After the Breakup, His Efforts Were All In Vain

Joshua Martinez once again stood me up for the date that I had been looking forward to for a long time.

I heard the woman on the other end of the phone ask him for a bath towel in a soft voice.

But I calmly focused on my fast food.

For the last time, I decided to step aside and let him be with the woman he loved more.

——

The phone rang just as I was about to take a bite of steak.

"Hello," I said.

"I'm sorry, Selena. I got held up with something and won't be able to make it to dinner," Joshua said, sounding tired.

As I continued to eat, I reassured him considerately.

"It's okay. You take care of what you need to do first."

He heard the noise from the fast food restaurant I was in and seemed a bit stunned.

"You... didn't go to La Maison, either?" he asked.

La Maison is a renowned restaurant for couples, and reservations are required a month in advance.

"No, because I had a team dinner with my colleagues."

"Then why didn't you tell me? Do you want me to go there for nothing?"

I remained unruffled by his angry question.

I replied casually, "No, you didn't go, did you? Besides, didn't Hailey Wilson lose her cat? Have you found it?"

Joshua's anger suddenly subsided, and he was a little hesitant but not guilty at all.

"It wasn't missing. It hid in the corner of the stairs. We've found it."

"Okay, I'm having dinner now. Let's talk when I get home."

At the same time, a woman's small but clear voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Josh, could you hand me my bath towel?"

I pursed my lips and hung up on Joshua.

He didn't say where he was or why he stood me up.

But I had guessed it.

An hour ago, Hailey posted something on Instagram.

[My cat is missing. I'm so scared. Can anyone help me?] At the end was a crying emoji.

When I saw this post, I immediately canceled my reservation at La Maison.

Going to a couples' restaurant alone would just make me a laughingstock.

After all, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.

Whenever Hailey was in trouble, Joshua always jumped in to help first.

She was a business partner he had met at a dinner party.

She had just graduated from college and was young and attractive.

She looked charmingly mischievous and lively.

She was like a wildflower just coming into bloom, delicate, beautiful, and fragile.

Joshua criticized her for being impulsive and immature, but he only did so after helping her.

I kept hearing more about Hailey because she'd been increasingly present in Joshua's life.

He talked about her work and her life.

According to him, Hailey was quite interesting.

He described her as a lonely little wildflower—resilient and unyielding, which made people feel a sense of sympathy for her.

Every now and then, she would post something sad on Instagram and send Joshua subtle, unspoken messages on WhatsApp.

All this made Joshua feel anxious and restless, overwhelmed by his sense of responsibility.

And no matter when or where, he would go to her.

When I was sick, she just so happened to sprain her ankle.

When I took time off for my birthday, he had to look after her because she wasn't feeling well.

When I worked late and couldn't find a cab, he was celebrating her birthday and partying all night.

Things like that had happened again and again, and I had been used to it.

Now, it was just another minor missed appointment, and I barely felt any emotional upheaval.

I did feel it was a shame not to go to the famous restaurant, but that was all.

Back home, I freshened up and went to bed.

In the middle of the night, the side of the bed where Joshua usually sleeps sank, so I instinctively moved to the other side.

The next morning, I couldn't help but think that an extra 20 minutes of sleep felt like a liberating gift.

As I ate my breakfast, I scrolled through the news on my phone.

Joshua walked out of the bedroom, in a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt, yawning.

He exuded a sense of laziness and casualness.

He glanced at the coffee and omelet on the table and said, "You didn't make breakfast today?"

"No, I've been really tired from work lately. I wanted to sleep in a bit longer. We'll just buy breakfast from now on."

"Alright, I told you not to bother."

I didn't respond, scrolling through my phone. He turned around and went into the bathroom.

He often had a lot of dinner parties and social gatherings, and I used to experiment with stomach-soothing recipes for him, cooking porridge early in the morning.

My cooking was pretty good, and he enjoyed it, but two months ago, he started finding excuses not to eat or ate very little.

I worried that he'd be hungry in the morning, so I kept making his portion.

Recently, though, he suddenly started eating again.

Curious, I checked Hailey's ‎Instagram.

Sure enough, I found the latest missed update.

[The breakfast shop downstairs is closed. Looks like I won't be able to bring breakfast for someone anymore. Hope he doesn't end up starving.]

I immediately understood the hidden meaning.

That was what came to my mind.

From that moment on, I felt sorry for myself and realized I had wronged myself.

A quarrel that couldn't solve problems would only drain my energy.

So, I stopped bringing it up.

Whenever it came to Hailey, Joshua always thought I was targeting her and slandering her.

...

I kept losing my temper and exploding.

He ended up choosing Hailey repeatedly and siding with her.

His dismissive comment about being "just a friend" left me speechless.

He acted as if it was a matter of course.

He didn't feel guilty or offer an explanation; he just often scolded me impatiently.

"You're so annoying. I've told you a hundred times she's just a friend. Can't I have female friends? She doesn't have any family here, and I'm just helping her out. Hailey is right; people who are morally corrupt see everything in a negative light."

In the end, he slammed the door and left, not returning home for several days.

Silent treatment doesn't solve problems but can suppress those who raise them.

Because I love him more, I'm always the one to compromise first.

At this point, I didn't want to say anything more.

Anyway, he could feed himself with whatever food he got, so I wouldn't bother doing anything that wasn't worth it.

As I was getting ready to leave, he looked at me hesitantly as if he wanted to say something.

...

But he didn't speak up, and I didn't plan to ask. As I reached for the doorknob, he pulled me back.

I turned my head and asked, "What's wrong?"

He pressed his lips together, looking at me but still not speaking.

I frowned and looked down, checking the time on my phone.

"I'm going to miss the bus," I said.

"Last night, I didn't intentionally stand you up. It was because Hailey's cat ran away. She really likes that cat, and I went to help her because she was so anxious. Also…"

He trailed off, and I lifted my phone to show him the time.

"Also, you might have heard what she said last night, but she was sweating while looking for the cat, and I was just watching the cat while she took a shower. I promise nothing happened."

He finished in a hurry and anxiously waited for my reaction.

"Is that all?" I asked.

He nodded in a daze.

"Okay, I'm going to work."

As I opened the door, he pushed it shut again, blocking my way.

"Are you angry? You don't trust me, do you?"

He sounded irritated again, so I had to explain.

"No, I trust you. It's normal for you to help her since she's a girl. It's also normal for her to sweat and take a shower. Besides, you came back last night, didn't you?"

He looked surprised, unable to believe I wasn't arguing with him and even responded with such understanding.

"Okay, if I don't leave soon, I'll really be late."

Without waiting for his reply, I pushed him away and left.