Love Fading

“No matter how others treat you in the future, I, your unofficial brother, will always protect you. Let this music box be the proof.”

A young boy’s way of offering comfort was always so pure and straightforward, yet in that moment, it completely won over my helpless heart.

From that day until now, I’d loved Ethan for ten whole years.

I still remembered the promises he had made, but the one who swore those promises had long since forgotten them.

Holding the shattered remains in my hands, I gave them one last look before tossing them into the trash.

If that's the case, I didn't want both the promises and Ethan anymore. Never again.

By the time the next morning came, Ethan still hadn’t returned.

After shipping my luggage back home, I went to the office to print my resignation letter, ready to hand it to Ethan personally.

On the way, a message from him popped up:

[Baby, I went too far with my words yesterday. I ended up staying at the office to work and fell asleep there. I just woke up and I'll head back soon.]

I lifted my gaze to the empty office in front of me and placed the resignation letter on Ethan's desk.

I didn’t reply to his message. Instead, I exited the chat and removed him from my pinned conversations.

A red notification dot appeared in my contact list. It was Catherine sending me a friend request.

I hesitated briefly before accepting and immediately, a message popped up in the chat:

[Ethan, don’t forget to buy more condoms when you come back from the convenience store! You were too wild last night. You used up all the ones we had at home!]

The message was followed by several shy emojis.

At exactly the two-minute mark, Catherine deleted the message.

[Ah, I’m so sorry, Miss Johnson… I sent that to the wrong person… You didn’t see anything, did you?]

A pang of bitterness surged in my heart. I had no interest in playing along with her charade, but my fingers instinctively tapped into her social media feed.

One post after another unfolded before me, like a film reel playing out in front of my eyes.

It turned out that Catherine had been back for an entire month.

During this month, Ethan had been sneaking around, taking her to various places to enjoy themselves.

Looking back at the dates, I realized these trips were all during the times Ethan claimed he didn’t want me to be overwhelmed with work and deliberately assigned tasks to other employees.

Celestria Spire, Mount Kaelen, Seraphis Valley, they were all places I had once begged Ethan to visit with me.

He would always hold me in his arms, coaxing me with sweet words. “Alright, alright, once work isn’t so hectic, I’ll take you there.”

I waited for eight years and never saw him find the time. But when Catherine had only been back for a month, he suddenly was no longer busy.

At every destination, Ethan happily posed for countless photos with Catherine. Yet, during all the years I was with him, I was never allowed to point my camera at him.

He would say, "If my sister finds out I took her best friend, the little brat will probably kill me."

Or he’d say, "Baby, you're my secretary, after all. Office romances bring too much gossip and I don’t want you to get hurt."

But when one truly loved someone, how could it be hidden?

I was too naïve. Ethan had been evasive about our relationship for eight years. I should have realized long ago that he never loved me.

Just as I was about to close the app, a new photo from Catherine’s profile popped up.

The background was a large bed, with Catherine wearing a revealing camisole, her slender fingers tracing the man's firm, muscular abdomen.

It was a live photo and when I opened it, a familiar "Kate" echoed in my ears.

I had heard Ethan whisper it countless times in my ear with a seductive voice. "Kate,"

It turned out that the name he had always called was never mine.