Upon hearing my words, Evelyn’s face froze, her expression immediately turning icy as her eyes narrowed, preparing to lash out at me.

"Vincent Roswell, what right do you have to talk to me like that? Don’t forget, you’re living in my house now. I’m the one supporting you financially..."

As she spoke, I felt the familiar anger rising in me, fueled by the memories of our seven-year relationship flashing through my mind. Throughout that time, I had been the one shouldering most of the financial burden.

Even after I resigned from my job because she insisted, I used up all my savings just to keep things afloat.

Unfortunately, before I could respond, the oven made a loud ding, pulling me back to reality.

I glanced at Evelyn, who was still standing there, glaring at me, but I was too exhausted to continue the argument. Instead, I walked away, slipping on my kitchen gloves and pulling the cake out of the oven.

Evelyn watched me, her frown deepening, but then her expression softened slightly.

"Today... is your birthday?" she asked.

Yes, it was my thirtieth birthday.

But even more than that, it was the anniversary of seven years with Evelyn.

I had spent the entire day preparing and baking this cake from scratch with the hope that we would celebrate together after she came home from work.

Seeing the realization dawn on her face, Evelyn hesitated, her guilt visible in the way her brows furrowed. In an attempt to make amends, she grabbed a candle and stuck it into the cake.

"I've been too busy with work recently, but I'll make it up to you. This afternoon, I’ll take you to choose a new engagement ring. I’ll get you a much more expensive one this time."

She sat down across from me, slipping back into her usual calm and polished demeanor.

"Vince, there’s no need to be jealous of Simon. Yes, we had a relationship when we were young, but that was years ago. We’ve both moved on."

Had she really moved on, though?

I stayed quiet, recalling a memory that was still fresh in my mind. Not long ago, when I was with Evelyn, I brought her lunch to work. On my way up, I overheard her chatting with her friends. They were teasing her, asking why she was with someone like me.

I could still hear her voice. "If it’s not Simon, I don’t really care who it is."

At that time, I was young and full of hope, believing that sincerity and dedication could conquer anything, even someone’s feelings. Looking back now, I realize how naive I had been. Every step I took was a misstep, leading me further into a life where I did not belong.

I needed to get out before everything, before I was entirely lost.

"No, go ahead and do whatever you like, I'll handle things on my own," I said calmly.

Evelyn paused, seemingly taken aback by my sudden detachment.

However, years of watching me swallow my pride had conditioned her to expect nothing but submission. She assumed, like always, that I had chosen to forgive her yet again. So, with a smile, she moved forward and lit the candle on the cake.

"Hurry up and make a good wish."

In past years, my wishes had always been the same. It would be simple hopes for love and happiness with Evelyn, for our relationship to last.

But not this time.

This time, a silent wish echoed in my head.

"I want to be happy... and I want to leave Evelyn Hartwell forever."

After making my wish, I opened my eyes, ready to blow out the candles. But when I looked around, Evelyn had already disappeared. She was nowhere to be found.

The cake I had spent hours making, the cake I had poured my heart into, was knocked over, lying in a heap on the floor. In her rush to leave, Evelyn had carelessly tipped it over and had not even bothered to close the door behind her.

I got up, grabbed a mop and started cleaning the mess she had left behind.

Almost immediately, a new post from Simon appeared in my feed.

[You are such a clumsy fool, Simon Redford. How did I manage to knock over the cabinets just by walking?! Sigh…Luckily, my knight in shining armor rushed over to save me right away.]

And there, in the comments below, was Evelyn. She, the woman who could not be bothered to check on me after my car accident, had taken the time to respond to him.

[Every time you need me, I'll always be there for you.]

In a daze, I hit the love button on her comment.

A message from Evelyn popped up not long after.

[Simon hurt his foot. I’m taking him to the hospital right now. You go over and clean up his place for him.]

[After that, make him some chicken soup and bring it to the hospital. Don’t forget, no cilantro this time.]

It hit me then, all at once.

Evelyn did not have any food allergies or particular dislikes, not really. Still, every time I added cilantro to her food, she would scold me harshly, calling me useless and berating me for never getting things right.

It turned out that it was not about her at all. It was about Simon Redford.

