Chapter 3

I didn't rush to leave. Once I left, I had no idea when I'd be back.

I wandered, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of the Economics building.

The lecture hall on the third floor still had its lights on. That was where I first met Riley.

It was freshman year, during a microeconomics lecture. Riley was running late, burst into the classroom, and crashed right into me as I sat in the front row. She scrambled to help me gather my scattered books and looked up with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that," she said.

Her eyes at that moment were so bright, like they held a sky full of stars.

Later, Riley confessed that she'd noticed me earlier that day and bumped into me on purpose to strike up a conversation.

I laughed and called her sneaky, but she looked at me seriously and said, "The moment I saw you, I knew I had to meet you."

I kept walking and ended up at the little garden behind the library.

There was a bench there, our favorite spot for dates. Riley loved reading poems for me here. They weren't always great, but every time, she'd blush all the way to her ears.

"Charles," she said one day, suddenly closing her notebook and taking my hand. "Trust me, we're going to be happy together."

Her palm was warm, and her gaze was so steady that I truly believed our future would be as she said.

Turning the corner, I found myself in the cafeteria. Back in sophomore year, when I was burning up with a fever, Riley skipped class and stood in line for half an hour to get my favorite meal.

When she brought it to my dorm, the meal was still warm, but she was shivering from the cold.

"Eat it while it's warm," Riley said, pressing the meal into my hands. "I made sure the staff added extra for you."

Those memories flickered through my mind like scenes from an old movie, each one as vivid as if it happened just yesterday.

Riley truly gave me everything, including her whole heart. Every thoughtful thing she did for me was real, never for show.

When did everything start to change?

Maybe it was after Ryan came back from abroad.

Ryan was Riley's high school classmate, and he came back from abroad last year.

The first time we met, Ryan threw his arm around Riley like they were lifelong pals. "Riley, I missed you like crazy," Ryan said.

Riley burst out laughing and gave him a playful punch. "Knock it off," she said.

I was standing off to the side, feeling pretty awkward.

That was when Riley remembered to introduce me. "This is my boyfriend, Charles."

"Hey, Charles," Ryan said with a big grin, reaching out to shake my hand. "Riley and I have always been this close since high school, so don't take it the wrong way."

I forced a smile and shook his hand.

That night, Riley tried to comfort me and said, "Ryan is easygoing. We were in the same class all through high school, and we've always been tight. Don't overthink it."

I nodded, keeping quiet.

But after that, Ryan kept popping up all the time.

He'd always use "hanging out with friends" as an excuse to take Riley away, and sometimes he'd call her right in the middle of our dates.

"Charles," Riley would give me that conflicted look and said, "Ryan says it's urgent."

"Go ahead," I'd always say, not wanting to seem petty.

Last month, we were celebrating our anniversary at a restaurant when Ryan called, saying he'd scored tickets to Riley's favorite e-sports tournament.

"It's tonight," Ryan shouted on the phone. "Riley, get over here. The guys are all waiting."

Riley's eyes lit up, full of anticipation, as she looked at me.

I set down my fork and said, "Go ahead."

"You're the best, Charles," she said, planting a kiss on my cheek. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

That night, I finished the meal for two all by myself. When I got home, Riley messaged me: [Ryan is awesome. We're right in the front row.]

In the photo, Ryan was pressed up against Riley, throwing up a victory sign.

I turned off my phone and lay awake all night.

The next day, when Riley came back, she was holding a huge bouquet of roses and a collector's edition of that book I'd been wanting forever.

"Don't be mad," she said with a coaxing smile. "Look, I got you flowers and a gift."

I should've realized what was wrong right then, but I still forgave her anyway.

A cold wind made me shiver, and I realized I'd wandered all the way to the school gate without noticing.

My phone buzzed. It was Claire messaging me: [So, have you made up your mind? Do you want me to help you get in touch with an advisor?]

I took a deep breath and replied: [Thanks. I want to go to Longriver University of Economics. If you could introduce me to Professor Johnson's senior colleague, that'd be amazing.]

After sending the message, I took one last look at the campus before turning and heading toward the subway station.

The truth was that I did give Riley one last chance.

This year, I felt angry and wronged more times than I could count because of how close she was to Ryan.

Whenever I started to question us, and every time I caved and forgave her, I always ended up saying that I wanted her to keep some distance from Ryan.

She always said she'd bring me along to her crew's hangouts, so everyone would know I was her number one.

Meeting her gaze, I nodded.

There were about seven or eight people crammed into the booth, with Ryan sitting right next to Riley, absorbed in his phone.

As soon as I sat down, I caught a girl across from me whispering, "Who's he?"

The vibe in the room instantly got weird.

Riley tried to break the ice, lifting her glass, and said, "I brought everyone together tonight mainly to officially introduce my boyfriend, Charles."

Everyone went through the motions, barely raising their glasses, while Ryan rolled his eyes right in front of everyone.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone started talking about games and competitions.

Nobody paid me any attention, so I kept my head down, scrolling through my phone.

"Riley, drink some water," Ryan suddenly said, holding the open bottle right up for her to take a sip.

Riley instinctively drank from his hand, and glanced at me, a little embarrassed. "Ryan, my boyfriend is sitting right here," she said.

"Relax, we've always been like this," Ryan said, unfazed. "Charles is way too uptight."

Riley let out a nervous laugh and quickly steered the conversation elsewhere.

My stomach churned, and I got up to head to the restroom.

When I came back, I could hear laughter coming from the private room down the hallway.

Through the half-open door, I saw Ryan with his arm around Riley's neck and teased, "I told you this was our night. Why did you bring your boyfriend along?"

"Seriously," another girl chimed in. "Riley, having your boyfriend here makes me feel so awkward. He sits there like a statue."

Riley gave Ryan a playful shove and said, "Cut it out, Ryan. Charles won't be happy."

I pushed the door open, and the room went dead silent.

I didn't stick around.

When we got home that night, Riley tried to talk it out with me. "Ryan is messing around. Don't let it get to you," she said.

I looked at her for a long moment and told him that I wanted her to keep some distance from Ryan.

She promised she would.

That night, for once, she didn't reply to any of Ryan's messages. She even showed up with a bouquet and gave me a real, heartfelt apology.

For a moment, I really thought she finally understood me.

But the very next day, Ryan sent me a picture of him and Riley looking way too cozy, plus a message bragging that my girlfriend was fast asleep right by his side.

I tried calling Riley, but she wouldn't answer.

I grabbed a cab to her apartment, only to realize the door code had been changed.

This time, I was drained.