Find Beauty After Leaving Wrong Love

As the end of the workday approached, it started raining outside. I received a call from Arturo.

"You're off work, right? Swing by the hospital to pick us up."

His command sounded so natural.

I wondered how lowly he thought of me, expecting me to go and pick them up in the rain.

"Well, there's a company dinner. I've no idea when it'll end."

"You can drop us off and go back."

"You can just take a cab."

I hung up and didn't care whether Arturo was fuming.

I had dinner and some drinks with a few colleagues I got along with.

When I got home, it was already eleven o'clock.

Arturo was sitting on the living room sofa.

"Why are you back so late?"

I ignored him.

After changing my shoes and washing my hands, I planned to go to my room to shower and sleep.

Arturo got up and blocked my way.

"Lynne, what do you mean by this?"

I looked up at him. The face that once filled me with joy now seemed so ordinary, perhaps because my heart had long since turned to still waters.

"What's the matter?"

I asked him.

He looked displeased. "It's fine that you didn't come to pick us up, but why are you back so late?"

I wanted to argue.

Just then, Esther's voice came from the bedroom.

"Lynne, did you drink? The smell makes me uncomfortable."

I stared at Arturo, thinking he had sent Esther back. Unexpectedly, he had brought her home.

It was absurd.

"Do you want me to stay in a hotel, or do you want to stay in a hotel with Arturo?"

"Lynne! How can you be so filthy-minded?"

Arturo reprimanded me loudly.

"Arturo, stop using your loud voice to cover your guilty conscience. Am I filthy-minded?"

I turned to Esther standing at the guest room door. " Esther, I heard from Arturo that you fainted yesterday because I blocked you. Don't be like that. I blocked not just you, but also him and many others. If you don't like the smell of alcohol, just close the door and go to sleep."

Esther looked aggrieved, tears streaming down her face.

Instead of responding to me, she looked at Arturo and said, "Arturo, I think I should leave. I don't want to make Lynne unhappy and cause a fight."

"It's so late. Where would you go? It's not safe outside. Go back to your room and sleep."

So, he knew it wasn't safe for a girl to be out at night.

When we first started our internships, our rented place was far away, and the company often required overtime. After work, I had to take the subway and walk a long distance. When I asked him to pick me up, his usual response was, "There are so many people on the streets, what's there to be afraid of?"

It was true. Even at midnight in this city, there were still many people.

What was there to be afraid of?

Esther stood still.

I was tired and walked into my room, locking the door behind me.

Arturo called out a few times outside, but I ignored him. All I could hear were Esther and his exchanges, which ended with him sending her back to her room.

Our house had two bedrooms. I occupied the master bedroom while Esther stayed in the guest room. Arturo could only sleep on the sofa.

I woke up to see him sitting on the sofa, with dark circles under his eyes.

I wasn't sure if it was poor sleep or if he stayed up all night.

"You're up. I booked tickets to Blightmoor. You wanted to travel, right? I'll go with you. Remember to request your leave today."

"I've been busy with work recently, so I can't go," I replied.

Arturo got up and stood in front of me.

"Are you still mad? Lynne, we're already engaged, not just a dating couple. Can you stop being so childish?"

That was when I realized something.

Arguing with him was wrong, and not arguing was also wrong.

Maybe being with him itself was a mistake.

I looked at him calmly, and he avoided my gaze.

"Alright, it's my fault, okay?"

I shook my head slightly.

"You did nothing wrong, and I'm not angry. Let's not dwell on this anymore."

I went to make coffee and checked out updates on Instagram.

I saw Esther's post again.

She was holding Arturo's trophy next to her cheek and took a photo, captioned with [Sleeping peacefully with Arturo's most beloved item.]

It was from a new account, not the one I blocked yesterday.

I opened it and found that we had never chatted before, and I didn't remember when I added her.

Anyway, I didn't block her again.

Let it be.

I got scolded for moving Arturo's trophy, not to mention taking a photo with it.

Turned out only I wasn't allowed to touch it. Others could.

I used to deceive myself, but now looking back, love and indifference were always clear.

I just had been blinded.

It was time to wake up.

Arturo wasn't happy about my rejection.

"Lynne, are you really not angry? What's the point of deceiving yourself? I know I shouldn't have left that day, but it was a life-and-death situation."

It was a life-and-death situation, but among all the people present, was the engaged party the only one who could take Esther to the hospital?

I picked up my phone, zoomed on Esther's post, and showed it to him.

"Life and death are crucial, but what about this? Arturo, do you remember how you yelled at me when I moved your first racing trophy while cleaning?"

I mocked myself, "Do you remember what you said to me back then?"