I broke up with my girlfriend of three years. Everyone thought I’d be the one crawling back, begging for forgiveness, just like always. Even Chloe thought so. Until she showed up at my doorstep, asking when I’d stop throwing a fit and come home. Instead, she saw me holding another woman. “Alex, are you done with this drama?” My girlfriend—no, my ex-girlfriend Chloe—sat on the sofa, her face etched with impatience. I looked at her impatient face, a cold smirk playing on my lips. I’d caught her slow dancing with her childhood friend, Mark, at a club. She’d claimed I was making a mountain out of a molehill. Fine, I’d show her a real mountain. She’s just a flirt, constantly leading guys on. Honestly, I’d rather not deal with her! “I told you, Mark and I are just friends, hanging out normally. You already embarrassed me in front of all our friends; what more do you want?” “Whatever, think what you want.” Her phone screen flashed, cutting off her accusations and complaints. I watched her get up and go into the bathroom, then quietly followed. Sure enough, Mark’s clear, smiling voice drifted out: “Chloe, he isn’t giving you a hard time, is he?” “Of course not!” Chloe’s voice was incredibly gentle, a kindness she never showed me. Hearing Mark’s laughter float out, I turned and started packing my things. Seriously, what a pair of unreliable individuals. Why would I ever want her back? I sent Chloe a breakup text, then blocked her. The conversation in the bathroom stopped for two seconds, then resumed as normal. Heh, she always felt so entitled, so confident around me. Couldn’t blame her. Who told me to fall madly in love with her in freshman year and willingly give her everything? All those years, washing her activewear, buying her drinks and gifts… it all felt like an ocean of effort I poured into her, but it just vanished without a trace. Now, even when I broke up with her, she still looked dismissive. Would someone who’d given so much truly be able to let her go? The laughter from the bathroom continued. I grabbed my suitcase and quietly left that cage. As soon as I got in the car, my SnapChat started blowing up. Chloe’s friends were relentlessly tagging me in the group chat. “Alex, playing the disappearing act again?” “How many times is this now?” “If you ask me, you should grow a spine. If you leave, don’t come crawling back to our Chloe next time, so you don’t ‘disappear’ again.” “Seriously, like he could ever leave our Chloe?” A wave of laughter followed, showering me with blatant humiliation. I watched coldly, quickly typed out a message, and sent it: “As you and Chloe wished, we’re done. For good.” After sending it, I left the group. That SnapChat group was made by Chloe’s friends just to mock me. They had other groups for real communication. But I knew their purpose and still joined. Just for Chloe’s occasional snippets of conversation. Later, they even added Mark to it, and Chloe’s messages increased. I’d be wildly jealous, yet like a desperate gambler, I’d frantically search through Chloe’s messages for any tiny sign that she loved me. Unfortunately, there was none. Instead, her chats with Mark grew increasingly flirtatious, and she never once considered my feelings. As my friend Liam would say, I was completely obsessed. Totally under Chloe’s spell. Now, looking back, I find my past self pretty pathetic. Chloe didn’t love me. She wasn’t gentle or considerate, let alone caring or nurturing. She’d only call me when she needed something, but when she didn’t, she wouldn’t even use my name. What was I even getting out of it? Just someone to eat, sleep, and cause trouble?
I have an old house in the suburbs, left to me by my parents. I hadn’t lived there for years, but now it was my only refuge. After showering, I saw a missed call on my phone. It was from my friend, Liam. Just as I was about to call back, Liam called again. “Alex, are you and Chloe fighting again? Why bother? You’ll just end up crying, throwing a fit, and crawling back to her anyway.” Liam’s words cut deep, each one a dagger to my heart. I stood by the window, the cold wind making me shiver. “This time it’s really over. We’re not getting back together.” Liam hesitated for a moment. “Really over? What if she comes crying to you, begging for you back?” I let out a cold laugh. “I’m not masochistic by nature. Five years. I’m finally awake.” “I don’t believe it!” Liam then changed his tune. “Unless you actually show up for our high school reunion tomorrow.” I: “…” What does that have to do with anything? Liam scoffed. “I knew you weren’t serious about breaking up.” I sighed. “…Fine, I’ll go. I promise I’ll clean up nicely and attend tomorrow, okay?!” Liam finally sounded satisfied. “There’s a surprise tomorrow!” What surprise could there be? I was exhausted and in no mood to guess. “If you keep playing coy, I’m going to bed.” Liam immediately spilled the beans. “Your goddess, Seraphina, is coming tomorrow.” The moment those three words left his mouth, my foggy mind snapped into crystal-clear focus, and my grip on the phone involuntarily tightened. Her full name was Seraphina Sterling. She was my untouchable goddess during my naive high school days, and the goddess of half the boys in our school. Excellent grades, a radiant aura, kind and generous to everyone. Liam teased, “The whole point of this reunion is to welcome her back from overseas. I asked, and she’s still single. You’re single now too. Perfect timing, isn’t it?” I walked into the bathroom, looked at my haggard reflection in the mirror, and let out a bitter laugh. “That’s all in the past.” After hanging up, I silently found a sheet mask and put it on.
