Chapter 7
They drove away.
I worked overtime at the office until dawn. I forced myself to stay busy, drinking coffee endlessly, as if it could numb my mind and stop me from thinking about anything else.
After years of obsession, truly forgetting someone is no easy task.
As the sky began to brighten, I lifted my head to look at the sunrise. Out of
nowhere, I had a strange craving for fondue.
Since being with him, I hadn’t touched anything like that. He preferred light meals and never ate out, always watching his figure.
To match his preferences, I gave up spicy food, sugar, and anything greasy, turning into another version of Mason, losing who I
was.
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Chapter 7
“Do you think I didn’t want him to notice everything I did for him?
Of course, I did.
I’m not some selfless saint. I wanted him to appreciate me, to love me a little more.
But sadly, he never noticed.”
He took everything for granted.
That night, the two of them spent it at a
hotel.
Claire sent me multiple photos from different angles on my phone.
In the hotel bathroom’s frosted mirror, their intimate figures were reflected.
I glanced at the photo, then turned off my phone.
What he did no longer mattered to me; he was free to do as he pleased.
I had eaten too much that morning, so I didn’t go to the cafeteria for lunch. I stayed at my desk.
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Chapter 7
Just as I was about to catch up on sleep, Mason arrived.
He stood right by my desk, holding a thermos box in his hand.
His face was pale, nothing like the confident and composed man he used to
- be.
“Last night… I wasn’t with Claire.”
I nodded. “Got it.”
Mason didn’t seem relieved; instead, he looked even more panicked.
“You don’t believe me?”
I shook my head. I was tired from staying up all night, and my voice carried a hint of irritation.
“Does it really matter if I believe you or not?”
The photos were proof enough.
“Besides, isn’t this the kind of thing you know best yourself?”
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Chapter 7
Just as I was about to catch up on sleep, Mason arrived.
He stood right by my desk, holding a thermos box in his hand.
His face was pale, nothing like the confident and composed man he used to be.
“Last night… I wasn’t with Claire.”
I nodded. “Got it.”
Mason didn’t seem relieved; instead, he looked even more panicked.
“You don’t believe me?”
I shook my head. I was tired from staying up all night, and my voice carried a hint of
irritation.
“Does it really matter if I believe you or not?”
The photos were proof enough.
“Besides, isn’t this the kind of thing you know best yourself?”
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His eyes were red.
“Why do you always doubt me? I’ve explained a thousand times, she’s just a
friend.”
Exhaustion had drained all my patience. I took out my phone and showed him the photos Claire had sent me.
I didn’t say a word, but he was the one who questioned me first, “Why do you still have her contact info?”
Oh, right.
Mason didn’t want me to know more about
his whereabouts, so he forbade me from having the contact information of any of
his friends.
I had secretly added Claire. Of course, she accepted, eager to flaunt things in my face.
Even now, she refused to reflect on her actions, always quick to blame others.
I deleted her contact right in front of him because I no longer needed it.
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“Is that enough? Go home, I’m tired.”
Mason smiled, satisfied, and set the thermos box on my desk.
“Eat it while it’s hot.”
I stopped him. “Take it away. I don’t want it.”
“I made this myself.”
He seemed uncharacteristically shy, even wearing a bandage on his finger.
But I coldly repeated, “Take it away, I’m not hungry.”
Mason’s eyes widened. For a moment, he seemed at a loss.
“I spent a long time making this. Why won’t you eat it?”
He stubbornly opened the box, revealing nothing but chicken breast and broccoli.
I had no appetite, I even felt a bit nauseous.
“Take it away.”
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Mason lost it.
“Audrey, what are you acting all high and mighty for? I’ve gone this far, what more do you want?!”
“So, spending the night with someone else and then making me a low–fat meal the next day is what you call compromise?”
I wanted to laugh, but couldn’t.
Suddenly, I didn’t even know who I had loved all these years.
I rubbed my tired, aching eyes.
“I’m tired. Just go.”
