I was shopping at the mall when it happened. A sudden, heavy flow soaked right through my jeans, looking like a crime scene. Humiliated, I hid in the mall restroom and texted my boyfriend to buy me tampons and a change of clothes. I waited for three hours. The mall was closing, and he still hadn't shown up. But his female assistant, Chloe, posted a high-profile update on her Instagram Story: "Craving macarons and he literally bought me 80 of them! Where in the world can you find a boss this amazing?" "Who needs a husband? I'm locking it down with my boss for life!" Cold to the bone, I finally texted my mom. "Mom, set up that date. I'm ready to meet him." Chapter 1 The mall was closing. The bright lights flickered out one by one, plunging the corridors into darkness. It looked exactly like the future of my relationship with Sean. When I finally walked out of the restroom, stained and messy, I startled the security guard on patrol. "Miss, are you okay? Did someone hurt you? Do you need me to call 911?" I gave a bitter smile and declined his offer. The police handle crimes, not wandering hearts. Sean had taken the car. I had to stand by the curb and wait for an Uber. Several drivers saw the blood on my pants and canceled the ride. Some looked scared; others just didn't want their seats ruined. It took thirty minutes before a kind female driver finally picked me up. My phone wouldn't stop buzzing while I was in the shower. When I got out, I saw missed calls from my mom and a wall of text messages. "You finally woke up? I told you years ago that Sean was cold-blooded!" "Seven years, Nora! If he wanted to marry you, he would have done it by now. Better late than never. The guy I found for you is leagues above that loser!" Parents really do know best. When you're young, you think they don't understand love. When you get older, you realize you didn't understand life. I typed back: "I was showering. Mom, I'll listen to you from now on." Right after I hit send, Sean finally came home. He brought his favorite pet with him—Chloe. "Nora... you... you're back already? By the time I got to the mall, the doors were locked..." He looked awkward, but quickly held up a massive plastic bag like a trophy. Tampax, Kotex, Always, L., generic brands... Regular, Super, Overnight, Wings, Minis... every type imaginable. "I don't know anything about feminine products. I was afraid I'd buy the wrong ones, so I asked Chloe to help me choose. That's why we were a bit late." What a clumsy lie. But I didn't feel angry or wronged anymore. There is no grief greater than a heart that has gone cold. "It's fine. I handled it. I don't need to trouble you anymore," I said flatly, avoiding his shifting eyes. He knew he messed up. He pretended to need the bathroom, but before he left, he made sure to praise Chloe. "Chloe knew you weren't feeling well, so she insisted on coming up to check on you." "Yeah, Nora. Are you okay? It's so painful for us girls during that time of the month. Do you want me to make you some hot tea?" Chloe was as good as ever at playing the innocent angel in front of Sean. But the moment the bathroom door clicked shut, the "Pick-me girl" mask fell off. Her face twisted into a look of pure malice. She lowered her voice so only I could hear. "Nora, those tampons should last an old woman like you until menopause, right?" "Haha, just thinking about you waiting there makes me cringe for you." "A woman left bleeding, dirty and smelly in a mall with no one to care for her... if I were you, I'd just end it all." "Sean clearly doesn't love you anymore. Why are you still hanging around? Don't you have any dignity? Do you have to wait until you're kicked out? Do you enjoy begging for love that much?" Chloe stepped closer as she spoke. She deliberately leaned her face toward mine. I knew what she was doing. She wanted me to slap her. Then she could cry to Sean and play the victim, driving the wedge deeper between us. In the past, I would have slapped her without hesitation. But now? Would you fight a dog over a piece of crap? I just watched Chloe's performance with cold eyes. Like watching a fly buzzing around a dumpster. Under my stare, her expression shifted from smug provocation to confusion. Then panic. Then anger. Suddenly, she gritted her teeth, raised her hand, and slapped herself hard across the face. Smack! As the crisp sound echoed, Chloe burst into loud, wailing tears. "Nora! Please don't!" Chapter 2 Chloe's scream was like a starter pistol. Sean burst out of the bathroom like a hunting