At the engagement party, my girlfriend and her male best friend embraced while drinking the cross-cup wine.

Everyone looked at me with pity.

They thought I would lose my temper on the spot, but to their surprise, I took the lead in applauding and even hummed the Wedding March.

"With emotions running high, why don't you go and get the marriage license in a little while?"

1

Last month, Jim Galvan moved to a new place, and Meghan Davies went to help him set up his new home, working tirelessly and enjoying every moment of it.

Meanwhile, I was pushing myself to the brink, trying to win a bonus so I could buy her a handbag. I ended up with a bleeding stomach after drinking too much with clients, and she still didn't come back.

I confronted her in anger, but she accused me of being petty. She explained that it wasn't easy for Jim to leave his hometown and work hard in the big city, and she wanted to offer him as much warmth as she could, like family.

She even thought that I drank to the point of needing medical care because I was jealous of Jim.

I was at a loss for words and gave her the silent treatment for a week.

Last night, Meghan sent me a reservation message for a private cinema.

I had always wanted to experience the romance of watching a movie with just the two of us, but she had always scoffed at the idea. This time, though, she invited me herself.

Clearly, she was trying to make amends.

We'd been together for five years, and every time we argued, I was the one who gave in first, shamelessly coaxing her. She loved it when I treated her like a queen.

As long as she showed me a little kindness, I forgot all the past unpleasantness and continued to spoil her as if she were the apple of my eye.

She took advantage of this, angering me over and over, enjoying my humble pleas for forgiveness.

But what could I do? I loved her.

In the past, if she had made such an obvious effort to please me, I would have been over the moon, rushing to her side to apologize.

After all, whenever I had the slightest hobby, she would see it as me wasting time and money.

But when I saw the cinema reservation yesterday, I wasn't excited.

I suddenly realized that even my love for her had its limits.

Still, I took a deep breath and replied with enthusiasm, even sending a crying-with-joy emoji.

Before I left work today, Megan texted me to remind me of the date. [See you at the cinema tonight!]

After work, I refused to work overtime and went early to wait for her.

The reservation was for 6:00, but by 8:30, she still hadn't shown up.

I sent her messages and called her, but got no response.

The staff reminded me that the next guests had arrived, so I had no choice but to gather my things and leave the room.

I went to a little bar. After waiting for her all night without eating, I was starving.

After a hearty meal, I took out my phone and saw Jim's Instagram feed.

It was a picture of Megan on tiptoes, struggling to change a light bulb in Jim's rented apartment.

The caption read: [This woman can do it all! What would I do without her?]

Seeing Megan's serious expression in the picture, I felt unusually calm.

I knew it—she always put Jim ahead of me.

I was already used to it, wasn't I?

When I got home, I took a shower and went straight to bed. Surprisingly, I slept like a log.

In the middle of the night, I heard some rustling sounds. Megan had finally decided to come back.

But I didn't want to deal with her. With my eyes closed, I could feel her standing by the bed, staring at me in silence, as if waiting for something.

Was she expecting me to leap out of bed, question her in the middle of the night, and start a fight like before?

After all, she used to love seeing me lose my mind over her, watching me break down and get hysterical.

She would coldly observe me falling apart because of her, relishing the feeling of controlling my every emotion.

I had lost my temper more than once over her close relationship with Jim. At first, she would still offer some explanations, saying she only saw Jim as a close friend.

But later, she grew tired of it and let me go from rage to calm, suffering all the way through.

Looking back now, I realized how undignified my craziness was.

The next morning, as soon as I woke up, I saw Meghan beside me, cupping her face in her hands and smiling at me.

The moment she saw my eyes open, she eagerly leaned in for a morning kiss. I instinctively dodged, and her lips brushed against my hair.

Her eyes showed a bit of hurt and surprise as she reached out to grab my arm.

"Julian, I'm sorry about last night.

"On the way to the cinema, Jim called, saying the power went out in his place. He has night blindness, and if he tripped or fell, it would've been a big problem. He doesn't have any other friends here, so I had to go help him out.

"I didn't expect it to be so tricky. It took me forever to fix it, and that's why…"

I chuckled coldly to myself. Megan, who had always relied on me to do everything for her, didn't even know where the fuse box was in our house, let alone how to change a light bulb.

Jim must really be something to get her to willingly do all this heavy lifting.

I cut her off. "I believe you. Jim's new here and doesn't know anyone else. You're too kind to stand by and do nothing. Anyway, I'd better get going, or I'll be late for work."

I pulled my arm away and got up quickly.

She looked a bit disappointed, standing there in a daze.

It wasn't until I was about to leave that she snapped out of it.

"Julian, I made you breakfast…"

"You have it. I'll just grab something from the convenience store."

With that, I walked out without looking back, slamming the door behind me.

When I got home from work, Megan wasn't there.

I noticed the items she usually kept on the dresser were gone, too.

She must've been mad and left.

Thinking about it, it made sense. She had gone out of her way to make breakfast for me, which had never happened before, and instead of being grateful, I didn't even acknowledge it, which had never happened before either.

...

No wonder she reacted so strongly.

I could picture her leaving in anger, probably swearing that she wouldn't forgive me unless I got down on my knees and begged.

But this time, she could stay away as long as she wanted.

With her gone, I finally had time to myself.

In the past, I would rush home after work to do laundry, cook, and handle all the chores. I also had to play the role of her emotional dumpster, listening to her complain about all the petty things at the office.

Because of this, even younger colleagues ended up becoming my supervisors, while I was sidelined by my superior for refusing to work overtime or go on business trips.

Megan often complained that I was useless, but whenever I got busy with work, she'd throw a fit about me not spending enough time with her.

Back then, I found her little tantrums cute, thinking they were just her way of showing she cared.

Now, I was starting to realize that a man should focus on his career.

Women may betray you, but the effort you put into your career never will.