In a high-speed rear-end collision, my fiancée, whom I’d instinctively shielded, pushed open the car door. She stumbled out, running hysterically towards the other vehicle. “Liam! Why are you so foolish? Why did you have to chase after me? I won’t marry anyone else, okay? I’ll never leave you again!” Amidst the wail of sirens, she cradled a blood-soaked Liam onto the ambulance, sobbing uncontrollably. “There’s no one else in the car! Please, get Liam to the hospital! Really, no one else! I beg you, save Liam, I truly can’t live without him!” My heart completely died. Fortunately, in my dying moments, the police, who had stayed behind, found me. That’s how I miraculously clung to life. But I lost a leg in the process, condemned to rely on a prosthetic for the rest of my days. Later, she saw my prosthetic, collapsing in tears, begging for my forgiveness. But I had already given up on her long ago. “It’s been so long since the accident, why hasn’t his fiancée visited him yet?” “Unlike the couple next door, the woman hasn’t left his side, staying up all night.” “*That’s* a fairy-tale romance, next door! I heard the woman almost sacrificed herself for Liam!” Outside my hospital room, the nurses’ chatter was relentless. But my heart remained undisturbed, calm as a stagnant pool. Yes, a fairy-tale romance, indeed. Even I felt moved by it. If only the woman wasn’t *my* fiancée, if only she hadn’t abandoned me, knowing I was also dying. I probably would have been teary-eyed too. But now, it was fine. One car accident had shattered my illusions. Someone who doesn’t love you won’t even spare you a glance, no matter if you give your life. Chloe, I’m letting go. I painfully reached for my phone, finding a message from Chloe. 【Asher, where are you? I know you’re fine after the accident, stop pretending! You didn’t even have blood on your head then! Contact the hospital immediately and arrange the best doctors and a private room! This accident with Liam is all your fault!】 I didn’t reply. She grew impatient. 【Asher! Are you seriously playing games at a time like this? People’s lives are at stake! Are you trying to kill Liam?! If you don’t arrange everything for Liam right away, there’s no point in us getting married!】 I stared at the screen, lost in thought for a long moment. The day Chloe accepted my proposal, we also had a car accident. It wasn’t serious; no blood, but I had a minor fracture in my lower leg. She was heartbroken, insisting I stay in the hospital until I fully recovered, no matter how much I tried to persuade her otherwise. Every day, she’d rush around buying things for me, finding different ways to cook me nutritious meals. “So what if there’s no blood? You still fractured a bone! Broken bones take ages to heal! You need to recover completely before you’re allowed to leave!” Sometimes, I worried she was working too hard. I tried hiring nurses, arranging for a butler, but she refused them all. “I don’t trust anyone else. I’m only at peace if I do everything for you myself!” Back then, I believed love could conquer all obstacles. I gave her my whole heart, my entire love, without reservation. It wasn’t until the crash, when she instinctively rushed towards her ex, Liam, that I finally understood. Love truly can conquer all. But between Chloe and me? It wasn’t love at all. It was just my one-sided delusion. And that, to me, was just too cruel. Snapping back to reality, I wiped away the faint, dry tear tracks on my face. Pale-faced, suppressing the last sliver of reluctance and pain in my heart. I typed out a few blunt words. *Fine, the wedding is off.* 2. I didn’t check my phone again. Sitting on the hospital bed, I felt the emptiness where my left leg should be, and my heart felt just as hollow. As dusk approached, I was listlessly spooning tasteless plain porridge. The hospital room door burst open without warning. Before I could even react, Chloe rushed in and slapped me across the face. It stunned me completely. “Asher! How pathetic are you?! I couldn’t find you anywhere, turns out you’re here, faking illness next door to Liam’s room? You intentionally didn’t help Liam, didn’t you? Is this really amusing? Do you honestly think I’m stupid? You’re perfectly fine!” “Liam barely even hit you! You deliberately ‘protected’ me just to make me feel guilty, didn’t you? How can you be so manipulative? And now you’re talking about canceling the wedding? Ha, your schemes are truly pathetic!” I stared blankly as she raged. My heart plummeted to rock bottom. I once thought her yelling was cute, because she was doing it to defend me. But now, I was the one being screamed at. An indescribable bitterness swelled inside me. All that venom, it was finally aimed at *me*. Exhausted from her tirade, she picked up the still-warm porridge and splashed it directly onto me. “You, looking like this, truly disgust me!” I opened my mouth, about to explain. But Liam suddenly rolled into the doorway in a wheelchair. His face was ghostly white and slick with cold sweat from the effort. “I’m so sorry, Asher. I just love Chloe too much. I never meant to hurt you. I even braked hard during the crash. I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault.” “Asher, you called the police, didn’t you? Yes, I deserve to go to jail for what I did to you. But I beg you, please be good to Chloe, okay?” With that, he struggled to support himself and, with a thud, knelt before me. His unhealed wounds began to seep blood, making the sight even more gruesome. Chloe’s eyes instantly reddened. She rushed to embrace Liam. Then she spun around, practically screaming at me. “Asher! Are you only satisfied if Liam dies? How can you be so vicious? You have no heart! You weren’t