A sudden tremor hit our office building. I rushed into my girlfriend’s office, only to find it completely empty. I held my head, panic-stricken, desperately calling Chloe’s phone. Suddenly, someone grabbed my arm and dragged me out through the emergency exit. I looked up. It was Chloe. Her blouse was ripped open, and she was wearing a men’s designer blazer over her shoulders. Looking at her flushed cheeks and her trembling legs, my eyes burned. "Where were you just now?" I asked. In the crowded street outside, I immediately spotted a guy who was also shirtless. He was holding the custom scarf I had bought for Chloe. I recognized him. He was Tyler, the new intern at our company. It turned out that even the woman who claimed to love me to death could cheat. I quietly called my best friend, Marcus. "I’m in. Let’s go abroad and start that business together." ### "Are you sure you want to cancel this wedding dress, Logan?" "You spent five months customizing and designing this yourself." The boutique assistant asked me in confusion, looking past me toward Chloe, who was sitting on the sofa near the entrance. Our wedding was set six months ago. I was so invested that I even customized the dress myself, refining every detail. Chloe used to accompany me patiently to every fitting. She would even massage my shoulders when I was tired. Because of this, the staff here viewed us as the perfect couple. But thinking back to yesterday’s tremor, this wedding dress now felt like an eyesore. Chloe had explained to me that she was only mentoring Tyler because he was new. She claimed that during the earthquake panic, someone had accidentally ripped her blouse, so Tyler lent her his blazer. But I knew it was a lie. We used to love each other deeply. But now, her heart had drifted. And I could only pretend not to notice. As I hesitated, Chloe suddenly walked over. She wrapped her arm around mine and said sweetly, "Logan, I think it already looks perfect. You don't need to stress over the tiny details. Don't exhaust yourself." Seeing the assistant hesitate, I said flatly, "Let’s keep it as it is. No more changes." After finalizing the design, we left the bridal boutique. I was about to head to the bakery to pick up a cake, but Chloe suddenly held me back. "Logan, something came up at the office and I have to head back for some overtime." "I'll make it up to you tonight for your birthday, okay?" This was the first time she would miss my birthday. We used to have a rule: save two days of paid leave every year just to celebrate each other's birthdays. I caught a glimpse of her phone screen. It was a message from Tyler. They had a reservation for a candlelit dinner at a high-end French restaurant. I knew Chloe’s heart was completely gone. Seeing me silent, she leaned against my chest, acting cute just like she used to. In the past, I would have gently ruffled her hair and smiled, telling her it was fine. But now, I couldn’t even force a smile. I forced a stiff grin and said quietly, "Okay." It was midnight when Chloe finally came home. She handed me an elegant box, her eyes sparkling. "I worked so hard to finish early. Look at your gift! Do you like it?" I untied the ribbon and opened the box. A silk tie lay inside. It was my favorite deep blue. But compared to the luxury box, the tie inside looked cheap. Normally, I would have hugged her tightly in excitement. But last night, I had found two tie boxes in her bag. One was a designer piece worth ten thousand dollars. The other was the cheap one in my hand. She had simply swapped the boxes. I had to admit, she put a lot of effort into lying to me. Chloe took the tie out and put it around my neck. "It looks great on you. It was totally worth the ten thousand dollars I spent." Then, she kissed my cheek. This sweet gesture only made me feel sick to my stomach. I gently pushed her away and lied, "Really? Let me check the mirror in the bedroom." Once in the bedroom, I called the bridal boutique. "I don't want the wedding dress anymore. No need to refund the deposit." The assistant was shocked and quickly asked if there was an issue with the design. I replied flatly, "The dress is perfect. The person just doesn't deserve it anymore." Rather than burying my life in a lie, I chose to wake up and set myself free. ###
