On the day we were supposed to get married, my girlfriend blew me off again, saying she was too busy.

When I got home, there was a marriage certificate waiting for me in the mailbox—hers and her male assistant's. The date filed was today.

I gave a small, bitter smile, set the certificate down on my desk, turned around, and ended things with her.

The next second, my phone rang.

Her annoyed voice came through right away.

"Patrick, what is your problem? Why are you throwing a tantrum? You're a grown man—act like one."

Before I could even say anything, I heard her assistant sobbing in the background.

"Olivia, do you think Patrick got the wrong idea? You should go home. I'll be fine on my own."

"Forget about him. He always pulls stuff like this—I'm so tired of it. You're the one who matters right now."

The sound of my girlfriend gently comforting another man cut right through me.

The call ended, and so did any last shred of hope I had left.

I was packing my suitcase, getting ready to move out, when my girlfriend Olivia Ranch walked in, carefully holding up her assistant, Shawn Keiffer.

"Patrick, hurry up and make some sweet soup. Shawn's blood sugar dropped—he passed out earlier."

Olivia's eyes were locked on Shawn, her face full of worry. Without even glancing at me, she tossed the order my way.

I gave them a quick look.

Unlike before, I didn't jump to greet her or rush to do what she asked. I just kept packing.

When I didn't respond, Olivia finally frowned and looked up.

"Patrick, can you not understand basic—"

She stopped cold when she saw the suitcase in my hand.

Her expression darkened as she walked over.

"Patrick, what is this supposed to mean? You're really packing because you want to break up with me?"

I didn't stop what I was doing and answered casually, "What, you thought I was joking?"

"You—" She choked on my indifferent tone, her eyes going cold as she glared at me.

"What about me?"

I curled my lips into a smirk and glanced over at Shawn.

"You've already brought your husband home. I should clear out and make space for him, shouldn't I?"

"Patrick, I—what are you talking about? I don't understand!"

Olivia's panic was obvious. Her eyes started darting around guiltily.

I let out a cold laugh and threw the marriage certificate right in her face.

"Olivia, is this fun for you? You had the nerve to do it, but now you don't have the guts to admit it?"

The moment she saw the two marriage certificates, she completely lost it.

Humiliated and furious, she snapped, "Patrick, what kind of game are you playing? How did you get these?!"

I just looked at her with a cold smile and said nothing.

In the tense silence, Shawn suddenly spoke up, his voice shaking.

"Olivia… that was my fault. I mailed them to the wrong address by accident. Because you registered the marriage with me, Patrick is upset now. This is all on me."

As he talked, he started sniffling softly.

"Shawn, this isn't your fault."

Olivia's expression shifted instantly. She rushed over to him, full of concern, and carefully guided him further into the apartment.

"Since you already know, fine—I won't hide it anymore. Shawn was diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer two days ago. He doesn't have much time left. His last wish was to marry me.

"You know he's been with me ever since we graduated. He's always helped me carry the load and solved my problems. He's not just my assistant—he's my friend. I can't just stand by while a friend suffers.

"Once Shawn… once this is all over, you and I can register our marriage too. Patrick, you understand me, don't you?"

Olivia looked at me expectantly.

I dropped my gaze, my voice dripping with contempt.

"He's your assistant, your friend, and now your husband. Whatever happens between you two has nothing to do with me."

Seeing how firm I was, she frowned again.

"Patrick, do you really have to be like this? How can you be so cold? I already told you—I'll marry you eventually. What difference does sooner or later make? Shawn is sick. What right do you have to treat him like this?"

Beside her, Shawn kept his head down, tears streaming steadily.

I finally stopped packing and looked up at the two of them standing there shoulder to shoulder.

The way they played off each other was a perfect match, honestly.

A laugh escaped me.

Watching the woman I once loved fuss over another man as if he were the only thing that mattered—I won't lie, it hurt.

But Olivia and I were already damaged beyond repair. I didn't want to stay tangled up with her anymore.

"Fine. I'm cold-hearted." I nodded calmly. "I'll leave right now and stop getting in his way."

With that, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

As I passed Olivia, she suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, her voice cold and ruthless.

"Patrick, that's enough. Apologize to Shawn right now, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened. Otherwise—"

I cut her off with a mocking laugh.

"Otherwise, what? Otherwise, I'll never get the chance to come crawling back to you? You want me to apologize to him? Is he even worth it?"

Olivia's face went completely dark, her tone dripping with warning.

"Patrick, I'm done playing around. I'm giving you one last chance. Apologize to Shawn right now, or don't blame me for turning on you."

Before the standoff could go any further, Shawn gently tugged on Olivia's wrist, putting on a considerate act.

"Olivia, don't be mad at Patrick. He didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault… I'm the one who should leave…"

The second Olivia saw his pitiful face, she immediately let go of me and turned to comfort him.

Seeing my chance, I pulled my suitcase behind me and walked out without looking back.

Just as I was about to step through the door, Olivia's icy voice rang out loud and clear behind me.

"Patrick, if you walk out that door today, don't you ever think about coming back. Let's see what kind of life a worthless piece of trash like you can have without me."

I still stopped in my tracks and turned around.

Not because I was having second thoughts. Not because I regretted my decision.

I just wanted one last look at the girl I once loved so deeply—to see with my own eyes how ugly her face had become.

And after I saw it, I walked away without a single look back.

Olivia had once been the woman I could never reach—the center of every decision I ever made.

She was always the untouchable heiress of the Ranch family, while I was nothing more than someone insignificant, buried in the dust beneath her feet.

We met in college, though at first our lives barely overlapped.