I had originally planned to ignore Evelyn's message, to simply turn off my phone and leave her demands unanswered. But after a moment of hesitation, I found myself heading downstairs anyway.

When I arrived, Evelyn was holding onto Simon, her voice low and soothing, comforting him in the way she never did for me. As soon as she saw me, her expression hardened.

"Why are you just getting here?" she snapped.

"If Simon's treatment gets delayed and bad things happen to him, it’s your fault!"

Before she could continue, Simon gently tugged at her sleeve.

"Evelyn, it's alright. Don’t get upset with Vincent because of me. I know he has never liked me."

"Okay, Vincent, clean up this place. I will not marry a man who spends all day being jealous and can’t even manage to do anything right."

And with that, she helped Simon out of the room, her back to me as she disappeared from sight.

I looked at her retreating as I whispered quietly, almost to myself, "I will not marry a woman who cheats and has no shame."

Once they were gone, I looked around the room.

The bathroom was a mess and water splashed everywhere, which was evidence of their time together. In the trash can, two used condoms.

The sight made my stomach turn, nausea rising as I stood frozen in place.

No wonder Evelyn had been "working overtime" so often recently.

It was not work that kept her out late. It was this. Every day, she had been coming downstairs to spend intimate time with Simon, then climbing back up to our home like nothing had happened.

I glanced around Simon's bedroom again.

My gaze landed on the rows of luxury accessories and shelves filled with limited-edition sneakers.

Just a few days ago, I had asked Evelyn for a pair of sneakers as a birthday gift. However, her response had cut deep, as if even my request had disgusted her.

"How can you celebrate your thirtieth birthday? You’re too old to be acting like a kid. Isn’t it pathetic?"

"You don’t need expensive shoes to do housework. And anyway, no matter how pricey your sneakers are, they won’t make you twenty again!"

Her words stung. It was true. I could not stay twenty forever.

Evelyn, however, had no shortage of twenty-year-olds around her and it seemed her favorite among them was Simon Redford, her so-called assistant.

I took a deep breath and began taking photos of everything in the room, documenting the mess and all the signs of betrayal.

Then, without another word, I headed back upstairs and started packing my things.

I realized, as I gathered my belongings, that it was not as if Evelyn had never given me gifts during our seven years together.

She had, in her own way. Fancy kitchenware, a fancy sweeping robot, a high-end washing machine, even a kitchen knife handcrafted by some so-called expert.

Now, I was leaving it all behind.

Halfway through packing, I paused, a sudden wave of absurdity washing over me. Downstairs, in Simon’s world, there were shelves and closets full of luxurious items, a life of excess that I could never imagine.

But here, in the place I had called home for several years, I realized everything I owned could fit into a single suitcase.

After I finished packing, I picked up the phone and called my close friend, Matthew Landon, who was living overseas. I dialed his number and despite hanging up three times, I finally let the call connect.

I held back the sobs that were threatening to break free. I said, "Matt, I was wrong."

"I should never have given up my job or my life for Evelyn."

"I regret everything. I want to come find you."

There was a pause and then Matthew’s voice came through, saying that I deserved it and calling me a fool before hanging up the phone.

I sat in the empty room, the silence closing in around me, feeling the sadness settle deep inside.

Memories of countless conversations with Matthew flashed through my mind. His advice, his warnings, all the things he had said to me.

He had always looked at me like I was throwing my life away, as if he could not understand why I was making these choices.

And now, as the tears I had been holding back for so long finally began to fall, my phone buzzed with another message.

It was from Matthew. He had bought me the nearest flight out, three days from now, at 12 noon.

At that exact moment, all the emotions I had bottled up for seven years came rushing out at once.

I cried. For myself and for the wasted seven years.

Evelyn did not come home that night. After I refused to cook for Simon, she blocked my number without a second thought.

Instead of waiting, I packed up and drove back to my hometown. I felt a strange pull to retrieve some of my old childhood belongings.

I was not entirely sure what Evelyn had told my mother, but as soon as I stepped out of the car, it became clear that her words had already reached home. My mother was standing at the door, her arms crossed, looking as though she had been waiting for me for hours.

The moment she realized Evelyn was not coming with me, her face immediately darkened.

