Chapter 3

The coffee in my hand dropped to the floor with a thud.

The sound of my heart breaking in despair filled my mind.

Throughout January—a whole month—I felt like I was walking through an abyss.

I'd just quit my previous job and started at a new company.

My relationships there were a complete disaster.

My supervisor constantly gave me trouble. The endless overtime drained every ounce of my energy.

Coworkers relentlessly sabotaged me, nearly driving me insane. I lost ten pounds in three days.

All I could do was call Zachary late at night and sob hysterically.

At that time, I desperately wanted him beside me, giving me a hug, offering grounded comfort and support.

But he said he'd been pulled into a major project and would need at least two months before he could break away to see me.

On the video call, his eyes turned red with distress. This usually strong man's voice even choked up when he said my name.

"Lydia, I wish we were together. Then I wouldn't have to watch you cry through a screen, feeling my heart torn apart while being completely helpless."

"Quit your job. Come to New York to be with me. I'll take care of you. With you here, I won't be afraid of anything."

Tears streaming down my face, I pressed my phone to my chest, as if that would bring him closer to me.

Looking at him, I nodded then shook my head.

"No, I can't be a housewife who depends on you."

"Zachary, trust me. I can handle everything and establish myself at this new company!"

He smiled with relief, sending me kisses and hugs through the screen.

"I, Zachary, have unconditional faith that our brave Lydia will make everyone look at her with new respect!"

Distance was a problem, but we loved each other deeply.

He called me every day to make me laugh and transferred money for me to buy small gifts.

I found it unbelievable that during that hellish month, he was helping Melanie renovate the coffee shop.

Working toward a future where they could see each other every day.

Zachary—his love could apparently be divided in two.

In the staff member's bewildered gaze, I walked out of the coffee shop.

The next second, my mom called.

Her voice carried excitement.

"Sweetheart, did you see Zachary? Did you two get your marriage license?"

She knew I was planning to register my marriage with Zachary.

Without warning, my foot slipped. I fell hard, landing directly on my bottom on the nearby steps.

Intense pain spread throughout my body. I was a complete mess.

A overwhelming sense of grievance crashed over me.

I couldn't hold back anymore. I broke down crying.

"Mom, Zachary and I can't get married. He doesn't love me anymore."

"He cheated on me. Five years—he lied to me for five whole years. Does he even have a heart?"

Mom listened to my breakdown on the other end, anxious but helpless.

She said, "Sweetheart, people change. The seventeen-year-old Zachary loved you sincerely and purely, but at twenty-seven, he's no longer that boy who cherished only you above all else in the world."

Tears silently slid into the snow.

When I was a sophomore, I transferred into Zachary's class as the new student.

Unable to keep up with the pace that semester, my grades kept dropping.

I secretly cried while looking at my report card.

Zachary, my deskmate, wiped the tears from my face with a tissue.

"Don't cry. I'll tutor you. I guarantee your grades will skyrocket!"

One semester passed, and I made tremendous progress.

From the bottom of the class, I became like him—consistently ranking in the top three.

My real dependence on him transformed when he witnessed my alcoholic father beating me with fists and kicks.

In that alley, he recklessly pulled my scumbag father away and dragged me by the wrist as we ran.

The warmth of the young man's embrace was scorching, his heartbeat in his chest racing faster and faster.

"Lydia, I'll protect you. Trust me."

I clutched his school uniform tightly. "Keep your word, Zachary. Don't lie to me."

Later, we naturally became a couple.

I introduced him to Melanie, who attended my previous school.

After meeting him, Melanie fiercely warned him, "Zachary, if you dare hurt my precious Lydia, I'll fight you to the death!"

Zachary always said Melanie was formidable—my knight protector.

But reality always catches you off guard.

After graduation, Zachary went to work in New York, Melanie went to Los Angeles, and I stayed in San Francisco.

At first, Zachary came to see me every month.

To save money, he rode trains like they were subway lines.

With limited time, we'd eat one meal together, then just hold each other under a tree sharing stories about our lives.

Every parting at the station tore my heart apart with pain.

Zachary held me tightly, greedily absorbing my scent.

"Baby, I've also taken on online freelance work. That means extra income, so I can buy a house sooner and marry you."

From New York to San Francisco—over two hundred train tickets stacked up to nearly half my height.

Yet he proudly collected them. "Because you're worth it. These are my medals, proof of my love for you."

I felt sorry for his dark circles, so I secretly took on two part-time jobs myself.

Naively believing that if we both worked hard together, we could build a happy home.

In the end, it only earned me the double betrayal of him and my best friend.