The night before I was set to leave the country, my childhood friend, whom I’d secretly loved for years, told me to abandon my dreams and stay by his side. He promised me a beautiful future if I stayed. But when I didn’t board the plane, he just smirked and winked at his friends. “See? She really wavered for me! Five hundred bucks each, pay up, a bet’s a bet!” After collecting the money, he warmly embraced my best friend, who had come to see me off. He then mocked me, "Sophia, don't be naive. The one I truly care about is her, not you. You didn't actually think I'd support you chasing that impossible dream, did you?" He dropped to one knee, publicly proposing to my best friend. Seeing my pale face, he grinned cheekily and added, "You can still make it to your flight if you leave now. But I'm afraid your parents might be disappointed in you too!" What he didn’t know was that this was just my final test of him. 1 As Ryan dropped to one knee, making a promise to my best friend, Chloe, I finally understood this was yet another cruel deception, a farce. I was the one who had received Ryan’s "confession" message. Chloe was the one who had secretly, persistently, urged me to pursue "true love." Yet now, they stood there, gazing deeply into each other’s eyes amidst the gasps of the crowd. And I, with my luggage beside me, was left standing awkwardly, feeling like a complete joke. After Ryan dramatically kissed Chloe, he turned to his friends to collect money. He grinned, "See? Sophia really hesitated for me. Witnesses and evidence are all here. Five hundred bucks each, no backing out!" "Dude, look at you! You got the girl, of course, we gotta chip in for our bro!" "Congrats to you and your future sister-in-law, wish you two all the sweetness!" After their congratulations, his friends turned to me, scoffing. "Sophia, should I commend your bravery? Or call you incredibly naive? You're about to leave the country, and you're still harboring fantasies about Ryan?" "Seriously! Ryan's not the type to support your unrealistic dreams! Wake up!" "We, your buddies, genuinely bet you wouldn't stay. And look how foolish you are, falling for it even when you're about to go abroad. You're hopeless!" I stood there, gripping my boarding pass so tightly it was almost crumpled. Ryan, after pocketing the cash, walked towards me, leaning in to observe my expression. He feigned concern. "So, Sophia, are you about to cry?" Then he spun around, chastising the group who had just insulted me. "Are you all heartless? You're about to make our international student cry. Today's her day to start a new life; how can you say such things?" I abruptly lifted my head, still hoping this was just a nightmare. But the next second, Ryan shoved a piece of paper into my hand. He smirked. "Sophia, today's my big day. Everyone else has given me gifts, but you haven't." He chuckled. "But it's okay, we're old friends, right? You don't have to give me money, just write a few words." Ryan’s eyes crinkled with mirth. "Just write, 'Wish you and Chloe happiness!'" My breath hitched. I couldn't believe those words had come from his mouth. The people around clapped and cheered, praising his generosity. Chloe’s face was bright red with feigned embarrassment. "Who said I'd be with you? You're so annoying!" Ryan blew her a kiss, then turned back to me, commanding, "Write it! You used to love writing, didn't you? Write!" "Seriously, Sophia! Back in school, didn't you always secretly write little notes to Ryan? Too shy now that there are people around?" Ryan nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's right. You even practiced your handwriting every day to get my attention. Come on, quick, write that blessing for my dearest girlfriend. Consider it your wedding gift to us." "Sophia, write!" Ryan started clapping, urging me on. His friends immediately joined in, clapping and shouting, "Write it! Write it!" An overwhelming wave of rage and humiliation washed over me. My hands trembled violently, almost dropping the paper. In school, when Ryan lost a competition, I would write him encouraging notes every day, secretly tucking them into his desk. I even diligently practiced calligraphy at home because I worried my handwriting wasn't pretty enough. But now, these memories I cherished so deeply had become tools for him to amuse his girlfriend. I choked back a sob and shoved the paper back into Ryan's hand. "I won't write it." My voice was flat. "And I don't wish either of you happiness." The moment I finished speaking, someone called out. "Sophia, you haven't given up on Ryan yet, have you?" "Ryan, you better be careful! These clingy, persistent women are the worst! She's about to go abroad and she's still throwing herself at you. She'd probably even be your fallback!" "My fallback?" Ryan scoffed, rolling his eyes at me. "As if you're worthy." Their words, one after another, were like sharp blades tearing my heart apart. In the past, I would have broken down, sobbing and asking Ryan why he was doing this to me. But today, I fiercely held back the tears in my eyes. "Ryan, I'm the one going to pursue my dreams. You should bless me first. You don't have to speak, a note will do." Ryan and Chloe exchanged glances, then both burst into laughter. "Sophia, you wavered for me. Do you think your parents will still support you going abroad?" "Yeah, Sophia, I heard you prepared for this trip for a long time and gave up a lot. Now that you've caused such a big scene, your dream of going abroad must be shattered." I forced a tight smile. "That's none of your concern. My plans to go abroad will proceed as scheduled." 