Mom still did not know the truth that Evelyn would never set foot here again. Deep down, she had always looked down on me and my family, treating us with a kind of disdain she never bothered to hide.

"You haven't made up yet?" my mother asked sharply.

"It's too complicated to be fixed," I replied.

No sooner had the words left my mouth than her hand connected with my face, hard and fast. Half my face throbbed as I felt the familiar sting of her slap.

In front of the whole neighborhood, with people passing by and glancing at the scene unfolding, my mother grabbed the broom by the door. She struck me again with the same ruthless frustration she used to discipline me when I was a child.

Each hit landed with force, relentless and filled with frustration.

"Eve told me everything," she yelled between strikes. "Do you even understand how lucky you are to be with someone like her? You should be grateful. Grateful! It's a blessing you don’t deserve, a fortune earned over several lifetimes. And here you are, wasting it."

"You're just jealous, you're being selfish, you're mean!"

"You better figure it out, you hear me? No matter what it takes, whether you have to beg on your knees or hang your own neck, you’ll marry Evelyn, or don’t even think about coming back here!"

Suddenly, a cold wind swept through and the sky opened up as rain poured down.

My mother finally stopped.

She blocked the door, threw my things into the rain-soaked street and shouted, "Get out! Even if you die, you better die as a part of the Hartwell family!"

The trophy I had earned as a child, a symbol of my pride, hit me square on the forehead, drawing blood. The rain mixed with my own blood, streaming down my face as I knelt to pick up the scattered remnants of my past from the muddy ground.

That was when a Bentley pulled up beside me.

The car door opened and Evelyn stepped out of the car.

She held an umbrella in one hand and with the other, she grabbed me roughly from behind, dragging me toward her car.

"Vince, have you learned your lesson yet?"

"No one in this world will ever love you the way I do."

"Come back home with me. As soon as we return, you have to apologize to Simon and you’ll still be my future husband."

She threw her coat over my shoulders, but the smell of Simon's cigarettes still clung to the fabric, overwhelming me.

I turned my head away, looking out the rain-blurred window at the scenery as it passed.

The numbness in my chest spread, swallowing everything whole.

I used to see Evelyn as my salvation, someone I could confide in, someone who would understand my deepest thoughts and feelings. But now, I realized she had taken my pain and twisted it into something she could use to control me, to manipulate me.

She was never my salvation.

And she certainly was not worthy of my sincere love.

The only way I could truly live, the only way I could ever be happy, was by leaving her and walking away from the hollow place we once called home.

As these thoughts swirled in my mind, Evelyn’s phone rang, snapping me back to reality.

"Evelyn, why aren’t you here yet? Everyone is waiting for you."

"They’re teasing me, saying team events should be attended by couples. I’m barely holding up here without you..."

Evelyn glanced at me awkwardly.

For a brief moment, I could see the wheels turning in her head, as though she was weighing the pros and cons of leaving me behind, but she quickly realized it would be inappropriate, especially after everything that had happened.

"Vince, why don’t you join us for the company’s team event?"

In the past, I was never allowed to simply set foot in Evelyn's company.

I was always the outsider, kept at a distance to avoid interfering with her work. Even when I brought her lunch, I had to wait outside, handing the food over to her assistant while I stood at the door like some kind of delivery boy.

But now, this invitation was something different. An unprecedented offer.

I slowly reached for a tissue, wiping the blood still dripping from the wound on my forehead. Then, after a moment, I answered, my voice calm and deliberate.

"Alright."

I arrived in front of everyone, my clothes soaked through, completely drenched and feeling utterly embarrassed.

Evelyn deliberately picked up her pace, walking ahead as if she could not bear to be associated with me. It was painfully obvious that she was afraid of being seen with me, worried about what others might think if they saw us together.

When Simon caught sight of me, his lips curled into a pout, clearly displeased.

I overheard Evelyn's soft voice, which was meant only for his ears but loud enough for me to catch. "I don't feel sorry for him. I just want him to humiliate himself. "

"I want everyone to see that without me, his life is worse than that of a stray dog."

Surrounded by mocking stares and whispers, I felt a strange sense of calm wash over me.  Perhaps, I had reached the point where the heartache had become so frequent that I simply had grown numb to it.

