Chapter1

Ellie and I ended up together purely because she was relentless.

Because my family life wasn't great growing up, I never thought much about relationships. Even though some girls pursued me, they always gave up because of my indifference.

But Ellie was different. We ran into each other on the street, and she immediately asked for my contact information.

Even though I ignored her and was very dismissive for six months, she never got discouraged. Instead, she became even more enthusiastic.

I could say Ellie was the most courageous girl I'd ever met.

However, when I heard the laughter in that private room, I still felt disgusted.

"Ellie's the best! She's pretty and knows how to handle things. Look at how cold and distant Isaac was before they got together. Now he follows her lead!"

Then there was a burst of loud laughter.

I stood still, and a passing waiter quietly asked, "Sir, would you like me to open the door for you?"

I shook my head and gave a laugh. "No need."

As I turned to leave, I thought I heard Ellie's voice again.

"Men are easy. You just need to give them love, and they'll be obedient. Besides, Isaac's starved for affection."

She wasn't wrong. I was starved for affection. But that's precisely why I had higher standards for love.

I wanted pure and unconditional love, not the cheap version that Ellie offered.

After leaving the restaurant, I casually placed the Chanel bag in a nearby trash bin. It would find someone worthy, but Ellie didn't deserve it.

On the drive home, memories of my time with Ellie flooded my mind.

In truth, all the signs were there from the start. I just didn't see them because I was lost in the fake affection she created.

She always took from me but never gave back. Her silence and dismissiveness during arguments, the pride and smugness in her eyes when introducing me to friends, and the subtle ways she belittled me in private.

All of these were signs she didn't truly love me. Yet, I foolishly thought it was just because she hadn't matured.

When I got home, Ellie's clothes were still tossed on the couch, waiting for me to pick them up. Her makeup, which she'd scattered before leaving, was still strewn across the table. She never thought to clean up after herself.

I used to take care of these things, but I didn't want to anymore.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Ellie.

She sent me a selfie, her pretty face smiling brightly. She wore the silver slip dress I had given her.

Ellie always dressed provocatively and sexy. I rarely interfered with her outfits. I even bought clothes I thought suited her.

At first, she would excitedly hug and kiss me. But now, she just took it for granted.

"Babe, I'm going out for drinks with friends! I might be back late tonight. Kisses, don't miss me too much."

Sweet talk came naturally to Ellie. Even before we were together, I felt incredibly lucky because she treated me with such honesty.

For me, sharing my past with others was always difficult.

I wasn't good at making friends or opening up, so meeting someone like Ellie felt like seeing the bright future for the first time.

I couldn't help but get closer to her, and then closer still.

It wasn't until later that I realized I wasn't special. I was just another ordinary person in her stories.

"Okay."

My reply was simple, with none of the usual reminders to stay safe.

But Ellie never noticed these small changes. Or maybe she just didn't care.

She took my feelings for her as a given, assuming my affection and love were guaranteed, so she was fearless.

But how can someone continue to love someone who hurts them?

I opened my notes app and made a calendar entry.

"Day One."

Chapter2

That night, Ellie came home after I had already fallen asleep. When I woke up the next morning, I found the house in an even bigger mess.

Her high heels were lying on the floor, false eyelashes had fallen near the sink, and her bag was thrown carelessly on the ground.

I glanced at it all indifferently. I didn't clean up anything. I just got dressed and prepared to go to work.

It wasn't until lunchtime that I received a message from Ellie.

"Babe, why didn't you make me honey water? My head hurts, and you didn't clean up the house either."

Ellie liked to go out drinking, and she often drank too much. Her stomach wasn't great, so I got into the habit of making her warm honey water the next day to help her feel better.

But starting today, I wasn't going to do that anymore.

I glanced at the message but didn't reply immediately. I continued with my work instead.

It wasn't until after I finished lunch that I remembered to reply to Ellie's message.

Since we started dating, I had always responded to her messages right away. If I had a meeting, I'd inform her in advance to avoid making her worry if she couldn't reach me.

But now I realized that I was the only one doing this. Ellie had never considered doing the same.

"Sorry, I was in a rush this morning. The honey is in the cupboard. You can make it yourself."

Before I could put down my phone, Ellie's message came through.

"Why are you only replying now?"

"Busy."

