Chapter 1

My boyfriend was a prodigy who got into a top-tier university at 13.

I only got into an average university while he was doing his PhD.

The research terms he threw around always sounded like a foreign language to me.

His friends thought that our educational backgrounds were too different, and that we didn't match.

But he seriously said, "No academic achievement means more to me than you, Sophia."

We'd always been close. Even when I watched shows in my free time, he'd put down his books to keep me company.

He'd sit beside me, using his sharp logic to analyze the plot and predict what was coming next.

I thought we'd stay this way forever.

Until one day, I saw his name on an important paper that he'd worked hard on, but he made a female colleague the first author.

Then I realized our relationship had reached its end.

*****

I sat at the dining table, eyeing the steaming dishes in front of me, while the cheerful conversation between our parents buzzed in the background.

My mom asked, "How's Jason's project coming along lately?"

As she gave a piece of steak to Jocelyn, Jason Hammond's mother, her tone was so proud that it was like Jason was her own son.

"It's going really well." Jocelyn's eyes lit up, her voice full of excitement. "His advisor said if he pulls this off, the paper might even get published in Nature."

My mom chimed in immediately, "He's been a genius since he was a kid. He went to college at thirteen, and now, barely in his twenties, he's about to get his work into Nature. That's just amazing."

Cameron, Jason's father, smiled as he nodded and then turned to me. "Sophia, how's your graduation prep coming along?"

I managed a smile. "It's going okay. I've finished the first draft of my thesis, and I'm just waiting for my advisor's feedback."

"That's great," Jocelyn said with a big smile. "Once Jason wraps up his project and you graduate, we can start talking about your wedding."

My fingers tightened around my fork, and it felt like something was stuck in my throat. I could only mumble an "Yeah."

The conversation at the table kept drifting back to Jason, his talent, his achievements, and his bright future.

I listened quietly, throwing in a word or two when needed, but the heaviness in my chest just kept building.

Lately, Jason kept mentioning his colleague Fiona Perkins from the lab every time we talked on the phone.

"She's amazing. Her mind works fast, and she can keep up with me," he said, sounding more excited than I'd ever heard. "Whenever we talk things through, she always throws out ideas I never even considered."

I tried to play it cool. "That's nice. Good to have someone you really vibe with."

"Yeah, she's way better than the other people in the lab who just go through the motions," he said.

He said it so offhand, not realizing those words stabbed right into my heart.

Back then, Jason would patiently explain his research to me, even when I was totally lost. He'd just smile and say, "No worries. I'll take it slow."

But now, he seemed to genuinely enjoy his conversations with Fiona more, like they shared an intellectual spark I could never reach.

We barely talked anymore.

Sometimes when I messaged him, he'd take ages to get back to me, always saying he was too busy with lab work.

But I knew what was really going on. He was staying up late talking about his data with Fiona, even replying to her emails at three AM.

I picked at my food, but there was just no taste at all.

It was like I was being shut out of the world that mattered most to him.