Raising my hand, I calmly asked the waiter for a blanket. Once it arrived, I sat down on the sofa, watching people move about, chatting and drinking, enjoying the lively atmosphere of the event around me.

Just at this time, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a call from Matthew.

He said he had reached out to a few companies for me and I was welcome to have an interview at any time.

Just as I was about to hang up, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Evelyn staring at me with confusion written all over her face.

"Who were you talking to? What interview? Where are you planning to go?" she asked suspiciously.

Without missing a beat, I lied casually, "No one, nowhere. Just advertising sales."

Her frown eased as though she was finally satisfied with my answer.

"That sounds about right. Even your own parents have abandoned you, so where else could you possibly go?"

"The rain has stopped and there’s nothing for you to do here. You can go home now."

"And don’t forget to wash my coat when you get back."

I did not bother responding. Instead, I threw her coat onto the sofa without a second thought.

Simon, who had been watching me the whole time, tilted his head slightly before pulling Evelyn toward the exit with him to see me off.

As I walked out to the side of the road, something unexpected happened.

Simon stretched out his leg and deliberately tripped me.

I felt my body lurch forward, completely off-balance, tumbling toward the rose bushes that lined the sidewalk.

"Vince!"

Evelyn tried to reach out and pull me. However, as soon as Simon groaned, she immediately turned around and returned to his side.

By doing so, she left me to fall straight into the thorn-filled bushes.

The sharp thorns pricked into my skin and the muddy ground made my humiliation complete.

I struggled to get back on my feet, covered in dirt and scratches. As I finally stood up, I saw Evelyn bending over, her expression soft and gentle. But she was not looking at me. No, she was tenderly wiping the water stains off Simon’s shoes.

She glanced at me, casting a guilty glance in my direction.

"Vince, are you okay? I’ll take you to the hospital."

"Evelyn." Before I could respond, Simon’s eyes welled up.

"You promised to spend the day with me. It’s the anniversary of when we first held hands. How could you leave me all alone?"

Evelyn's eyes darted between us.

She hesitated, torn between her two worlds.

"I'll just go to the hospital by myself. You can’t leave early since you’re the boss," I said.

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief, almost as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Then be careful. I'll bring you your favorite cheesecake when I get home."

Cheesecake? It was Simon's favorite, not mine.

Whatever. I did not see the point in correcting her anymore. After all, in her mind, I was always the one who could be left behind, the one who could be sacrificed.

Instead of wasting time waiting for a love that was never truly mine, it was smarter to cut my losses and leave before I got hurt again.

At the hospital, the doctor carefully removed the thorns that had pierced my skin.

As I watched the sharp barbs being pulled out, it felt like every bit of love and devotion I had poured into my relationship with Evelyn was being extracted too, leaving my body.

The next morning, I received a call from Evelyn. She called me on Instagram for the first time.

"Why aren't you answering the phone?" she demanded.

"Didn't you block my number?"

A few moments later, her voice came. "I'll be home in half an hour and I'll bring you freshly baked cheesecake and egg tart."

"By the way, I also bought a new engagement ring."

"I’ve really treated you awfully these past two days," she added. "I won’t do it again in the future."

I glanced at the clock and replied calmly, "We have no future."

Unfortunately, Evelyn had already hung up.

There were still three hours left until noon.

I sat there, considering my next move, then decided to open her laptop. I tried a few different passwords, but none of them worked. Finally, it worked with Simon's birthday.

I just sat there, staring at the screen, waiting for Evelyn to come home.

Half an hour passed.

Then, an hour passed.

I picked up my phone and scrolled through the latest updates. Unsurprisingly, Simon had posted again.

This time, he was sitting in the passenger seat of Evelyn’s car. They were holding hands, fingers intertwined, both wearing matching rings.

I could not help but smile at the absurdity of it all.

I logged into Evelyn’s email account and typed the story of Evelyn Hartwell and me over the past seven years, as well as the cheating evidence collected during this period. With a few clicks, I sent it all using her name and email.

Then I calmly closed the laptop, picked up my suitcase and walked out the door.

With that, I went to the airport alone.

While checking in, my phone buzzed incessantly with countless messages and missed calls.