One day, after getting rear-ended outside my office, I, Maeve Dahlman, call out for help, but Austin Cooper, who is simply passing by with Carmen Holt, merely glances at me impatiently, annoyed that I've disrupted their lunch plans.

Instead of helping, he has his assistant take me to his private club and lock me in a room, accusing me of being paranoid and dramatic.

"I'll give you three days to calm down," he says before walking away and leaving me in isolation.

Eventually, I escape and call the police. An ambulance rushes me to the hospital, where doctors diagnose me with a brain injury that requires immediate surgery.

I keep calling Austin, only to realize that he has blocked my number. Then, I see Carmen's latest post online, gushing about a romantic luxurious dinner with him.

After I'm discharged, I cancel the wedding, destroy all the invitations, and finally call my mother.

"Mom," I say, "I've made up my mind. I'm ready to meet him."

Mom's excitement was unmistakable on the phone.

"Maeve, you finally came to your senses. Your dad and I knew from the beginning that he's not the right match for you. A small startup might sound impressive, but internet companies are all flash and no substance.

"It's nothing compared to a solid, stable business. What's more, he's never even visited us in the last six years. A man like this has no intention of committing to you, darling…"

Each of her words cut through my stubbornness, injecting reason where emotion had taken hold. It seemed that everyone around me had seen the harsh reality, but I hadn't.

During our six-year relationship, my fiance, Austin Cooper, never once agreed to meet my parents. He insisted on having the wedding in the city and dismissed traditional customs, such as having a proper meeting with my parents.

Looking back now, I realized that he never truly intended to commit to me from the start.

I took a deep breath and softly said, "I'm sorry, Mom. I've been a victim of my own stubbornness.

"Well, please arrange a meeting with Mr. Dawson for me soon."

As soon as those words rang, the door to the study was pushed open. Austin leaned against the door frame, a coffee in his hand. He squinted his eyes, and scrutinized me. "A meeting? With whom?"

I pressed my lips into a line, lacking the desire to explain myself. "Just a client."

Faced with my brief response, he didn't press further and simply stood there staring at me in deep thought. "I heard you called the police."

"I did."

He stayed quiet, then suddenly softened his tone. "I was harsh the other day. I shouldn't have done that to you. It's just that Carmen sprained her ankle, and she was alone…"

I stared at my laptop screen, tapping rhythmically on my keyboard. I refused to bring up that day, as there simply was no point in doing so.

"Whatever. It's all in the past."

Noticing the wounds on my head, Austin reached out to touch it, but I instinctively dodged him. My gaze found its way to the man I had once loved deeply. I said, "The wounds are mostly healed. Don't worry about it."

It was after I escaped from that dark room.

Carmen Holt used a project pitch as an excuse to drag Austin on a business trip to Samona. Meanwhile, I lay alone in a hospital bed, listening to the doctor explain the urgency of another cranial procedure.

I had made over a dozen calls, only to find that I had been blocked by him.

"It's fine. I'll sign it myself," I told the doctor, forcing a wry smile in response to his worried gaze.

For the next seven days post-operation, I remained alone in the hospital room. No one brought me even a glass of water. As the anesthesia wore off, the pain became so sharp that it was hard for me to breathe.

Austin, my boyfriend of six years and now fiance, was posting real-time vacation updates on social media, posing in one intimate photo after another with Carmen on the beach.

Carmen, his sweetheart, was flaunting one romantic luxurious dinner after another with him.

I numbly stared at the screen and tapped "like" on each photo.

I assumed that Austin had returned either last night or sometime this morning. I couldn't be sure, for details like that had long since lost their meaning.

I was in a deep sleep until noon the next day. I walked out of my bedroom, intending to look for something to eat, when the aroma of food drifted from the kitchen.

Austin was busying himself around the dining room, laying the table with a spread.

"You're up," he said, flashing me a now-rare gentle smile. He placed the final dish onto the table. "I took a day off from work to spend time with you. Take a seat. I made them all myself."

I stood frozen in my spot for a few seconds before heading over. Austin seemed like a completely different person, enthusiastically placing food on my plate. "This is your favorite. Go on. Try it."

Staring at the scallops on my plate, I felt the urge to let out a sarcastic smile. Six years, and he still couldn't remember that I had a shellfish allergy.

I saw the sweet corn buns on the side and reached out to take one, but Austin slapped my hand away. "Don't touch that. They're a gift for someone."

Seeing the shift in my expression, he quickly softened his demeanor. "I mean, Maeve, there's so much food on the table for you to choose from, except for these corn buns…"

I ignored him and began scrolling on my phone. Unsurprisingly, I saw Carmen's latest post. It read, "I'm craving sweet corn buns. I miss the ones I had back in Samona!"

So, the man who had barely touched a cooking pan in all his life had prepared a spread just because of a single social media post. I ate a few bites and rose to my feet. "Forget about it. I'm done eating."

During the evening, I heard noise from the garage. Austin had returned, probably from delivering those buns.

My phone buzzed, and it was a message with a photo attached from Carmen.

In the photo, Austin stood tall in a crisp suit, holding an elegantly wrapped gift box and posing for a selfie with Carmen in front of an office building.

She recalled the message shortly after, but not before I caught a glimpse of their intertwined hands in the corner of the frame.

She texted, "I'm so sorry, Maeve! I didn't mean to send that to you! So sorry to bother you."

