The night before our engagement party, my fiancé came home not with my gown, but with a plain, simple dress. “Wear this instead,” he said. I took it and put it away. A moment later, I was scrolling through his childhood friend’s social media. She had posted a photo of herself in the very gown that had been replaced, along with a caption: “All I did was look at it once, and he gave it to me. Someone’s a little too in love with me~” “And tomorrow, he’s insisting on coming to my dog’s birthday party. Said anything unimportant can just be postponed.” Right on cue, a message from my fiancé popped up on my phone: “Something came up at work. We’ll have to postpone the engagement party.” I gripped my phone, my voice cold as I typed back a reply. But it wouldn’t be a postponement. It would be a cancellation. … As Benjamin was about to leave, I was in the middle of packing, carefully ironing each of my clothes before placing them in my suitcase. He didn’t notice what I was doing, just breezily informed me, “There’s a last-minute meeting at the office today. We’ll have to push the engagement party back a day. Be reasonable and don’t make this difficult for me.” I continued packing in silence, not offering a reply. Benjamin faltered, the rest of his explanation catching in his throat. He expected me to do what I always did: complain that he never considered my feelings when he got wrapped up in work, but then quietly iron his suit and see him to the door. I used to think that’s how it would always be. Until I saw that gown on his childhood friend, Maya’s, social media feed. The gown that was supposed to be my engagement gown. Yesterday, I had spent hours carefully pressing it, arranging it on a mannequin, my heart filled with dreams of wearing it at our party. But I stepped out for a bit, and when I returned, the gown was gone. A flicker of hope ignited within me. The gown we had rented wasn’t my absolute favorite, just the most cost-effective. Benjamin knew which one I truly loved. I thought he had impulsively decided to surprise me. I cooked a feast, even opened a bottle of red wine, and waited for him. But all he brought back was a plain, simple dress. “Wear this instead.” When I asked him why, he just frowned with a hint of impatience. “I like this one better. Besides, that other gown is too flashy. It doesn’t suit your style. You look better in this.” But now, that gown, the one deemed too flashy for me, was shimmering beautifully on Maya. And the simple dress in my hands was just like his perception of me. Plain. Ordinary. Unremarkable. No matter how well I presented myself, I could never compete with a diamond-studded, exquisitely tailored masterpiece. So this was our respective value in his heart. Maya’s post had more: “All I did was look at it once, and he gave it to me. Someone’s a little too in love with me~ ;)” “And tomorrow, he’s insisting on coming to my dog’s birthday party. Said anything unimportant can just be postponed.” A knot of fury and disbelief tightened in my chest. I refused to believe Benjamin could belittle our relationship, belittle me, so completely. But reality delivered a sharp, stinging slap. Benjamin walked over to me and finally registered what I was doing. He spoke, not with concern, but with a note of reprimand. “Why are you only ironing your own clothes? What am I supposed to wear?” “Never mind, I’ll just grab something. Just remember to do mine first next time.” As he reached the door, he finally took in the full scene. “What are you doing, packing a suitcase? Are you really this mad just because I have to work late?” I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I pulled out my phone and showed him the picture of Maya in the gown. “Maya, she…” But he cut me off the second he heard her name, his voice laced with annoyance. He didn't even spare the photo a glance as he turned to leave. “I’m really just going to work. Why are you bringing Maya into this? Do you have to make a scene?” “After all these years, can’t you learn to be even half as understanding as she is?” The door slammed shut with a deafening bang. Just like our seven-year relationship, it ended abruptly. I stopped the recording on my phone. Then, I notified both of our families. I created a group chat and sent them the screenshot of Maya’s post and the audio of Benjamin’s parting words. I laid out the entire story, clear and concise. Benjamin had wronged me. We were done. The engagement was off. I wouldn’t suffer in silence. After I finished packing, my phone rang. It was my university professor. “Cynthia, are you really sure about studying abroad?” he asked. “I highly recommend the program, but you’ve turned it down so many times for Benjamin. I’m a little worried.” I managed a small laugh. “Don’t worry, professor. This time, I’ve made up my mind.” I’m a psychology major, and the university was offering a rare opportunity for an international research internship. My professor had urged me to apply several times, seeing it as a golden chance to advance my skills. I desperately wanted to go. It meant exposure to cutting-edge research and a much broader career path. The only thing holding me back was Benjamin. Benjamin suffered from severe separation anxiety. His parents were busy entrepreneurs who had shuttled him between relatives since he was a child. He was passed around like a parcel, from one resentful household to another. The experience had left deep psychological scars, making it nearly impossible for him to form stable relationships. By the time he transferred to my high school, it was his forty-second school. The loneliest time for him was always free period during gym class. Everyone else would be in pairs or groups, playing games or chatting. Benjamin would just sit in the shadows, watching them with envy. Seeing his