“Mia, I’ll give you one chance. Take it back,
and I’ll pretend nothing happened.”
“I’m breaking up with you.”
I repeated it firmly.
“Slap!” He slapped me hard.
Anger made his chest heave.
“Mia, what’s wrong with you?”
“Are you spoiled? I’ve been too good to you,
and you’re taking advantage of me?”
“I haven’t done anything wrong. Why are you
breaking up with me?”
My head was spinning, burning with pain.
Nothing wrong?
I thought I misheard him.
I couldn’t believe he had the audacity to say
that.
Five years of betrayal flashed through my
mind.
I’d endured it for five years, but I couldn’t
anymore
く
“You think you’re right, whatever. I’m breaking
up with you.”
After saying that, I grabbed my suitcase to
leave.
He grabbed my hand.
“Don’t go. Let’s talk…”
His words were cut short by a ringtone.
His phone vibrated; the screen displayed:
“Yuki, my love.”
I almost threw up.
His eyes darted around; he answered quietly.
I didn’t hear the other side, but he said, “I’ll
be right there.”
He hung up, glaring at me.
“Mia, I don’t want to fight. Yuki had a car
accident. I need to go.”
“We’ll talk later. Cancel your flight.”
He grabbed his clothes and stormed out.
Through the window, I heard him speed off.
He was clearly in a rush.
<
He always acted quickly when it came to
Yuki.
I left without hesitation.
There were no more doubts.
12.
Falling in love can take seconds.
Forgetting someone can take years.
I was lucky to finally let go.
At the airport, my friend, Sonia, saw me off.
She was my only friend, and she knew about
Austin.
Seeing me, she patted my shoulder
sympathetically.
“Take care of yourself.”
“Call me anytime, I’ll keep an eye on things
back home.”
She’d once advised me against Austin.
She’d seen him with other women.
But I hadn’t believed her then.
I hugged her.
<
you,
23
On the plane, I remembered Austin’s proposal.
He stood among the crowd, holding flowers,
looking at me with unwavering affection.
He’d said, “Mia, I love you. Will you be my
girlfriend?”
“If you say yes, I’ll love you and cherish you
forever.”
But now he’d said that to someone else.
Vows are only true in the moment they’re
spoken.
I was met at the airport by company
representatives.
They’d arranged my accommodation.
13.
After showering, Austin called.