While You Chased Your Ex, I Let You Go

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While You Chased Your Ex, I Let You Go

NovelMaster new Completed
浪漫-Romance现实主义-Realistic

At the high school reunion, everyone was talking about the photos on their girlfriends' phones. They laughed, saying their couples' selfies didn’t even make up a fraction of the photos of their favorite celebrities. I stayed quiet. My girlfriend didn’t follow celebrities. But she had an encrypted album on her phone. Inside were hundreds of photos of her ex-boyfriend. During our three years together, she spent every single day planning. She was just waiting for him to come back to the country so she could find an excuse to dump me. Later, I gave her exactly what she wanted. I walked away first. But then, she got wasted night after night, begging me in every way possible not to leave her. 1 When I got out of the Uber, the Snapchat group chat was still blowing up. They were accusing me of gatekeeping the prettiest girl from our high school, keeping my relationship with Chloe a total secret. Marcus, my desk partner from high school, spoke up first: "If we don't see the queen Chloe herself at the next reunion, I swear the guys and I will drink you under the table." I laughed and replied, "We'll see who passes out first." The takeout seafood chowder I brought back from the restaurant was getting cold. I unzipped my winter coat, tucked the container close to my chest to keep it warm, and hurried upstairs. Two weeks ago, I had asked Chloe to come to this reunion with me. My project had just wrapped up, and I took her to a cozy cabin spa resort nearby. The scent of red wine blended with the warm steam of the hot spring, wrapping around us. She was in high spirits. Looking at me through the misty air with hazy, romantic eyes, she nodded. That was the happiest day of my life in the past three years. Chloe had never liked publicizing our relationship. She was the type of person who would post on Instagram about every little detail of her day, yet for three whole years, she never once mentioned my existence. I thought her agreeing to come to the reunion meant she was finally ready to go public. I thought my three years of devotion had finally earned me a decent, presentable spot in her heart. Until I woke up in the middle of the night and found her fast asleep beside me. The moonlight fell on her face, highlighting a wet tear mark at the corner of her eye. I reached out to pull her into my arms, but then I noticed something glowing faintly underneath her tightly closed palm. I glanced over. The screen was lit, displaying a familiar face. Julian. Her ex-boyfriend. That night, I sat propped up against the headboard, slowly going through Chloe’s phone. The heating in the hotel room was blasting, but my blood ran cold. Inside that screen, Julian was everywhere. An encrypted album held hundreds of photos of him. A Spotify playlist named "J.S." was filled with dozens of love songs. A list in her Notes app titled "Julian’s Favorites" recorded every song, movie, and restaurant he had ever recommended. On her Snapchat, Julian was the only contact with a red heart next to his name, pinned at the very bottom of her chat list. While everyone else had the default background for chats, her chat with him used a photo of them at their high school graduation. I remembered that day. The sun was perfect. Everyone thought this golden campus couple would end up together forever. Including me, who had quietly loved Chloe for three whole years. But now, Chloe was sleeping peacefully by my side. And during our three years together, she hadn’t exchanged a single text with Julian. Their chat log remained frozen in time, three years ago. Except... She had upgraded her phone four or five times in the last three years. Why had she never deleted those chats? 2 After putting the seafood chowder in the microwave, I quietly pushed open the bedroom door. The nightstand lamp was still on. This morning, Chloe suddenly told me she wasn't feeling well and couldn't make it to the reunion. Since I had already braced myself for this, I wasn't surprised. I just told her to get some rest. But seeing her curled up under the duvet, staring at her phone with flushed, smiling cheeks, still made my chest tighten. I walked straight toward the bed. Hearing me approach, she instantly locked her phone and shoved it under her pillow. Ignoring her guilty movements, I lifted her up from the bed and pulled her into my arms. Only when I held her warm, soft body tight could I actually feel that she was my girlfriend. She was the girl I had been with for three years, the one I wanted to build a future with. "I brought you some seafood chowder. Want to have some?" I asked softly, burying my face in her neck. Maybe she noticed something was off with my tone. She reached up and gently rubbed the back of my neck. "I'll make you some honey water first. It helps with the hangover." I didn’t answer. I kept my face hidden against her shoulder. The phone she had hurriedly stuffed under the pillow slipped out slightly. The screen lit up with several consecutive Snapchat notifications from Julian. "I'm flying back tomorrow." "It's been so long. Want to grab dinner?" 