guarded, longing eyes and remembering the rumors about his past, I felt a pang of kinship. His desolate expression mirrored a part of my own history. My heart softened. I walked over to him. “I’m stuck on a problem,” I said, steering him toward the classroom. “I hear you’re really smart. Could you help me with it?” He looked startled, but quickly got up and followed. From then on, we spent every gym class in the classroom, studying together. Gradually, the tension in his face eased, replaced by smiles. When it was time to reassign seats, I requested to be his desk partner. I started using the psychology I was teaching myself to help him. Our classmates whispered around us. “The drama queen and the ice princess are sitting together!” “One has no friends, the other wants no friends. They’re a perfect match.” One day, as I walked into class, a boy from the back row let out a long wolf-whistle. “Hey, Ice Princess, why are you so nice to him? Is he your boyfriend, or your lab rat?” “They say people who study psychology are messed up themselves. So, what’s your damage?” Before I could react, Benjamin launched himself from behind me. He, who had always tried so hard to get along with everyone, was in his first-ever fight. He beat those boys bloody, and ended up hospitalized for a month himself. We were inseparable after that. I remember the first time I mentioned the internship abroad. He couldn’t sleep for days. I’d wake up in the middle of the night to find him just watching me, his eyes bloodshot. “Cynthia, are you leaving me too? Will I be all alone again?” My resolve melted. I never brought it up again. But this time, I was the one being left behind. My phone buzzed. A message from my professor: The heart finds its vastness in distant horizons; the steps find their newness with the passing of time. Cynthia, everything is a part of growth. I’ve submitted your application. Prepare well. I believe in you. I smiled and replied with a simple, “Okay.” I had just stepped out of the apartment when Benjamin’s call came through. He was furious. “Cynthia! What the hell did you just tell everyone?” “Do you have any idea they’re all attacking Maya now? You need to go and clear this up right now and then publicly apologize to her!” My voice was ice. “Apologize for what? The fact that you two are having an affair isn’t exactly a secret, is it? You postponed our engagement to go to her dog’s birthday party and gave her my gown to wear.” “Even the dumbest asshole in a bad novel isn’t as stupid as you. When your mother gave birth, did she throw you out and raise the placenta instead?” “Cynthia!” Benjamin roared, his anger palpable. “Don’t you go too far! Maya just really liked the gown and wanted to try it on, that’s all.” “I never realized you were so petty. Are you really going to be jealous of a young girl?” Maya’s tearful sobs echoed through the phone. “It’s okay, Benjamin. Didn’t Cynthia have… psychological problems before? I should be more understanding. It’s all my fault. Don’t get upset with a… a mentally ill person.” My blood ran cold. It felt as if an invisible hand had clenched around my heart, squeezing so tightly I could barely breathe. It was my deepest, darkest secret. I felt he was the kindest person in the world. But as I grew older and started elementary school, I began to understand what his actions truly meant. So the next time he tried to get into my bed, I fought back with a knife. He was severely injured. In the end, it was ruled self-defense, and I was acquitted. But the memory of that old man’s hideous face was seared into my mind. For more than a decade afterward, the sight of any stranger would send my heart racing. I craved warmth but couldn’t escape that vicious cycle, and my mental state deteriorated. That’s why, when I saw the isolated, helpless Benjamin, I wanted to help him. But I never imagined that my most painful secret had become gossip he used to entertain his little friend. Panic seized me again. My first instinct was to run, to escape. The voice on the other end of the line faltered. I heard Benjamin’s panicked, scolding tone. “Why did you say that? I told you never to bring that up!” “Cynthia, she didn’t mean it like that…” I didn’t wait for him to finish. My hands were stiff as I hung up the phone. I grabbed my luggage and immediately checked into a hotel. I didn't want to see either of them again. But the next morning, I found Benjamin waiting for me downstairs. He was holding a gift box, standing in the early autumn mist, looking at me with a cautious expression. “Cynthia, are you still mad?” “Maya’s been spoiled since she was a kid. She’s always been blunt, but she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. Don’t hold it against her. If it bothers you, I’ll keep my distance from her from now on.” I frowned. “How did you know where I was?” “My family owns this hotel. I got a notification the moment you checked in.” Benjamin looked away, a guilty expression on his face, and pushed the gift box into my hands. “I rented a new gown for you. Don’t worry, it’s not the old one. It’s the style you like the most. Try it on, and if it fits, we can have the engagement party tomorrow, okay?” I laughed. So he was capable of remembering my favorite style. So he was capable of doing more than just fobbing me off with a plain dress. He had done it before simply because he thought I wasn’t worthy. Seeing my smile, Benjamin assumed everything was fine. He cheerfully pulled out a container of breakfast from his coat and handed it to me as if bestowing a great favor. “Cynthia, I made this myself. It used to be your favorite, remember? Eat up and stop making a fuss.” For a moment, I was transported back in time.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "392995", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel