The End Began in That Café

Charles' POV

Back then, I truly believed we’d grow old together.

But by our second year, the passion had cooled, but I didn’t mind. I thought steady love was the truest kind. So, I still dreamed about a warm, simple future with her.

Then, at the end of last year, Naomi got addicted to a mobile game, and we barely talked anymore.

I tried to find a way to reconnect, so I downloaded the same game, hoping to play it together.

But that was when I found out she already had a “partner” in the game, and it was none other than her “neighbor little brother,” Jason.

This July, Jason graduated from college and moved to San Diego to “start fresh.” From that moment on, Naomi and I did nothing but fight and give each other silent treatment.

She kept insisting she only saw him as a brother. But their behavior said otherwise.

She stayed overnight at his place because he supposedly had a stomachache and she “massaged his stomach all night.”

In the middle of a candlelight dinner, she left me sitting alone because Jason called, saying he was bored.

When I was hospitalized and couldn’t eat, she took the meal I’d ordered for myself and brought it to him instead.

After enough disappointment, you started to understand that when someone stopped loving you, even pretending became too much effort.

Once I decided to leave, I quietly started packing my things and shipping them back home, bit by bit. So, Naomi never noticed.

Last weekend, she told me Jason was treating us to dinner. My first instinct was to refuse. But her face immediately soured.

“Jason’s being nice and inviting you to eat, and you can’t even show some gratitude? Don’t be so ungrateful!”

I thought about it for a moment. Even if we were going to break up, I wanted to end things peacefully. So, I said, “Alright. I’ll go.”

When we arrived at the restaurant, Naomi went to park the car. She handed me the private room number and told me to head up first.

As I walked down the hallway, I could already hear laughter and teasing coming from inside.

“Jason, Naomi’s so good to you! I wish I had a sister like her!”

“Come on, everyone can tell she likes you.”

“Too bad she’s got a boyfriend already.”

“You mean that old guy from her car last time? I heard he’s twenty-six! How could he compare to you?”

“Exactly! One word from you, and she’d drop that boring old man in a heartbeat!”

I curled my lips into a faint smile and pushed the door open.

The laughter cut off instantly. Jason’s face froze when he saw me.

“Charles… I didn’t think you’d actually come,” he said awkwardly.

“Honestly,” I smiled lightly, “I didn’t want to.”

One of his friends rolled his eyes and muttered, “What’s he so proud of, that old man?”

I looked at him and shook my head with pity. “Old man? What, you don’t plan on living past twenty-six?”

“You—” he started, but before he could finish, Naomi walked in.

She saw me standing by the door and frowned. “What are you doing just standing there? Come in and sit down.”

Jason quickly got up, pretending to be concerned. “Charles, don’t be upset. I’ll grab you a clean set of dishes.”

Hearing that, Naomi immediately assumed I was picking on him. She stepped protectively in front of Jason and snapped, “Charles, that’s enough. He’s already trying to make peace, what more do you want?”

I wanted to laugh. Me? Petty?

“I’m not angry,” I said calmly. “Actually, I’m quite generous.”

Then I turned to Jason, who was standing just behind her, and smiled faintly. “Naomi’s all yours. No need to thank me.”

Her face turned bright red with fury. “Charles! What nonsense are you talking about?”

I met her gaze, my tone steady. “Naomi, let’s break up.”