3 I had already heard rumors about Julian’s return. During the reunion, someone mentioned that his family's business was in deep trouble. His parents were caught up in some major lawsuits, forcing him to drop out of his university abroad and come back. Hearing this, Marcus had thrown an arm around my shoulder and asked if I was scared Julian would steal Chloe back. I rolled my eyes at him. "What’s mine stays mine. No one can steal her." I didn’t believe that in Chloe’s heart, a guy who broke up with her three years ago and vanished without a trace could ever compete with me, the one who had been by her side every single day. But the moment I saw Julian’s messages pop up on her screen, my confidence shattered. What if this was all just my wishful thinking? What if Chloe had never truly belonged to me? Her heart had belonged to Julian from the very beginning. Three years ago, when she got drunk and called me crying, she was just desperate for someone to fill the empty space Julian had left behind. Back then, Julian had just boarded his flight to go abroad. She threw herself into my arms, sobbing hysterically. She said Julian couldn't handle a long-distance relationship, so he ended things. And she hated herself for not having the courage to leave everything behind to go with him. That day, she was so fragile, like a stray kitten begging for warmth. And I willingly took the bait. 4 "What time do you get off tomorrow? I booked a table at that restaurant near your office to celebrate our third anniversary." I intentionally blocked her view, preventing her from seeing the new messages on her phone. Maybe she felt guilty for flaking on me today, because she agreed immediately. "Sure. I'll head over right after work." Our actual anniversary was the day after tomorrow. I deliberately chose tomorrow because I wanted to see who she would choose when forced to make a decision between me and Julian. The next day, I took a half-day off. I went to the mall to pick up the Bvlgari necklace I had ordered, then arrived at the restaurant early. I ordered the dishes. All I could think about was making sure Chloe could have a hot, comforting meal the second she got off work. She had a terrible stomach. They said it was because in high school, Julian told her she would look prettier if she lost some weight. So, she starved herself for six months, giving herself chronic stomach issues. During our three years together, I paid obsessive attention to her meals. I knew exactly what she could and couldn't eat. I knew which foods helped her digestion, and which ones would trigger her pain. Because I had seen her curled up in agony, cold sweat drenching her neck, unable to speak a single word. I had stayed up night after night by her hospital bed, watching the IV drip. Seeing her pale face resting against my chest made my heart ache. I believed no one in this world loved her more than I did. Not even herself. As the dinner rush hit, the restaurant filled up. I took a photo of the table full of food and sent it to her. She replied saying she was still working overtime and would be late. I told her it was fine, that I'd have the waiter reheat the food when she got here. But after putting my phone down, I couldn't help but look toward her office building. Her company was only a five-minute walk from this restaurant. I watched her colleagues walk out of the building one by one, saying goodbye to each other. The streets were bustling. I sat by the window, my eyes glued to the sixteenth floor of her office building. I tried to convince myself that as long as the lights were on, she wasn't lying. But the tables around me cleared and filled up again. The waiter refilled my glass of wine over and over. Yet, I kept staring at that sixteenth floor. Until the very last light on that floor was turned off, plunging it into darkness. Only then did I call Chloe. "Are you done with work? Should I pack the food and pick you up so we can eat at home?" There was a pause on the other end. "The year-end workload is just crazy. Everyone in the office is still working. Why don't you head home and eat first? Tomorrow... let's celebrate our anniversary tomorrow. It'll be my treat, to make it up to you." I was about to say "no need," when I heard a voice in the background of her call. "Chloe—" It was Julian's voice. Raspy, and clearly drunk. Chloe seemed terrified that I would hear him. She quickly blurted out that her colleague was asking for files and hung up. The cold dial tone beeped in my ear. It felt like a harsh wake-up call, telling me it was time to wake up from this beautiful dream.