2 I had actually sensed that Ryan was planning to trick me into giving up my dreams. This morning, he had called me. His voice was slurred, even tinged with a sob. He said, "Sophia, please don't go abroad, okay? Don't leave me, I can't bear it. You know I can't live without you." He pleaded, "If you still care about me, don't get on the plane. Wait for me at the airport." He promised, "As long as you stay, I'll be with you without hesitation! From now on, our world will only be us!" He hung up immediately. On my end of the phone, my heart was pounding. Ryan and I had been childhood friends for over a decade. I had poured out my dreams to him countless times, but he had never supported me, calling my dreams unrealistic. Was he only acting this way now because I was truly about to go abroad to pursue them? At the same time, my best friend Chloe also sent me a message. She told me, "Sophia, I know you've always wanted to be with Ryan." She continued, "As long as you make up your mind, no one in this world can stop you two from being together!" Just as I was genuinely swayed, I received a voice message. In it, Ryan was chatting with his friends. Someone asked him, "Ryan, Sophia's leaving the country today. You're not preparing a farewell gift for her, are you?" Ryan scoffed. "Is she worth it? I'm preparing a surprise for Chloe. I'm going to propose to her and ask her to be my girlfriend!" "But Sophia is leaving today. Isn't Chloe seeing her off at the airport?" A sly smile suddenly appeared on Ryan's face. "Sophia's leaving today, right? Well, I bet you guys, all I need to do is make one phone call to her, and she'll give up going abroad." He challenged, "Want to see a foolish girl abandon her dreams for a man?" Everyone immediately cheered, "Yeah!" Someone else added, "Hey, Ryan, those flowers you got for Chloe are really beautiful. Such a big bouquet, must have cost a fortune, huh?" Another person quickly answered, "Beautiful? They're tulips flown in from Holland! And this coffee shop, it's always packed. Ryan spent a fortune and pulled strings just to get the best for Chloe!" Ryan smiled faintly. "Of course. Only the best for Chloe." I remembered Ryan had prepared a gift for me, which I hadn't opened yet. When I opened the gift box, I found an old photo album inside. On the card, he had written, "Sophia, these are all our memories!" But when I flipped through the album, it was filled with the little notes I had once written to him. They read, "Ryan, you got this! You can do it!" and "Believe in yourself, you're the best!" In high school, when he participated in various competitions, I used these notes to cheer him on. And he just picked out a few of them to give me as a farewell gift, while spending a fortune to fly in fresh tulips from Holland for Chloe. The voice message ended abruptly, and my heart shattered into countless pieces. The initial excitement and anticipation turned into utter despair. I repeated Ryan's name over and over, from heartbreak to pure resentment. He knew my dreams, he knew how much I had sacrificed to go abroad, yet he still treated me like this. The memory of my childhood friend, who always stood by me, listened to my dreams, and promised to always support me, seemed to have died. Ryan, I will never like you again. 3 "Ryan, you said I didn't give you a blessing? Here, take this." I pulled a notebook from my bag and handed it directly to Ryan. He looked at the notebook thoughtfully. Years ago, when he lost a competition and was dejected, I gave him this notebook, filled with my encouragement and support. I had hoped then that he would pick himself up and work towards his dreams with me. But today, it was the day he pledged himself to another woman. Chloe stepped forward and took the notebook. "Thank you, Sophia. Ryan and I will be very happy." Chloe then casually eyed me up and down, reaching out to touch my suitcase. "Sophia, your suitcase looks pretty expensive. Since you won't be able to leave the country anyway, why don't you just give it to me?" I was astonished by her greed and instinctively stepped back. "Chloe, you're still carrying the bag I gave you. How can you have the nerve to ask for my suitcase?" Chloe looked at the bag on her shoulder, frowning. "You said you gave it to me. But today, I'm supposed to be the star. Besides, I already know you and your parents are at odds over you going abroad. And now you've backed out. Your dream of going abroad is definitely shattered." She scoffed. "Since that's the case, why can't you give me the suitcase?" I retorted loudly, "Who says I can't leave the country? I just came here temporarily. After I leave, my plans to go abroad will proceed as scheduled." I pointed towards the airport terminal. "In a little while, I'll be boarding there." Chloe snorted a laugh. "Right, right. Your parents love you to death, and they can even tolerate their daughter abandoning her dreams for another man and making such a huge fool of herself." She looked at me with immense pity. "Sophia, I know you're hurting, but isn't this what you chose? Stop deluding yourself and saying such ridiculous things." She continued, her voice dripping with disdain, "Do you know how much you need to prepare to go abroad? Just the application materials alone are a huge pile! No, it's not just about materials, you need talent too." She boasted, "Ryan, for my sake, helped me arrange all sorts of training well in advance, which is how I got the chance to go to a better place. You're still bragging about going abroad? Be careful you don't bite off more than you can chew!" When she finished, her cronies behind her burst into laughter. "I think Sophia's delusional. She's daring to boast like that." "Tsk, tsk, such a pathetic deluded woman. I almost feel sorry for her." Seeing my reluctance to hand over the suitcase, Chloe turned to Ryan. "Ryan, do you think this suitcase should stay with her, or should it come to me?" Ryan didn't even look at me. He raised an eyebrow, asserting confidently, "Does that even need asking? Of course, it's for you, babe." After he made his choice, Chloe immediately reached for my suitcase. She chuckled, "I know your suitcase is quite expensive, a designer brand your parents bought for you. Sophia, we're such good friends, just let me use it, okay?" It was because we were good friends that I had allowed her to be my best friend. But I never imagined she had already been scheming with Ryan. I shouted, "Don't touch my suitcase! I still have to go into the departure lounge to board my flight!" Chloe sneered. "Stop pretending! Board what flight? Give me the suitcase!" Seeing my fierce resistance, she turned to the people behind her. "What are you staring at? Come help me!" Those people ignored her, all looking at Ryan, waiting for his command. I, too, stared intently at him. For nothing else, but for the sake of our years of friendship, he shouldn't treat me like this. But Ryan just gave me a dismissive glance and said indifferently, "Didn't you hear your sister-in-law speak? Go, grab Sophia's suitcase and let my girlfriend try it out." In an instant, several hands reached for me, grabbing my suitcase, tugging at my backpack. I screamed, I yelled, and finally, in despair, I closed my eyes. This was the man I had loved for fifteen years. My childhood friend who always put me last. Just then, someone roared, "Stop! What are you doing?!" I was startled. That voice… it sounded so much like my estranged cousin.
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