The Face I Couldn't Quit

I used to scoff at the idea of "love at first sight." Until the day I registered for college and bumped into Julian. One look, and I finally understood. When a guy is that handsome, he can make thrift store clothes look like Haute Couture. As a certified sucker for a pretty face, I drooled over him for years. Finally, when his family went bankrupt, I didn't hesitate. I used my money to smash my way into becoming his girlfriend. In the third year of our relationship, his proud head was about to bow to reality. He was even ready to "settle" for me for a lifetime. Our families even sat down to discuss the wedding date. But then, Chloe appeared. Chloe, the junior student. Bright, gentle, soft. She hit every single point of Julian's "Ideal Type." So, the look in his eyes changed from indifference to undisguised disgust. That night, the smell of alcohol mixed with his cologne. He kissed me, but whispered another woman's nickname. My heart felt like it was squeezed to a stop. A dull pain spread through my chest. I turned my head and pushed him away. "You're drunk." I lay in bed, pretending to sleep. I didn't have the courage or the resolve to rip off the band-aid. In the dark, I heard him hiss through his teeth: "Candace, you can really endure anything. How can you be so pathetic?" I knew he regretted it. But what could I do? I was hopeless. The thought of waking up and not seeing that god-like face made me want to die. So I swallowed my pride, played dumb, and wasted another three years like a coward. Until that night. I went to a bar to pick up his drunk ass. But the moment I pushed open the door, I bumped into another face. A face so handsome it crashed my brain. My heart stopped. I even forgot to wipe the tears from my face. I heard myself stammer: "W-what's your name?" The boy looked obedient, his voice clean enough to kill. "Liam." At that moment, 1:27 AM. I knew clearly. My obsession with Julian... Had vanished into thin air. Chapter 1 At midnight, Julian was brought home by his junior again. I was woken up once more. I threw on a robe and leaned against the door, watching the girl's flushed face. "Why didn't you ask the other students to help? It's hard for a girl to carry him." I tried to take Julian from her, but he swatted my hand away. Awkward silence. The junior stammered an explanation. My eyes fell on Julian's hand, gripping the girl's purse strap tightly. His knuckles were distinct, as beautiful as ever. But now, he was holding onto another woman like a lifeline. My throat felt dry. I watched the girl soothe the drunk Julian and coax him into my arms. I guessed why she brought him back. When I hugged Julian, the strong smell of alcohol made me nauseous. Wiping his face, changing his clothes, feeding him medicine... After doing all this, I sat by the bed, studying Julian's elegant face. Thin brows, long eyes, high nose, thin lips. His open collar revealed white, firm skin. I lowered my head, close to him, and whispered: "I like you so much, Julian." He turned his head, frowning in pain, and mumbled. I tried to distinguish the name on his lips, my cheek almost touching his. "Chlo..." If I remember correctly, the junior who brought him back is named Chloe. A first-year grad student. Very likable. How close do they have to be for a man as restrained as Julian to call a girl by her nickname? I didn't want to think of Julian as a cheater. He was one of the few "gentlemen" I had met. That was one of the reasons I pursued him so passionately. Of course, the most important thing was his face. I pushed away my emotions and lay down beside him. I wanted to kiss him, but the alcohol smell was too strong, so I retreated. "Goodnight." I whispered. The next second, Julian pulled me into his arms. Like countless nights before, he buried his head in my neck. I took care of him until dawn. Plus, work was busy. I slept terrible. So when Julian woke up, I woke up too. He let go of me and sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, back to me. I didn't know what he was thinking. Just as I was about to ask, he took a call. The balcony door was open. Julian's clear voice drifted to my ears. "Yeah, just woke up. You? Sleep well?" I didn't know what the other person said, but Julian laughed softly. I hadn't heard him laugh in a long time. Strangely, their ordinary conversation sounded piercing to me. A sourness clogged my chest. Chapter 2 My boyfriend was cheating. Not physically, but emotionally. He checked his phone more often. When talking to me, he was either distracted or silent. He stopped hugging me, kissing me. His eyes were cold when he looked at me. This was Julian's usual tactic. In the past three years, whenever he regretted being with me, he used the "Cold Shoulder" treatment to drive me away. But I was too attached to his face. I clung to him shamelessly. Julian was about to compromise. He planned to settle with me. Our families even discussed the wedding date. But Chloe appeared. This sunny, gentle girl was his perfect match. They had endless topics, secrets, and inside jokes. They were soulmates. And me? Shallow, loud. I only embarrassed him. I tried to break up, as he wished. But every time I tried to speak, his narrow eyes looked at me, and I couldn't say a word. I just wanted to kiss him. The thought of not seeing his face in the morning made me want to cry. So I chose to be a coward until Julian explicitly dumped me. He pulled all-nighters in the lab with Chloe. I sent texts that got no reply. He left early; I laid out his clothes the night before. He partied with colleagues; I picked him up. Every time his friends joked about "Sister-in-law being so sweet," Julian's eyes grew colder. He sat in the passenger seat silently. I chatted with his friends before waving goodbye. Naturally, I noticed Chloe's pale face in the corner. "The temperature dropped recently. Chloe, wear more clothes. Don't catch a cold." I said this deliberately before leaving. She mumbled a yes, and soon took off the dark blue scarf around her neck. That scarf took me three months to knit for Julian. When I put it on him, he didn't even lower his head. He just looked down at me struggling