Three years after breaking up. I got back together with my childhood friend, Jasper. He treated me just as he always had, even more attentively than before. I was optimistic, hoping this time we’d have a happy ending. Until I unexpectedly walked past the next room. I overheard Jasper’s friends teasing him. “Didn’t you say you broke it off with Adeline? How can you face Phoebe like this?” Inside the room. Jasper, slightly tipsy, spoke clearly. I saw him gently pinch the neck of the girl beside him and laugh, “Stop with the nonsense. Make sure to come to the wedding next month.” The room was noisy and lively. But Jasper’s voice was crystal clear. I felt a chill run through me, leaning against the wall to stop myself from collapsing. The conversation inside continued. “You’d better behave. You finally won Phoebe back and convinced her to marry you. Don’t mess it up.” That was Finn, Jasper’s best friend. He’s also seen our on-and-off relationship over the years. Jasper waved it off, unconcerned. “What good is it to only advise me? Why don’t you tell her to keep her distance from her boss?” Finn kicked Jasper in annoyance. “Phoebe already said she didn’t date that guy during the three years you were apart…” “You believe her? Everyone at the company was gossiping about her and her boss, and I was the fool kept in the dark…” His voice grew more resentful as he spoke. “Working late every day, who knows if it’s at the office or in bed!” The words were harsh. The room fell silent. And there I stood outside the door, feeling my blood freeze. My whole body went cold, trembling uncontrollably. The workplace is already challenging for women. It was only because Gideon saw me as his junior that he gave me a helping hand. I believe I worked my hardest to earn my current position. I have no guilt towards anyone. But to avoid any misunderstanding from Jasper, I had explained everything clearly to him on the first day we got back together. Jasper had often said he trusted me and supported my work. But I never thought this was how he truly felt about me behind my back. And he used such hurtful words to tarnish me in front of his friends. If I hadn’t accidentally overheard this, was he planning to deceive me into marriage? That would be terrifying. At that moment, my brain acted faster than my heart. I swung open the door and walked straight up to Jasper. Before he could react. A loud “smack” echoed through the room. I slapped Jasper hard. The force was immense. Two seconds later. The girl beside him screamed and reached to touch his face, crying. But Jasper pushed her away abruptly. He stood up in confusion, trying to explain to me. “Listen to me…” “Jasper, we’re breaking up.”
I successfully closed a big deal tonight. I forced a smile, drinking myself into a stupor. I had planned to use this bonus for our honeymoon fund. But unexpectedly, I ended up overhearing his true thoughts. Fate really loves playing jokes on me. I shook my numb hand and stumbled towards the restroom. I looked up. Only to see my own eyes, empty and frightening. I washed my face with cold water. Trying to calm down. But no matter what, I couldn’t seem to dry the water on my face. My eyes grew redder and redder. The overwhelming sadness hit me like a tidal wave. I simply set a five-minute alarm. Squatted and cried it all out. When the alarm went off, I slowly calmed down. The dinner wasn’t over, the clients hadn’t left. Now wasn’t the time for me to indulge in my feelings. So, I sneaked back into the room when no one was looking. “Why were you gone so long?” Gideon, my boss who was sitting next to me, turned to look at me. His gaze was intense, as if he could see right through me. I panicked, avoiding his eyes, and lied casually. “I ran into an old friend, just exchanged a few words.” Gideon nodded, saying nothing more. Ten minutes later. The dinner was over. I breathed a sigh of relief. I thought I’d have to endure until midnight again, but it ended early. Great. I’d have more time to sort out my messy feelings. And it wouldn’t affect my work the next day. After seeing off the clients, I stood at the door with Gideon, waiting for the company driver. Out of nowhere. He pointed at my eyes and said calmly: “Get some rest when you get home, your eyes are red from exhaustion.” I was stunned. Just as I was about to say something, a shout interrupted me. “Phoebe!” Not far away. Jasper was staring at us angrily. “Was I wrong? If there’s really nothing between you two, why did you lie to me about him not being here?” Before I went out for the dinner. Jasper had asked if my boss would be there tonight. I said no because I really hadn’t been notified. But the client was difficult and insisted Gideon be there for the contract to be signed. So my colleagues had no choice but to call him over. But these words, facing someone who clearly didn’t trust me, I couldn’t say. I knocked his hand away from pointing at Gideon, coldly warning: “Jasper, this is between us, show some respect to others.” Jasper didn’t expect me to embarrass him in front of others. He gritted his teeth, saying okay repeatedly. “You want to break up with me because of him, right? “I’m telling you, I don’t agree!” With that, Jasper stormed off. I couldn’t hold back, wanting to chase after him and argue. But my wrist was suddenly grabbed. I turned around. And saw a complex emotion in Gideon’s usually calm eyes. “Is such a childish and ridiculous man worth your time over and over again? “Junior, did he save your life or something?”
