I was secretly dating Lucas Gray. At some point, he became insatiable, growing more and more unsatisfied. He even had the audacity to ask me in front of my official boyfriend: “How long are you going to keep torturing me?” At my 22nd birthday party, as it was winding down, Lucas pulled me into the emergency stairwell. His eyes, hazy with alcohol, fixed intently on my lips. “Aria Reed, I’ve got a birthday gift for you.” With that, he leaned in and kissed me. A strong whiff of alcohol mixed with a faint mint scent enveloped me. As if possessed, I closed my eyes. Perhaps surprised by my compliance, he paused, his forehead resting against mine, our noses touching. “You like it that much?” I tilted my head up and initiated another kiss. He leaned against the stair railing, watching me with a smile. “Dare to come with me?” “What about your girlfriend?” I secretly pinched my palm, trying to sober up. Lucas was like a wild, mischievous wolf cub – very aggressive, wild, ruthless, and heartless. I had long felt that this kind of man was dangerous. Not to be approached lightly. But danger also meant allure. Lucas seemed to have heard something amusing. He narrowed his eyes and smirked, “Isn’t she in your boyfriend’s room? Are you really that naive, or just pretending?” I was shocked for a moment but quickly hid my reaction. I knew my boyfriend had betrayed me, but I didn’t know he was so shameless as to go after his best friend’s girlfriend. Lucas turned his head, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it. The gray-white smoke billowed from his nostrils, swirling in the air, obscuring half of his face. The crimson glow flickered on and off, falling into his pitch-black eyes, like the brightest star at the edge of the sky. “Want to come with me?” After finishing his cigarette, his voice was lower and hoarser than before. Mixed with the night, it crept into my ears with a bewitching quality. I stepped forward, meeting his watery eyes: “Do you know what you’re doing?” He raised his hand to caress my face: “Of course. It’s a win-win, isn’t it? Don’t you want to get back at your boyfriend?” My boyfriend was his childhood friend. His good friend had slept with his girlfriend, so he came after me. Fighting fire with fire – I liked it. I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a hard pinch: “Let’s go.”
I never imagined Lucas would take me straight to his place. “Couldn’t we go to a hotel?” I asked, tugging at his sleeve. He glanced around the room: “Unless you want to be helpful and change the sheets for me?” We sat awkwardly in the living room for an hour. Suddenly, Lucas angrily smashed a vase on the table and cursed under his breath: “This is boring. I’m done playing. Go find your Noah.” Noah Parker was my boyfriend. We were high school classmates who got together after the college entrance exam. We didn’t attend the same university, but we were in the same city. Back then, he was very good to me, always accommodating my wishes. I was strong-willed, so he was the one who always gave in. In the second semester of our junior year, he participated in an entrepreneurship competition. He was busy day and night and received a lot of praise. I admired him deeply, and to make it easier to take care of his daily life, I agreed to his suggestion of living together. During that time, we, naive and innocent, learned to manage a household together, tempering our relationship through the daily grind of life. Our friends all said we would definitely end up together, and I believed it without a doubt. When exactly did things start to change? A sharp pain pierced my heart, as if countless needles were pricking my tender flesh. I walked over, crouched in front of him, and gently held his hand: “Lucas, what if I take the initiative?” Would that make it more fun? The next morning, I woke up in Lucas’s arms. We hadn’t slept in the bed, but were squeezed together on a narrow, cramped sofa, our bodies intertwined like two symbiotic plants. Looking at his peaceful sleeping face, I felt like a thief, secretly reaching out my hand to trace his features, being especially gentle and careful when I reached his lips. The phone rang abruptly, and I hastily withdrew my hand, putting on a smile to cover my embarrassment: “You’re awake?” Lucas didn’t fully open his eyes, just gave a faint “Mm” and said: “Answer the phone.” I picked up the phone and saw it was that little bastard Noah. Last night he said he had an urgent matter at the company and had to rush back to deal with it. Huh, I wonder which hotel he ended up “dealing” with it in. He probably didn’t have the guts like Lucas to bring someone back home, right? “Hello, what’s up?” I answered. He said a few caring words, then suddenly changed his tone, sounding a bit aggrieved: “Why didn’t you call me last night? Are you mad that I left early?” I laughed silently. Did he really want me to call and disturb him? “I didn’t want to bother you. When are you coming back?” I asked. “I can’t make it back today, still have to work overtime. Take care of yourself.” I tilted my head to look at Lucas, then after a few seconds, smiled and said: “Okay, don’t worry. Focus on your work.” After hanging up, Lucas sat up from the sofa and stretched: “Last night was exhausting. Shall we go grab a bite together to recharge?” I checked my schedule and replied with some regret: “I have meetings during the day, very busy. Maybe after 10 PM I’ll be free.” “Huh… no wonder your boyfriend cheats on you,” Lucas stared at me and said mockingly. I retorted, not backing down: “You’re no better. Didn’t your girlfriend find someone else too?” Before leaving, Lucas gently embraced me from behind. Through the thin fabric, I could clearly feel the rhythm of his heartbeat. “When do you plan to break up, and how?” My gaze fell on an empty spot as I zoned out for a moment. “I never said I was going to break up.”
