At my birthday party, my boyfriend Byron Fox suddenly pulled out his phone, switched to selfie mode, and aimed it at everyone.

Everyone assumed he wanted a group photo, so they all turned toward Byron's screen with smiles.

But right there in front of everyone, Isabel Butler came trotting up to the lens and pressed a soft kiss to Byron's cheek.

The next second, with everyone watching, the two of them shouted into the camera together.

"We're going official!"

The whole banquet hall fell into a dead silence, and every gaze landed on me.

After all, everyone there knew that Byron and I had been together for seven years, and that we'd recently been discussing marriage.

Even today's birthday party had been arranged by Byron himself, just for me.

Seeing the looks on everyone's faces, Isabel snatched Byron's phone away, admiring the clip while waving a careless hand.

"Don't get the wrong idea, everyone. Byron and I are just joking around."

"These videos are all the rage lately, aren't they? Announcing a couple at a party with friends. I just wanted to film one for fun."

Under everyone's eyes, I relaxed against the back of my chair and spoke with a light laugh.

"Videos of brides calling off the wedding right before marriage are pretty popular lately too."

"Byron, why don't we film one of those?"

——

The atmosphere had turned eerie, terrifyingly so. No one dared to breathe.

Isabel seemed oblivious to the mood in the room and gave an impatient pout.

"Willow Summers, you're not going to be that petty, are you?"

"It was just a tiny little joke. What's so hard to accept about it?"

I picked up my bag and stood, answering Isabel with a smile.

"Your joke is between the two of you. It has nothing to do with me, so of course I can accept your little joke."

"The party's about run its course anyway, and it's time for me to head home. Have fun, everyone."

I was just about to leave the private room when Byron grabbed my wrist.

"If you accept it, then why the sour face?"

"Willow, this birthday party was thrown just for you. What are people supposed to do if you leave now?"

Byron's words nearly made me laugh.

Things had already come to this, and he still wanted to guilt-trip me with this party.

I didn't spare Byron a single glance.

"Your joking around is between the two of you. It has nothing to do with me."

"And by the same logic, what face I wear in front of you, and when I go home, have nothing to do with you either."

With that, I didn't give anyone in the room another look. I turned and walked straight out of the private room.

The moment I got home, I saw that Isabel had posted to her social media feed ten minutes earlier.

It was the very selfie clip Byron had shot at the party, the one announcing them as official.

Isabel had even added a caption to fit the mood.

"We're going official."

The moment that video went up, our college class group chat blew up.

"Oh my God, did you guys see Isabel's post? What does 'going official' mean? Weren't Byron and Willow about to get married?"

"Willow and Byron broke up? When did that happen? Didn't Isabel go abroad back in sophomore year? When did she come back?"

"They probably didn't break up. They've been together seven years. There's no way they'd split that easily. It's got to be some kind of misunderstanding, right?"

Watching everyone's chatter in the group, my grip on the phone tightened, little by little.

The first time I ever met Byron was on move-in day my freshman year.

"Hey, do you know which way the multimedia classroom is? I'm a new student this year."

"What a coincidence, I'm a freshman too. Let's head over together."

The stranger part was that we weren't just both new students. We were in the same major, the same class.

One thing led to another, and we drifted together as naturally as anything, the golden couple everyone in class always talked about.

By now we'd been together seven years, and both sets of parents were planning to have us married by the end of the year.

I didn't answer any of the questions flying around the group chat. I just typed one line and sent it.

"Let's all wish this newly official couple a long and happy life together."

The moment it landed, the chat went dead silent. Exactly like that private dining room at the restaurant a little while ago.

That was when Byron came home.

He barely got through the door before he was in my face, coat still on, demanding answers.

"What was that stunt at the restaurant today? And that line you just posted in the group, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Willow, I throw you a birthday party and somehow I'm the one in the wrong?"

"It's your birthday. I wanted us to have a good time, and you had to go and ruin the mood for everybody, is that it?"

Question after question. Not one word of apology. Not one word of concern.

I lifted my head and studied the lines of his face, slowly, feature by feature.

This man I'd loved for seven whole years felt like a complete stranger to me now.

I cleared my throat.

"What's it supposed to mean? You can't tell?"

"Byron, we're done."

That only pushed him higher.

"You are being completely unreasonable!"

"We're about to get married. You think this is the time to be joking around?"

So he knew too.

Some things you don't joke about.

When I said nothing, his voice eased a little, though the anger underneath was still plain enough.

"Fine. I know Isabel took the joke a little too far today. It was my fault, all right?"

