In the fifth year of my long-distance relationship with Zachary Bolton. The last time we parted at the airport, he cried and promised me, “Lydia, when the first snow falls in New York this year, let’s get married, okay?” I checked the weather forecast—it was going to snow heavily tomorrow. So I immediately bought a plane ticket to New York. I was going to propose to my boyfriend! In the swirling snowfall, I looked through the bridal shop’s display window and saw Zachary in a sharp suit. Before I could feel happy, a woman threw herself into his arms. Zachary wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her passionately. “Melanie, you look so beautiful in that wedding dress! You truly are my fiancée. I love you—far more than I ever loved Lydia Smith.” My heart seized violently. My boyfriend of ten years had cheated on me with my best friend, Melanie. Heavy snow fell on my eyelashes like goose feathers. Having lived elsewhere for years, I’d never seen such a heavy snowfall. But I had no heart to appreciate it. My eyes stayed fixed through the glass window on Zachary and Melanie. One was my childhood sweetheart. The other was my closest confidante. The sight of them kissing each other so passionately hit me with devastating force. Melanie gasped for breath, her face flushed, reluctantly pulling away from Zachary’s lips. She coyly lifted the hem of her wedding dress and twirled in front of the mirror. Zachary’s eyes overflowed with love. “Miss, this wedding dress your fiancé personally designed for you is absolutely stunning—the most beautiful one our shop has ever produced.” “Love really does make people glow! You two have been together for five years, and you’re finally about to tie the knot.” Melanie turned to look at Zachary, her eyes sparkling with affection. “Zachary, I absolutely adore this first snow gift you gave me!” “They say people who witness the first snow together will stay together until their hair turns white. So for the rest of our lives, please take good care of me!” I heard every single word but couldn’t understand what any of it meant. When did my boyfriend become my best friend’s fiancé? Why did the staff member say they’d been in a relationship for five years? My mind went blank, the neon lights blurring before my eyes. The next second, Zachary’s lips curved into a smile as he suddenly dropped to one knee before her. My gaze followed his movement, landing on the proposal ring inside the red velvet box. “Ah!” Melanie cried out, covering her mouth with both hands, tears welling in her eyes. Zachary held up the ring reverently. “Melanie, I love you. So, so much. Will you marry me?” “I want to spend the rest of my life with you from this first snow day, until our hair turns white, never to part.” The shop staff crowded around, recording this touching proposal with their phones. When I saw Zachary solemnly slide the ring onto Melanie’s ring finger, my heart felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of needles, torn to bloody shreds. Scalding tears rolled down one by one into my mouth. Inside, they seemed to be starring in a romantic, blissful drama. The surprise I’d traveled thousands of miles to deliver had become a devastating shock. So Zachary’s first snow promise could be meant for another woman. So Melanie, who’d always been so good to me, could so shamelessly steal my boyfriend behind my back. My fingers dug fiercely into the wall. I wanted so badly to burst in and confront them both, to tear away every shred of their dignity. But my legs felt like lead—I couldn’t move forward a single step. Zachary held Melanie in his arms and asked the staff member lazily, “Do you have any other wedding dress styles?” “Yes, we can show you pictures and rush-make one for you.” “No need to look. Just pick any two and send them to me.” Two minutes later, I received a message from Zachary. He sent three wedding dress pictures. [Baby, work has been exhausting, but looking at these wedding dress pictures and imagining you wearing them recharges my batteries.] [Take a look and see which one you like. I’ll take you to buy it someday.]
My tears finally broke free, falling torrentially, crashing into the snow and punching holes in it. So the difference between love and indifference was this obvious. Zachary personally designed a wedding dress for Melanie and brought her to the shop to try it on during the first snowfall. He lied to me, saying he was working overtime at the company, when in reality he was proposing to Melanie behind my back. Even the wedding dress pictures he sent me were just random ones the staff had given him to placate me. If he’d looked carefully even once, he would have known these three design sketches included patterns and small details I didn’t like. But he chose to brush me off. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, the moment I received his message, I would have been moved to tears. Inside the shop, Zachary knelt down, holding Melanie’s foot with one hand while gently rubbing her reddened heel with the other. She sighed. “Zachary, when are you planning to break up with Lydia?” “If she finds out we’re together, we won’t be able to stay friends anymore, will we?” Zachary paused for a moment. “Soon. Next time we meet, I’ll bring up the breakup.” “The main thing is my parents really like her. I’ll use her as a shield for a while longer. After all, her family did my family a favor back then.” I couldn’t listen anymore. I ran away through the accumulated snow, stumbling and disheveled. Like a walking corpse, I wandered aimlessly down the street. But my gaze was drawn to a small coffee shop. The shop’s name was “Melanie & Zachary’s Love.” My heart felt like something had struck it hard. I pushed the door open and went inside. A staff member recommended the shop’s signature drink. “This is a coffee flavor our owner and her fiancé created together. Everyone really loves it.” “Their five-year love story is as romantic as a novel! We even have a display wall in the shop!” I followed the staff member’s pointing finger. The white wall was covered with intimate photos of Zachary and Melanie. Standing before the photo wall, reading those captions, the blood drained from my face bit by bit. March 5th—I collapsed at my desk from menstrual cramps. A coworker rushed me to the hospital. Zachary ordered me plain porridge for delivery. That same day, claiming he was on a business trip, he took Melanie to a wild concert. April 17th—our anniversary. I bought a train ticket to visit him. He said, “Baby, this project is too important. I can’t get away. For the sake of our future home together, let’s skip the anniversary this time, okay?” So I canceled my ticket. In reality, he’d taken Melanie for a beautiful photoshoot that day. April 29th—I found out I was pregnant. Panicked, excited, and anxious all at once. I desperately wanted to see him. “Zachary, we’re going to have a baby. Can you come see me?” His expression grew somber. “Lydia, we can have a baby later. The timing isn’t right now.” “Let’s work hard to save more money first, then welcome a baby, okay?” Seeing his exhausted face, I nodded. The day of the procedure, I lay trembling in the hospital. I couldn’t reach him no matter how many times I called. Later he told me he’d been in an emergency meeting. Now, through the photos, I learned the truth—Melanie’s hand had been scratched by a stray cat, leaving barely visible red marks. In the photo, Zachary carefully applied medicine to her wound. He said, “I won’t let Melanie get hurt ever again.” Melanie’s barely noticeable injury had his heart aching. But he left me alone on the operating table after my miscarriage. I felt like I’d never really known this version of Zachary. The one who, in New York, told me on his phone that I’d always been part of his future plans. The one who, at every moment I needed him most, lied to me and stayed contentedly by Melanie’s side. Seeing my eyes brimming with tears, the staff member mistakenly thought I’d been moved by her boss’s love story. “Our owner came from Los Angeles to open this shop in New York just so she could see the person she loves every day.” “We just opened in January. Mr. Bolton comes to help in the shop every day, afraid Miss Melanie will get tired. He makes sure she eats on time—so gentle and considerate!”