Chapters (4)

第1章

At the high school reunion, everyone was talking about the photos on their girlfriends' phones. They laughed, saying their couples' selfies didn’t even make up a fraction of the photos of their favorite celebrities. I stayed quiet. My girlfriend didn’t follow celebrities. But she had an encrypted album on her phone. Inside were hundreds of photos of her ex-boyfriend. During our three years together, she spent every single day planning. She was just waiting for him to come back to the country so she could find an excuse to dump me. Later, I gave her exactly what she wanted. I walked away first. But then, she got wasted night after night, begging me in every way possible not to leave her. When I got out of the Uber, the Snapchat group chat was still blowing up. They were accusing me of gatekeeping the prettiest girl from our high school, keeping my relationship with Chloe a total secret. Marcus, my desk partner from high school, spoke up first: "If we don't see the queen Chloe herself at the next reunion, I swear the guys and I will drink you under the table." I laughed and replied, "We'll see who passes out first." The takeout seafood chowder I brought back from the restaurant was getting cold. I unzipped my winter coat, tucked the container close to my chest to keep it warm, and hurried upstairs. Two weeks ago, I had asked Chloe to come to this reunion with me. My project had just wrapped up, and I took her to a cozy cabin spa resort nearby. The scent of red wine blended with the warm steam of the hot spring, wrapping around us. She was in high spirits. Looking at me through the misty air with hazy, romantic eyes, she nodded. That was the happiest day of my life in the past three years. Chloe had never liked publicizing our relationship. She was the type of person who would post on Instagram about every little detail of her day, yet for three whole years, she never once mentioned my existence. I thought her agreeing to come to the reunion meant she was finally ready to go public. I thought my three years of devotion had finally earned me a decent, presentable spot in her heart. Until I woke up in the middle of the night and found her fast asleep beside me. The moonlight fell on her face, highlighting a wet tear mark at the corner of her eye. I reached out to pull her into my arms, but then I noticed something glowing faintly underneath her tightly closed palm. I glanced over. The screen was lit, displaying a familiar face. Julian. Her ex-boyfriend. That night, I sat propped up against the headboard, slowly going through Chloe’s phone. The heating in the hotel room was blasting, but my blood ran cold. Inside that screen, Julian was everywhere. An encrypted album held hundreds of photos of him. A Spotify playlist named "J.S." was filled with dozens of love songs. A list in her Notes app titled "Julian’s Favorites" recorded every song, movie, and restaurant he had ever recommended. On her Snapchat, Julian was the only contact with a red heart next to his name, pinned at the very bottom of her chat list. While everyone else had the default background for chats, her chat with him used a photo of them at their high school graduation. I remembered that day. The sun was perfect. Everyone thought this golden campus couple would end up together forever. Including me, who had quietly loved Chloe for three whole years. But now, Chloe was sleeping peacefully by my side. And during our three years together, she hadn’t exchanged a single text with Julian. Their chat log remained frozen in time, three years ago. Except... She had upgraded her phone four or five times in the last three years. Why had she never deleted those chats?

第2章

After putting the seafood chowder in the microwave, I quietly pushed open the bedroom door. The nightstand lamp was still on. This morning, Chloe suddenly told me she wasn't feeling well and couldn't make it to the reunion. Since I had already braced myself for this, I wasn't surprised. I just told her to get some rest. But seeing her curled up under the duvet, staring at her phone with flushed, smiling cheeks, still made my chest tighten. I walked straight toward the bed. Hearing me approach, she instantly locked her phone and shoved it under her pillow. Ignoring her guilty movements, I lifted her up from the bed and pulled her into my arms. Only when I held her warm, soft body tight could I actually feel that she was my girlfriend. She was the girl I had been with for three years, the one I wanted to build a future with. "I brought you some seafood chowder. Want to have some?" I asked softly, burying my face in her neck. Maybe she noticed something was off with my tone. She reached up and gently rubbed the back of my neck. "I'll make you some honey water first. It helps with the hangover." I didn’t answer. I kept my face hidden against her shoulder. The phone she had hurriedly stuffed under the pillow slipped out slightly. The screen lit up with several consecutive Snapchat notifications from Julian. "I'm flying back tomorrow." "It's been so long. Want to grab dinner?"

