She Chose Wrong，I Chose Better

The day after I came back, an old classmate practically dragged me to a reunion. That was where I ran into my first love, Nina Zane, the woman I hadn't seen in five years. In front of everyone, she pulled out a diamond ring and proposed to me. The private room erupted. Everyone thought I would say yes without hesitation. After all, back then, I had been the one who always gave in. The one who lingered, who refused to let go, who cast aside every shred of pride until she finally chose me. They all seemed to have forgotten. At our graduation ceremony, Nina had stood up for another man and, in front of the entire class, accused me of plagiarizing my thesis. In the end, the school revoked my diploma and had me escorted out of the ceremony in front of everyone. After that day, I left the country alone. Now that I was back, her best friend, Mira, came to me and said, "After you left, Nina went back and pulled strings through her family to get your diploma reinstated!" "Whatever happened in the past, she never stopped loving you. She's been waiting for you this whole time. She said that as long as there's still a little love left in your heart, you'll always be the most important man in her life." "Alexander Ford! I'm talking to you! Are you even listening?" "You know better than anyone how much Nina hates her family. She didn't take a single cent from them when she started her business. But for your diploma, she still swallowed her pride and went to her father." No sooner had I sat down than Mira, Nina's best friend, scooted over and launched into a breathless stream of words. There was impatience in her expression, mixed with a trace of urgency. Around us, our former classmates all turned to look. Some were curious. Others barely bothered to hide their mockery. To my own surprise, hearing the name 'Nina Zane' again after five years felt oddly distant. Time had already worn away the fierce love I once felt for her. Five years ago, I left the country without a word. Back home, almost no one knew that I had already built a life of my own. Whether Mira was asking for herself or on someone else's behalf no longer mattered to me. I held my tongue for a moment, then said quietly. "Nina and I have been over for a long time. So everything you're telling me today… means nothing to me." It wasn't just Mira. Everyone at the table froze, staring at me in disbelief, utterly unprepared for that answer. After all, I had once loved her with a kind of reckless, blazing devotion for three whole years. Enough to create such a stir that almost reached the ears of the school administration. Every morning, no matter the weather, I showed up with breakfast in my hands. When her stomach acted up, I ran through a blizzard from pharmacy to pharmacy just to find her medicine. Whenever another guy made a move on her, I appeared instantly, as if staking a claim. When she dreamed of starting a business but had no capital, I drained everything I had: every gift, every living expense, even the coming-of-age present my parents gave me at eighteen. And in the shadows no one ever saw, I spent an entire semester surviving on nothing but plain buns and water. That was how I loved her. Eventually, after all that persistence, Nina agreed to give me a chance. Like any caring girlfriend, she asked if I was tired. When people mocked me as a 'Simp' or a 'Boy toy', she never hesitated to step in and defend me. When she closed her first deal, she told me about the future she dreamed of for us. I truly believed she was the one I would spend my life with. That illusion lasted— until my senior year, when John Rowe entered our lives. He was Nina's childhood friend, the boy who had grown up at her side. After returning to the country, he transferred into my class. At first, I didn't think much of it. I even made an effort to be friendly with him. But slowly, things began to change. Nina no longer came to see me whenever she had a free moment. Sometimes, when I asked her out, she would brush me off with one excuse after another. Little by little, I was no longer part of her spare time. On my birthday, she stood me up again. She said she had to rush to a neighboring city for work. Something didn't sit right with me, so I went to her company in secret. And I saw John Rowe. He stood at the center of the room, surrounded by staff. Someone even called out, half-joking, 'The boss's boyfriend.' And they all knew that I was the one she was actually with. What cut the deepest was this: Nina, the woman who had sworn she was miles away on business, was standing right there in the office. And when that title fell on him, when they so casually named him hers, she said nothing. She let it happen. As if that place beside her had never belonged to me at all. She only stood there and smiled. It felt as though a blade had been driven straight through my chest. When Nina finally noticed me, there wasn’t even a trace of guilt on her face, nothing you’d expect from someone who had just betrayed another. She only asked calmly, "Why are you here?" Just two words, spoken as if I were nothing more than a stranger who had wandered in by mistake. She was my first love. The woman I had once imagined growing old beside. I didn't want confrontation. I didn't want to tear anything apart. So I simply pointed at John and asked, my voice steady, "So this is your 'business trip'? Celebrating with him here in the office?" There was no anger. No blame. Just a quiet question, laid bare. Nina frowned