Chapter 1

The rain was pouring heavily.

I stood at the door, watching my colleagues leave one by one as they were picked up.

“Sigh, Xena, hasn’t your boyfriend come to pick you up yet?” one of my colleagues from the same department asked, puzzled. Her boyfriend lived far away, but as soon as she saw how heavy the rain was, he immediately rushed over.

I tightened my grip on my phone and gave a forced smile.

“He’s probably busy… I’ll wait a bit more. You go ahead, bye.”

I waved her off.

Gradually, I was the only one left.

My phone buzzed, and I eagerly opened it.

But it was a message from my father.

Father: You’ve been dating Zane for five years, and you still don’t get it? He never had any intention of marrying you. Don’t waste your time anymore!

Father: Get ready. Next weekend, come home to attend the wedding. This is your last deadline!

I clenched my phone tightly, as if trying to contradict him, I called Zane.

Silence.

After the fifth failed attempt, I sighed, resigned, and tightly gripped my umbrella as I rushed into the rain.

The wind was too strong.

The rain was blowing at me from all directions, and my small umbrella was hardly any help.

By the time I reached a traffic light, I was already soaked.

Shivering from the cold, I glanced around while waiting for the light to change.

And that glance, that fleeting moment, I saw Zane in a car.

Sitting next to him in the passenger seat was a young woman I didn’t recognize.

The woman was smiling brightly as she spoke to him.

The indifferent expression on Zane’s face was now replaced with tenderness I had never seen before.

He listened patiently, nodding and agreeing from time to time.

They looked just like a couple in the throes of romance…

The thought startled me, and I trembled, wanting to rush up and confront him.

At that very moment, the light turned green.

There was barely a step between us. He didn’t notice me at all, and as he started the car, he drove off with the woman, speeding away in front of me.

The water splashed all over me.

I stood there for a moment.

I wiped my face, unsure whether it was rainwater or my own tears, and walked back home in a daze.

Zane wasn’t home.

Where had he gone?

Was he not replying to my messages because he was with that woman?

At 1 AM, Zane finally came back.

When he saw me sitting alone on the sofa, he didn’t even ask why I was still awake. He just went off to take a shower.

It was as if I was invisible to him.

If it had been before, I might have comforted myself, telling myself he was just that kind of distant person.

But after seeing how gentle and caring he was with another woman today, I couldn’t fool myself anymore.

He could care for someone.

He just didn’t want to care for me.

Chapter 2

After Zane came out of the shower, I stopped him.

“I saw you today.”

He paused, frowning at me.

I gave a bitter laugh, “It was raining heavily today. I sent you so many messages, but you didn’t reply. When I was coming home drenched, I saw you with another woman in the car.”

“Don’t you have anything to explain?”

His expression didn’t change at all.

It was as if he didn’t think he had done anything wrong.

It was as if he didn’t care about my thoughts or feelings.

“There’s nothing to explain. I was busy at the time. She’s my client.”

“A client needs to be that intimate?! You’ve never been this gentle with me!” I couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted.

“Xena, you’re overthinking.” He answered impatiently.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”

“Calm down tonight. I’ll sleep in the guest room.”

He brushed past me and went upstairs.

I slowly sank to the floor, unable to hold back the tears anymore.

Honestly, if he had just comforted me, even with a few soft words, I would have believed him, I would have forgiven him.

But he refused to say anything. Even when he saw the tears in my eyes, he left without a second thought.

Leaving me alone, like a madwoman, collapsing in place.

“Zane, we’ve been together for five years. I’ve adored you for five years. I’m human too. I get tired…” I mumbled to the floor, as if speaking to him, or perhaps to myself.

“Couldn’t you just comfort me? Even just one sentence... I would remember it for the rest of my life.”

I trembled as I took out my phone and replied to my father’s message: Okay.

That night, I dreamed of Zane again.

But it was a younger version of him.

We met in college, through a campus club.

From the moment I met him, he was always the center of attention.

I chased him for four years.

I became the joke of the entire school, all because he never showed me any kindness.

But on graduation day, he got drunk and confessed his love to me.

I was overjoyed and agreed without a second thought.

I thought he had finally been moved by me.

But what awaited me was three years of indifference.

If he didn’t like me, why confess in the first place?

I felt like a worthless toy, tossed aside when he no longer wanted me, never even spared a glance...

When I woke up, my pillow was soaked again.

I’m not someone who cries often.

But ever since I got together with Zane, my self-esteem had been shattered.

I started doubting myself, and questioning this relationship I had worked so hard to obtain…

After the argument that day, Zane became even more distant.