第3章

I had already heard rumors about Julian’s return. During the reunion, someone mentioned that his family's business was in deep trouble. His parents were caught up in some major lawsuits, forcing him to drop out of his university abroad and come back. Hearing this, Marcus had thrown an arm around my shoulder and asked if I was scared Julian would steal Chloe back. I rolled my eyes at him. "What’s mine stays mine. No one can steal her." I didn’t believe that in Chloe’s heart, a guy who broke up with her three years ago and vanished without a trace could ever compete with me, the one who had been by her side every single day. But the moment I saw Julian’s messages pop up on her screen, my confidence shattered. What if this was all just my wishful thinking? What if Chloe had never truly belonged to me? Her heart had belonged to Julian from the very beginning. Three years ago, when she got drunk and called me crying, she was just desperate for someone to fill the empty space Julian had left behind. Back then, Julian had just boarded his flight to go abroad. She threw herself into my arms, sobbing hysterically. She said Julian couldn't handle a long-distance relationship, so he ended things. And she hated herself for not having the courage to leave everything behind to go with him. That day, she was so fragile, like a stray kitten begging for warmth. And I willingly took the bait.

第4章

"What time do you get off tomorrow? I booked a table at that restaurant near your office to celebrate our third anniversary." I intentionally blocked her view, preventing her from seeing the new messages on her phone. Maybe she felt guilty for flaking on me today, because she agreed immediately. "Sure. I'll head over right after work." Our actual anniversary was the day after tomorrow. I deliberately chose tomorrow because I wanted to see who she would choose when forced to make a decision between me and Julian. The next day, I took a half-day off. I went to the mall to pick up the Bvlgari necklace I had ordered, then arrived at the restaurant early. I ordered the dishes. All I could think about was making sure Chloe could have a hot, comforting meal the second she got off work. She had a terrible stomach. They said it was because in high school, Julian told her she would look prettier if she lost some weight. So, she starved herself for six months, giving herself chronic stomach issues. During our three years together, I paid obsessive attention to her meals. I knew exactly what she could and couldn't eat. I knew which foods helped her digestion, and which ones would trigger her pain. Because I had seen her curled up in agony, cold sweat drenching her neck, unable to speak a single word. I had stayed up night after night by her hospital bed, watching the IV drip. Seeing her pale face resting against my chest made my heart ache. I believed no one in this world loved her more than I did. Not even herself. As the dinner rush hit, the restaurant filled up. I took a photo of the table full of food and sent it to her. She replied saying she was still working overtime and would be late. I told her it was fine, that I'd have the waiter reheat the food when she got here. But after putting my phone down, I couldn't help but look toward her office building. Her company was only a five-minute walk from this restaurant. I watched her colleagues walk out of the building one by one, saying goodbye to each other. The streets were bustling. I sat by the window, my eyes glued to the sixteenth floor of her office building. I tried to convince myself that as long as the lights were on, she wasn't lying. But the tables around me cleared and filled up again. The waiter refilled my glass of wine over and over. Yet, I kept staring at that sixteenth floor. Until the very last light on that floor was turned off, plunging it into darkness. Only then did I call Chloe. "Are you done with work? Should I pack the food and pick you up so we can eat at home?" There was a pause on the other end. "The year-end workload is just crazy. Everyone in the office is still working. Why don't you head home and eat first? Tomorrow... let's celebrate our anniversary tomorrow. It'll be my treat, to make it up to you." I was about to say "no need," when I heard a voice in the background of her call. "Chloe—" It was Julian's voice. Raspy, and clearly drunk. Chloe seemed terrified that I would hear him. She quickly blurted out that her colleague was asking for files and hung up. The cold dial tone beeped in my ear. It felt like a harsh wake-up call, telling me it was time to wake up from this beautiful dream.