Rebecca was Jackson's high school classmate, and they both ended up at the same university.

I joined a year later as their junior.

They were the golden couple, the university's poster pair.

Like many others, I was immediately captivated during one of his speeches.

From that moment on, I was all in.

Jackson was so exceptional that even a simple glance from him made me ecstatic for days.

In my sophomore year, I switched to his major, getting closer to him with every step.

Later, Rebecca was offered a chance to study abroad by a professor.

It was a golden opportunity, and she left without a second thought.

Jackson, being his usual oblivious self, didn't realize what was happening until she was already gone.

After that, he struggled with his work.

I couldn't bear to see him so down, so I helped him out, and we grew closer.

By graduation, he confessed his feelings.

There were no grand gestures, but just a heartfelt confession after a few drinks. He took my hand and looked at me with such sincerity.

I was deeply touched, realizing how powerful true companionship could be.

I did everything I could to be a good girlfriend, and we were happy.

At least, that's how I felt.

But then Rebecca came back, and everything changed.

At first, I didn't think it was a big deal. I had been with him for years, and we were about to get married.

I had underestimated how much Rebecca meant to him.

Whenever it involved her, he would drop everything and rush to her side without hesitation.

It was so romantic of him, such obvious favoritism.

Too bad the recipient wasn't his fiancée but a woman who had nothing to do with us.

I had cried, fought, and argued. I had been red-faced and lost my composure.

I sacrificed my dignity, but to him, it all seemed like unreasonable outbursts, stubbornness, and hopelessness.

Even so, I never dared to bring up breaking up. In fact, I was more afraid he would end things with me.

I had loved him too much. He had been my everything when I was younger.

How could I let go?

I had given so much. Why should Rebecca benefit?

But now, I didn't care anymore.

I was exhausted.

The fiery, brilliant love of my youth had faded.

I no longer loved him.

As expected, Jackson didn't notice I was gone.

A week had passed, and he was still grumbling about the mess in the house.

"There's a coworker's wedding tomorrow and a singles party tonight. You should come."

"I don't want to," I replied. I had always disliked these kinds of gatherings, and he knew it.

"I know you don't like them, but everyone else is bringing a plus-one. Who am I supposed to bring if you don't come?"

I almost told him to bring Rebecca but kept it to myself.

I ended up agreeing to go.

Men were so concerned with appearances, and I didn't want things to end on a bitter note.

I told myself it would be the last time.

After work, Jackson picked me up and actually seemed interested in my outfit for once.

"That dress looks great on you."

"Thanks."

He seemed to have forgotten that I used to care about fashion, too.

I had plenty of clothes, but since we'd been together, I'd mostly worn the same few outfits.

Now that I was back to living alone, I was starting to rediscover my old, confident self.

When I opened the passenger door, I noticed a woman's handbag inside.

I wasn't naive enough to think it was a gift for me.

I took a seat in the back.

Jackson started to explain, "It rained yesterday, and I gave her a lift partway. She must have left her bag."

I just nodded.

"Aurora, don't read too much into it. There's really nothing going on."

I closed my eyes, too exhausted to argue.

Since Rebecca came back, I'd often find her things in the passenger seat.

Each time, her clumsy attempts to act like the victim only made me seem petty and overreactive.

Jackson always sided with her, adding to my frustration.

Her behavior became more audacious as time went on.

She knew I'd be in the passenger seat and would deliberately leave her bag there, marking her territory.

It felt like a blatant provocation.

I chose to ignore it.

As we were getting out of the car, Jackson opened my door and said, "Aurora, I know you're still upset, but please try to keep your cool at this party."

"There will be a lot of old friends there. We can discuss things when we get home."

I nodded, too exhausted to argue.

It wasn't until I walked in that I realized what he meant by "upset."

Rebecca was there.

As soon as Jackson pushed open the door, Rebecca ran up and wrapped her arm around his.

"Jackson, where's my bag? My lipstick is in there, and they've been laughing at me for ages."

Rebecca pointed at a group of people nearby, then pulled out her lipstick and handed it to him.

"Jackson, help me fix this, please! I don't want to be the center of their jokes."

Jackson stood there awkwardly, glancing at me with an uneasy look.

"Go on," I said coldly, walking past them without a second glance.

Jackson, clearly flustered, hurried after me, smudging lipstick on my clothes in the process.

I looked at the red stain with distaste.

"Aurora, Rebecca's just kidding. Don't take it the wrong way."

Rebecca came over, too. "Aurora, don't be upset. With so many people here, if I had any real intentions, I wouldn't be so obvious about it. It's just friendly teasing. Don't take it seriously."

"I'm not upset, but please let go. You've stained my dress."

I went to the restroom to clean up, taking my time as I preferred not to see them.

When I returned, Jackson was clearly drunk.

He had a glass of wine in one hand and was holding Rebecca's hand with the other.

He hiccupped and buried his face in Rebecca's hand, his voice breaking with rare emotion.

"If I hadn't been late that day, you'd be my wife now."

"Rebecca, I'm sorry."

The people around us looked at me nervously, their raised glasses lowering awkwardly.

They kept their eyes on me, worried I might ruin the mood.

I smiled faintly, walked up to them, and took off my wedding ring.

"I know you've got one, but this one's bigger and more expensive."

"Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Here's to two kids in three years and three more in five."

The crowd was shocked by my gesture but quickly got into the spirit, cheering loudly.

"Marry him! Marry him!"