Love Flows Deep Into the Years

I finished the sentence calmly.

Max, on the other end of the line, wasn’t really listening. He was busy talking to Jane about some movie character. Another conversation going nowhere.

Just as I was about to hang up, I heard a light “tsk” in my ear. Max had heard me after all, but he didn’t care.

“Again? When have you ever really broken up with me? In the end, you’re the one crying and begging,” he said mockingly, like a cold needle straight to my heart.

But this time, it didn’t hurt.

I wanted to tell him I was serious this time, but before I could speak, Jane’s sweet, playful voice chimed in from his side:

“Sorry, Sadie, for making you miss meeting Max’s parents today! I really wanted to come to Quentin Lake, so he brought me instead…”

Beep.

My phone died. Out of battery.

I couldn’t even defend myself.

The clock behind me ticked away, marking the hours. I’d been waiting from morning until night—eight hours. Max would never think my phone had died. He’d assume I was just mad at him.

It was raining hard. I curled up in the corner, shivering, with my legs numb and swollen from squatting for so long.

Three hours later, the rain finally stopped.

I stood up and began walking toward the main road. My body shook with every step. It was freezing. I’d dressed lightly, hoping to look good for meeting Max’s parents, but now the thin autumn coat was no match for the damp night air. The cold wind bit at me, my teeth chattered and my vision started to fade.

The next thing I knew, I had fainted in the middle of the street.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital. A passing taxi driver had found me and brought me in.

He didn’t say much, just handed me a cup of warm water.

“Had a fight with your boyfriend, huh? No matter how bad it gets, he shouldn’t leave you stranded in the road like that. It’s dangerous!”

He wasn’t wrong. He’d figured it out. Max had left me behind.

It took me six years to realize it.

I smiled, holding the warm water. “It won’t happen again. Thank you.”

The driver nodded and waved it off like it was no big deal. Then, as if remembering something, he handed me my fully charged phone and held up two fingers.

“Your ‘Baby’ called. It rang for about two seconds. I didn’t answer.”

Two seconds.

Max really couldn’t be bothered.

I smiled at the driver. “It’s fine, thank you.”

“He’s already dead to me.”

The driver seemed to understand and didn’t push any further.

There was a message from Max waiting for me on DayChat.

[Come on, what’s the big deal? It’s just meeting my parents. We’ve been together for so long. Just wait a little longer, I’ll take you next time.]

I didn’t bother replying. I blocked him and deleted his number.

After the IV drip and paying the hospital bill, the driver kindly offered to take me home. Before I got out, I quietly left 30 dollars on the back seat.

“Thanks for everything.”

The driver waved it off again. “Take care of yourself, okay?”

I nodded, forcing a smile. “I will.”

When I got home, I went straight to the attic and dug out an old suitcase. In that big house, there was barely anything that belonged to me.

Max came from a poor family. His biggest dream was to pass the civil service exam in Bremont. After we graduated, he begged me to give up the teaching job I’d landed and come to Bremont with him so he could focus on the exam.

I couldn’t say no to him and I didn’t want to break up. So, I took all my savings and moved to Bremont to support him.

Max didn’t let himself down. He passed the civil service exam the very next year.

But he let me down. He let down this one-sided love I had chased after for miles.

People always say online that women shouldn’t spend their money on men or cross mountains and rivers for someone. That person won’t remember, won’t be touched.

You’ll be the only one feeling anything.

How true those words turned out to be.

It took me 20 minutes to pack, filling just half the suitcase. There wasn’t much left in that room that was mine.