I'd been chasing Alex for eight years. On my ninety-ninth attempt at telling him how I felt, he finally said yes. The next day, he walked into a party with his arm around his new assistant and announced to everyone, "Surprise! Say hello to your new boss's wife!" My friends shot me weird looks. They'd all seen me confess my feelings to him the day before. Before I could say anything, Alex let out a condescending laugh. "Oh, come on, Chloe. You didn't actually think I was serious, did you? It was April Fools' Day!" The assistant, a girl named Maya, feigned surprise. "Oh my god, Chloe, you actually believed him! That's so sweet! But thank you for the flower. It's really beautifully carved!" She held up a small, wooden rose. It was the first piece I'd ever successfully carved. Alex had begged me for it, and I'd finally given it to him. I'm not a patient person. The only two things I'd ever had endless patience for were my woodworking and Alex. But now, my patience had finally run out. 1 The entire room went silent. I ignored Maya and looked straight at Alex. "You think this is a joke, too?" He hadn't expected me to be so serious. A flicker of guilt crossed his face before he covered it with a smirk. "Chloe, it was April Fools'. We all knew it was a joke." "Yeah, Chloe! It was just a prank!" "Don't be mad, Chloe. We didn't think you'd actually take it seriously. Alex, you should have said something!" Our mutual friends, one by one, tried to smooth things over, but I could see the amusement in their eyes. The old me would have played along, laughed it off, and waited for the next opportunity to tell him how I felt. But the old me was gone. My patience was gone. "So, you all think this is a joke?" I asked, my voice cold. They shifted uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze. I walked over to Maya and looked at the wooden rose in her hand. I'd carved it when I was fifteen. It was my first real piece, and it meant the world to me. And now it was in her hands. Alex, still smirking, moved to shield his little protégée. I snatched the rose from her hand, snapped it in two, and threw the pieces on the floor. "What are you doing?! Alex gave that to me!" Maya shrieked. Alex's brow furrowed, his voice sharp with anger. "Chloe!" I dusted the wood splinters from my hands. "It was mine to begin with," I said calmly. "I can do whatever I want with it." Alex scoffed. "Chloe, I threw this party to introduce Maya to everyone. Are you really going to ruin the whole night? If you don't want to be here, then get out. Or, you can apologize to Maya, and I'll let you stay." In the eight years I'd been chasing him, I'd never once ruined his mood. Even when he'd hurt my feelings, I'd always waited to talk to him about it later. Before Maya, he would have gently stroked my hair and said, "I'm sorry, Chloe," and made it all better. I gave him one last, long look and walked out of the room. The moment the door closed behind me, I heard her start to cry. "Alex, did I do something to upset her? She broke the present you gave me!" His voice was soft, comforting. "Shh, don't cry. I'll make her carve you another one." Our friends chimed in. "Don't worry, Maya! Chloe will do anything Alex says. You can have as many as you want!" "Yeah, don't cry! Alex is rich! He'll buy you something even better!" The voices faded as I walked away. The cold night air hit my face, and I let out a small, bitter laugh. Alex, my patience for you is officially at zero. 2 That night, I saw Alex's Instagram post. It was a picture of Maya, smiling radiantly, holding a bouquet of red roses. In the background, Alex was looking down at her, his expression full of a tenderness he'd never shown me. I opened his contact, tapped the three dots in the corner, and blocked and deleted him without a second thought. The next morning, I was getting ready to open my small woodworking shop when Alex appeared, looking furious, holding a box from my favorite bakery. I didn't even glance at him, turning back to my workbench to organize my carving knives. "I brought you a cupcake," he said. It was his peace offering, the way we always made up. This time, I wasn't accepting. He slammed the box down on the counter. "Chloe, what's your problem?!" "Nothing," I said, not looking up. "Are you still mad about yesterday? You blocked me. And deleted my number. Add me back. And look, I know you like me, but that doesn't mean I can't find love with someone else, right?" I finally looked at him, trying to suppress the nausea rising in my throat. "Do whatever you want. I don't care." He wasn't expecting that. Then he saw the half-finished carving on my workbench and smirked. "You don't like me anymore?" he asked, a teasing tone in his voice. "No," I said, shaking my head. "I don't." He picked up the carving. It was a small, intricate snake. "Then what's this?" He chuckled. "Chloe, you don't have to do this to get my attention. I've known you for eight years. I know what you're like. This is for me, isn't it? Every year for my birthday, you carve me some stupid piece of wood. Don't you ever get tired of it? It's so boring. Since you love carving so much, carve another rose for Maya, exactly like the old one. And apologize to her." "Why should I apologize to her?!" I asked, incredulous. "Because you made her cry." A familiar ache spread through my chest. I'd loved him for eight years, chased him for eight years. Every time I confessed my feelings, he would show up, listen patiently, and then gently let me down. "Chloe, we're too young." "Chloe, let's wait until college." Then Maya came along. "Chloe, it's Maya's birthday today. Can we do this another time?" "Chloe, is your little confession really more important than Maya being sick? How can you be so selfish?" "Alex," I said, my voice shaking slightly. "That rose was mine. You know what it meant to me." He looked at me, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Just as he was about to say something, his phone rang. The ringtone was a recording of Maya's voice, sweet and cloying. "Alex, I miss you! Come see me, okay?" He murmured a few soothing words to her and hung up. "I have to go," he said. At the door, he turned back. "My mom wants you to come to my birthday party next month. I'll pick you up. If you don't come, she'll kill me." And then he was gone. We'd grown