Every day, I quietly followed in her footsteps—attending the same classes, eating at the same spots, even walking the same routes after school.

Eventually, just to see her more often, I pushed myself relentlessly and transferred into her department.

Before today, the thing I was most grateful for was that decision to switch majors.

Because that one choice changed everything between us.

At the time, our professor announced that anyone who didn't want to fail the final exam had to form teams and run experimental data together.

I had always been one of the top students in the class.

Olivia turned down everyone else who approached her and took the initiative to ask me to be her partner.

I still remember how thrilled I was back then.

The moment I looked at her beautiful face, my heart started racing. My cheeks burned so hot I could've fried an egg on them.

Resting her chin in her hand, Olivia looked at me with amusement in her eyes and teased lightly, "Patrick, if you keep staring at me like that, class is going to be over soon."

The whole classroom burst into laughter.

I snapped back to reality and dropped my head, so embarrassed I wanted the floor to swallow me up.

But Olivia hadn't meant to make fun of me.

"All right, stop laughing," she said with a smile. "Being partnered with Patrick is my honor."

That was how we gradually grew closer and closer.

In the end, Olivia was even the one who confessed to me first.

We had three and a half wonderful years together in college.

To everyone around us, we were the golden couple—the one everyone envied.

But even while we were dating, I never let my studies slide.

I kept my full scholarship the entire time, and after graduation, I even received an offer from a world-renowned international corporation.

But Olivia was the only daughter of the Ranch family. She had no choice but to go home and take over the family business.

When I saw the sadness in her eyes at the thought of us being apart, I turned down the kind of opportunity most people spend their whole lives chasing—without a second thought.

I joined the Ranch Group with her instead, doing everything I could to help her establish herself in the company.

To keep anyone from saying I was riding on her coattails, I deliberately started from the very bottom.

As time went on, our relationship grew more and more solid. Eventually, I felt the timing was right and proposed.

But no matter how many times I asked, she always said no.

Whenever I pressed her for a reason, she just gave me vague excuses.

It was only later that I found out Shawn was already by her side by then.

Shawn was younger than me, more energetic, and way better at making Olivia happy.

Little by little, my conversations with Olivia shifted from talking about everything under the sun to revolving entirely around the little details of her daily life with Shawn.

It wasn't like I didn't notice the change in her.

I tried countless times to save our relationship, to hold onto her.

But her heart had already left me a long time ago.

No matter what excuse I used to keep her by my side, all it took was one phone call from Shawn, and she'd rush to him without a second thought—rain or shine, hot or cold.

The care that once belonged to me, the patience she once gave me—she handed all of it over to him.

As for me, all I got were cold looks and endless complaints.

Even so, I still couldn't let go.

So I proposed again.

This time, she said yes.

But on the very day we were supposed to get married, she ditched me for Shawn once more.

And the moment I saw their marriage certificate, I knew it was finally time to wake up.

Back in the old, run-down apartment my parents had left me, I leaned against the wall beneath their photos and finally broke down crying.

After I'd cried until there was nothing left, I cleaned the place up a bit, went out to buy some daily essentials, and settled in.

Lying on the small bed from my childhood, my restless heart suddenly felt calm.

For the first time in a very long while, I slept deeply and peacefully.

I didn't have to worry about whether Olivia was in a bad mood. I didn't have to worry about whether she'd eaten right or dressed warmly enough.

In my dream, I saw my late parents again. But before I even had a chance to really talk to them, the dream turned sour.

Olivia appeared, demanding to know why I'd been so awful to Shawn. She tugged at my sleeve, insisting I apologize to him.

Rage flared up in my chest. Just as I was about to argue back, a shrill ringtone jolted me awake.

Still half asleep, I answered the call.

The next second, Olivia's furious voice blasted through the phone.

"Patrick, where the hell did you disappear to?! Did you forget today is the company's contract signing banquet? Everyone else showed up with a date, and mine is nowhere to be found. You're doing this on purpose to humiliate me, aren't you?!"

I woke up completely and pulled the phone away from my ear, annoyed.

"If that's what you want to think, then fine."

"Patrick!"

Olivia's voice shot up.

A moment later, I heard footsteps through the receiver.

She'd probably moved somewhere quieter to continue the conversation.

She let out a soft sigh, and when she spoke again, her tone had noticeably softened.

"Patrick, today is important for the company. Can you please stop causing problems? Just get over here. The signing ceremony is about to start. Once tonight's banquet is over, I'll explain everything to you properly, okay?"

Hearing her talk to me in that placating tone, I loosened my grip on the phone for a second.

Before I could answer, I heard laughter and teasing voices from her end.

"Oh wow, Shawn looks just like a groom today!"

"No kidding. Now that I look closely, Shawn's outfit matches Ms. Ranch's perfectly."

Shawn spoke up, sounding shy and embarrassed.

"Don't say things like that… I-I just dressed casually."

When I stayed quiet too long, Olivia said my name again.

I let out a cold laugh.

"Olivia, isn't your date already there? Don't call me again."

Without waiting for her reply, I hung up.

Because I knew if I didn't end the call right then, I wouldn't be able to hold my emotions together anymore.

I didn't want to dwell on the past, but the memories of those five years had already soaked into every corner of my life.

So many days and nights, I had spent loving her. I had never once imagined how I was supposed to live without her.

The Olivia from before had always put me first. She had promised me forever.

But now, she didn't need me anymore.

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes and soaked into my pillow as I jolted awake from those memories.

My heart ached unbearably.

But before I could even process what I was feeling, someone started pounding violently on the front door.

My first instinct was that she had come.

Before my mind could catch up, my body had already moved first.