When my boyfriend snapped yet another unflattering photo of me, I couldn't stop the tears from welling up. Damien looked at me with pure annoyance. "That’s just what you look like, Zoe. Did you expect me to edit you into a supermodel or something?" Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away. This time, I didn't chase after him to apologize. Instead, I pulled out my phone and typed a breakup text. Suddenly, rows of floating text—like a livestream chat—scrolled across my vision. [Nooo, baby girl, don't break up! The Male Lead actually loves you so much! He takes bad photos because he’s afraid of your beauty! He’s scared someone else will steal you away!] [Exactly! His parents divorced when he was young, he has zero sense of security. Just tolerate him a little longer, sis!] [The Male Lead isn't actually impatient! He uses coldness to hide his insecurity. He’s literally buying you boba right now, just waiting for you to come beg for forgiveness.] My nose stung. I stared at the screen for a moment. Then, I hit Send. 1 The second the "Delivered" receipt popped up, the floating chat exploded. [AHHHH! Zoe, what are you doing?! The Male Lead just wants you to care about him! How could you dump him?] [My poor baby boy Damien is so tragic. No one loved him growing up, and he thought he finally found true love... I can’t imagine how broken he is right now.] [Stop, I’m crying. His face just went pale. He’s shaking. He just dropped the boba tea on the sidewalk. This is heartbreaking.] [This Female Lead has zero empathy. I’m dropping this story.] I gripped my phone tighter. My heart felt heavy, but mostly, I was exhausted. The Chat claimed Damien loved me. But for the past three years, I hadn’t felt a shred of it. Damien was a brilliant photographer. Whether it was landscapes or portraits, he captured the soul of his subjects. Except for me. With me, he only captured distortions. Double chins, awkward blinks, unflattering angles. Then he’d show these disasters to his frat brothers and classmates, laughing as he critiqued me: "Zoe is just average looking. Mid body, mid face." He didn't care about my embarrassment. He didn't care about the pitying looks people threw my way. But the photos he took of his "junior mentee," Lexie? They were stunning. He even won first place in a campus photography contest with a portrait of her. I’d seen him shoot with her. He gave her endless emotional support, guiding her patiently. "Lexie, smile a bit. Yes, just like that. You’re glowing." "Hold that pose. Perfect." "This shot is absolutely insane." But with me? It was always cold hostility. "If you think I take bad photos, go find someone else." "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, Zoe." But... I wasn't hideous. My roommates called me a bombshell. Freshman year, guys asked for my Snap constantly. I couldn't understand why, in Damien’s mouth, I was worthless. I endured it for three years. Now, I was done. I was done paying the bill for his "insecurity." I remembered reading somewhere: If you can’t feel the love, then it isn't love. So, I was done compromising. Back in my dorm, my phone buzzed. A reply from Damien. Just two words. [Fine. Done.] Even through the screen, I could picture his sneer. But strangely, I let out a massive sigh of relief. As I went to wash my face, the Chat appeared again. [The Male Lead doesn't want to break up! He’s just saying that out of anger! He has too much pride to beg, Zoe, don't believe him!] [Our boy is so good, honestly. He saw the text and hasn't eaten dinner. He’s hiding under his duvet crying right now.] [Just apologize to him, Zoe! He’s so deep, you don't get it.] [I’m sick of this FL. The Male Lead thought she was his redemption, but she’s pushing him into the abyss. Can we swap the MC?] [Selfish. Just selfish.] I grabbed a basin of water and splashed it violently toward the floating text. After glitching a few times, the annoying comments finally vanished. 2 It took several deep breaths to calm down. Undeniably, Damien had a rough childhood. But why did that mean I had to sacrifice my dignity to fix him? I wasn't an NPC in someone else's redemption arc. I had my own life. If they wanted a doormat for a heroine, they could find someone else. After washing up, I realized Damien’s laptop was still on my desk. My MacBook had crashed a few days ago, and I needed his to finish my thesis. Now that the paper was done, I didn't want any lingering ties. I hesitated, then texted him: [When can I drop off your laptop?] A bright red exclamation mark appeared next to the message. Message Not Delivered. He blocked me. I stared at the screen for a few seconds, then tossed the phone aside. I was numb to it. This was his pattern. Every argument ended with him blocking me on everything, initiating a cold war until I crawled back, apologizing profusely. Only then would he "reluctantly" forgive me. [Zoe! He only blocked you because he's hurt! He's waiting for you to come find him in person to make up!] [I don't get this FL's logic.] [Exactly. She dumped him, of course he blocked her. If she doesn't run to him now, she’s gonna regret it when he actually moves on.] I ignored the twisted logic of the Chat, pulled the covers over my head, and went to sleep. The next morning, I had one class. While picking an outfit, my eyes drifted to a sage green slip dress tucked in the corner of my closet. My mom bought it for my 21st birthday. I’d worn it exactly once. On my birthday, Damien saw me in it and exploded. He threw the bouquet he brought onto the pavement. My cake didn't