As soon as I finished speaking, I felt Alvin’srge hand, which had been gently rubbing my hair, freeze. His smile faded as well.


    His hand moved from my head to my cheek, giving it a soft squeeze. “Don’t overthink things. We’ll go home together after work. You like fish, right? I had someone bring over some fresh salmon. I’ll cook it for you tonight.”


    And with that, he left-just like so many times before, avoiding my words without a second thought.


    The scent of his hand cream lingered on my skin, and his warmth was still on my cheek, but my heart felt ice cold.


    He was kind to me, spoiled me, and liked me-but that affection felt more like the love between family, not the love a man had for a woman. And for me, there was only him. I’d adored him for ten years.


    I thought, ‘So what should I do? Marry him and live a life so familiar that even being intimate with him feels like nothing special? Or leave him, and let him find someone who makes his heart race?’


    I spent the entire day wrestling with this question, and even when he came to pick me up in the afternoon, I still had no answer. But I followed him anyway.


    Habit was a powerful thing. After ten years, I had grown used to him, and used to going back to the Dolton family every evening after work.


    “Why are you so quiet?” On the way back, Alvin must’ve sensed something was off and asked.


    I stayed silent for a moment. “Alvin, what if we—”


    Before I could finish, his phone rang. The caller ID showed an unknown number, and I noticed his grip on the steering wheel tighten. He was nervous-rare for him.


    I instinctively looked at his face, and he quickly switched the car’s system off, answering the call on Bluetooth instead. “Hello? Okay, I’lle right over.”


    The call was brief. After hanging up, he turned to me. “Zoe, I’ve got something urgent to take care of. I can’t take you home.”


    Actually, I’d already known he would leave me before he even spoke. This wasn’t the first time. But before he said anything, I had still hoped he’d offer to drop me off first.


    A sharp pang of hurt hit my chest. I tried to hold it together. “What’s going on?”


    Alvin’s jaw tightened. He didn’t answer. Instead, he stared out the window. “You can get out here. Take a cab home.”


    He wouldn’t exin anything, and it was clear he had already made his arrangements. I wondered, ‘What can I say? If I press him, it will only make things more awkward.


    “Text me when you get home,” he added as he pulled the car over and parked on the side of the road.


    I clenched my bag tighter and got out of the car.


    It wasn’t just my imagination. From the moment he reacted to the iing call, to the way he didn’t want me overhearing the conversation, I could sense something wasn’t right.


    But I didn’t ask. I didn’t say anything. Some things were like thin ss-just enough to fool ourselves into thinking everything was fine.


    “Be careful,” he said, rushing to leave, but before I could answer, he sped off.


    I stood there, watching him drive away, my eyes stinging with tears until I couldn’t look anymore. I focused on my feet


    instead.


    My phone buzzed in my pocket, and it was my best friend, Jasmine Glisson, calling. “Zoe, where are you? Want to grab


    dinner?”


    Jasmine, a gynecologist, wasn’t even 30 yet and still single, but she was already a respected expert in her field.


    “Sure,” I said, agreeing without hesitation.


    She immediately responded. “Whoa, you usually ask Alvin for permission when I ask to eat. Why are you agreeing so easily today?”


    I felt a lump in my throat. For the past ten years, I’d made myself into an essory to Alvin. Even when I wanted to grab dinner or go shopping, I’d have to clear it with him first, afraid he wouldn’t find me.


    But today, Alvin’s words had made it clear: I had be a burden to him. He was tired of me.


    “Are you at the hospital or home?” I didn’t answer her. Instead, I asked her a question.


    Jasmine quickly sent me an address and told me toe over.


    “Did you and Mr. Dolton have a fight?” she asked.


    She must have noticed something was off the second she saw me. She was one of the few people I could call a true friend, and I didn’t hide anything from her.


    After hearing my story, Jasmine cursed. “Men are all the same. When they lose interest, they’re just cold. ‘A waste’? That’s rich, sounds like he’s had you in bed a hundred times!”


    Her words didn’tfort me. In fact, they made me feel worse. Alvin and I had been together for so long, yet we had never


    been intimate.


    There had been moments of closeness—once, I had gotten drunk and tried to make a move on him, but he’d just gently pushed me back to my room.


    Back then, I thought Alvin respected me, that he didn’t want to take advantage of me while I was drunk. Now I realized it was because he simply wasn’t interested.


    I thought, ‘Don’t they say that if a man truly loves a woman, he will want to sleep with her? But with Alvin, there is no desire at all.’


    “Jasmine, I think I’m ready to let go,” I said.


    After a whole day of uncertainty, everything suddenly became clear.


    “Good, I’m here for you,” Jasmine said, clinking her ss with mine. “There are always plenty of men. With your looks, you could have anyone.”


    She was right. At 18, I won a beauty pageant. If it weren’t for Alvin, I probably would’ve already been pursuing a career in


    entertainment.


    With my looks, I’d received countless confessions and proposals over the years, but none of them ever made my heart race. The only person I had ever wanted was Alvin.


    ?


    pier o


    That thought made my throat tighten. I didn’t want Jasmine to see how I felt, so I hurried to the bathroom.


    But just as I rushed out, I collided with someoneing the other way. Maybe I was in too much of a hurry, or he was walking too slowly, but I ended up knocking him over andnding on top of him.


    Before I could apologize, the person screamed and shouted, “Hey! This is harassment! Someone’s being a creep!”