The coffee in my hand dropped to the floor with a thud. The sound of my heart breaking in despair filled my mind. Throughout January—a whole month—I felt like I was walking through an abyss. I’d just quit my previous job and started at a new company. My relationships there were a complete disaster. My supervisor constantly gave me trouble. The endless overtime drained every ounce of my energy. Coworkers relentlessly sabotaged me, nearly driving me insane. I lost ten pounds in three days. All I could do was call Zachary late at night and sob hysterically. At that time, I desperately wanted him beside me, giving me a hug, offering grounded comfort and support. But he said he’d been pulled into a major project and would need at least two months before he could break away to see me. On the video call, his eyes turned red with distress. This usually strong man’s voice even choked up when he said my name. “Lydia, I wish we were together. Then I wouldn’t have to watch you cry through a screen, feeling my heart torn apart while being completely helpless.” “Quit your job. Come to New York to be with me. I’ll take care of you. With you here, I won’t be afraid of anything.” Tears streaming down my face, I pressed my phone to my chest, as if that would bring him closer to me. Looking at him, I nodded then shook my head. “No, I can’t be a housewife who depends on you.” “Zachary, trust me. I can handle everything and establish myself at this new company!” He smiled with relief, sending me kisses and hugs through the screen. “I, Zachary, have unconditional faith that our brave Lydia will make everyone look at her with new respect!” Distance was a problem, but we loved each other deeply. He called me every day to make me laugh and transferred money for me to buy small gifts. I found it unbelievable that during that hellish month, he was helping Melanie renovate the coffee shop. Working toward a future where they could see each other every day. Zachary—his love could apparently be divided in two. In the staff member’s bewildered gaze, I walked out of the coffee shop. The next second, my mom called. Her voice carried excitement. “Sweetheart, did you see Zachary? Did you two get your marriage license?” She knew I was planning to register my marriage with Zachary. Without warning, my foot slipped. I fell hard, landing directly on my bottom on the nearby steps. Intense pain spread throughout my body. I was a complete mess. A overwhelming sense of grievance crashed over me. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I broke down crying. “Mom, Zachary and I can’t get married. He doesn’t love me anymore.” “He cheated on me. Five years—he lied to me for five whole years. Does he even have a heart?” Mom listened to my breakdown on the other end, anxious but helpless. She said, “Sweetheart, people change. The seventeen-year-old Zachary loved you sincerely and purely, but at twenty-seven, he’s no longer that boy who cherished only you above all else in the world.” Tears silently slid into the snow. When I was a sophomore, I transferred into Zachary’s class as the new student. Unable to keep up with the pace that semester, my grades kept dropping. I secretly cried while looking at my report card. Zachary, my deskmate, wiped the tears from my face with a tissue. “Don’t cry. I’ll tutor you. I guarantee your grades will skyrocket!” One semester passed, and I made tremendous progress. From the bottom of the class, I became like him—consistently ranking in the top three. My real dependence on him transformed when he witnessed my alcoholic father beating me with fists and kicks. In that alley, he recklessly pulled my scumbag father away and dragged me by the wrist as we ran. The warmth of the young man’s embrace was scorching, his heartbeat in his chest racing faster and faster. “Lydia, I’ll protect you. Trust me.” I clutched his school uniform tightly. “Keep your word, Zachary. Don’t lie to me.” Later, we naturally became a couple. I introduced him to Melanie, who attended my previous school. After meeting him, Melanie fiercely warned him, “Zachary, if you dare hurt my precious Lydia, I’ll fight you to the death!” Zachary always said Melanie was formidable—my knight protector. But reality always catches you off guard. After graduation, Zachary went to work in New York, Melanie went to Los Angeles, and I stayed in San Francisco. At first, Zachary came to see me every month. To save money, he rode trains like they were subway lines. With limited time, we’d eat one meal together, then just hold each other under a tree sharing stories about our lives. Every parting at the station tore my heart apart with pain. Zachary held me tightly, greedily absorbing my scent. “Baby, I’ve also taken on online freelance work. That means extra income, so I can buy a house sooner and marry you.” From New York to San Francisco—over two hundred train tickets stacked up to nearly half my height. Yet he proudly collected them. “Because you’re worth it. These are my medals, proof of my love for you.” I felt sorry for his dark circles, so I secretly took on two part-time jobs myself. Naively believing that if we both worked hard together, we could build a happy home. In the end, it only earned me the double betrayal of him and my best friend.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “355140”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #重生Reborn
Leave a Reply