The day Nova’s company teetered on the brink of collapse, she finally agreed to be my girlfriend. For five years, I secretly leveraged my family’s resources, helping her company climb step by painful step. On the eve of its IPO, Nova at last promised to marry me, swearing I would be the happiest man alive. But then, I stumbled upon a chat log on her computer, a conversation with her best friend— "My marriage to Finn is just to spite Julian." "I know Julian won't just stand by and watch me marry someone else." "The moment he comes back from abroad for me, I'll dump Finn, my backup." Reading those words, I immediately ordered my family to withdraw all investments. Fine, let them be a star-crossed couple, sharing hardship. "Dad, pull out all investments from Nova's company in a few days." With the company on the verge of going public, withdrawing funds would be a death blow to her. My father, who had seen my capabilities firsthand over the years in Nova's company, was furious. "That woman dared to cheat on you? I'm going to confront her!" "Dad, I'll handle this myself," I replied, my voice hoarse. My father, knowing my deeply loyal nature, sighed and told me to proceed as I saw fit before hanging up. My gaze, however, remained fixed on the screen, those chat logs piercing me like needles. Nova was my junior in college. At freshman orientation, I saw her in the crowd, and my heart skipped a beat. Later, she was harassed by some thugs, and I fought them, getting a bloody nose, just to protect her, finally bridging the distance between us. But she always had a long-distance boyfriend in college, and no matter how hard I pursued her, she remained cold. Now, looking back, I realize I was foolish—it was precisely her aloofness that made me want to conquer her even more, my possessiveness swelling with each passing day. Then, the year she graduated, Julian suddenly sought me out for drinks. She drank heavily, sobbing as she drank, saying her boyfriend had betrayed her and moved abroad. By the lake, she cursed every man on earth. Finally, she cried against my shoulder for a long time. It was from that day on that I wanted to prove, through my actions, that there was a man in this world who truly loved her. After graduation, she started a cosmetics company, but it went bankrupt after just a year, leaving her millions in debt. In her darkest days, I stayed by her side, and slowly, she emerged from the shadows, finally agreeing to be my girlfriend. I convinced my father to use our family resources, silently helping her company get back on track. Five full years, and the company was finally going public. On the day the IPO was approved, I proposed to her while she was still elated. She considered it for a day, and then actually said yes. I was so excited I stayed up all night, believing we would finally achieve our happy ending, only to find out it was all just a scheme to spite her 'ghost of the past'—the very man who had once abandoned her! And I? I was nothing but a pawn. Nova hurried out that afternoon, leaving in such a rush that she forgot to log out of her computer's messaging app. Even though the chat logs suffocated me with pain, I clicked on her social media profile—I had never looked before, and she seemed to never post anything, not even sweet moments from our travels. But now I realized she did post; she had just always blocked me. Soon, I found a photo of a man on her profile. Though only his arm was visible, the expensive IWC watch on his wrist glared conspicuously—I had seen that watch in her bag recently. I had thought it was a surprise for me. It turned out she had already given it to someone else. She wasn’t incapable of romance; she just refused to waste it on me. Just then, my phone rang. "Finn, hurry! Nova's arguing with someone, I'm worried she'll get hurt!" Her angry shouts faintly echoed through the phone: "You have to apologize to my boyfriend!" My heart plummeted—I wasn't there, so the "boyfriend" she spoke of clearly wasn't me. I wanted to understand what was happening. I put on my jacket and walked to the shoe rack, where I saw the pearl necklace I had given her lying on the floor, several pearls cracked, one even crushed by a high heel. That necklace… I had dived into the river repeatedly to retrieve freshwater mussels, picking out each pearl one by one. The day I finished, I was utterly exhausted, yet she had shown no care for it. I bent down, picked up the pearl necklace, and expressionlessly tossed it into the trash can. Then, I hailed a taxi and went to the bar where Nova was arguing. But as soon as I arrived, I saw a man tightly embracing her. On his wrist, was that expensive IWC watch. "Those guys accidentally spilled a drink on Nova's friend, so Nova got into an argument with them." "Nova drank a lot today, I'm worried she'll cause trouble." Nova's friend quickly rushed to my side, explaining. Learning the reason, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. I remembered accompanying her to a client dinner once. The deal wasn't going well, and the client deliberately spilled wine on my face. She hadn’t gotten angry like this then. Instead, she blamed me for not knowing table etiquette, claiming I had ruined the partnership. Seeing Nova about to confront the other party again, her friend quickly rushed up and stopped them. "Nova! Okay, okay! You're getting married soon, don't cause any trouble!" Unexpectedly, Nova shoved her friend away. "Who says I'm getting