Gideon is a year ahead of me. A well-known figure during my school days. Everyone who interacted with him praised his gentle and courteous demeanor. And in the three years working under him. He only got mad at me twice. Once when I first started. I endured harassment from a client to ensure the company signed a deal. He scolded me for not protecting myself. And now, for being upset over a man not worth it. But what Gideon doesn’t know is. Jasper really did save my life.
Jasper and I were neighbors. When he first moved in, he was only twelve. I was two years older. Once, a bunch of kids in the neighborhood were playing together. I walked by and was pushed into the river by some naughty kids. The river wasn’t deep. But to a fourteen-year-old me, it was dangerous enough. Those kids either froze in fear or ran away to avoid trouble. Only Jasper. With a “splash,” jumped in without hesitation. He struggled to pull me out of the water. Gave me CPR, chest compressions, everything. When I opened my eyes again. The first thing I saw. Was Jasper’s clear and pure eyes. That night, my parents went to thank Jasper’s family with gifts. Only to find Jasper being scolded by his parents. I learned then. Jasper had only taken three swimming lessons when he saved me. A slight misstep and we both could’ve drowned in that river. He was getting a stern talking-to but still greeted us warmly. “Sis, Uncle, Auntie, make yourselves comfortable…” Because of this life-saving grace, Jasper and I were always close growing up. As we hit puberty, that bond became even more apparent. I was the first to notice. After all, Jasper wasn’t someone who could hide his feelings well. When I called him out on it, he shyly confessed. “Sis, I’ve liked you since we were kids. “And I can tell you like me too. “Besides, we’ve already kissed, just say yes…” Flustered, I blushed and brought up his grades. “With grades like yours, no one will want you!” I didn’t expect Jasper to actually work hard because of what I said. His grades weren’t bad to start with, just a laid-back attitude. Once he put in the effort, the results were noticeable. But when he confessed again, I still turned him down. “Jasper, I don’t date early.” He wasn’t upset, confidently raising an eyebrow at me. “Alright, one day, I’ll stand beside you openly.” His confidence wasn’t misplaced. Because two years later, we really got together.
When he first started college, it was the freest time for us. We did everything couples love to do. Sweet gifts, surprises. Every day was a new expectation. But that’s when things started to change. Jasper was handsome, and he had a great personality. When he started college, many girls loved chatting with him. And he’d always smile back. The boundaries and sense of propriety between genders were hard for him to grasp. I caught him a few times, and we had many arguments over it, but it always ended with me sad and him feeling wronged. Jasper didn’t understand why I got upset over him just talking to someone. I didn’t understand why he couldn’t keep his distance. Frequent arguments and reconciliations wore us down. Jasper couldn’t take it and broke up with me first. He chose to study abroad. I used those years to grow rapidly, becoming the professional woman I always wanted to be. And that’s when Jasper came back. He came back with an engagement ring. … I stayed silent for a long time. Jasper couldn’t fathom why a few words from him would ignite such anger in me. I couldn’t grasp why he couldn’t maintain some distance from others. Even minor arguments, when frequent, can harm a relationship. We began breaking up and reconciling frequently, and in the end, we were both worn out. Jasper couldn’t endure it any longer and initiated the breakup. He decided to study abroad. During those years, I grew rapidly, becoming the career woman I had always aspired to be. It was around this time. Jasper returned. He came back with an engagement ring. … I was silent for a long time. Gideon released my hand and sighed quietly. “I’ll give you a three-day break to think it over.” I snapped out of my reverie and nodded tiredly. “Okay.”