dog. "Chloe! What happened?" Chloe had slapped herself hard; a clear red handprint bloomed on her pale cheek. "Nora... she's in a bad mood... it's understandable she took it out on me... I don't blame her..." Her acting was mediocre, but it was enough for a stupid man. Sean immediately transformed into a white knight, glaring at me furiously. "Nora! What is wrong with you? If you're mad, take it out on me! What kind of person bullies a young girl?" "Chloe just graduated college! She's innocent and kind. What gives you the right to abuse her? Apologize now!" He tried to force me to apologize. I didn't bother speaking. I turned around, went into the guest bedroom, and locked the door. Chloe was crying. Sean was comforting her. I found it noisy, so I put on my noise-canceling headphones. WeChat dinged. A friend request popped up. The note said: "Blind Date." I accepted the request from the man named Miles. Outside, it went quiet. Sean had taken Chloe home. He didn't come back that night. In the early morning, a photo of Sean sleeping appeared in the company Slack channel. He was shirtless, sleeping soundly, looking satisfied and exhausted. There are always night owls. Employees immediately started commenting. "The Boss's Lady makes it official!" "Send red envelopes!" "Congrats on the future baby!" But some old colleagues DM'd me, furious on my behalf. "Nora, that homewrecker is crossing the line!" "This is a declaration of war." "You need to get a grip on Sean, don't let that little snake steal your fruit!" When Sean started his company, I was his right hand. I personally hired most of the senior staff. Once the business stabilized, Sean said he didn't want me working so hard. He said he could support me. He said couples shouldn't work together; it causes conflicts. So I left the company and became a supportive housewife. Years flew by. Except for the founding members, many new employees didn't even know I existed. "It's just rotten fruit. I don't want it anymore," I replied, then left the company group chat. I thought I would have insomnia, but I slept surprisingly well. Miles, the blind date, didn't say anything after I added him. I didn't care much. I only agreed to the date to give my mom peace of mind. I didn't want her worrying about my love life anymore. As for love? I had zero expectations. Chapter 3 The next morning, I packed my things to move back to my hometown. I arranged for a moving company to ship my large suitcases. Sean came back around noon. He clearly knew about the photo in the Slack channel and that I had left the group. After all, he was the admin. He looked guilty. "It got too late last night, and Chloe was worried it wasn't safe for me to drive... nothing happened between us... I slept on the couch..." "The photo was a joke. She's just a kid, she didn't mean anything by it." Sean watched my expression carefully as he spoke. Seeing that I was glued to my phone and ignoring him, he pulled a box of macarons from his bag and placed them on the coffee table. "Isn't there that trend online about the 'Strawberry Test' or whatever? You don't need to test me. I brought you the macarons. All 8 of them are yours!" I glanced at the box. The production date was yesterday. Chloe couldn't finish 80 of them, so he brought the leftovers home for me to dispose of? I picked up the box and dropped it into the trash can. "What are you doing? Stop acting crazy, okay? Being a man out there is exhausting!" Sean's face darkened. I had seen the viral trend. A mom posted that she bought a pack of 8 pastries. Daughter ate 2, son ate 2, husband ate 2. She thought the last 2 were hers, but her husband criticized her for eating them. She felt wronged. She felt unloved. The internet blew up. Women started using food to test their partners. It was like the "If your mom and I fell in the water" question. I always thought it was boring. Women aren't beggars. Do we need a man's permission to eat what we want? That's too pathetic. I never thought to use that to test Sean's heart. After the tampon incident last night, there was no need to test anything. The truth was ugly. He didn't love me. "I don't like sweets." I went back to my phone. My mom sent me photos of hotels, wedding dresses, and menus to choose from. She was moving too fast. I only just agreed to go home for a date, and she was already planning the wedding. "You really don't know romance!" "Chloe was so happy when she got the macarons—" Sean realized he slipped up and shut his mouth. His eyes scanned my phone screen and saw the photo