"She's an old neighbor of ours, our parents get along, and I've always thought of her as a little sister. She's young. We can afford to cut her some slack."

"Okay, okay. Don't be angry."

The laugh that came out of me was pure disbelief.

"She's young? Byron, the three of us were in the same class in college. She's half a year younger than you, and two months older than me."

"You're a grown man. You're still playing this whole no-blood-relation big brother, little sister game? Doesn't that make your skin crawl?"

I didn't spare him a thing, and it lit his temper right back up.

"I already apologized. What more do you want from me?"

I stayed where I was on the couch and didn't move. My answer was written all over me.

I'd already said what I had to say. I wasn't going to say it twice.

A vein was jumping at his temple, he was so angry.

"My parents are already picking a wedding date for us. Both families have it all settled."

"And now you want to break up? How exactly do you plan to do that?"

I didn't answer. I stood, walked straight into the master bedroom, and started packing my things.

I only ever stayed over at Byron's place on weekends. There wasn't much of mine in that apartment.

It didn't take long to gather my clothes and toiletries.

When I passed through the living room dragging my suitcase, he was still standing rooted to the same spot.

I didn't so much as glance at him.

"You don't need to trouble yourself over how we break up. My parents and I will handle it."

"Go take care of your little sister. After all, she's so. very. young."

I bit down hard on those last words, and his face went ugly in an instant.

From the look of him, he had some more nonsense ready to spill.

I couldn't be bothered to hear it. I walked straight out and shut his voice behind the door.

By the time I got home, it was nearly midnight.

Hearing the commotion, my parents came out of the master bedroom in their pajamas.

"Willow? What are you doing home at this hour?"

"Didn't you say Byron was throwing you a birthday dinner tonight, that you wouldn't be back?"

Seeing them, my nose stung, and the tears nearly spilled over.

How could I not be hurting?

Seven years with Byron were seven real years. I had truly loved him.

Once, I had truly believed I would walk through my whole life beside that man.

Noticing something wrong in my face, Mom shot Dad a look before turning back to me.

"All right, it's late now. Go up and rest first."

"Whatever it is, we can talk about it once you've had some sleep."

For the next two days I stayed home and didn't go out. Byron, still sulking, didn't reach out to me either.

On the third day, Isabel posted several photo grids to her social media feed.

Different outfits, different hair and makeup, but the same man standing beside her in every one.

Byron.

The comment section exploded all over again.

"Are these wedding photos? Isabel, are you and Byron actually together now?"

"Sounds like something wonderful's on the way? Congrats, congrats!"

Isabel spun out her fake little explanation in the replies.

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea, everyone. These are the wedding photos Willow and Byron booked."

"They had a fight recently, but the shoot was already booked and couldn't be refunded, so Byron just brought me along to take them."

"For me they're hardly wedding photos, though. At most they're just some personal portraits."

In that moment, the last thread of hope I'd been holding for Byron vanished completely.

No more wedding photos.

And this man standing next to someone else? I didn't want him either.

I went downstairs and looked at my parents, their faces full of worry in the living room.

"Mom, Dad, let's go over to the Fox house tomorrow."

"If we're calling off the engagement, it's best the parents on both sides sit down and talk it through."

To avoid the Fox family's dinnertime, we went a little later on purpose.

By the time we reached their place it was almost eight. The whole family had just finished eating and was sitting in the living room watching TV.

When she saw us, Kathryn Fox looked a little taken aback.

"Willow? And the two of you, what brings you by at this hour?"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? I could've made a few dishes and we'd have had dinner together. As it is now…"

Mom cut Kathryn off flatly.

"Don't call us family. We're not family anymore."

"And we're not here to eat tonight. There's something we'd like to discuss with you."

Seeing how serious my parents' expressions were, Kathryn said nothing more and stepped aside to lead us in.

My parents had barely sat down when Byron pulled me off to one side.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

"Willow, are you really not going to be satisfied until you've blown this whole thing up?"

I couldn't be bothered to say much to him. I shook his hand off and went to sit beside my parents.

The moment I sat down, my father spoke.

"We've brought Willow here today to call off the engagement."

"The two of them aren't right for each other. I think this wedding should just be dropped."

Brent Fox panicked at once.

"Come now, you can't say things like that. They're young. Fighting, having problems, it's all normal."

"We're the adults here. We can't lose our heads over this."

I forced a smile at Brent and Kathryn.

"Uncle, Aunt, this isn't some simple squabble."

"I've thought it over carefully. Byron and I aren't right for each other. Even if we married, we'd never have a good life together."

"There's no need to keep talking us out of it. My family has already made up its mind. That's why we've come to your door."