At a friend's birthday party, my girlfriend Ida Garcia wore a halter dress.

It was a chilly spring night. Ida's friend Sam Smith rubbed his hands together to warm them up and then pressed them tightly against her shoulders.

Ida looked happy and shyly said that Sam was the person who understood her best over the years.

Everyone looked at me with embarrassment, but they never expected that I would calmly stand up and raise my glass to toast.

"Congratulations to both of you on your upcoming wedding. I'm looking forward to attending your wedding banquet!"

***

One month before, Ida lied to me that she was on a business trip, but actually she took leave to go see the sea with Sam.

When I was helping her fix her phone that had been soaked in seawater, a series of photos sent by Sam popped up on the screen, and I realized that Ida had lied to me.

When she heard the messages, Ida, who was putting on false eyelashes, snatched the phone and loudly asked me why I read her messages.

Seeing her scolding me grumpily for not respecting her and not trusting her, at that moment, I no longer felt the heartache I had felt in the past.

I watched her blankly as she called Sam to pick her up. I couldn't remember how many times that had happened.

In the past, every time we had a fight, no matter whose fault it was, I would put aside my dignity and patiently coax her.

I apologized to her in front of Sam, then took her home and coaxed her for a day, and finally took a day off to accompany her shopping.

We had been getting along like that for three years now, from the beginning.

Because I loved her without dignity, even though I had long known that Ida and Sam's behaviors were more than friendship, I still chose to tolerate her.

That time, she stayed at Sam's house for half a month.

During that period, I did not call her as usual, nor did I wait for her downstairs of Sam's house anxiously.

On the fourth day, I was in a meeting and Ida sent me a photo of Sam. The photo was taken in the kitchen, where Sam was cooking soup.

"Look. You are not as good as my best friend. He knows to coax me, while you don't!"

I glanced at the message sent by Ida, without refuting her at all, picked up the pen and continued to take notes of the meeting.

My heart for her had become disappointed and numb after being trampled over and over again.

Now, I even couldn't feel the pain.

From the bottom of my heart, I was not an inconsiderate man. After I met Ida, in order to make her eat less takeout, I learned to cook and even became a master chef who was proficient in various cuisines. I got up at six o'clock every day to go to the market to buy the freshest ingredients, just to make Ida eat healthier. Even my friends who came to my house were amazed at my cooking skills and joked, "Jason Wilson, you can change your career to do state banquets!"

Now, Sam just cooked a bowl of soup, while Ida felt that I was not as good as him. It was so ironic.

Perhaps, sometimes learning to give up could make my life better.

I thought that Ida's running away from home marked the end of my three-year relationship with her, but I didn't expect that half a month later, she would appear downstairs in the community again with a suitcase and red eyes.

Her curly hair was a little messy in the wind, and she still had the makeup from the night before on her face. When she saw me, she crossed her arms awkwardly.

"Jason!"

I stopped and didn't go up to her to hold her arm.

"Jason, I miss you so much!"

"I'm sorry, Jason. I will never see Sam again!"

Ida threw herself into my arms. After a long time, I felt my shoulders getting wet.

"Why are you crying?" If I had seen her like that before, I would have felt very distressed, but strangely, now I only felt nasty.

"Sam's girlfriend came back from another city. As soon as she found me living in her bedroom, she went crazy and beat me up, saying I was a bitch and mistress. I was kicked out!"

"What about Sam? He didn't take your side?" I asked Ida with a frown.

Her eyes revealed a trace of resentment, "He was only concerned with coaxing his girlfriend. He didn't even dare to say anything when she hit me with a pillow. We are just friends. I have nothing to fear. But he even didn't stop her from kicking me out!"

I was speechless. No sane person would tolerate a partner living with someone of the opposite sex for half a month.

Sam's girlfriend was a normal person, and I also wanted to be a normal person again.

I pushed her away calmly, not knowing whether to comfort her or myself.

"Jason, it's not what you think. Every time I go to Sam's house, I sleep in the room at night and he sleeps on the sofa. We are just friends. Don't get me wrong!"

Seeing that I remained silent, she took my hand again and started to act coquettishly, "I know you are still angry about Sam and I going to see the sea. I was too emotional last time. I kept it from you because I was afraid you would be suspicious. Look! Actually, I brought you a gift at the beach!"

She took out a shell bracelet from behind like a magic trick, and raised her arm proudly, "I bought two, which are couples, and I'm wearing one of them!"

She stood there, looking at me ingratiatingly, like a child waiting for praise.

"Thank you!" I hesitated for a moment, but still took the bracelet politely.

"I'm going to be late for work, so I'm leaving now!" I turned around and was about to leave.

"Jason! What do you mean? I've already apologized. What else do you want? I won't let you go!" She grabbed my shoulders and wouldn't let me go.

I took a deep breath and suppressed the impatience in my heart. Every time, as long as she was angry, I had to coax her no matter what time or place, then she would stop making trouble.

"I don't mean anything. I'm just going to work now." I looked at her calmly.

"You didn't even ask me if I had breakfast!" She pouted in dissatisfaction.

"There is a breakfast shop next to the community. You can go and have something to eat!" I broke free from her hand on my shoulder and walked away.

That time, I didn't spoil her.

On that day, my childhood friend had his birthday and invited us to the party.

Originally, Ida still gave me the silent treatment. In order to coax her, I spent a month's salary to buy her a brand-name evening dress that she had been dreaming of for a long time. As a man, I felt that I should not give her the silent treatment before we broke up.

After receiving the dress, she showed a long-lost smile.

I thought greedily that let me look at Ida like that a few more times. After all, at that time, I hadn't completely given up on the relationship between us.

I had originally agreed to go to the scene with Ida that day, but when it was almost time to leave, I couldn't find her anywhere.

I had no choice but to call her.

"Jason, you go first. Sam and I are shopping for clothes. After all, I can't dress too tacky for a birthday party!"

"Ida, didn't I prepare a dress for you?"

"Sam said that the dress doesn't suit me, and he wants to buy me a new one. I'll hang up now. See you later!"

I hung up the phone silently and drove to my childhood friend's house alone.

Almost all the friends were here.

"Why didn't Ida come with you?" My childhood friend asked cautiously when he saw that I looked unhappy.

I took a piece of pizza, ate with relish, and said nonchalantly, "She said she had something to do. I guess she'll be here soon!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Ida and Sam came in as a couple. She was wearing heavy makeup and a sexy black bodycon halter dress.

As soon as Ida sat down, she excitedly showed off her dress to the girls, "It's beautiful, right? This dress was bought for me by Sam. He said that it shows off my figure, and the most important thing is that it's cheap, only 79 dollars! After all these years, it is Sam who knows me best!"

Sam rubbed his hands to warm them up, then placed them on Ida's bare shoulders and smiled lovingly, "Be careful not to catch a cold!"

For a moment, the originally joyful atmosphere became strange.

I suddenly felt that the dress I spent a month's paycheck on might just be a joke!

It was time for the joke to end!

I raised my glass to them, "Congratulations to both of you on your upcoming wedding. I'm looking forward to attending your wedding banquet!"

The I drank with my childhood friend and never looked at Ida again!

After I went back, I never spoke to Ida again.