Pretend to Say You Love Me

　　Outside the courthouse, Michelle, William's landlady, fainted. He abandoned me to take her, freshly divorced, to the hospital. I didn't cry or make a scene. After tidying up, I saw a post from Michelle with a picture of William leaning on her hospital bed, captioned, "Now that I'm divorced, I can finally be with you openly."

　　I liked the post and commented, "Wishing you eight babies." Then I packed my things and moved out.

　　William called me late at night. At that moment, I was debating whether to take our travel photos with me. As soon as I picked up, he questioned me in an annoying tone, "Anya, what's with your twisted thinking? What's this about 'eight babies'? Have you been reading too many trashy novels? You know she's just been through a divorce. Why provoke her? I've told you so many times that she's our landlady and not in good health. Don't upset her."

　　I pulled the photo off the wall and stuffed it into my suitcase. Walking to the window, I lit a cigarette. "Why did you leave me outside the courthouse? Do you think Michelle is more important than me?"

　　William was momentarily silent, clearly not expecting my bluntness. Then he spoke with palpable anger, "Are you accusing me of cheating? Anya, if I didn't love you, would I have gone to the courthouse with you? Michelle and I are just landlady and tenant. If the landlady faints in front of you, wouldn't you be concerned? Do you really have to be so paranoid all the time?"

　　Just landlady and tenant... don't be paranoid... I've heard these explanations countless times over the past eight years, to the point where they no longer stir any emotion in me.

　　Couldn't she have called an ambulance? Couldn't her ex-husband have taken her to the hospital? Couldn't someone else at the scene have helped?

　　I suppressed these thoughts and flicked the ash from my cigarette. "You're right."

　　William knew me well. Since I didn't lash out and drown him with questions, he softened his tone, believing the matter to be resolved. He said, "Be a good girl and apologize to Michelle," then hung up.

　　But this time, he was wrong. I deleted both of them from my contacts.

　　William and I grew up together. We met at five, started dating right after high school, and have been together for seven years.

　　To be honest, it hadn't been a happy seven years.

　　Our arguments always revolved around Michelle, the landlady.

　　William was two years older than me and had lived in this apartment since he started working. When I moved in, he told me that Michelle was very kind. She took him in during his toughest times, supporting him when he was on the brink of homelessness or giving up on his dreams. He said he wouldn't have his current financial freedom without her.

　　Hearing that made me uncomfortable, but I loved William. So, I tolerated Michelle summoning William away with just a phone call and their strange relationship beyond that of a typical landlady and tenant. I never imagined that, in the end, William would leave me at the courthouse for her.

　　I've endured this sour situation for eight years, but now I can't stomach it anymore.

　　I finished packing late into the night and was too tired to move, so I slept there. Early the next morning, William's parents arrived. As soon as they walked in, they asked, "Did William go to the office this early?"

　　I poured coffee for them, smiling slightly. "He didn't come home last night."

　　Their expressions darkened. William's mother took my hand, comforting me gently. "He probably worked late and didn't want to disturb you. I'll call him right now."

　　I didn't care why William didn't come home, and I didn't need to guess where he was. I wanted to tell them not to call, but his mother was already dialing.

　　When the call went through, William's father grabbed the phone and angrily demanded, "Where are you? Why did you leave Anya behind yesterday? Why didn't you come home? Are you trying to upset us?"

　　On the other end, a delicate voice rang out. "William, who's that? Is Anya nagging you to go back?"

　　An awkward silence filled the room. William's parents looked at me uneasily while I calmly made myself a cup of coffee.

　　"William! Do you want to give your mother and me a heart attack? Get back here and apologize to Anya immediately!"

　　William must have moved to a quieter spot to take the call, sounding exhausted. "What has Anya complained about now? Whatever, tell her that Michelle and I are just friends. She fainted, and I was helping her, that's all."

　　Then he hung up.

　　Complaining?

　　I hadn't expected that telling his parents where he was would be considered complaining. I laughed bitterly, grabbed my bag, and told his parents, "Mr. and Mrs. Cain, I'm almost late for work. You can wait here for him."

　　They tried to speak, but I turned away and left.

　　A month ago, I had already started calling them Mom and Dad. But now, everything has returned to square one.

　　I didn't care what happened at home, whether William returned or when he did. I immersed myself in work all day, not even glancing at the surveillance app on my phone.

　　The old me would have been anxious, wanting to take time off to see William. But now, I felt a sense of unprecedented relief, and my work efficiency soared.

　　During lunch, I received a message from William's parents, telling me not to be angry and assuring me that I would be their only daughter-in-law. They said they would make William apologize. I sent back a smiling emoji and didn't reply further.

　　I handed my proposal to my manager, Tina. She held it without looking and instead asked me to sit down.

　　"Anya, are you really willing to be transferred to a clerical position? I appreciate your abilities and don't want you to waste your potential."

　　Because I was getting married, I had requested the transfer so that I could spend more time at home preparing meals for William after work. Tina, who had mentored me, admired my capabilities and had been holding off on approving my request. Before today, I had even considered resigning. But now, I shook my head. "No, I won't be transferring. I want to apply for a different project..."

　　"A different project? Anya, are you crazy? The current project is the most profitable in the company. Don't let a man make you lose sight of your career."

　　Tina was a bit angry, recalling how I had switched to a less demanding project for William before. I smiled, took her hand, and playfully said, "Tina, it's not what you think. I meant the company's new overseas project."

　　Tina paused, not quite understanding what I meant. Then she flicked my forehead lightly. "Finally, you're thinking straight! I was worried you might be messing with me when you asked for the transfer, given your track record."

　　Because of my past, Tina was understandably cautious. She immediately printed out the paperwork and had me sign it. Out of habit, I almost reached for my phone to call William but quickly turned it off and signed the documents.

　　William and I were over.

　　I didn't need to inform him of my decisions or seek his approval.