By now, I was numb to her showy, thinly veiled gloating. I simply kept my head down and focused on revising my resignation letter.

Just as I was about to close my laptop, I heard incoming footsteps from behind me.

"The wedding's coming soon, Maeve," Austin casually said. "I'm free today, so let me take you to try on the dress you picked that day."

What he didn't know was that I didn't want to marry him anymore.

"Forget it."

He frowned at my indifferent response. He swept his gaze across the living room and landed on a copper basin in the corner. "What's that?"

In the copper basin lay a few charred scraps of paper—remnants of the gilded wedding invitations. They were the lingering traces of my fury, still untouched, waiting to be cleaned up.

His phone rang at that moment, and then came Carmen's feignedly fragile voice. "Mr. Cooper, I don't feel so well… I think that there was something wrong with the desserts earlier. I'm at the hotel now… Could you come over?"

Austin quickly grabbed the coat strewn on the couch, panicked. He told me, "Something came up at work. I'll take you to try on the gown another day."

A self-deprecating laugh escaped from my lips as I watched his retreating figure. He had spent all this time talking, yet he was still trapped in his own world, blind to every hint I had dropped.

...

That afternoon, I dressed neatly and headed to the office, ready to clear out my desk. The human resource team had already approved my resignation.

The department director stopped me. Her eyes conveyed her deep regret as she said, "Maeve, you're the best team member I've ever mentored. Why are you leaving so suddenly? If there's anything, you can tell me, and we'll figure it out together."

Looking at the supervisor who had supported me every step of the way, and remembering how attentively she had cared for me over the years, I felt a wave of bitterness rise in my chest.

I pressed my lips into a thin smile. "I'm fine. I just felt that it was time for a change of pace."

After packing up my things and walking out of the office building, I passed by a restaurant that had gained popularity after going viral online.

I had the inexplicable urge to try the restaurant's signature spicy barbecue ribs.

For the past six years, Austin claimed to have a sensitive stomach and never ate anything spicy. Any time he saw me eating spicy food, he would wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"It's so embarrassing to be gobbling up heavy-flavored food like this."

It wasn't just about his own preferences. He tried to control mine, too. The moment I ordered anything relatively spicy, he would lash out right there at the table.

To keep the peace, I gradually changed my diet and even gave up on my favorite spicy barbecue ribs. Looking back now, I realized how foolish I was to have put myself through that.

Just as I was about to taste my first rib in ages, a hand suddenly reached over and flipped the plate over.

Austin had stood beside me at one point, his face full of disgust. "Why'd you eat something like that? The wedding's coming soon. Can't you watch your manners a little?"

I stared at the sauce that had splattered on my heels, momentarily at a loss for words. I had just wanted a taste, nothing more, but he had to ruin it for me.

He said mockingly, "Can you at least try to be a little more presentable? Look at Carmen. She works out every day and keeps herself in great shape. I wouldn't have to do this if you could just be a little more like her."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Carmen, who was standing beside him, his eyes overflowing with affection that he didn't bother to hide.

She lowered her head, feigning humility. "I could never compare to Maeve, Mr. Cooper."

Her pretentious act only made the once-enticing ribs unappetizing.

"If you adore her so much, why not let her be your bride?"

I was ready to leave, but Carmen ran up to me. "Don't be mad, Maeve. I've never been good with words, but I know that Mr. Cooper was only concerned about you. Right. There's something I need to give you."

She took out a bracelet from her exquisite bag, her gesture smug yet deliberately apologetic. "Mr. Cooper gifted this to me, but I can't possibly accept it. I think that you deserve this more."

I barely glanced at the bracelet and said, "You can keep it."

Immediately, her eyes reddened. She wore a pitiful expression and turned to Austin. "Mr. Cooper, did I say something wrong? Why does she seem to hate me so much…"

No sooner had those words fallen than Austin shielded her and hurled the bracelet at me. "Why are you giving her such an attitude when all she wants is to return a bracelet?

"She's just an employee. You don't have to treat her with such hostility all the time."

Naturally, the metal bracelet left a cut on my skin as it grazed my cheek. His temper immediately defused. "I didn't mean to, Maeve—"

He wanted to touch my face, but I avoided him. Instead, I stared at the man whom I had wasted six years on and coldly stated, "I'm done, Austin. Let's break up."

Hearing my words, Austin froze for a moment before letting out a dismissive laugh. "When did you start making such unfunny jokes, Maeve? After six years together and with a wedding on the way, you want us to break up?

"Are you really willing to throw away the perfect wedding you've always dreamed of?"

His eyes were full of scornful certainty, as if he were entirely sure that I wouldn't dare leave. He walked off with Carmen, not even bothering to give me a proper response.

How ironic. After months of preparation, the long-anticipated wedding was finally approaching, yet the groom's heart had wandered elsewhere.

All the years of love and loyalty between us were worth nothing more than the illusion of a grand ceremony to him. He really believed that was all I ever wanted.

A bitter laugh escaped me at the thought.

I returned to the restaurant and ordered double the portion of spicy barbecue wings. After finishing them, I walked past a food district and stopped for a triple-scoop ice cream.

At last, I could finally eat without having a man screaming in my ears. How relaxing.

Back in the high-rise apartment we shared, I stood among the traces of Austin. From the furniture to the decorations, they had all been carefully chosen by him when he was courting me.