Back home, I tore up the marriage leave request I had prepared a week ago. I started contemplating how to spend the next three days. Perhaps I was too exhausted today, too tired to dwell on those painful memories. The moment I hit the bed, I fell asleep. But my sleep was fitful. Fragments of memories about Jasper kept surfacing in my dreams. I even dreamed of the girl sitting next to him. Her name is Adeline. She was a work-study student whom Jasper sponsored while abroad. After we got back together, we confessed about the three years we spent apart. I hadn’t dated anyone. Jasper had behaved, focusing on his studies overseas. But Adeline was an exception. Jasper said her resilient look reminded him of me, which was why he chose to sponsor her. Over time, they developed feelings for each other. Jasper said they briefly dated. But Adeline couldn’t replace me. In the end, he chose to break up and come back home to try and win me back. That was when, on impulse, I accepted his proposal. And he completely cut ties with Adeline. But then the scene shifted. I dreamt of him gently caressing Adeline’s neck. Such an intimate and natural gesture—how could that be considered “cutting ties”? Jasper hasn’t changed from the start. The dream took a darker turn at this point. I suddenly opened my eyes, like being enveloped in a shroud of mist. I woke up at four in the morning. There wasn’t much of Jasper’s stuff at home. Most of it, along with mine, had already been moved to the new house. We had spent a month after he came back looking at numerous places before we found one we both liked. Now, my only solace is that he paid for the house in full. We haven’t divided any assets yet. Thinking about this still dampens my spirits. When Jasper first returned, I genuinely planned to make things work between us. I thought we could be more accommodating, make some compromises. After all, we loved each other for so long. And found it so hard to forget each other. But when Adeline appeared by his side again. When those harsh words came out of his mouth. I realized how foolish I was. Jasper is still the same Jasper. He can’t be accommodating, can’t make compromises. He can’t even promise love. While I was lost in thought, my phone rang. It was Finn. I smirked bitterly. For years, every time Jasper and I argued, he’d come later to mediate. But after yesterday’s big fight, I’m curious about what more he could say. “Phoebe, I won’t interfere in your matters anymore, but I hope you two can fully talk things through before breaking up, so there won’t be any regrets later.” “How could there be regrets? Anything discovered before marriage should be seen as a blessing.” I spoke softly. Finn was silent. After hanging up, I lay on the sofa for a while. I really should talk to Jasper. My parents need an explanation. But I couldn’t reach Jasper’s phone. I remembered he had set up location sharing on my phone when we reconciled. I found it on my phone and checked. He was at the hospital. I didn’t think much of it. I packed a few things and took a cab there. I only had two and a half days of leave left; I needed to settle this quickly. The location sharing was precise; it pinpointed the building and the floor. I followed it to the hospital room. And unexpectedly heard Adeline’s familiar voice. “Jasper, it hurts.” In the room, Jasper was facing away from me. He rubbed Adeline’s head, sounding apologetic. “Sorry, I won’t let you get hurt again.” Adeline responded by wrapping her arm around his waist. She smiled gently. “I’m not blaming you.” This scene would make anyone think they were a loving couple. Even I felt dazed. But I’ve really grown a lot in these three years. Not even ten hours had passed since we tore into each other last night. I could suppress the heartache and knock on the door without flinching. “Jasper, come out for a second.” 8. Jasper came running after me, breathless as he tried to explain. “Yesterday, when I pushed Adeline away, she got hurt, so I took her to the hospital.” He held onto me, his voice thick with emotion. “Phoebe, I was terrible yesterday.
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