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In the end, I didn’t get to cut the cake with him. Shortly after he said this, someone brought in a gift from outside. It was from Afra.
It was a wristwatch that looked expensive. It was the brand Rod usually wore. Coincidentally, I had also given him a watch, though I couldn’t afford that brand, so I bought one with good value within my budget.
The one I gave him, Rod only glanced at before having someone put it away. But Afra’s watch, he stared at for a long time, so long that his hand gripping the band turned white from pressure. His gaze reflected a complex mixture of longing and conflict. Finally, he raised his hand and put on the watch.
Someone took a photo and posted it to their group chat, saying Afra had great taste, no wonder Rod had been pining for her all these years.
I wouldn’t have seen it, but next to me was a young woman, Rod’s cousin, who was probably too excited to notice who was beside her. She grabbed my hand, squealing, and showed me her phone.
“Look, they’re perfect for each other.”
On the screen, Afra had replied: [As long as he likes it. Keep an eye on him for me, don’t let him drink too much.]
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Then people started cheering and applauding. I was pushed to the back. I clapped along with them.
At the bottom of the gift box was a card with elegant handwriting that read: [Though distant, our souls connect; the deep sea of clouds cannot separate us.]
Rod froze slightly, his hand holding the card stiffening. Then, as if remembering something, his expression suddenly became flustered. He looked around, and finally, his gaze settled on me through the crowd.
I smiled calmly and mouthed to him: “Happy birthday.”
Only then did he seem to relax, but he no longer called me to cut the cake with him.
He had many friends who were enjoying themselves, and soon they were drunk. No one played with me, so I just watched from the side. In the end, his brother helped him upstairs, and I didn’t follow. I prepared to leave directly. Breaking up doesn’t necessarily have to be done face to face.
As I was about to exit, his brother came running down, searched around until he found me, and handed me a key card. HurriedlyEdward hastily spoke up: “Rod is waiting for you on the top floor. Go up and keep him company.”
I knew this person. His name was Edward. He was Rod’s best friend and the one I was most familiar with among his circle. But he actually looked down on me. He had always been
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convinced that I was no different from Rod’s previous girlfriends –just someone to play with and then discard, never to enter his heart. In his view, now that the real deal was about to return, what use was someone who merely bore a slight resemblance?
I didn’t take the key card. Amid the noise, I said, “Tell him that he and I are done.”
Edward was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn’t heard clearly. His hand holding the key card trembled slightly. “What did you say?”
I repeated myself very patiently.
Edward frowned as he looked at me for a moment. “Are you serious? You know, with him, there’s no such thing as changing your mind later.”
He never went back to his exes. Except for Afra. Because he had always been waiting for her.
I nodded, my voice resolute: “Yes.”
He pressed his lips together, studying me for a moment. “I don’t get it. Things were going so well between you two. Why suddenly…” He trailed off, as if something had just occurred to him. In the end, he didn’t pursue the question further and simply nodded. “Fine then, you can go. Don’t forget to move all your stuff out of his place. It wouldn’t be good if Su… if someone saw them.”
I smiled faintly. “Okay.”
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I moved quickly. That very night, I packed up everything I had left at his place. He had given me quite a few gifts, but I didn’t take any of them. I also left those two contracts untouched for him. Since I had already decided to part ways, taking these things with me would only trigger painful memories—an unnecessary burden for me.
After returning to school, I didn’t think about anything and just went to sleep. I slept for quite a while. When I woke up and checked my phone, I saw a message from Rod. Just one, sent at ten o’clock the previous night. At that time, I had probably just finished talking to Edward and was rushing back to pack my things, so I hadn’t bothered to check.
He wrote: [Come up.]I glanced at the time–it was already 2 PM. I hadn’t replied to his messages or tried to find him all this time. Before last night, with Rod’s temperament, he would have definitely called or come looking for me in person. But now, nothing had happened. It seemed Edward had delivered my message. Rod appeared warm and affectionate, but deep down, he was actually the coldest person. I had already broken up with him, and he probably wanted this too, so naturally he had no objections and wouldn’t say much, let alone try to win me back.
My life returned to how it was before meeting Rod. I received a call from my mother. Since I live alone, she worried and tried to set me up with potential matches every few days. She always hoped I would find a good place to settle down. After our call, she sent me several WhatsApp numbers. “Remember to add them. If anyone seems suitable, give it a try.” I said okay, but still didn’t add any of them.
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My roommate sighed and advised me: “What’s the point? Someone like Rod will probably have a new flame soon enough. You should continue on your own path, shouldn’t you?”
I told her it wasn’t because of him. I just felt that desperately jumping into another relationship because the previous one didn’t work out would be irresponsible to myself. I wouldn’t always have bad luck in love. I would eventually get married and find mutual love with someone, but I thought, at least not now.
When I was eighteen and just starting university, finding someone new seemed difficult, but now it seemed easy. After breaking up, I thought Rod and I would never see each other again. But as fate would have it…
I was out shopping with a friend when, leaving the mall, we ran into Rod and his group. He was dressed formally, as if coming from some reception–suit and tie, with a faint woody cologne lingering around him. Different from what he used to wear.
When our eyes met, he calmly smiled at me, nodded slightly, then shifted his gaze and continued talking with the person beside him. I suddenly felt a sense of relief. So this is what an amicable breakup looks like–he treats everyone this way. No arguments, no accusations, no resentment; we could still be friends when meeting again.
We passed each other by. When I reached the opposite side of the street, I suddenly received a call. It was Rod. Wearing my coat and adjusting the scarf around my neck, I hung up on him in the cold wind. But within two minutes, he called again. When
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I didn’t answer, he kept calling.
Finally, I answered and addressed him: “Mr. Arnold.”
There was silence on the other end. After a long pause, just as I was about to hang up, I heard him say: “Look up.”
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