After getting home and taking a shower, I drove to the office. As bad luck would have it, I ran into Noah and Lucas’s girlfriend on the street. They had just come out of a hotel and were saying a lingering goodbye on the sidewalk. Disgusting. I don’t know if they noticed my car, but Noah suddenly pushed away the woman in his arms and dodged to the side. I didn’t stop, just kept driving normally. Soon after, Noah called me. His tone was nervous, but with a hint of deliberate concealment: “Babe, have you had breakfast?” “Not yet, I’m driving. What’s up? Want to have breakfast together? I can detour to your office to find you,” I replied while driving. He seemed to relax a bit: “No, you focus on driving. Don’t come over, it’s too much trouble. I’ve ordered takeout to be sent to your office. Remember to eat.” “You’re so good to me.” “Of course, I’m your husband after all.” Ugh. I almost threw up last night’s dinner. At 9:50 PM, I finished organizing my plans and stretched, finally having time to check the messages on my phone. Noah had called me once and sent three casual greetings on SnapChat. I could reply or not, it didn’t matter. Lucas had sent me six messages. “Lunch together?” “Finished work?” “Dinner together?” “???” “How can you have an affair when you’re so busy?” The last one was sent three minutes ago: “I’m downstairs at your office. Come down when you’re done.” After thinking for a while, I typed back a simple “Okay”.
Lucas is really reckless and does whatever he says. When I went downstairs, he was already in the elevator going up, and we ran into each other. If I had been even a little later, he would have really gone to knock on my door. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?” Lucas naturally put his arm around my waist and sniffed me like a puppy. I collapsed tiredly into his arms: “Was everything today planned by you?” Lucas didn’t completely condemn Noah, but left some hope for him just right, then coldly watched how he struggled for this false hope. In this process, he even brought his girlfriend along to play. Vicious. Lucas raised his hand and pinched my nose: “Don’t think of me as so complicated. I just want to… with you…” He glanced down and smiled flirtatiously. Lucas took me back to his place again, proudly pointing at the bedroom and telling me he had changed the bed – it was especially big and soft now. I glanced at the sofa, vividly remembering the details of indulging our desires that day. Huh… I guess a stable married life with kids just wasn’t in the cards for me. Is it my failure, or is life just like this – endless disappointments, unfulfilled promises, inescapable relationships, and messy affairs? I closed my eyes, and just before my emotions were about to collapse, I turned around, stood on tiptoe, grabbed Lucas’s collar, and kissed him squarely on the lips. He responded almost immediately. He understood me well, or perhaps he just understood women well. Rough when needed, yet patient and tender at the right moments. At the height of passion, Lucas hugged me tightly. I bit my lip, too preoccupied to pay attention to him. But unexpectedly, he suddenly flipped over and got off the bed: “If you won’t even give me this little sweetness, why should I bother trying?” I lay dazed on the bed, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. Later that night, as I was drifting off to sleep, I felt myself being pulled into an embrace that smelled faintly of tobacco. That person seemed to whisper in my ear: “Goodnight, babe.” Uh, must be dreaming. Lucas didn’t seem like the type to play these little games with me. When I woke up in the morning, there was no one beside me. I checked my phone and saw it was only 6 AM. Where did he go? I rubbed my messy hair and got up to leave the room. As soon as I opened the door, I smelled a sweet aroma wafting through the air. Following the scent, I saw Lucas busy in the open kitchen. The light from above illuminated his profile, making it look smooth and handsome. A surge of emotion suddenly rose in my heart, almost making me cry out loud. This intense reaction terrified me, and I couldn’t understand it. So I ran. Without makeup, face unwashed, I fled out the door in a mess, running wildly. Only when I was far from Lucas’s place did I stop at a bus stop, belatedly realizing what a stupid thing I had done. I also came to a clearer realization – Lucas and I weren’t evenly matched players in this game of love. I wasn’t as rational or mature as I thought. When it came to relationships, I was just a novice. I needed to retreat quickly, or the risks would be unpredictable.
