Cold war, day five. I swallowed my pride, heading to Terry Edward’s place to make amends. My fingerprint stubbornly refused to unlock his door. Then the door opened, and the girl who had tormented me in high school stood there, wearing his shirt, smiling at me. Terry lazily emerged from behind her. "Know you messed up?" My heart utterly broken, I fled the country. Six months later, at a friend’s engagement party. Terry scoffed, "Audrey Hayes, you still can’t let go of me, can you?" I offered a soft smile. "I'm here to deliver my wedding invitation." 1 It had been five days since Terry and I started our cold war. It was also our five-year anniversary. I’d carefully picked out the watch he’d been eyeing and brought a small cake, ready to patch things up. When I arrived at his villa, the fingerprint scanner kept flashing “authentication failed.” Then the door opened, and Scarlett stood there, smiling at me, wearing Terry’s shirt. My mind went blank. My feet instinctively recoiled a few steps. She was the girl who had bullied me all through high school. “Who is it?” Terry lazily poked his head out from behind Scarlett. He looked me up and down, then let out a scoff. “Audrey Walker, know you messed up?” Before I could even react, Terry pulled me inside. The villa was adorned with balloons, flowers, and champagne. The glaring neon sign Bachelor Party screamed at me. Many of his friends were in the living room. Seeing me enter, they started to tease. “Audrey, you almost let Terry join our bachelor ranks!” “Such a long cold war this time, aren’t you afraid he’d be snatched by some other girl?” Scarlett chimed in. “Don’t say that. Terry is deeply devoted to Audrey.” She pouted playfully. “Remember how he forced me to transfer schools for her? Thinking about it now, I still feel wronged.” Terry put an arm around my shoulder. “Audrey, it’s been so long. You wouldn’t still hold a grudge, would you?” I neither nodded nor shook my head. I couldn't forgive her. From freshman year, Scarlett had tormented me. She and a few other girls would corner me, raining slaps, glue, and garbage down on me. Bugs in my pencil case, rats in my backpack, even forcing me to get a buzz cut. Those years were the darkest chapter of my life. It wasn't until the last semester that Terry transferred to our school. He was like a ray of light, pulling me out of the gutter. He used his connections to make Scarlett transfer and declared in front of the entire school: anyone who dared to bully Audrey Walker would have to answer to him. He became my deskmate, brushing his fingers through my short hair, smiling, “Audrey, only you could pull off this haircut.” Even now, seeing Scarlett, I couldn't bring myself to be calm. The fear inside me surged violently. I lowered my voice, pleading in Terry’s ear, “Terry, can you ask her to leave?” His arm around me tightened. “It’s been years, no need to be dramatic.” His voice wasn't quiet, and Scarlett heard him. She looked at me, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Audrey Walker, I just got back from overseas. You’re not trying to make Terry send me away again, are you? All that stuff when we were kids, it was just playful teasing. Does it really matter?” Others chimed in, echoing her sentiment. “Who hasn’t had a rebellious phase when they were young?” My nails dug into my palms. They called that “rebellious.” Even Terry thought it was nothing. I stood up, all eyes turning to me. I felt incredibly uncomfortable. “I have something to do, I’m leaving now. You all have fun.” I practically fled. Running far from the villa, my hands still trembled. My heart hammered like a drum. I couldn't face the unbearable past. I just wanted to bury it deep, never to see the light of day again. 2 The next day, Terry picked me up from work. He was wearing the watch I’d given him, a triumphant grin on his face. I kept my expression neutral, though my stomach churned with unease. I had no right to tell him who his friends could be. He drove me back to his villa. The moment we stepped inside, his passionate kisses descended upon me. “Audrey, I missed you so much.” I wasn’t in the mood and tried to push him away. He mistook my reluctance for playing hard to get, and his desire only intensified. Pinned against the sofa, our breaths grew heavier. “Beep – Unlocked.” We both shot up from the sofa, fumbling to straighten our rumpled clothes. Before we could even see who it was, a familiar voice filled the air. “Terry, can’t you two go to the bedroom?” It was Scarlett’s voice. I stared at Terry in disbelief. The interruption clearly annoyed him too. “Scarlett, could you please knock next time?” My hands trembled uncontrollably. I pointed at Scarlett. “Terry, why does she have your house code?” Terry realized I was angry. He stepped forward and took my hand. “Honey, she just got back from overseas and didn’t want to go home, so she’s just crashing here for a couple of days. Let’s go to the bedroom, ignore her.” Slap! My hand flew up, striking his face. Terry seemed stunned, his head tilted slightly. Scarlett, however, rushed forward, shielding him. “Audrey Walker, are you insane?!” My eyes stung with tears. The scene before me was utterly unbearable. My boyfriend, standing behind the woman who had bullied me. The next second, Terry pushed Scarlett aside. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he’d been deeply insulted. “Audrey Walker, since when did you become so petty? Just because she bullied you back then, you can’t stand to have her around?” My tears fell without warning, my shoulders shaking. I broke up with him. Only later did I discover I had always been a fool. Terry and Scarlett were childhood sweethearts. He hadn't used any ‘connections’ back then; he’d simply complained to Scarlett's father. I don’t remember how I walked out of Terry’s villa that day. I only remember his roar before I left. He said, “If you walk out that door, there’s no going back.” The boy who once stood up for me now stood against me. I blocked all of Terry’s contact information. My heart ached, a suffocating pain. I lay awake all night. My dark circles were so heavy I felt drained of all vitality. Whenever I had a moment to myself, Terry’s face would appear in my mind. Sometimes, I’d have nightmares, dreaming of Terry and Scarlett bullying me together. I poured all my attention into work. The company had an overseas project, requiring at least six months abroad. I applied without a second thought. At least, overseas, their shadows wouldn’t haunt me. 3 But withdrawal was excruciating. The emotional backlash was like a hand at my throat, leaving me breathless, my hands and feet tingling. After work, I received a message from one of Terry’s friends. “Audrey, just apologize to Terry. Be careful, or he might actually get snatched away.” “As long as you say the word, he’ll forgive you.” The message was followed by a video. In a noisy karaoke room, Scarlett playfully leaned into Terry’s embrace. I knew Terry had sent it to me deliberately. Every time we argued, he’d use his friends to convey what he wanted me to know. This video was just another way of saying, “Audrey, if you don’t come back, I’ll be with someone else.” Terry always resorted to such cheap tricks. Sleepless nights persisted, yet in this moment, I felt an uncanny calm. I deleted everyone connected to Terry. This time, I wouldn’t waver. The night before I flew out, Terry appeared outside my office building. I stood by the main entrance, watching him. My eyes were red-rimmed, my lips parted, but no words came out. Just as I hesitated whether to approach him, I saw Scarlett. She walked out of a nearby coffee shop. Terry opened the car door for her, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. My legs felt like lead, rooted to the spot. The car merged into the rush of traffic, disappearing from view. I wanted to curse them, call them names, but my tears betrayed me, tasting bitter as they slipped into the corners of my mouth. Seeing Terry again… I wasn’t as strong as I’d imagined. That night, I cried until my eyes were red and swollen. Terry’s words from the villa kept echoing in my mind: “If you walk out that door, there’s no going back.” The future felt too distant… 4 Life abroad wasn’t as easy as I’d imagined. I felt like a body with its soul sucked out. During the day, I worked frantically. At night, I stared at the hotel ceiling, sleepless. Occasionally, I’d spot a familiar figure on the street, and my heart would clench, only to mock myself. Audrey Walker, you’re still thinking about him. A month later, I received a call from a colleague. “Audrey, did you have a fight with your boyfriend? Didn’t you tell him you were going abroad? He came to the office, frantic, looking for you. We told him you went overseas, but he didn’t believe it.” I lowered my gaze. A month. It took him a month to finally humble himself. “Why are you crying?” The man beside me offered a tissue. I blinked hard, indicating I was fine. After a brief chat with my colleague, I hung up. The phone rang again. As soon as I answered, I heard a roar from the other end. “Audrey Walker, you damn well hid overseas! Getting a temper, huh? You…” I hung up before he could finish, then switched off my phone. Caleb Vance watched me, amused. “A former boyfriend you can’t let go of? He’d make a decent bedmate, I suppose.” If he wasn't my client, the coffee in front of him might have ended up on his face. Men were all the same. I forced a smile and politely flattered him. “Mr. Vance, you’re so open-minded.” Three months later, Terry appeared before me. He looked much more haggard. Dark stubble shadowed his jaw, and his eyes were bloodshot. We sat in a café, neither of us knowing what to say. I broke the silence first. “Business trip?” Terry stared at me, his gaze unreadable. After a long silence, he finally spoke. “Audrey, I missed you.” They say delayed affection is worth less than dirt. In that moment, I understood the saying completely. But I’d overestimated him. His next sentence slapped me awake. “I’m getting engaged. To Scarlett. If you just open your mouth and say you object, my fiancée can be you, anytime.” I chuckled. Terry’s inherent arrogance was too obvious. Whether in relationships or business, he never bowed down. Even when trying to win me back, he pushed me to make the decision. Five years. I knew him too well. I saw the anticipation practically overflowing in Terry’s eyes. He wanted to get engaged to me, yet he couldn’t even say he was sorry. I swallowed, my throat dry. My voice was a little hoarse. “Congratulations on your engagement, Terry.” His expression instantly morphed into one of terror. “Audrey Walker, you’re just going to push me onto another woman?” Terry’s accusation sounded like a joke. I put down my cup, stood up, and started to leave. He grabbed my wrist, his grip alarmingly strong. “Audrey Walker, why are you so calm? Five years! We were together for five years! Just because of Scarlett, you’re throwing it all away?” I looked at his bloodshot eyes and suddenly felt absurd. “Because of Scarlett?” “Terry, even now, you still think the problem is Scarlett.” I slowly peeled his fingers off my wrist, one by one. “We’ve broken up. Don’t come looking for me again.” I picked up my bag and pushed open the café door. “Audrey!” he called from behind me, his voice laced with a rare panic. “What if I make her leave? What if I make sure she never appears in front of you again? Can we still…” I stopped, but didn’t turn around. “It’s too late. From the moment you told her the code, from the moment she walked into that house, everything was too late.” I walked away decisively, yet the words “getting engaged” still pricked me painfully.
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