at once, irritation flickering across her face. "John's coming to intern at the company. I was just throwing him a welcome party." She exhaled sharply, impatience edging into her voice. "Can you stop overthinking everything? You're suffocating me." Her words pinned me in place. I had never imagined that the woman who had called me "honey" only days ago would cut me down so ruthlessly, in front of everyone. Perhaps she realized she'd crossed a line. Panic flickered across her face, and she hurried to backtrack. "Alex, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." I clenched my fist and looked straight into her eyes. "Then what did you mean?" "And why did you lie to me about going on a trip today?" She reached for my hand. "I didn't lie," she said at once. "I really was going to go. But the partner changed the schedule at the last minute. I just… I didn't get the chance to tell you." Her tone was intimate, effortless. Just like that, much of the resentment in my chest eased. But still, I couldn't shake that phrase, 'the boss's boyfriend'. "Then why are your employees calling him that?" I asked. "It's just them messing around!" She said, "Aww, you're such a jealous baby. Everyone here knows you're the only one for me." She squeezed my hand lightly as she spoke, as if to soothe me. "Honey, don't be upset, okay? It's your birthday. Let me take you out somewhere nice tonight." I was about to tell her not to joke like that again when John suddenly rushed over. "Mr. Ford, I'm so sorry," he said in a fluster, "I didn't mean to upset you. If it really bothers you, I… I can leave. I won't intern here anymore. I don't want you two arguing because of me." As he spoke, his head dropped, inch by inch, humble to the point of performance. The others were quick to draw their conclusions: I was the one abusing my position. No one said a word, but every gaze shifted toward Nina. Seeing John like that, she let go of my hand and went to him. She comforted him softly, her movements slow and unhurried. That night, she didn't stand me up. She really did take me out to dinner. Yet everything I ate tasted flat and dull. Because even with her sitting right beside me, every word she spoke, every casual remark, every passing thought, was about John. "John and I grew up together. He's like a little brother to me." "His parents came to me, asking for help with an internship. That's why I brought him into the company." "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd read too much into it." "If there were really something between us, we'd have been together a long time ago. Why would we wait until now?" "Alex, I know how good you are to me. You're the only one in my heart." She sounded sincere. Convincing enough that I couldn't bring myself to push any further. All I did was nod. She reached into her bag and took out a pair of matching rings. After sliding the woman's ring onto her own finger, she lifted my hand and eased the other one onto mine. "Alex," she said softly, "this is all I can afford right now. I know it's cheap. I wish I could give you something better." "But trust me, once I make real money, I'll bring the most expensive ring in the world in front of you." Looking at the girl in my arms and the ring on my hand, for the first time that night, the unease in my heart finally faded. But in the end— She broke that promise. ***

From that day on, Nina no longer bothered to hide it. She came and went with John openly, without restraint. Before long, rumors swept through the campus, that she had dumped me and chosen him instead. I hadn't even figured out where the gossip started when John came to me himself. The humility he once put on was gone. He stood there with his chin lifted, his gaze sharp and contemptuous, as if the victory were already his. "Alexander Ford, do you know what a truly pathetic man looks like?" His lips curled. "Just a simp like you." "Nina chose me. So do yourself a favor and walk away." I tightened my fist, refusing to give his taunts the dignity of a response. But his gaze was steady, self-assured, already triumphant. "If you insist on fooling yourself," he said calmly, "Then I'll be the one to drag you back to reality." After he left, I told Nina everything at once. I never imagined she wouldn't believe me. Over the phone, her voice was tight with impatience. "Alex, I've already explained this. There's nothing between John and me. Why do you always jump to conclusions?" "I've known him since we were kids. I know exactly what kind of person he is. Why are you making things up about him like this?" "Making things up?" My voice rose before I could stop it. "Nina, is that really how you see me?" Silence fell on the other end of the line. It stretched on, heavy and uncomfortable, until she finally spoke. "If you really can't stand it, then once John's internship is over, I'll let him leave." Her tone was weary, edged with impatience. "But Alex, work is already giving me a headache. I don't need you to help me, but can you at least stop making things harder right now? I'm exhausted." "You should focus on your paper anyway. Maybe we shouldn't see each other for a while. We both need some space. We can talk after your graduation ceremony." Then came the empty beep on the other end, and the line fell silent. The dead tone in my ear seeped straight into my bones, leaving me cold all over. She would rather believe that I was smearing John than accept that he had actually said those things to my face. That was the first time I felt