even hurt, you didn’t lose anything! Why did you call the police?!” “If you’re going to call the police, then arrest me too! If anything happens to Liam, I will never forgive you! And I definitely won’t marry you!” I felt a sudden blur. The pain in my left leg seemed to spread to my chest, making my face deathly pale. The murmurs outside the door grew louder, most of them condemning me. But I heard none of it. Through Chloe’s stubborn face, I saw the past. Once, because of my family’s wealth, I was kidnapped. It was Chloe who, despite the danger, came looking for me. When the standoff reached an impasse, she bravely offered to take my place as a hostage. I refused, but she wept hysterically. “Asher! I can’t live without you! I have to save you! Listen to me, if anything happens to you, I won’t live either!” She ended up with a scar on her shoulder from that incident. Whenever she thought back to it, she’d sigh. “Asher, this is a testament and symbol of our love! I love you, so I’m willing to die with you.” So sincere, so genuine. But now, all that love was given to Liam. How utterly laughable. I hadn’t even called the police, hadn’t said a word, yet she immediately blamed me. That wasn’t fair to me… My consciousness returned. I trembled, speaking calmly. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.” “I… won’t call the police.” “But between us, it’s completely over.” Chloe, I’m done with you. 3. Once my condition stabilized, I returned home, no longer paying attention to Chloe and Liam. I changed the lock on my front door, replaced everything she had arranged. Everything related to her, I packed up and had someone send to her place. For half a month, I didn’t contact her. Until our five-year anniversary, when Chloe called me. “It’s been so long, you should have realized your mistake by now. I’ll come back to you for our five-year anniversary, Asher. Don’t be too dramatic, men should be more magnanimous. I’ve been taking care of Liam these past few days to atone for *your* mistakes!” I found it amusing, but there wasn’t a ripple in my heart. I simply murmured, “Okay.” She didn’t get angry at my coldness; instead, her voice became even softer. “Asher, once Liam fully recovers, we’ll get married. I won’t lie to you, you can understand, right?” “After all, we have five years of history together. Otherwise, why would I still remember our anniversary today? I know my tone was a bit harsh before, please don’t be mad at me, okay?” Five years. So she still remembered we had five years. But why did our five years count for so little compared to Liam? But… What if? What if Chloe was telling the truth? What if she still loved me? Thinking this, a sudden glimmer of hope flickered in my heart. Yet, I waited in the restaurant until night fell, but there was no sound from outside. My phone kept ringing. I picked it up, dazed. No one spoke on the other end. Just as I was about to hang up, a string of intimate sounds drifted through. They were the same sounds I’d heard on Chloe’s birthday when she claimed she was bathing a stray dog. I had suspected, I had gotten angry. But Chloe couldn’t stand my suspicion and blew up at me. “Are you sick? I told you I was bathing a dog! Am I supposed to be bathing myself? Can you stop overthinking everything?!” Worried she’d really be angry, I stopped pressing the issue. But those familiar intimate sounds, today, clearly echoed through the phone. Chloe’s delicate moans also streamed through, entering my ears. “Liam, I love you so much, I really, truly love you. Marrying Asher was just out of pity for him, don’t be mad, okay? You’re the only one I truly love.” My heart completely shattered. The last shred of hope was crushed. It was almost laughable. Even at this point, I still thought she might change. So ridiculous. The person on the other end seemed to revel in it, the sounds growing louder and louder. Until, finally, it was almost as if they were pressed against the phone. “Chloe, I love you too…” I stumbled home in a daze, tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. But one thing was clear. This was the last time I would ever go soft on her. Just as the clock was about to strike midnight, Chloe called me. Her breathing was a little unsteady; she tried to sound calm. “Asher, I didn’t mean to be late today, but where are you? Why wouldn’t you wait for me? Are you still sulking? You’re being really childish!” “Now, I want you here, immediately, within ten minutes. I’ll pretend nothing happened, and the wedding is back on.” “Liam wasn’t feeling well, so I had to take him to the hospital. Can’t you be less petty? He’s only like this because of you!” I said nothing, staring blankly at the ceiling. Only when she grew impatient did I speak, my voice hoarse. “Yeah, it’s my fault. I’m not coming.” 4. I followed the doctor’s advice and got a prosthetic leg. Every day, besides physical therapy, I focused on getting used to it. After that day, Chloe sent me many messages. I didn’t reply to any of them. When everything seemed to be going smoothly, I arrived home one day and saw Chloe squatting by the door again. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, and she instinctively reached to link her arm through mine. But I moved away. “Asher! What are you doing? First, you changed the lock code without a word, and now you’re deliberately avoiding me and not replying to my messages? Haven’t you played enough games? I’ve already decided not to be angry! Why are you still acting like this?” “Oh, I know. You’re still mad because I took care of Liam instead of you? But what’s the big deal? I was atoning for *your* mistake! How could one person take care of two people?” Yes. How could one person take care of two people? Then how could one person love two people at the same time? Even now. You still think I’m playing hard to get. My expression remained unchanged, my eyes devoid of emotion. I was as indifferent to her as a stranger. A flicker of panic crossed Chloe’s face, and her voice softened. “Asher, please stop this. We agreed to go wedding dress shopping today, didn’t we? And I came back to be with you today, didn’t I? What exactly do you want? Do you need me to kneel and apologize?” The more she spoke, the more self-righteous she became. By the end, she looked me up and down, a hint of impatience in her eyes. “Besides, nothing even happened to you! It was only right for me to take care of Liam, wasn’t it? His wounds still haven’t fully healed! Look at you, you’re perfectly fine…” “Why are you being so demanding? I didn’t even do anything wrong! And you’ve been blowing me off lately, not replying to messages, not calling! What do you want? If you don’t want to get married, just say so!” Before this incident, we had indeed set today for wedding dress shopping. I had arranged for stylists, makeup artists, and a photography team. Because I wanted the best for Chloe, every gown was custom-designed for her. She had been so touched when she found out. “One is enough, why so many? Asher, you’re so good to me, I don’t even know how to love you enough.” It wasn’t until yesterday, when they contacted me to ask what time the shoot was, that I remembered. I simply canceled it. After all, I couldn’t pretend everything was okay and go through with this wedding. My thoughts returned to the present. Seeing my silence, Chloe’s anger flared. “Asher! You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I love you! Do you think I can’t live without you?! I came to you myself, what more do you want?!” “Liam is waiting for me at home! He can’t manage without me! I only took time out for *your* sake! If his wounds worsen because of this, you’ll be the murderer!” I couldn’t help but laugh. The broken bone in my left leg throbbed slightly with the movement, a dull ache. But, I could bear it. I stared at her for two seconds, my heart strangely calm. “Chloe, didn’t we already cancel the wedding?” “I had someone send all your things back to your place. We’re over.” “I changed the lock code because I don’t want you anymore, and I don’t love you anymore.” 5. Panic flickered in Chloe’s eyes. Her lips moved, but no words came out. It wasn’t until I turned away with a cold expression, heading home, that she snapped back. She violently grabbed my arm. “Asher! How can that be?! How can you not love me? Stop joking! You’ve thrown enough tantrums, now calm down, this is really pathetic!” “Alright, stop playing this ‘make me feel bad’ trick. It was my fault for not getting there on time, okay? You didn’t lose anything, so let’s call it even. Stop fighting, I’m really tired.” Tired? Probably tired from being with Liam, right? Besides, I wasn’t joking. From the moment she abandoned me time and again, I stopped loving her. I ignored her, found security to escort her away, and went home alone. Behind me, Chloe’s disbelieving curses still echoed. But, none of it mattered. It was late evening, and I had just managed two hours of sleep after my physical therapy. Chloe called me again. Her tone was hostile. “Asher! You don’t want to be with me anymore, do you? Why did you dump all my things at my house?! You know they’ll get dirty! You can argue, but there’s a limit, okay?! Who has endless time to play these games with you?! You should learn to be as well-behaved as Liam right now!” I was too tired to keep my eyes open. Through the phone, not far from her, I heard a soft, gentle male voice. “Chloe, don’t be angry… Why don’t you move in with me so I can take care of you?” It was Liam. But my heart remained untouched, even annoyed. I spoke in a cold voice. “My house isn’t a storage unit! Of course your things were sent back to *your* place! It’s not my problem if you weren’t home to receive them immediately! Chloe, we broke up, this isn’t an argument! A good ex should act like they’re dead!” The other end fell silent for a long time. Just as I was impatiently about to hang up, Chloe’s weary voice finally came through. “Asher, I don’t want to argue, but don’t keep bringing up breaking up. We can argue, but don’t escalate it to breaking up, okay? You’re just jealous Liam can be by my side, aren’t you? Why don’t *you* stick to me every day? Don’t *you* have any issues?” I was almost laughing from pure exasperation. *I* was bringing up breaking up? After Liam appeared, wasn’t *she* the one constantly threatening to break up? I didn’t pick her up from work because I had a fever, and she threatened to break up. I cooked something that wasn’t to her taste, and she threatened to break up. Even when I wanted her to lessen her intimate contact with Liam, she would accuse me of not considering her feelings, of being selfish. “Is all of this *my* fault?” “Chloe!” “Why don’t you look at yourself?” “Aren’t *you* the one who’s been going too far?” “Asher, can you stop talking in that tone? Chloe’s crying because of you! Aren’t you two a couple? Why don’t you know how to cherish her at all? What kind of man are you?!” I scoffed. Listening to Liam’s wailing on the other end, I found it utterly ridiculous. A homewrecker, lecturing me on how to act? “Chloe, can you not understand plain English?” “What?” She sounded confused. “I’m telling you to get lost. And Liam, you get lost too! I hope you two scumbag and snake stay together forever!” With that, I hung up and blocked and deleted all contact information related to both of them.
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