Chapter 501 Incisive
Ryan just up and left.
His parents finally realized how rude it was for him to bail in the middle of such an important event. They went overboard trying to lighten the mood, constantly saying that Ryan and Grace were just childhood friends, that they were close, and that he didn't want his good friend to suffer. They told us not to read too much into it.
But come on, at such a big moment, Ryan brought along a girl he grew up with and ditched his girlfriend and her parents for her. Who's gonna believe there's nothing going on between them?
Ryan's parents tried to talk about the engagement with my folks. My dad was totally uninterested, and my mom looked upset and didn't say a word. Eventually, Ryan's parents gave up and just kept pushing us to eat.
Not only did I notice, but my parents saw through it too. It was all just a show. If they were serious about discussing the engagement, they would've started when Ryan was still there, instead of having him constantly take care of Grace.
The much-anticipated family gathering ended with just me alone.
After the banquet, I dropped my parents off at the hotel and went back to the house I shared with Ryan.
I cried for a long time, hugging myself. Yet Ryan still didn't come back, not even a phone call.
Eventually, I cried myself to sleep.
When I woke up the next morning, I found Ryan sleeping next to me, smelling like some unfamiliar body wash.
That day, after getting up, I made breakfast while picking up the clothes he had tossed all over the living room.
His white shirt was crumpled into a ball, with a few faint marks that I was pretty sure were lipstick stains.
After washing the clothes, I found the drain was clogged.
I worked on it for a long time and finally found what was blocking it—a used condom wrapper.
It was a brand I knew, but not the one we used. Because we hadn't had sex for over a month.
Looking at that wrapper, I felt like I was being stabbed in the heart. I squatted on the floor, crying uncontrollably.
Ryan was no longer mine.
After crying enough, I changed my clothes, skipped breakfast, and groggily went to work.
I tried to keep myself busy at work, not letting myself think about that wrapper.
But my heart still ached terribly.
The whole day, there wasn't a single call or message from Ryan on my phone.
He acted like nothing had happened, leaving me to suffer alone without a word of comfort.
I once thought this was the peak of my pain, that nothing could hurt me more.
But when I got home that day, I saw a light pink dress, washed clean and gently swaying in the wind, hanging on the master bedroom balcony.
I was shocked and ran to the balcony to see it. The hand-wringing marks on the dress were so clear.
Ryan had washed this dress for Grace by hand.
At that moment, I felt immense pain.
I had begged him countless times to do things for me, but he did them silently and willingly for Grace.
My eyes gradually blurred, and my heart ached so much that I slid down onto the floor tiles.
Why?Ryan was my boyfriend for years. Why would he do things for Grace that he never did for me?
It was simple: I just wasn't important to him.
Like the plants I kept on the windowsill, I spent at least half an hour every day taking care of them. Whenever a plant had a problem, I would quickly remove it and carefully tend to it.
Ryan never even glanced at those flowers. On the contrary, he was particularly annoyed when I took care of them.
Maybe, in his eyes, I was just like those plants: not worth his effort and never truly appreciated.
After hearing my story, my brother clenched his fists tightly, showing his anger.
I laughed bitterly and tried to calm him down. "Why are you so angry? It's the last time anyway."
Ryan and I had been together for over five years. I gave everything to Ryan, but I could never compare to the person in his heart.
I spent five years proving that my love was just a joke without an audience.
"Fuck, those two bastards have gone too far," my brother couldn't hold back and cursed.
He pulled out his phone to call Ryan, wanting to give him a piece of his mind.
But I didn't think it was necessary.
I quickly grabbed his phone and put it aside. "Don't get angry. Leave it to me. I started this relationship, so I should be the one to end it. Don't worry. I can handle it."
My brother retorted, "You can handle it? If you could really handle it, you wouldn't have been bullied by Ryan to this extent."
On the day we were supposed to discuss the engagement, my brother was on a business trip in a faraway city and couldn't attend.
Seeing him so furious, I was actually glad he wasn't there that day.
Otherwise, with Ryan's outrageous behavior, my brother would have definitely gone up and hit him.
I said I was glad, not because I was worried about Ryan getting beaten up. After all, with what he did, a beating would be letting him off easy.
I was worried my brother would get into trouble for taking responsibility for someone who wasn't worth it.
I said, "I really can handle it. At worst, I'll drag Ryan to a blind spot in the surveillance and give him a good kick."
I was still in the mood to joke with my brother.
I never thought I would joke about Ryan one day. Time really did change a person.
"Let's hope so. I'm telling you, Ryan has bullied you to this extent. Think it through. Don't let Ryan sweet-talk you into going back to him," my brother said.
I was surprised my brother said this much. I thought he would have told me to break up with Ryan like he used to.
"I've been hurt by Ryan and Grace. Why aren't you encouraging me to get revenge?" I teased my brother with interest.
My brother tightened his face and raised his voice in anger. "He's the one who doesn't value your feelings; he's bad. But you're the one who doesn't value yourself; that's pathetic."
His words were harsh but true.
"Yes." I nodded in agreement. "Your summary is quite accurate. If you had managed me like this earlier, maybe I wouldn't have been so foolish for so many years."
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