From then on, Zachary started being a bigger part of my life. Even though I didn’t have many friends, someone was finally willing to talk to me. Somehow, he found out about my birthday and invited me to watch the sunrise together.

The morning light was golden, spreading warmth beneath my eyelids.

“Madeline, let me protect you from now on,” Zachary said with a smile, pulling out a small, delicate box from his backpack. Inside was a necklace engraved with our initials. The sunlight made everything feel magical, and Zachary’s ears turned a little red. He hugged me, his eyes filled with affection, and gently brushed his lips against mine.

That day, Zachary and I officially became a couple.

“Madeline!”

I snapped back to reality and saw a young, cheerful face waving at me. It was someone I didn’t know.

“How did you know I’m Madeline?” I asked, a bit puzzled since I had graduated a year or two ago.

“Madeline, who at the design institute doesn’t know you? I actually met you in person!” the girl said excitedly, hugging me directly.

The hug was warm and comforting.

“My name is Lily Turner. I’m a big fan of yours,” she said with a bright smile.

She was a cute little schoolgirl. We wandered around the campus for a while, chatting about the changes and our design dreams.

When I got home, Zachary still wasn’t back. He usually doesn’t stay away all day. I made a simple dinner, leaving out his portion, thinking he wouldn’t return. Emma had just added me to her contacts and sent me photos of them hanging out, with Zachary passed out on the sofa.

“How about letting Zachary hang out with us for the night; you don’t mind, do you?”

That night, Zachary didn’t come home. The next day, when he finally did return, everything seemed normal, but he started going out more often.

By the third night of his absence, I couldn’t hold back any longer and asked him what was going on. Zachary looked taken aback and a bit annoyed. “Is it really a problem that I go out with friends? Can’t you stop clinging to me all the time? Don’t you have your own friends?”

He slammed the door behind him and left, leaving me standing there, stunned.

Over the years, I’d come to rely on Zachary as my everything, thinking that having him was enough. The promises he made—“Madeline, I’ll protect you and always be with you”—now seemed like distant echoes lost in the void of the future.

This week, Zachary hadn’t been home much. Maybe he’s just enjoying some long-overdue time with his friends. I can give him space, I suppose. From Emma’s Instagram, it looks like they’ve been traveling abroad lately. I sent him a few messages, but he didn’t reply.

Our relationship might be nearing its end, but it just hadn’t been officially confirmed yet. My birthday and our fifth anniversary are coming up soon. We used to have this tradition of watching the sunrise together every year. For the first four years, we managed to catch it, but this year, neither the sun nor Zachary showed up.

Emma sent me a few messages with photos of Zachary: him sleeping next to her in his bare arms, taking selfies at tourist spots, and even kissing under the aurora...

By the way, Zachary had said that after watching the sunrise on our anniversary this year, we would go see the aurora and let the whole world witness our love. At the time, I thought his words were a bit cliché, but I was still looking forward to it. Everything seemed fine before Emma came back, right?

Zachary, it’s time to break up.

He still hadn’t replied, and since the place we lived in was his property, I had packed my bags and was ready to move out. Maybe this was a sign that the farewell should be as peaceful as possible.

I had packed up the gifts he gave me, except for the necklace he gave me on our first anniversary. I would let him dispose of the rest. I had also packed up the things I gave him, and they were now in the trash. There was a large, handmade fabric rabbit on top of the pile, which stood out.

A while ago, handmade gifts were all the rage on campus. I made this big rabbit for Lily, who liked to sleep with stuffed animals. I thought Zachary would appreciate it, but he never seemed to use it.

Now it seems that the craftsmanship of the rabbit was pretty rough. It was probably not as cozy as his high-end toys.

Five years of our relationship could be wrapped up in one afternoon. When I moved in years ago, I only brought two suitcases. Now, as I’m moving out, I still have the same two suitcases.

Just as I was about to leave and drop off the keys, Zachary walked in.

He looked surprisingly calm. When he saw me leaving, there was no hint of surprise. He seemed like he wanted to say something but ended up just picking up the keys and silently walking back into the room.

I hailed a cab and, as I opened the door, I was greeted by a strikingly handsome face, intense yet composed. He was wearing a sleek black shirt with the sleeves casually rolled up, his hands resting easily on the steering wheel. There was something so polished about him that I couldn’t help but wonder if some wealthy young man was just playing at leading a regular life.

I was reminded of that day Zachary and I spent running taxis, meeting all kinds of people, and going on a spontaneous road trip. It had been a day full of fun and connection, a memory that now felt distant.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I forced a bitter smile. Zachary’s affair had blindsided me, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that his new relationship was more complicated than it appeared. But what’s the point of digging deeper? We weren’t married, and an affair only led to one logical conclusion: a breakup.

Just as I was about to get into the cab, my phone rang. “Miss Reed, where are you? I don’t see you.”

The man in the car chuckled, softening his intense demeanor. I apologized, closed the door, and noticed another car behind us with its headlights on.

“Miss, what’s wrong? He’s driving a Maybach, not a taxi!” the taxi driver called out, clearly amused.