After He Cheated On Me, I Left Resolutely

"Regarding cooking in the kitchen, it's because she said she wanted my homemade chicken soup… Yesterday was because she…"

"The cake looks nice and tastes good, thank you," I said.

Patrick was momentarily speechless.

I lit the candles and made a wish, hoping this trip abroad would go smoothly.

"Thank you, sincerely," I said again.

Patrick, "...Vallerie, are you listening to me?"

"I heard you, and it's fine. You two are childhood friends, it's normal. I was immature before, it won't happen again," I said. "There is no chance," Patrick said.

There was a flicker of panic in Patrick's eyes.

"Won't you have a piece? This cake is really good. Their bakery has improved," I said, cutting a piece for him.

"Vallerie, are you… really not angry? Not upset?"

"Look at you, I said I'm not angry. Everyone has close friends, right?" I smiled.

Patrick looked at me strangely.

"Well, Vallerie, we have a class reunion tonight, and they asked us to bring our partners."

I was speechless. I stuffed a mouthful of cake into my mouth and slowly swallowed it.

I remembered how I used to eagerly ask to attend his gatherings, but he never took me, always finding excuses to go with Samuel.

"I'll pick you up tonight."

"That's… not convenient. I have something tonight," I said.

"Is there something wrong with the company?"

I nodded. I wasn't going to tell him I had enrolled in a TOEFL class to avoid any more drama.

"It's fine and we can make it in time."

"No, I have a few projects and need to get data ready by tomorrow. I don't know how late I'll be working. Don't let me delay your reunion, and besides, I don't really like your circle," I said.

Patrick couldn't believe I said that. I used to cling to him, eager to announce to the world that I was his girlfriend.

"But they're all bringing their girlfriends."

"If I don't finish, I won't get my bonus this month," I said, wiping my mouth with a napkin and getting up to change clothes.

After a while, he said, "In that case, I'll take Samuel. Don't…"

I was already upstairs.

The sound of the door closing echoed.

I was unmoved.

My plan to go abroad was already set. When my best friend Tina found out, she took a day off work and traveled by train to see me.

We went out for hotpot, and my phone rang—it was Samuel.

We had a group chat, and Samuel posted pictures of her and Patrick at the reunion, even posting on Twitter with the caption.

[Tonight is a class reunion for childhood friends, and we could only bring our girlfriends.]

I silently liked her post. Patrick also liked it. I sneered. Patrick never liked or commented on my posts.

In the past, I would confronted him, demanding an explanation, or rushed to the venue to declare that I was his girlfriend.

But now, I found it pointless. I left the group chat and set Samuel's updates to invisible.

"What's up? Can't let go?" Tina asked.

"Pfft, can't let go of what? He's just a man, and a scumbag at that," I said, silencing my phone, and we happily enjoyed our hotpot.

That night, I didn't go home. Tina and I stayed up chatting until dawn.

When I woke up, I turned off the silent mode on my phone. It immediately rang—it was Patrick, sounding angry, "Why didn't you reply to my messages or answer my calls?"

I looked at my phone and saw many missed calls and messages.

"Oh, Tina is here, I was with her. What's up?"

"Well, I came home early last night."

"Ok," I replied.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"No, just come home early."

I was speechless.

These days my company was busy, and I am busy too, busy with going abroad, busy with TOEFL classes, I almost forgot about Patrick.

Patrick called, "Vallerie, are you off work? It's been a while since we had dinner together."

I calculated the time. It was time to have a talk.

"Yes, I'm not too busy today. I'll come home."

"Great, don't leave after work. I'll pick you up."

I was about to say something when Helen called me to her office to discuss my trip and some important points.

By the time I finished, I took out my phone and found that Patrick had called me dozens of times. One WhatsApp message after another popped up.

[Dear, pick up the phone!]

[When did you move? Why didn't I know?]

[Are you still angry about what happened that day?]