of eyes burning with anger.
Oliver, who had just left, appeared again.
He asked through gritted teeth, "Did you really throw away my things?"
"Since you've seen it all, why bother playing dumb?" I looked at him coldly and said calmly, "I'm serious about breaking up. Not joking with you."
I wanted a clean breakup.
I not only just threw away everything about Oliver but also deleted his contact information.
After completely clearing him out of my world, I focused all my attention on work.
One of my colleagues teased, "Are you on steroids? You've been working so hard lately."
I responded with a faint smile, "Because I suddenly realized that nothing is more important than money."
Love was not necessary, but money was.
In the past, most of my attention was on Oliver, and I was not so focused on my work.
As a result, after working for three years, I remained an unknown clerk.
"That's right! Do you want to apply for the manager position? With your ability, you are more than qualified to be a manager."
"Of course, there is an opportunity for promotion. How can I miss it again?"
Upon seeing my resolute response, my colleague cheered me on enthusiastically.
Shortly after, I received a birthday invitation from a good friend, Kelly.
It was not until I arrived at her birthday party that I suddenly remembered something.
Kelly was not only my best friend but also the wife of Oliver's friend.
So inevitably, I saw him again.
Oliver sat amidst the crowd, with the halo of light from the crystal chandelier above casting a shimmering glow on his pretty nose and eyes, lending him an air of coolness and composure.
Upon noticing my arrival, everyone started to quip Oliver and me.
"What's going on with two? Why didn't you come together?"
"Did you guys have a fight? Well, Oliver better drink more and apologize later."
Hearing their teasing, I was briefly stunned. Frowning, I turned to look at Oliver, who remained silent.
Didn't he tell them we had broken up?
Just as I was about to tell him about our breakup, Kelly happily pulled me to sit beside Oliver.
She arched an eyebrow slightly and smiled. "The seat is for you. You're welcome."
Seeing her smiling, I didn't want to ruin this warm and lively scene.
So, I just bit back the words.
Deliberately ignoring the people around me, I directed my attention to the food.
Suddenly, I heard a lot of cheering.
I looked over and saw three glasses of wine in front of Oliver.
He calmly took one of the glasses and drank it all in one gulp.
The people around him began to tease us again.
"Oliver will easily get drunk if he continues drinking like this. Amelia, talk to him."
"Yeah, Amelia, Oliver only listens to you."
Hearing their words, I pressed my lips, remaining silent.
I realized that today's party was not only a celebration of Kelly's birthday but also an opportunity for Oliver and me to reconcile.
I felt Oliver's gaze on me.
Seeing my silence, he continued drinking.
This could be considered a disguised form of surrender.
However, I remained indifferent.
I was unusually calm.
The people who were hyping us up began to sense something was wrong, and their voices gradually subsided.
Kelly came over and asked quietly, "Are you really not going to persuade him to stop?"
"We've broken up. I have no right to persuade him," I declared, making no attempt to conceal it.
The words sounded in the private room, leaving surprise and disbelief etched on the faces of those present.
It seemed that they didn't expect me to be so decisive.
After all, they were well aware that I had been the one to pursue Oliver initially and had invested the most in our relationship.
I smiled and stood up. "I'm sorry, but I just remembered that I have something to deal with. I got to go."
With that, I left the private room.
After leaving the hotel, I wandered alone on the bustling street, recalling our shared past.
Oliver was very nice to me before Heather returned from abroad.
He fulfilled all my fantasies of what a perfect boyfriend should be and would give me everything I desired.
However, deep down, I always felt like something was missing in our relationship.
It was when Heather returned and I saw Oliver postponing his plan to pick her up that I realized I had never truly been his priority.
But it was he who had said he wanted to be with me forever.
Bitterness welled up in my heart, causing my eyes to turn slightly red.
Just then, a club not far away came into view.
Thinking it was still early, I went to get a small private room for myself.
Indulging myself into fun was a way of commemorating my foolish and lost love.
When my voice became hoarse from singing and I walked out slowly, it was already dark.
The bustling streets became deserted.
I was about to take a taxi to leave when a familiar car stopped in front of me.
The window of the back seat gradually rolled down, revealing Heather's smiling face before my eyes.
Under the dim street lights, I could clearly see the man sitting next to her.
Oliver, with his eyes closed, was napping, leaning back in the seat. He appeared relaxed and at ease.
He had never been like that in front of me.
"Amelia, it's late. Why don't you take our car back?" Heather suggested.
I gave her a cold gaze and refused, "No. It'll make me sick."
Heather's smile wavered when she heard my words. She looked at me with a half-smile and remarked, "How can you say that? If Oliver were to hear it, he would be hurt."
"Good then. You can keep his company and give him some comfort," I retorted mockingly.
I didn't bother to argue with her, so I walked to the side of the road and hailed a taxi.
Just as I got in the car, Kelly called.
The moment I answered, her voice came through, filled with anger.
"Amelia, have you really broken up with Oliver?"
"Anything wrong?" I asked.
She said through gritted teeth, her anger evident, "Good choice! He's drunk, and I wanted you to pick him up, but that shameless Heather showed up. Did you break up because of her?"
Upon hearing her words, I felt a little depressed.
Heather was the one whom Oliver had cherished, pursuing her for three long years and sharing his youth with her.
No wonder it was said that what men could never forget was their first love.
"Well, half of it. I just thought it through. It's better to choose someone who likes me rather than someone I like."
It was really tiring to keep giving.
I felt like I was torturing myself.
"Why is your voice so hoarse? Did you cry? How about I come to you right now and we have a few drinks together?" she inquired with concern.
I coughed helplessly a few times, feeling a slight soreness in my throat. "I just came out from singing, and that's why my voice is hoarse. Don't think too much."
"It's good that you can think positively. It's okay. You will definitely meet someone better in the future."
We talked for a short while before hanging up.
My throat hurt terribly, and it was dry and astringent.
Upon arriving home, I immediately drank water.
At this moment, my phone on the dining table began to vibrate.
I walked over and saw that it was a message from Oliver's mother, Lisha.
[Amelia, are you available tomorrow? I've prepared your favorite barbecued ribs and want to bring them to you tomorrow.]