of a wedding dress my mom sent. "I think this one suits you better. You're tall, so a long train works. I even found flower girl twins for you..." Sean's face looked like he had swallowed a fly. "What wedding?" "Who allowed you to pick dresses? Did you discuss this with me?" "Is your mom forcing marriage again? She's really losing it! Why is she causing trouble?" Sean's tone was full of disdain for my mother. He had completely forgotten that when my mom visited us in college, she brought him more food and clothes than she did for me. Sean's parents divorced and remarried; he was the extra baggage. Aside from wiring money, they ignored him. He was unloved by everyone. So my mom doted on him, giving him the motherly love he lacked. Back then, he always said, "Nora, just for your mom, I have to marry you!" "I'm not just a son-in-law, I'm her son!" We had no money then, no house. But we sat in our rental apartment dreaming of our future. That was the fuel for his startup. Later, we had money. We had the house. The startup succeeded. But marriage became a taboo topic. "Focus on career!" "Too busy!" "Marriage is the tomb of romance!" "We're still young!" "Just wait a bit..." Sean had infinite excuses. I felt wronged, but I endured it. I felt like I had invested seven years of youth; I couldn't bear to cut my losses. But I was awake now. If I quit now, seven years were wasted. If I stayed, I was just feeding a wolf. The past is gone. Cutting losses is the smartest move. Sean was still venting. He grabbed my phone, pressed the voice note button, and screamed furiously. "Linda! Stop causing drama, okay?" "We young people have our own plans! You meddling will only cause conflicts!" "We have no plans to marry right now! Stop wasting your energy!" He threw the phone down, huffing. "Nora, your mom is getting senile!" Smack! I slapped Sean hard across the face. His rant stopped abruptly. "You can disrespect me. You cannot disrespect my mother." I said each word clearly. "The man my mom wants me to marry isn't you. Get over yourself." "We are breaking up." At that exact moment, the Little Green Tea burst through the door, flustered. She was crying. "Sean! You didn't use protection last night, and I didn't take the pill!" "I'm too embarrassed to go to the pharmacy alone! What do I do?" "I'm still just a kid! I don't want to get pregnant!" Chapter 4 Chloe's crying threw Sean into a panic. "What? Right now isn't a good time for a baby!" "Thankfully, Plan B works within 72 hours!" He ignored the fact that I just said "break up," grabbed Chloe's arm, and rushed downstairs. I looked at the empty house. There was nothing left to miss. I opened the airline app. My hometown was 500 miles away. The next flight was tomorrow night. My mom called. She was furious. "Where is that bastard Sean? Does he speak human language? All that good food I fed him went to a dog!" "Come back right now! I don't want you near that animal for another second!" I told her I was booking a flight for tomorrow. "Don't buy a ticket yet. Wait for my text!" My mom hung up in a hurry. Ten minutes later. Miles, the blind date, sent me a message. "Be downstairs in 5 minutes. I'm taking you home." I was shocked. How did he get here so fast? And how did he know my address? I took my suitcase downstairs. In less than 5 minutes, a black Mercedes SUV pulled up slowly beside me. A man, elegant and sharp, stepped out. "I'm Miles. Your mother sent me." At the same time, Sean came out of the pharmacy across the street with a smug-looking Chloe. They had bought the pill. He saw me standing face-to-face with Miles. Miles took my suitcase and put it in the trunk. Sean's face turned iron-gray as he stormed over. "Nora, where are you going? Stop making a scene, okay? I can explain last night. It was just an accident!" I was sick of his noise. I pointed at Miles. "This is my date. He's taking me home. We have nothing to do with each other anymore." I got into the passenger seat and slammed the door. Sean exploded. He started pounding on the window. "What date? Nora, get out of the car!" Miles didn't say a word. He just got in. Vroom! He floored the gas. The SUV shot forward, sending an unprepared Sean tumbling into the dirt. In the rearview mirror, I saw Chloe try to help him up, but Sean shoved her away. He scrambled up to chase our car but tripped and fell again. I closed my eyes. Goodbye to this city. Goodbye, Sean. Without you, my life—whether lonely or wild—will definitely be better.
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