Nina wasn't worth it. And it was the first time I shut her out. Nina meant what she said. For the next month, I didn't reach out to her once. She didn't contact me either. Even when we happened to cross paths on campus, she treated me as if I didn't exist. Until the day of the graduation ceremony. I was just about to take my gown from my advisor when the department dean suddenly called me over. In front of the entire crowd, students and faculty alike, he asked, without preamble, "Alexander Ford, your thesis is identical to John Rowe's. Which one of you copied the other?" I stared at him, stunned. "That's impossible," I said, "I wrote my paper myself." John hurried over at once, his face etched with urgency. "Professor, I didn't copy anyone," he said at once. "Every word of that thesis was written by me." "If you don't believe me, ask Nina. She can vouch for me." All eyes turned to Nina. Mine did too. She didn't look back. By then, if I still hadn't understood what was happening, I would've been beyond saving. I had always kept my drafts and files in the shared cloud drive Nina and I used together. So who had handed my thesis to John was painfully clear. The dean's gaze settled on her. Nina took a slow, steadying breath. "Professor," she said, "John is interning at my company right now. I've seen him stay late, working on his thesis." With her testimony, the verdict was all but decided. Under everyone's scornful stares, I walked up to her and asked, word by word, "Nina, are you telling them that I plagiarized John Rowe?" I saw hesitation flicker in her eyes, followed by a quiet struggle. But after a long wait, all I heard was. "All I know is that John wrote his paper himself." A laugh slipped out of me. So this was the woman I had loved with everything I had for four full years. If I could, I would've booked myself an appointment with an eye doctor right then and there, to cure myself of the blindness that had lasted far too long. Seeing the way I laughed, a flicker of hesitation, almost pity, passed across Nina's face. She was just about to speak when John cut in. "Alex, you may be Nina's boyfriend, but that doesn't give you the right to force her to lie for you." His voice trembled, controlled, practiced. "I know you don't like me. You've bullied me for a long time. You even made me send you exam answers." "And when I refused," he went on, "you hired street thugs to come after me." As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, exposing a mess of bruises. "If Nina hadn't shown up that day, those guys might've really hurt me." For a moment, I honestly wondered if something was wrong with my ears. I understood every single word he said. But put together, none of it made sense. Bullying? Forcing him? Hiring thugs? "John Rowe, if you're delusional, go see a doctor," I said coldly. "Don't drag me into your fantasies." Before he could answer, Nina snapped, "Enough!" She turned to me. The guilt that had flickered in her eyes moments ago was gone, replaced by pure anger, even disgust. "The thugs already confessed," she said sharply. "You paid them to go after John." "Alexander Ford, I never imagined your heart could be this vicious," she said, "John hasn't even stepped out into the real world yet, and you're already putting him through something like this." I stood there, frozen. After a long moment, I finally spoke, my voice low and steady. "So, Nina… you'd rather believe John Rowe and a handful of street thugs than believe me. Is that it?" She fell silent. Only after a long pause did she answer, "I only believe what I've seen with my own eyes." My heart sank as the last trace of warmth drained away. Around me, all I could hear were the sounds of contempt. Whispers, sneers, barely concealed ridicule. The department dean cut in sharply, his voice filled with anger. "I never imagined there would be a student of such poor character in my department," he snapped. "You clearly do not meet the requirements for graduation. You will not be attending today's ceremony." "As for disciplinary action, that will be decided after I report this incident to the university. Now, leave!" I didn't respond. I didn't even seem to hear him. I just stood there, motionless, locking eyes with Nina. She turned away, her voice flat and cold. "Alex, just go back. Don't make a scene and embarrass yourself. And don't disrupt everyone else's graduation." "As for us," she added without looking at me, "we'll talk in private." I stood there, humiliation burning through me, my voice trembling despite myself. "Nina… are you sure you won't regret this?" She didn't answer. She took John with her and walked away, never once looking back. From that day on, I became the laughingstock of the entire school. Even the people who had once called me a friend started keeping their distance, as if I were contagious. I bought a one-way ticket and left the country to join my parents. Before boarding, I slipped the ring off my finger and mailed it back to Nina, no note, no explanation. I pulled myself out of those memories. I looked at Mira and the others. "If this is all you wanted to say," I said calmly, "then I'll be going." Mira hurried to block my path, panic edging into her voice. "Alex, wait. Nina's on her way. Let her tell you herself." I frowned. "There's nothing left between us to talk about." "And besides…" "I'm already married." The words landed like a stone. The entire room fell into a dead, suffocating silence. ***

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