When Love Needs a Second Chance

The night before Labor Day, my birthday party was on.

My girlfriend, who has been living with me for seven years, lost a game and had to kiss her ex-boyfriend while feeding him alcohol.

Her ex-boyfriend asked with deep affection, "If Levi weren't here, could we get back together?"

She shyly replied, "We could."

Everyone was stunned, staring at me.

I, however, was unfazed and even started applauding, saying, "Congrats."

——

The night before the Water Festival, my girlfriend invited a bunch of friends over for my birthday party.

I was in the kitchen preparing the final dish, spicy crayfish, when I heard cheers from the living room.

Looking around, I realized that my girlfriend Luna was playing a game with her ex-boyfriend Fraser. She lost, so she had to accept punishment.

It just kind of happened spontaneously.

Fraser took a sip of alcohol and kissed Luna on the lips.

They parted after a full ten seconds.

Luna's face was flushed, her lips bright and slightly swollen.

Everyone was watching me, with expressions ranging from mocking through pity to schadenfreude.

Luna's hand remained on Fraser's waist as she gazed at me, devoid of any regret or fear, but with a clear sense of defiance.

Fraser smiled at me. "It's just a game; don't be mad."

I wanted to voice my concerns about how inappropriate the game was—kissing someone else's girlfriend and feeding her alcohol—but I kept my complaints to myself."

Surprisingly, I felt no anger, just a sense of relief.

I added a bottle of beer to the spicy crayfish and responded with a smile, "I'm not mad."

But Luna thought I was mad and shot me a glare.

"Levi, don't be jealous. Fraser and I are just friends."

I nodded and stayed quiet, just focusing on handling the crayfish while letting everyone know to keep playing.

Since the person involved wasn't questioning it, no one brought up the earlier incident again.

Soon, Luna lost again and chose to answer a truth question.

Fraser seized the opportunity to ask, "If Levi weren't here, could we get back together?"

Luna's face froze in surprise; she clearly didn't expect this. But she quickly composed herself and blushed slightly.

In the silence, she nodded. "We could."

Everyone's gaze shifted to me once again.

I put down my beer and started applauding. "Better to dismantle ten temples than to ruin one marriage. Don't mind me, respect the blessing, it's locked."

But everyone thought I was genuinely angry this time and looked at me with disdain.

Luna frowned and said, "Levi, how many times do I have to tell you? It's just a game! You take everything too seriously. It's so boring."

She continued. "Just keep cooking. You're narrow-minded and jealous, making things uncomfortable for everyone."

Fraser, looking pleased, provocatively picked up a crayfish I had prepared, shelled it, and put it on Luna's plate.

"Levi, you go ahead. I'll take good care of Luna."

It was my birthday party, and I was wiped out from cooking. Meanwhile, my girlfriend was out there kissing and flirting with another guy, while the guests enjoyed their food and watched me make a fool of myself.

Thinking about it made me feel pathetic and ridiculous.

But everyone thought I should stay quiet in the kitchen and serve them, and not come out.

In the past, I would have flipped the table and yelled at everyone.

Then, things would have ended badly.

Luna would have said I was narrow-minded and not very generous, expressing her disappointment because my actions killed the vibe and showed a lack of trust.

Then she would have smashed the house and gone into a cold war with me, even deliberately meeting Fraser every day and letting me know.

When I groveled and begged for her forgiveness, she would condescend to question me, making me admit that I was possessive, demanding unconditional trust and obedience.

I was brainwashed severely. In situations like today, I would subconsciously question if I was overthinking.

But I firmly knew it wasn't my fault.