Chapter 499 Giving Up
The Tale of Amelia and Ryan
Ryan was kicking himself. He stood in front of Amelia's car, practically begging her to stay.
He admitted he messed up. Grace was just the girl next door he grew up with, a childhood crush. But now, the only one he loved was Amelia.
Amelia looked at his teary eyes and suddenly remembered the day they talked about getting married. She had looked at him the same way, pleading with him to stay.
But what did he do?
I finally wrapped up my business trip and had a free afternoon to explore the old town of Greenport.
I stood alone by the moat, gripping the railing, watching the river flow calmly, listening to the birds chirping, and catching the faint scent of flowers in the air.
My restless heart found some peace.
Then, it started to rain. A gentle, steady rain that felt both warm and cool.
I opened the umbrella I bought from a corner store and wandered down the path in the rain.
Memories of Ryan played in my mind like a movie.
From the first time I met him when I was a mess to the fifth year of our relationship when he ditched me at a family gathering.
As I walked and thought, it was like reliving those moments all over again.
I reached the little stone house where I was staying just as those memories finished playing.
I once thought that after all these years, I'd have endless happy memories, but in reality, it was just endless sadness and moments I wished I could forget.
Actually, there weren't that many memories.
The elderly woman next door came out to throw away the trash. Seeing me standing in the rain, lost in thought, she asked if something was bothering me and if I wanted to talk about it. She promised to keep it a secret.
I smiled gently. "I'm fine. I just came out to throw away the trash, too."
Yeah, Ryan was trash, and I had already thrown him away.
It rained all night, but to my surprise, the morning brought bright sunshine.
I sat in the new place I rented and called my brother. I told him I was done with Ryan.
On the other end of the line, my brother was silent for a moment, then let out an excited shout.
"Amelia, that's awesome! Took you long enough, but better late than never. Ryan never deserved you," my brother said, practically growling.
I gripped the phone tightly, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill.
In our five-year relationship, it was always me giving, always me enduring, always me being ignored.
Now, I finally stood up for myself, but it felt like ripping my heart out.
I spoke lightly, but only I knew how much it hurt inside.
But pain is pain. Once you get through it, you naturally feel better.
When I was eighteen, just starting my senior year of high school, I stood up for a girl being bullied and taught the bully a lesson. The bully's parents came to the school, and the teacher punished me by making me clean the entire playground.I cried while cleaning, feeling so wronged.
It was about to rain, and seeing that there was still a lot of the playground left to clean, I just sat on the platform and cried my heart out.
The girl who was bullied was small and thin, being tossed around like a ragdoll by the bully. She only dared to cry silently. I couldn't stand it and kicked the bully, rescuing her.
I did a good deed, so why was I the one being punished? And such a humiliating punishment as cleaning the playground!
At that moment, Ryan showed up.
"Don't cry. I'll help you clean." After understanding the situation, he patted my head to comfort me.
I looked up at his serious face, completely captivated by the gentleness in his eyes.
From that day on, eighteen-year-old Amelia gave her heart to twenty-four-year-old Ryan. In her eyes and heart, there was no room for anyone else but Ryan.
At that time, my brother said, "Amelia, I want to talk to you in person."
I replied, "Okay." My brother was really worried about me. I continued, "I'll be back tomorrow. Let's meet at the coffee shop on the corner in the evening."
My brother was a little late. By the time he arrived, I had already finished half my coffee.
He sat across from me, unscrewed a bottle of water, and drank half of it before getting down to business. He said, "Tell me, what happened that made you want to break up?"
I didn't respond, just picked up a small spoon and stirred my coffee absentmindedly.
It wasn't that I didn't want to talk, but I didn't know what to say or where to start.
After all, it was pretty embarrassing.
"If you don't want to talk, that's fine. Let me guess. Is it because of Grace, who always pretends to be a friend but flirts with Ryan?" my brother remarked.
Hearing my brother describe Grace like that, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my fingers as if they were being sliced by the spoon.
My brother was a wise observer.
He saw things more clearly than I did.
He had witnessed everything between Ryan and me over the years.
I nodded calmly. "Yes, it was Grace that made me determined to break up."
My brother said, "Grace talks sweetly, but she has no good intentions towards Ryan. She deliberately comes between you two."
Even my brother saw through Grace's actions. I couldn't believe Ryan didn't see it.
It was just that Ryan had already defined our relationship in a way that was purely one-sided on my part. He thought he had everything under control. He was too confident, believing that no matter what he did, I wouldn't leave.
Ryan's mom said that Grace and Ryan grew up together, never missing any important moments in each other's lives. Their bond was strong, and they were the most suitable people to get married.
Ryan was distant with me but meticulous with Grace, even squatting down to tie her difficult shoelaces.
They accompanied each other to all events, talking about things I couldn't join in on and doing things that only couples should do under the guise of friendship.
But clearly, I was Ryan's girlfriend!
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