married?!" "This jerk spilled a drink on my boyfriend! Do you think this can just be brushed aside?!" "No apology, no one leaves!" Nova’s eyes were hazy from drink, her steps unsteady. Her words caused some of her friends present, who knew me, to look awkward. Their gazes involuntarily shifted to me. I gave a cold smile, then stepped forward, swung my arm, and slapped the man confronting Nova across the face. My slap silenced the entire bar. "You bastard! You dare hit me!" After a moment of stunned silence, the man exploded in fury, lunging at me. And I? I just wanted to see Nova’s reaction. She was so enraged for her so-called boyfriend, but what about me, her fiancé? Instead, Nova violently pushed me in the chest, roaring, "What are you doing here?! Aren't I causing enough trouble already today?!" "You're useless! You only make things worse!" Nova’s words chilled me to the core. She even looked at the other man with a defiant righteousness. "Now we're even! Get lost!" The other man, surprisingly, remained rational. Especially seeing my grim expression, he didn't dare to continue the argument. He eventually left, muttering curses under his breath. After he left, Nova collapsed onto the sofa. Nova's friend awkwardly explained to me, "Finn, don't overthink it. Nova drank too much and spoke without thinking. This is Julian, Nova's high school classmate. He just got back from abroad today." I casually glanced at Julian, noticing a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips. His gaze, when it met mine, was filled with disdain and triumph. "Julian, this is Nova's fiancé, Finn…" Before her friend could finish the introduction, Nova suddenly sat up from the sofa. "Colleague! What fiancé?!" This sudden verbal blow made my body tremble. The atmosphere instantly became incredibly awkward. After a long silence, Nova's friend quickly tried to smooth things over, offering me a drink. "Brother, I'll toast you." Unexpectedly, Nova, who had just slumped down, sat up again, glaring furiously at her friend, snapping, "Don't you know your 'brother' is allergic to alcohol?!" Indeed, I was allergic to alcohol. She knew that. But what I hadn't expected was Julian’s reaction. "Nova, you're drunk. Sarah is toasting Finn, not me." Only then did Nova ease up. "Oh. Well, he can drink! He can drink a lot!" "In the entire company, he's the one who can drink the most!" Hearing her words, I felt something in my chest shatter. My heart fragmented, bleeding profusely. I remembered an event a few years ago. Before going, I told her I was allergic to alcohol. But when we arrived, she immediately told me to toast the clients, one by one. She said that at a social gathering, it was uncouth for a man not to drink. That day, I ended up in the hospital. She even blamed me for being useless, collapsing after just a little alcohol. Yet, even with such a profound lesson, she still didn't remember my alcohol allergy. I could only conclude that she truly had never cared for me. Coming here, I had held onto a last sliver of hope. But now, it was utterly crushed. Just then, Julian stood up and said to me, "Since you're here, you can take Nova home. I just got back from overseas, and I can't look after her tonight." "Oh, and tomorrow, when she wakes up, remember to make her a ginger honey tea. She loves it. And if she doesn't drink it, she'll have a headache all day." "Don't forget to cover her with a blanket at night. She has a terrible sleeping posture when she's had too much to drink." Julian's words, every single one, told me that he knew Nova better than I did. Today, he was simply dumping this mess onto me. I stared at Julian's smug eyes for a long time, truly wanting to punch him. But in the end, I held back. I wanted to see how long this play of theirs would go on. On the way back, my eyes felt terribly sore. But as a man, I didn't want to cry. I didn't want to appear so vulnerable. Five years of dating, if you count the four years I pursued her. I had loved this woman for nine years. But all I got in return was this. This also brought back the chat logs I had seen earlier. If Julian was willing to return from abroad for her, she would dump me, her backup, and marry Julian. So, I had always been just a backup. Today, her goal had been achieved. No wonder she rushed out so frantically this afternoon. She must have been going to the airport to pick up Julian. Just then, Nova's phone vibrated. I opened it and saw a message from Julian. But my gaze immediately focused on Julian's profile picture. The two of them had changed to matching couple avatars, probably at that party earlier. I remembered last year, I found a famous cartoonist and had them draw exquisite avatars for Nova and me. I excitedly told Nova to switch to the new avatar. But she immediately snapped at me, calling me childish and telling me to focus on my work. Yet now, she had changed to an even more childish one with Julian. Just then, I felt a small box in Nova's bag. I carefully took it out. And when I saw the "DR" logo, my breathing suddenly became uncontrollably rapid. My hands trembled violently. The rapid breathing made me lightheaded, and my vision began to spin. Finally, I mustered the courage to open the box. Inside was indeed a DR diamond ring. Engraved on the back were the letters "JX," Julian’s initials. I had pleaded with her countless times to choose a DR ring for our wedding. After all, each man can only customize one in his lifetime. But she never agreed, saying it was just a gimmick. Instead, she had been waiting for Julian all along, intending to engrave Julian’s name on this most important ring. I tried to breathe deeply, to calm myself. Then, while Nova was sound asleep, I used her fingerprint to unlock her phone and open Julian's message. "Sweetheart, don't forget tomorrow, we're going wedding dress shopping. I'll pick you up." Boom! Seeing that message, my head buzzed. The wedding dress. I had brought it up to her so many times. She just told me to pick one out for her. "Whatever you like, darling," she’d said. She even claimed that with her figure, she could pull off any wedding dress. In truth, she simply didn't care what I bought. And she never intended to appear at my wedding, wearing the most beautiful gown. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to furiously punch the car window! But seeing the driver still in front, I could only clench my fists, forcing myself to hold back. Men don't cry! My fingernails dug deep into my flesh. I could only let the physical pain replace the agony in my heart. Struggling to let go of this love I had clung to for nine long years. The next morning, I still made her ginger honey tea, just as Julian had instructed. But she took one sip, then spit it out. "What is this concoction? Why did you add ginger?!" "Don't you know I hate the smell of ginger?!" But I distinctly remembered Julian saying she loved the taste of ginger honey tea. Quickly, I understood. She didn't like the taste of ginger honey tea; she liked Julian's taste. She liked the taste of her 'ghost of the past.' Even if that 'ghost of the past' had once abandoned her and moved abroad. However, I hadn’t slept all night and had thought a lot about this relationship. Looking at her now, surprisingly, I felt no anger. Instead, I poured the entire bowl of ginger honey tea into the trash. Nova, after putting on her shoes, said coldly, "The company's going public soon. I have a lot on my plate. Don't cause me any more trouble." With that, she turned, slammed the door, and left. I knew she was meeting Julian to go wedding dress shopping. I quickly sent someone to find out which store Nova was going to. It wasn’t hard to guess. Without any surprise, Nova chose the most expensive and exclusive wedding dress shop in the city. The same shop I had visited four or five times already. Three days ago, I had ordered the most expensive wedding dress in the country there, intending to surprise her. Today, it was supposed to arrive. Instead, when I reached the wedding dress shop entrance, I saw Nova trying on that very dress, twirling in front of Julian. Julian was talking to the store manager about something. "Julian, I really love this dress. I just have to have this one," Nova cooed, clinging to Julian's arm, acting utterly spoiled. She had never been like that with me! It was as if she had transformed into a different person! Then, Nova diligently began negotiating with the manager. "Call that other customer. Tell them I'm willing to pay an extra hundred thousand dollars, plus another hundred thousand in compensation, if they'll let me have this dress." Hearing her words, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. So, for her 'ghost of the past,' she was truly willing to give him anything. The money for this wedding dress was her own, just to be with this 'ghost of the past.' But did she ever consider how she earned that money? The manager, seemingly swayed by the price Nova offered, turned and went into the back room, saying she'd call me. I slowly walked up behind Nova. Julian was the first to see me. His face immediately fell, then he took Nova's hand in front of me, subtly signaling with his eyes that I was behind her. Only then did Nova turn around, and seeing me, she instinctively frowned. "The company has so much going on. Why aren't you there? What are you doing here?!" Instead of any embarrassment, she immediately launched into a barrage of accusations. I quietly watched her, not wanting to argue. Last night, my heart had died to her. Grieving for her now was utterly pointless. Seeing my silence, Nova ran a hand through her hair, then finally spoke again. "Finn, you've seen it. The person I truly love is Julian." "Don't make a scene. I'll give you a sum of money. I hope you can leave with dignity." My gaze remained fixed on her eyes. Coming here, I only wanted to ask her one last question. "Nova, I just want to know, all these years, did you ever truly love me?" Nova, upon hearing this, allowed a sneer to curl her lips. "Finn, I know you love me to death." "But today, in front of Julian, I have to tell you honestly: I never loved you." "I just felt sorry for you, pursuing me for so many years, so I agreed to be with you." "My heart has always been with Julian." Though it was the answer I expected, Nova's words were even more heartless than I had imagined. Good. Since she could be so cruel, why couldn't I? Just then, the manager emerged from the back room. "Miss Reed, I'm so sorry…" But before she could finish, she saw me, looking surprised. "Oh, Mr. Evans, you're here! This lady, she…" Before she could continue, I interrupted. "It's fine. Give her the wedding dress." "I hope they can be happy." With that, I turned and left the wedding dress shop, dialing my father’s number. "Dad, the withdrawal of investment. Announce it on Nova's wedding day."
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