survive either. His brows furrowed in disgust. "Zoe, you look hideous in that." "It doesn't suit you. You look like you work a street corner. Change it, or we’re breaking up." He walked away, leaving me standing there while bystanders snickered. I wanted to disappear. Since then, I only wore oversized tees and jeans. I learned he hated me in anything pretty. But I was twenty-one. This was my prime. I grabbed the dress. I put it on, did my hair, and applied light makeup. My roommates hype-man energy was off the charts. "Zoe! That dress was made for you! The curves are curving!" "Respectfully, I am looking. Slay, queen." "Finally! You’re dressing up again. It was a crime to hide that face." I smiled, thanking them. Walking to class, heads turned. I saw genuine appreciation in people’s eyes. See? I wasn't as awful as Damien said. 3 After class, we were heading to the dining hall when my roommate nudged me, grinning. "Dressed to kill for a date, huh? Look, lover boy is waiting at the door." I looked. Damien was leaning against the wall. But he didn't look happy. He looked impatient, constantly checking the classroom door. The Chat started cheering. [Zoe! He came to you! This is him giving you an out! Grab this chance!] [It’s so hard for him to swallow his pride. Be nice to him, Zoe.] [He loves you so much! He barely slept and didn't even eat breakfast just to catch you here.] I ignored the floating text, clutching the laptop bag tighter. I walked toward him. When he saw me, his pupils constricted. Before I could speak, he sneered. "Zoe, you look like a hooker. Again." My body went rigid. It felt like someone had stuffed cotton down my throat. Students walking by paused, whispering and staring. Before I could react, Damien barked an order. "Go change." The Chat nodded in agreement. [Why is she so stubborn? She knows he hates revealing clothes. She asked for this.] [He just wants to protect her modesty. He’s giving her a chance.] [Damien’s mouth is harsh, but his heart is in the right place. Just go change, sis.] I was about to snap when an arm draped over my shoulder. My roommates had my back. "Damien," one of them scoffed. "It’s 2025. Maybe cut the misogyny?" "You know a lot about hookers, huh? Speaking from experience?" "Yeah, what's wrong with a slip dress? If I had Zoe's body, I'd walk around naked. Mind your own business." Damien’s face turned a violent shade of red. [Wow, Zoe’s friends are toxic. Why isn't she defending him?] [This FL is so selfish.] [Poor Damien. He came here with so much courage and just gets humiliated.] I looked away from the delulu comments. I didn't say a word to him. I just pulled the laptop out of my bag and shoved it into his chest. Suddenly, a petite figure popped out from behind him. Lexie hooked her arm through Damien’s, smiling up at him. "You got the laptop? Yay! Damien, you promised to shoot my new portfolio!" She turned to me, a smug smirk on her lips. "Zoe, mind if I borrow your boyfriend? We just have such good chemistry." Before I could speak, Damien ruffled her hair, his voice dripping with honey. "We don't need Zoe's permission." "She’s nobody." 4 He grabbed Lexie’s hand and walked away without looking back. I stood there, watching their retreating figures. "Zoe, are you okay?" my roommate asked gently. I snapped back to reality and smiled. "I'm fine. Thanks for back there." But as I walked away, I realized my cheeks were wet. I was sad. Not because I wanted him back, but because I had poured three years of love into a black hole. Every word he ever said was a blade designed to hurt me. I was too tired to love him anymore. Friday afternoon. No classes. I was scrolling through Instagram in bed when Lexie’s post popped up on my feed. It was an artistic nine-grid photo set. Every shot was perfect. Lighting, composition, angles—flawless. The center photo was of her and Damien. He was holding her tight, heads bowed together. From the angle, it looked like they were kissing. The comments were full of praise. ["Lexie, hard launch? You guys look so good!"] ["Power couple vibes!"] ["Congrats! Finally got the guy you wanted!"] ["True love wins!"] I exited the app blankly. I pressed a hand to my chest. It didn't hurt that much. Now that we were over, whatever he did was none of my business. But the Chat rolled in like a fog. [Zoe, don't believe it! Lexie begged for that photo! The Male Lead has zero feelings for her!] [It’s forced perspective! They didn't kiss!] [He was distracted the whole time thinking about you, Zoe.] [He only let her post this to make you jealous because you were so cruel to him.] [If I were him, I’d be mad too.] [He’s just a sad puppy waiting for you to come get him.] Right. Every time we fought, he’d get flirtatious with Lexie to punish me. Whether it was real or fake, I didn't care. Love shouldn't look like this. I had never used another person to hurt him. After that day, I avoided Damien. The Chat kept giving me updates I didn't want. Damien and Lexie went to the beach. Damien is walking near your dorm, afraid to knock. I took detours. I avoided him like the plague. Unfortunately, I couldn't avoid the dining hall. I ran into them near the salad bar. Lexie was clinging to his arm, laughing loudly with a group of friends. "You guys are perfect together!" "Damien is so cold to everyone else but buys you lunch? Simp behavior!" "I ship it so hard!" I turned to leave, but Lexie spotted me. She walked over, eyes wide and innocent. "Zoe! I owe you an apology. I didn't mean to upset you."
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