to reach his shoulders. So how did he tie my scarf around another girl's neck? Did he bend down? Did he smile? I dared not think about it. On the way home, Julian was silent. I adhered to the "Enemy doesn't move, I don't move" principle and chatted about daily life. He replied little. Before getting out of the car, Julian suddenly leaned in. His black hair fell down, revealing his high nose, perfect lips, and clean jawline. Eyelashes trembling, his gaze fell lightly on my lips. The sweet smell of alcohol filled the small space. I held my breath, my heart pounding like a drum. We hadn't kissed in so long. I was nervous and closed my eyes for the first time. Usually, I couldn't bear to close them. But the next second, Julian said something that froze me to the bone. "Chloe..." He did it on purpose. My heart skipped a beat. A dull pain followed. I turned my head and pushed him away. "You're drunk." When we got home, he saw the fresh clothes and hangover soup I prepared. I lay in bed, feigning sleep. I had no courage to break the illusion. Drifting off, I heard Julian gritting his teeth: "Candace, you can really endure. Are you that cheap?" Julian looked like an upright gentleman, but when angry, he had a foul mouth. I was used to it and fell asleep quickly. Chapter 3 Julian's indifference became blatant. He ghosted me, ignoring my texts and calls. I was anxious without seeing his face. Finally, I saw him in a mutual friend's Instagram story. He was at a quiet bar, heads together with Chloe, talking. I cropped Chloe out and saved the picture. I got the address and took a taxi there. Julian's face was sour. Chloe looked uneasy seeing me, only calming down after Julian comforted her. "Evening, Sister-in-law! Come have a drink!" "Yeah, we missed you! Not used to you not checking up on Julian." Everyone laughed. I ignored Julian's gaze and mingled quickly. I drank a lot and felt dizzy. Sitting in the seat they made for me, I wanted to lean on Julian's shoulder. Suddenly, Julian stood up. He was tall, attracting attention. "Liam, switch seats with me." Everyone froze, looking back and forth between us. "Julian, that's awkward for her..." a friend whispered. I rubbed my temples, surprised by Julian's sudden malice. He gave up talking to Chloe just to avoid sitting next to me. "It's okay..." I tried to smooth things over. Before I could finish, Julian cut in. He looked at me with contempt: "Don't worry. She has thick skin. She gets along with everyone. She knows this kind of environment well." Few people knew that after high school, I worked at a seedy bar to save for college tuition. I was almost assaulted several times. I told Julian this when I was most vulnerable. He hugged me tight then. Now, he used it as a blade to hurt me. I looked up in disbelief. He seemed startled for a second, then frowned and looked away. No apology. Julian never apologized. I was tired. I didn't fight back. My heart felt like it was being hit by a dull axe. A boy in a light blue flannel shirt sat next to me. He handed me tissues and hot water. Halfway through the party, Chloe had a stomach ache. Julian panicked first. Ignoring everyone, he picked her up and rushed out. Including me, no one had seen him this anxious. "I thought Julian only had emotions for Candace. Seems like he really cares about this junior." Someone sighed. Then realized I was still there. He looked at me carefully. "It's okay. Chloe is weak. Julian is kind." I smiled, my eyes curving, but my tone was bitter. "But that's too much. His girlfriend is right here..." someone whispered. I drank more wine. My head hurt. The person next to me handed me tissues again and replaced my wine with water. I realized I was crying. "Haha, so embarrassing. Looking this messy." Tears blurred my vision, but I still saw that shocking face immediately. So handsome that my blood rushed, my body relaxed. I opened my mouth and forgot to wipe my tears. I stammered: "W-what's your name?" The boy was obedient, his voice soft. "Liam." 1:27 AM. I was sure. I had no more obsession with Julian. Chapter 4 Julian came home the next afternoon. I was eating leftover cake at the table. I was in a good mood, swinging my legs, replying to Liam's texts. Just simple greetings. Polite, distant, but much warmer than Julian. "Today... is it your birthday?" Julian finally realized something. His hand tightened on his phone. A trace of annoyance and panic flashed in his eyes. Last night, I called him multiple times. He just watched the screen and let me go crazy at home. Now he remembered. This was the day he promised three years ago to always be with me. I ate a mouthful of cream and waved the fork. "Wrong guess. It was yesterday." I didn't question or scold him like he expected. I didn't beg for love like a dog. This was what Julian wanted, but a secret uneasiness gnawed at his heart. He stood at the door, conflicted. I knocked on the table, signaling him to sit. "Let's talk." Julian thought this was a peace offering. He sighed in relief and sat down, defenseless. I continued eating cake. He was still wearing yesterday's clothes. Wrinkled cuffs. Smell of alcohol and smoke. Hair messy. "I was too busy yesterday. I didn't mean to forget. Let's make it up today, okay?" When Julian spoke, the first thing I saw was his dry, peeling lips. His lips, his tongue, his teeth. Dull. Nothing to praise. I interrupted his self-righteous plan. "Let's break up." He stood up abruptly, staring at me. Like he was stunned by the good news. "You explain to the parents. You changed your heart and betrayed me. It's not my fault. If you hide anything, I will show them Chloe's photos and name. Your parents won't accept a mistress as a daughter-in-law." "I lived in this apartment longer. I have feelings for it. Please move out this week." "Money-wise, we'll get lawyers. It's fair." ... I finished calmly. Seeing Julian still dazed, I waved my hand in front of his face. His eyes cleared. He looked at me slowly. I smiled at him: "We broke up, Julian. Are you happy?" Just like three years ago when I finally got him, I smiled and said: "We are finally together, Julian. I'm so happy!"

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