up together. After my parents moved away for business, his family had taken me in. He'd taken care of me, remembered everything from my favorite food to my period schedule. But he didn't know that I'd stopped liking cupcakes years ago. I'd never missed his birthday. Every year, I would carve him a good luck charm. He used to wear them proudly. But since Maya became his assistant, he hadn't worn a single one. I picked up my phone and made a call. "Master," I said, "I've made up my mind." "Well, well, the stubborn mule finally sees the light! What happened? Did you finally win over that boy?" "No…" "Ah, so he rejected you! I told you so! Hmph…" I listened to the old man's grumpy but secretly pleased tone and felt a sense of relief. I had turned down my master's offer to study with him time and time again, all for Alex. I had no reason to refuse him now. "You probably won't be coming back here," he said. "Say a proper goodbye to everyone." "I will," I said. 3 I finished carving the little wooden snake. Alex's birthday arrived quickly. As promised, he came to pick me up. When I opened the car door, Maya was in the passenger seat. "From now on, Chloe," she said with a smug smile, "you'll be sitting in the back." I didn't say a word, just got in. Alex looked at me in surprise. The old me would have put up a fight, would have used our shared history to claim my rightful spot. But what was the point of fighting his girlfriend for a seat in a car? On the way, Maya chattered on, asking about Alex's parents' likes and dislikes. I put in my headphones, but she tapped me on the shoulder. "Chloe, you and Alex grew up together! You must know his parents so well! It's my first time meeting them, I'm so nervous!" Through the rearview mirror, I saw the challenge in her eyes. "You don't need to ask her," Alex said, glancing at me. "She's always too busy carving her stupid pieces of wood to pay attention to anything else." I closed my eyes, feigning sleep. It was true, his parents adored me. We'd always argued about them. But this time, it was a farewell visit. There was no point in arguing. He frowned but didn't say anything else. 4 When we arrived, Alex's parents greeted me with warm hugs. "Chloe! It's been too long! Have you forgotten all about us?" I smiled and made my excuses. The house was full of people, many of whom I knew. I found a quiet corner and tried to figure out the best time to slip away. "So, what if you're his childhood friend?" Maya appeared in front of me, her arms crossed. "He's mine now. You know, I actually kind of enjoy watching you grovel." I stood up to leave, but something caught my eye. A small wooden charm hanging around her neck. My hand clenched into a fist. "Where did you get that?" She smiled sweetly. "Alex gave it to me, of course. I was sick, and he was so worried. He said he had this charm blessed for me." My throat closed up. On his seventeenth birthday, Alex had been seriously ill. I'd stayed up all night carving a good luck charm for him, then walked miles to a temple to have it blessed. The next day, his fever broke. He'd cried when he found out what I'd done and promised that he would always protect me. And now, that precious charm was around her neck. "Give it to me," I said, my voice loud enough to attract attention. Her eyes filled with tears. "But Alex gave it to me! You can't just take it because you're jealous, Chloe." Whispers erupted around us. "Doesn't she know he has a girlfriend? Why is she still clinging to him?" "She's shameless. You should have seen her fawning all over him before." "I heard she's leaving, going to study woodworking or something." "You actually believe that? She's obsessed with him. She's just trying to make him feel guilty." Alex pushed through the crowd. He instinctively moved to protect Maya. "What's wrong now?" he asked, his voice full of impatience. My hand trembled as I pointed at the charm. "Why did you give that to her?" He glanced at it. "Chloe, it's just a piece of wood. What's the big deal?" What's the big deal? I couldn't believe he would say that. I took a deep breath. "Happy birthday, Alex." I handed him the small wooden snake and walked away. "Chloe! If you walk out that door, don't ever come back!" he yelled after me. He looked down at the snake in his hand, turning it over and over. A look of panic crossed his face when he realized that, for the first time, I hadn't carved his initials into it. He started to follow me, but Maya grabbed his arm. "Alex, it's your birthday. I don't want you to be upset. I'll give the charm back to her." He looked at the crowd of onlookers, then back at Maya's tear-streaked face. "It's fine," he said, his voice softening. "Forget about her." I went back to my workshop. The little space Alex and I had decorated together. I packed my things, throwing the carving knives he'd bought me into the trash. The rough, unfinished pieces we'd carved together, I threw them out, too. My phone rang. "Little one," my master's voice crackled, "I've sent your senior brother to pick you up." There was a knock at the door. A handsome, scholarly-looking man stood there. "Chloe," he said with a warm smile. "Master sent me." "Okay, senior brother," I said. 5 "Can we make a stop at my old house?" I asked as we drove. "There's something I need to get." He nodded. As we pulled up, I could hear the sounds of Alex's party from next door. "It's that punk's birthday?" he asked. "Yeah." I went straight to my old bedroom. On the very top of the closet, there was a small cloth bag. The carving knives my master had given me when I first became his apprentice. On my seventeenth birthday, Alex had given me a custom-made set, engraved with our initials. "From now on," he'd said, "you can only use the knives I give you. You're going to be the greatest woodcarver in the world." He'd put my master's knives up on the closet shelf, where I couldn't reach them. "This way," he'd said, "everything you create will be connected to me." I stood on a chair, but I still couldn't reach them. "Senior brother," I said, a little embarrassed, "can you help me get that little bag down?" "You still haven't grown an inch," he teased, lifting me off the chair. Suddenly, an angry voice roared from the doorway. "Chloe! What do you think you're doing?!"
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