In the past, I would have relentlessly tried to comfort him, but this time, maybe because I was sick from the rain, I was just too exhausted.

He started staying away for several days in a row.

He would spend all his time on his phone, chatting with someone, and sometimes, he would even show the same gentle smile I saw the last time.

These unusual behaviors, he never hid them from me.

It almost seemed like he wanted me to see them—on several occasions, he deliberately left his phone screen on and in front of me.

I saw the contact name: Nat.

The profile picture was of a cute little cat.

Zane’s WhatsApp background, which had never changed, was also that cat.

My heart sank.

Was Nat the woman I saw with him last time?

Zane, you don’t even give me the right to turn a blind eye. Are you so eager to push me away?

I didn’t say anything. I silently turned off his screen.

I had a fever. While Zane was gone for several days, I stayed in my room, nearly fainting from the fever.

Once again, I sent him several messages, but received no reply.

I no longer held any hope. I dragged myself out and took a taxi to the hospital.

The doctor said my cold was quite severe and advised me to rest for a few days, avoiding any emotional stress.

So now, I had no energy or will to argue with him.

I prayed he would at least give me a few days of peace to recover.

Once I had the strength, I could deal with this one-sided relationship on my own terms…

Chapter 3

But he couldn’t wait.

That night, I was home alone, revising a proposal.

The doorbell rang. When I opened the door, I saw Zane, drunk and leaning on a woman.

I recognized her.

She was the woman who sat in the passenger seat of his car last time.

Cold wind blew in from the open door, but it felt like my heart had frozen.

I didn’t say a word, stepping aside to let her in.

She gave me a dismissive glance, smiling arrogantly.

She expertly helped Zane to the bedroom, as if she had been here many times before.

“I’m Natalie, Zane’s first love,” she said, her head held high, her entire demeanor exuding arrogance.

“Don’t you have anything to ask?” She sat down opposite me, looking at me provocatively.

I pressed my lips together, hoarse as I spoke, “Is he going to break up with me?”

“Ha, do you know why Zane got together with you?” She laughed, as if pitying me, and generously explained,

“Because I was with someone else at the time. He did it to get back at me. We’ve known each other since elementary school, breaking up and getting back together for years.

To him, I will always be the most special.”

When she talked about Zane, her eyes were full of confidence.

It was the exact opposite of the dazzling brilliance I once had.

Then she seemed to remember something and pointed at me, laughing, “What do you think you have to keep him? Are you shameless? Hahahahahaha…”

“You have no idea how he described you to me.” She eyed me from head to toe, as though inspecting a cheap toy.

I coughed violently several times, too tired to say anything else, I waved my hand and said, “I get it. Now, please leave my house.”

She snorted, glaring at me.

“Your house? Ha, just wait, I’ll make sure you regret it!”

It didn’t take long for me to understand what she meant by “make you regret it.”

The next day, after Zane got off work, he stormed home, furious, and came looking for me.

I had just taken my medicine and was about to sleep.

Yesterday, I was hurt by Natalie’s words, and now I had a terrible headache.

He barged into the room and roughly yanked me out of bed.

Caught off guard, I shivered from the cold.

When I opened my eyes, I saw his angry gaze.

“What did you say to Nat yesterday?!” he yelled.

This was the first sentence he had spoken to me since our cold war started.

But it was to accuse me on behalf of another woman.

I wanted to laugh, but when I tried, only coughing came out.

It seemed like only then did he realize how pale my face was. He frowned and said, “What’s with the act?” Even though his words were harsh, he reached out as if to pat my back.

I swatted his hand away, coldly saying, “Since you think I’m acting, then stop pretending to care about me.”

He seemed stunned by my response. After a pause, he grumbled, “You’re still mad?”

“What right do you have to be angry? Yesterday, Nat kindly brought me home, and how did you treat her? She cried all day today!”

I had seen the kind of woman Natalie was.

I looked at him calmly and said, “You said I was bullying her. Do you have any proof? Just because she shed a couple of tears, you suddenly feel sorry for her?”

“Zane, the woman you had in the passenger seat last time… that was her, wasn’t it? Your first love.”

“So what if it’s her? I still don’t want to make things difficult for her! She’s soft-hearted and would never lie!”

“Hmph, there’s nothing more to say. I’m warning you, don’t even think about doing anything to her. Natalie is family to me!” Zane stormed out, slamming the door.

Tears slid down my face.

Natalie is his family.

What am I to him?

A five-year relationship, and to him, what was I?

Just like Natalie said, am I a ridiculous distraction?

Her methods were childish and laughable.

But she had Zane’s undivided attention…

Perhaps it was I who was being childish.