When Liam saw me at the hotel entrance the next day, he circled me a few times in surprise. “Holy cow, Alex, look at you! I expected a miserable, broken mess. If I’d known a breakup would make you look this good, I would’ve told you to dump her ages ago!” I felt a little smug. “Not bad, right?” Liam clapped me on the shoulder, satisfied, and grinned as he walked into the private room. This was one of the top five-star hotels in the city. Chloe and I had eaten here before; the food was expensive and required reservations far in advance. Liam chuckled. “You still don’t know, do you? This hotel is part of the Sterling family’s empire. How else do you think our class president snagged a private room here?” Speak of the devil… Seraphina walked in, surrounded by classmates. She wore a simple yet elegant beige blazer, and a delicate pair of wire-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Five years later, she looked more mature than before, her features even more refined and softer. As soon as I looked away, the class president chuckled and teased, “Alex, you look even sharper after a few years! Seraphina was just asking if you’d be here.” I froze, looking at Seraphina in surprise. Even though we’d sat in front and behind each other in high school, we rarely spoke. She was a golden child, and I was just an ordinary guy. Seraphina greeted me, a gentle smile on her face. “Hello, Alex. Long time no see.” Her voice was beautiful, clear and soft. My heart gave a little flutter. I smiled politely and nodded. Liam excitedly pinched my arm and whispered, “Whoa, something’s happening! Definitely something!” No way, absolutely nothing. I knew my place. A secret crush was fine, but acting on it would be inappropriate. I chose a seat near the door, keeping my distance from that dazzling group of elites. Just then, Seraphina also took a seat, two chairs away from mine. The class president chuckled, calling out to her, “Seraphina, if you sit there, where will the rest of us go? Come sit closer to the center!” Seraphina spoke softly, “We’re all classmates eating together. Putting us in a hierarchy just makes things awkward.” With that single statement, everyone settled down without further ado.
It had been years since our last high school reunion, and today was particularly lively. The last one to arrive was Noah. He’s a pretty well-known fashion influencer online now. “Wow, Noah actually made time to come to our reunion today!” Most of the classmates around the table stood up to greet him, but Seraphina remained quietly seated. After greeting everyone, Noah walked straight to the seat next to Seraphina, grinning. “Seraphina, how about we swap seats?” Seraphina smiled and moved for him. Everyone laughed and cheered, clearly used to his antics. It was no secret that Noah had a major crush on Seraphina. Seraphina simply nodded in greeting. Noah asked, “Seraphina, are you planning to develop your career back home?” Seraphina chuckled softly. “Yes, I’m taking over some family business. I’ll need all my old classmates to look out for me now.” Everyone quickly said she was too modest, as everyone else in the room combined probably wouldn’t match a fraction of her net worth. Just then, the waiter started serving the dishes. Noah immediately downed a glass of red wine, then asked with a smile, “Seraphina, I heard you’re still single. Do I stand a chance?” The blunt question immediately livened up the whole room! I was curious too. I looked up and met her gaze as she shifted her eyes. Seraphina also took a sip of wine. “Sorry, but I already have someone I like.” This news was even more surprising. Noah didn’t seem too disheartened. Instead, his smile grew even brighter. “As long as you’re not married, I still have a chance.” I somewhat envied Noah’s courage to express himself, remembering how I used to frantically pursue Chloe. I lowered my head and took a sip of red wine. It was smooth, not at all harsh. Definitely good wine. After a few rounds of drinks, everyone loosened up. A bunch of old friends I was close with came over to toast me. My face felt flushed. “No, I can’t. I’ve had enough.” I refused politely, but it probably just sounded like I was being shy. I had countless times felt awkward about this. Noah waved it off. “Oh come on, don’t be a stranger, just drink up!” Liam looked annoyed and stood up to defend me, but Seraphina was even quicker. She picked up her glass and smiled. “Alex has had quite a bit to drink already. Maybe everyone should take it easy.” “Whoa—” Lots of classmates gasped in surprise! I was completely flustered too. Liam gave me a knowing smirk and tugged my arm. “Come with me to the restroom.”
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