Chapter 1

I was picking out an engagement ring for my girlfriend when I stumbled across a video of her and her old flame leaving a hotel together.

In the clip, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his chin, then nestled close to him as they walked into the rain.

I kept quiet and instead treated her even better.

Two months later, she showed up with a pregnancy test, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

That night, as she lay beneath me again, I gently asked, "Who's better, him or me?"

Seeing the fear in her eyes, I just smiled.

The next day, I left the city, leaving behind nothing but a note: [Say hi to the baby for me.]

*****

I was scrolling through TikTok while picking out a ring at the jewelry store.

The sales associate placed a tray in front of me, flashing a professional smile. "Sir, this is our latest design. The main diamond is one carat, meant for a couple to spend their lives together."

I lowered my gaze to the ring, already imagining how it would look on Daisy's finger. Three years together, one year living under the same roof. I was planning to propose to her this weekend.

While the sales associate kept talking, I instinctively pulled out my phone and started scrolling.

TikTok served up a video from my city. The thumbnail showed a man and a woman standing outside a hotel, the woman in a white dress, the man holding an umbrella. The image was a bit blurry, but I recognized that white dress instantly.

It was the one Daisy had just bought last week. She said she loved it, and I'd told her she looked great in it.

The video started playing. The rain was coming down hard. The woman stood on her tiptoes and kissed the man's chin. He looked down at her, then wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and the two of them walked into the rain, close together.

The text on the screen read: [On a rainy day, the one I love is right by my side.]

The background music was Love Story.

I stared at the screen, my hand shaking a bit.

"Sir? Sir?" The sales associate's voice snapped me back to reality. "What do you think of this one? Would you like me to wrap it up for you?"

I looked up and gave her a smile. "Sorry, I'll keep looking for now."

After leaving the jewelry store, I stood outside for a long time. I didn't even notice when the rain started, but it was pouring just like in the video. I didn't have an umbrella, so I just stood there in the rain, watching that video over and over again.

I remembered Daisy once told me about a guy she liked back in college, who was two years older, a student council guy. She said he was her first love, the one she could never let go of.

Back then, I joked, "So what am I?"

She thought for a while and said, "You're salt, the kind you can eat every day, for a lifetime."

At the time, I figured being the salt wasn't so bad. At least it meant I'd always be needed.

Now, I guess she was just sick of me.

I wiped the rain from my face and looked him up on my phone. Someone had tagged his TikTok in the comments, so I clicked through. He was a fitness influencer, not a lot of followers, but Daisy had liked every single one of his posts.

The first like was four months ago.

Four months.

I kept scrolling and found a video from three days ago, a fitness tutorial he'd posted. Someone in the comments asked: [Hey, do you have a girlfriend?]

He replied with a shy emoji: [Yeah, I do.]

Right below that, an account named "Daisy" replied with three heart emojis.

The profile picture was a side profile, and I recognized Daisy instantly.

I put my phone away and grabbed a cab home. The driver had the radio on, which sounded like the weather report, saying there'd be a heavy rainstorm tonight.

I stared out the window, my mind all over the place, but somehow, I felt oddly calm.

Angry? Not at all.

Sad? Maybe a bit, but not really.

Mostly? I thought about it, and realized it was relief.

Yeah. Relief.

For the past three years, it felt like I was putting a goddess on a pedestal. Daisy was stunning, pure, sweet-voiced, always smiling, the kind of girl who made you look good just being by her side. But only I knew how high-maintenance she really was.

I covered the rent, paid the bills, ordered takeout, and did all the housework. If she washed the dishes even once, she'd bring it up for days.

Her paycheck wasn't much, but she spent freely, on new clothes and bags every month. I never complained; I made enough to support her.

But there was one thing I just couldn't put up with.