It was her usual phrase.

When she didn't want to reply to me or was hanging out with friends, she would use that excuse. Now it was finally my turn.

I had to admit, it felt pretty good.

Throughout the day, Ellie kept finding various excuses to message me. This had never happened before.

After all, I was always the one who reached out first.

They say women have sharp instincts. Maybe she sensed something was off and wanted to win me back.

By the time work ended, Lucy asked if I wanted to join a group dinner that night. I usually turned down such events.

Ellie didn't cook, and I thought takeout wasn't good for her health.

But today, I wasn't going to refuse.

"Of course."

Lucy looked surprised when I agreed. She scratched her head and smiled. "I thought you wouldn't go."

"I'll be going from now on."

I was packing up to leave the office when I got a call from Ellie.

"What's up?"

She sounded a bit upset on the other end. "Babe, I wanted to surprise you by cooking a few dishes, but I think I ruined the pot. What should I do?"

I stopped walking, tightening my grip on the phone, then sighed.

"Wait for me to get back."

I hung up and gave an apologetic smile to Lucy, who was waiting by the elevator. "Sorry, my girlfriend burned the pot. I need to go home and check."

Lucy understood and patted my shoulder. "You've got it rough."

The moment I opened the door, Ellie rushed over and hugged my waist. There was some ash on her face. She looked up at me with innocent eyes.

Chapter3

"Babe, did I cause trouble?"

I didn't hug her back. I just patted her shoulder.

"I'll go check."

The kitchen was in a complete mess. But I was used to Ellie's destructive abilities. Since she moved in, I'd been constantly cleaning up after her.

Ellie didn't follow me into the kitchen. She just stood at the door watching. After a while, her phone rang, and I heard her footsteps retreat as she walked away in her slippers.

I continued cleaning and heard Ellie quietly call my name, "Isaac, my friend asked me to go out for dinner…"

When I turned around, Ellie had already washed her face and was looking at me expectantly.

We had argued about this before, but she always shut me down by saying that not respecting her choices meant I didn't love her.

Eventually, I even began to doubt if I was really in the wrong.

Looking back now, it seemed laughable.

"Go ahead."

I nodded as usual. Ellie immediately smiled and ran up to kiss my cheek.

"Thank you, babe!"

"Next time, I'll definitely cook you a delicious meal!"

The door closed quickly. I kept wiping my face with a tissue until my skin stung, then finally stopped.

Ellie had never kept a single promise she made to me.

Just like when we first got together, she quit her job because it wasn't going well and promised she'd bounce back quickly. But even now, she still hadn't gone back to work.

Over the past six months, she spent all my money on food, clothes, and other things.

How could that not count as being generous with money?

Ellie seemed to think that me coming home that night to clean up her mess in the kitchen was a sign I was making amends. In the days that followed, nothing changed.

It was the same cycle of endless messages, dining out with friends, clothes thrown around, and money constantly being charged to my card.

It was like I was raising a spoiled child.

The day before the National Day, I marked the twenty-first day on my calendar.

By then, I had grown accustomed to the feeling of being alone at home.

Just like every previous holiday, Ellie would stay out late with friends and come home in the middle of the night.

But this time, instead of waiting for her to text me after the party, I drove straight to the bar after asking for the address.

I rarely went to places like this, mainly because the loud music made my head buzz.

After showing the bartender a photo of Ellie, he pointed me in a direction. I made my way through the crowd of dancing couples, heading that way.

The first thing I saw was Ellie, wearing a black camisole and leather skirt.

She had her back to me, her long black hair blending into the dim environment. Her slim waist was in someone else's arms, and she was leaning in to kiss the person on the lips.

It was a strange feeling. My girlfriend was kissing someone else right in front of me, yet I didn't feel sad.

I just felt a bit disgusted.

The cheers and laughter of the crowd, mixed with the music, filled my ears. I just stood there, keeping a not-too-close, not-too-far distance.

It wasn't until one of Ellie's friends noticed me. With a pale face, she tapped her on the shoulder.

When she turned around, she was still smiling brightly, her lipstick smudged.

The moment she saw me, her smile froze on her face.

I didn't say anything or walk up to her. I just smiled at Ellie and then turned around and left.

On the twenty-first day, I was finally able to cut off this dirty relationship.