When I arrived at the office by taxi, Noah suddenly appeared and blocked my way. “Aria, how are you… I’m sorry, it’s all my fault for making you so upset.” Seeing my listless appearance, his eyes filled with deep guilt. This is ridiculous, running into an ex without makeup on. He tried to take my hand, but I stepped back slightly and said coldly: “I need to go to work.” “Okay, then I’ll come pick you up after work.” Noah smiled with excessive gentleness. “No.” I took a deep breath, “I need some time alone to think clearly about how we should handle our relationship.” Noah panicked and quickly grabbed my hand, holding it to his chest: “Aria, I was wrong before. I didn’t give you enough security. Please don’t do anything rash. I’ll change, just give me one more chance.” I forcefully pulled my hand back and walked straight past him towards the office building. Back in my office, I took out my phone to message Lucas. “Don’t show up for the next few days. I’m very busy.” The message was sent less than a minute ago when he replied: “Oh.” He’s really cold and indifferent. If only I could be as detached and carefree about relationships as him, how nice that would be. Unfortunately, talent means nothing in the face of hard work. In the days that followed, Lucas really didn’t contact me again. But through his daily SnapChat updates, I knew he was living a very colorful life, not missing me as just one of his sources of fun at all. As for Noah, he would stake out my office every day whenever he had time, trying to make amends in various ways. My colleagues didn’t know about our situation and just thought we had a good relationship, urging us to get married soon. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself, so I just went along with it perfunctorily. But I didn’t expect Noah to really take it to heart. Friday night, as soon as I left the office building, I saw him kneeling in a circle of flickering candles, holding roses with a face full of tenderness. I paused, feeling a wave of nausea rising in my stomach. It’ll be over soon, almost there… “Aria Reed, marry me!” Noah shouted excitedly, his voice straining. The crowd that had gathered around was ignited by this sound, all cheering and egging him on. Through the dreamy, flickering candlelight, I looked at Noah, unable to help but sneer inwardly. Beneath this beautiful facade lay a festering wound too ugly to look at. If no one knew his true face, what a pity that would be. I squeezed out some tears, stepped over the candles, walked to his side, and looked down at his eager gaze. After a while, I finally broke through the sticky feeling in my throat and spoke: “Noah, I love you.” He suddenly stood up and pulled me into his arms: “I know.” He knows? This threw me off for a moment. Is he that confident? I suddenly felt like I couldn’t continue acting. Seeing that I didn’t speak, Noah released me, took out the ring from the jewelry box with tears in his eyes, and slipped it onto my index finger: “Aria Reed, I love you more.” Suddenly, a low chuckle came from behind, sounding particularly jarring in this romantic atmosphere. Noah’s expression changed abruptly. In his pitch-black pupils, I saw Lucas’s figure. My heart immediately jumped to my throat. Why did he come? “Lucas, what are you doing here?” Noah pulled me behind him, confronting Lucas warily. Lucas’s relaxed demeanor made it seem like he had just happened to stroll by while walking his dog. He stood with his hands in his pockets, the bangs on his forehead swaying gently in the night breeze, making the fragments of light in his eyes flicker on and off. “Hmm…” As if deliberately, he fixed his gaze on me, dragging out his tone, taking a long time to get to the point, leaving people on edge. “I’m here to propose too.” As soon as these casual words fell, he unhurriedly pulled out a sparkling diamond ring from his pants pocket. Compared to the one Noah had just put on my finger, it was much bigger and more exquisite. “Lucas, have you gone crazy?” Noah shouted, losing control. “Aria Reed, do you dare?” Lucas tilted his head and smiled innocently. I heard the cracking sound of Noah clenching his fists, feeling a rush of pleasure in my heart. But this wasn’t enough. The pain after joy, the loss after gain, that would be truly intense. I took the initiative to hold Noah’s hand: “Let’s go, I don’t know what he’s doing.” Noah held my hand as we left, passing by Lucas. As we did, I gave Lucas a deep look. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but there seemed to be a glimmer of moisture in his eyes. “How long are you going to keep torturing me?” His voice was very soft, but I still heard it. I had been intentionally trying to win over Noah’s mom for a while now. When she found out Noah and I were successfully engaged, she was extremely excited and video called Noah for nearly two hours, urging us to get married quickly. I pretended to be shy: “Didn’t Noah say there’s a headhunter trying to recruit him? Would getting married now interfere with that?”
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