Chloe suddenly announced she had to go on a business trip and asked me to help her pack. She had a terrible memory and was always disorganized, never remembering where she put her things. Eventually, she just sat on the bed and watched me do it. Seeing how meticulous I was, even packing her pads, she couldn’t help but hug me from behind. "Logan, do you remember?" "On our first trip, I forgot my pads and stained my pants on the street. You tied your jacket around my waist, found me a restroom, and ran to buy them for me." "At that moment, I knew you were the one." Memories flooded back, and my throat tightened. She remembered everything. Yet, it didn't stop her from cheating. But she forgot the most important part. That day, she promised she would only love me for the rest of her life. People really do choose to forget the promises they can't keep. She held me for a long time before letting go, whispering that she would miss me. I just casually patted her head, saying we would see each other soon. That night, she slept soundly beside me, even mumbling in her sleep. But the name she muttered belonged to another man. I wanted to ignore it, but her phone screen kept lighting up. After a moment of hesitation, I unlocked it. The password was still the date we officially started dating. But the wallpaper had changed. It was no longer a photo of us. It was a candid, aesthetic shot of Tyler from behind. There were dozens of unread messages, all from Tyler. *“Babe, I’m so excited for our trip tomorrow.”* *“I can’t wait to hold your hand and walk along the beach.”* *“I love the ties you bought me, but you bought so many I can’t even wear them all.”* *“I love the Porsche too. It’s the best birthday gift I’ve ever received.”* *“Remember to wear that lace lingerie I bought you. I want to see it on you.”* Every single message stabbed at my brain. I felt a heavy weight on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I locked the screen and put the phone back. Lying down, I couldn’t fall back asleep. An eight-year relationship. I thought we were finally crossing the finish line. But reality kept slapping me in the face. Everything she used to do for me was now being given to someone else. Love is so fragile. Honestly, I should have noticed sooner. Ever since Tyler started interning at Carter Media, Chloe started working overtime more and more. Eventually, she wouldn't even come home some nights. She always came up with some lame excuse afterward. She even made Tyler her personal assistant for business trips, claiming she wanted to groom him. Every time she acted cute, my doubts would vanish. But this time, I couldn't fool myself anymore. The next morning, she got up early, and I followed. After making her breakfast, I offered to drive her to the airport. Guilt flashed in her eyes, and she made several excuses to refuse. I ignored her, grabbed her suitcase, and walked out. "I’m not comfortable letting you go alone." Left with no choice, Chloe reluctantly followed me downstairs. Once we reached the driveway, I finally understood why she was so nervous. Tyler was parked at the curb in a sleek Porsche, complete with a massive banner draped over the hood. *“Picking up my favorite girl Chloe for our getaway!”* The trunk was filled with fresh roses. I turned to look at Chloe. Her face had gone completely pale. ###
She grabbed my hand instinctively, stammering, "Logan, don't overthink this. These Gen-Z kids love doing dramatic stuff." "He just treats me like an older sister. It's just a prank." She rushed over, tore the banner down, and muttered angrily to Tyler, "Didn't I text you and tell you not to come? What are you doing?" Tyler rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, man. I was just teasing her." "I didn't know you were driving her today. My bad, don't get the wrong idea." "Chloe talks about you all the time. Everyone at the office knows how much she loves her fiancé." He smirked slightly as he spoke, his tone dripping with mockery. I shrugged, acting completely unfazed. "It's fine." "You two should head out together. I won't bother driving her then." Chloe froze. Before she could say anything, Tyler ushered her into the passenger seat. As the car drove off, the truth finally hit me. So that was where the Porsche I bought for Chloe went. She had gifted it to Tyler for his birthday. Did she forget how she had forced me to take out a massive loan for that Porsche right after I graduated, just because her friends got picked up in luxury cars? Back then, I lived on instant noodles just to make the monthly payments. And now, she had casually handed it over to another man. She had even lied to me, saying she had lent it to her dad. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the office with my resignation letter. When the HR manager saw it, she pushed it back to me. She said seriously, "Logan, stop playing with me." "If Chloe finds out I approved your resignation, she'll fire me on the spot." I had almost forgotten. I had legally transferred Carter Media to Chloe a year ago. Just because she said she didn't want to work for anyone else and wanted to be her own boss. I handed over the company I had built from the ground up. She was now the CEO. And I was just an employee. I had loved her to the point of stupidity, and she had taken it all for granted. I went back to my desk and printed out a formal resignation request. Now, the only problem was getting her to sign it. Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a flight alert. Chloe's flight had been canceled due to a storm. It seemed even the universe was helping me. With the flight canceled, Chloe and Tyler returned to the office. Chloe was startled to see me. She quickly ran over and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Logan? Why are you still here?" "Isn't today your day off?" "Did something happen at the office?" I shook my head and made up an excuse. "I saw the flight was canceled on the news and figured you'd come back here." "It's almost lunch. I wanted to take you out for a nice meal." Chloe smiled and nodded. "Sure! Just give me a second, I need to use the restroom." I took her handbag and waited outside her office. In the quiet hallway, Tyler and I stood face-to-face. He crossed his arms, dropping the polite act entirely. "Let’s be real. I want Chloe." "And she’s going to be mine eventually." "If you have any dignity left, you should just pack up and leave. I know that Porsche belonged to you, by the way." My fists clenched in my pockets. I pulled out the resignation form I had hidden and handed it to him. "Sure. I'll make it easy for you." "Get her to sign this, and I’ll walk out of her life immediately." Tyler was stunned, clearly not expecting me to agree so easily. "Just like that?" "Just like that." When Chloe came out of the restroom and saw me waiting, she beamed. "Can't even leave me alone for a minute, huh?" I didn't say anything and just walked out of the building with her. During lunch, my phone rang. It was the bridal boutique. They said someone else had fallen in love with my custom wedding dress and wanted to buy it. ###
For the first time, I didn't drive Chloe home, claiming I had some errands to run. Chloe was surprisingly understanding and nodded. "No worries, go take care of your stuff." I knew she was just looking for an excuse to leave anyway. Tyler had called her multiple times. She hadn't picked up because I was there. But she had been completely distracted throughout lunch. The moment I offered to leave first, her eyes lit up. I pretended not to notice, hailed a cab, and went straight to the bridal boutique. The assistant saw me and tried to convince me otherwise. "Logan, did you guys just have a fight?" "If you ask me, you should keep the dress. Couples fight all the time, but you'll make up eventually. If you cancel it now, it'll be impossible to get the exact same design made in time." I knew she meant well. But if she knew what Chloe had done, she wouldn't be saying this. While waiting for the buyer, my phone rang again. It was the wedding coordinator. "Mr. Carter, the final payment for the wedding venue decor is due." "We’ve set up a mock-up room. You can come over and check if it’s exactly how you want it." "If there’s anything you don't like, we can adjust it now to make sure everything is perfect for the big day." I rubbed my temples. I had almost forgotten about this. Ever since we set the date, I had been handling all the wedding preparations alone. With so much on my mind, things had slipped through the cracks. Since the wedding was off, I might as well go cancel it and settle whatever fees were left. The buyer for the dress wouldn't arrive for another half hour, and the venue was just down the street. I informed the boutique assistant and walked over to the wedding mock-up room. The style was exactly what Chloe loved—warm, romantic, with pink balloons floating everywhere. There were two life-sized cutouts of us that I had personally sketched. Beneath them was a beautifully written quote: *“Logan and Chloe, bound together for eternity.”* It looked incredibly pathetic now. I settled the outstanding fees and said quietly, "Cancel the project. The wedding is off." "Keep the rest of the deposit for your time." Leaving the designer in shock, I walked back to the bridal boutique. Just as I reached the door, my luck ran out. Chloe and Tyler were walking toward the boutique, holding hands. Seeing me, Tyler smiled mockingly. "Oh, hey, Logan." "What are you doing here? Doing some shopping?" I didn't answer. I just stared at Chloe. She instantly pulled her hand away from Tyler’s, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Logan, what a coincidence! I was just helping Tyler pick out some supplies for an upcoming company event." "A company event?" I asked calmly. "How come I didn't hear about it?" Panic flushed Chloe's face. She whispered, "It was a last-minute decision. We haven't announced it yet." I nodded, choosing not to call her out. "Okay." "Carry on then." The moment I said that, Chloe practically bolted into the grocery store next door. I turned away and walked into the boutique. I sat on the sofa, waiting for the buyer. Five minutes later, the assistant came over to me. "Logan, the buyers are here." I stood up and walked out. Standing there, with shocked expressions on their faces, were Chloe and Tyler. In the tense silence, Chloe spoke, her voice filled with disbelief. "You're the one selling the dress?"
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