When Love Says Goodbye

The sky was just beginning to brighten as the woman stood at the doorway, holding a food thermos.

She said to me, “Joel, I have to travel abroad next week.

"This Saturday, I can squeeze some time to have dinner with your parents and discuss our wedding…”

Before she could finish, I cut her off decisively. “There's no need.”

Vinny was visibly startled. “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

I smiled and lied, “They’re out of town on vacation and won’t be back.”

She stared at me unblinkingly, as if there was more she wanted to say, but just then, her phone rang. Without hesitation, she closed the door and rushed to take the call.

Friday came. It was my last day at work.

As soon as I stepped out of the company, Vinny forcefully pulled me into her sports car without giving me a chance to resist.

At a fancy restaurant, Vinny was slicing a steak while casually asking which wine I’d prefer.

Absentmindedly scrolling through my phone, I replied indifferently, “Anything’s fine. You decide.”

My distracted demeanor made the woman angrily set down her knife and fork. She asked me, "Who are you chatting with so intently?"

"No one," I replied.

Despite my answer, she still grabbed my phone with a cold expression and began flipping through it.

After a moment, she looked at me with displeasure and asked, "When did you change your wallpaper?"

For years, my phone’s wallpaper had always been a photo of the two of us together. Now, it had been replaced by a picture of the husky my parents were raising.

Not in the mood to explain, I simply got up and headed to the restroom.

When I returned, Vinny was gone.

Suddenly, the lights in the entire room went out. A server appeared, slowly pushing a birthday cake in my direction.

The cake cart stopped at the table next to mine and lingered for a moment before my phone lit up. It was a birthday message from an unknown number.

As I walked out of the restaurant, I heard a familiar, soft and playful voice, “Ahhh~ Walter, you’re so strong! Push me higher, please!”

It was Vinny, sitting on the swing outside the restaurant, shrieking with excitement as she urged Walter to push her higher. But her greed got the better of her—after just a couple of swings, she tumbled straight into his arms.

Their eyes met and they smiled at each other, wrapped in an embrace that lingered far too long before they finally noticed my presence.

Vinny’s eyes flashed with a hint of disappointment and she stared at me blankly.

“Joel,” Walter said, laughing awkwardly, “Ms. Lark is so insistent—I’ve been pushing her for over ten minutes and she still keeps asking for more…”

Halfway through his sentence, Walter feigned surprise, raising his eyebrows while reluctantly prying Vinny’s hands off his neck.

“Listen, Joel, don’t misunderstand,” he stammered. “I was just worried Ms. Lark might fall, so I…”

Vinny affectionately ruffled Walter’s dark hair, her eyes soft and full of warmth as she gazed at him.

“Silly Walter. What’s there to explain? Joel isn’t the kind of boring man who gets jealous over nothing.”

After soothing Walter, she dropped all tenderness and frowned at me. “Already full? Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I turned and headed toward the Ferris wheel not far away. They say that if you make a wish on a Ferris wheel on your birthday, it will definitely come true.

As I walked away, Walter’s eyes gleamed with a mocking expression. He quickly pulled Vinny along to follow me.

“Ms. Lark, I’ve never been on a Ferris wheel before. It looks like so much fun…”

When the staff announced there were only two seats left, Vinny didn’t spare me a single glance. Smiling brightly, she took Walter’s hand and got on ahead of me.

Twenty minutes later. After returning to the ground, Vinny searched the entire mall but couldn’t find me anywhere.

At 8:00 PM, I walked out of the bedroom, luggage in hand. Sliding a note with the words 'Breakup' written on it under the key, I left without looking back.

***

At 11:00 PM, my phone rang. It was a call from Vinny. At the time, I was in the living room chatting with my parents and didn’t notice it.

An hour later, she called again. I turned off the screen, powered down my phone and went to sleep.

I slept until noon the next day. When I turned my phone back on, I was startled to see over a dozen missed calls. Feeling a strange hunch, I opened MeTalk.

There, I saw a series of rare, frantic messages from Vinny, who was usually indifferent toward me.

[What do the key and the note mean?]

[So I forgot your birthday and now you’re ignoring my calls and texts? Joel, are you out of your mind?]

"Joel, you have one hour to come home and apologize to me, or I will *never* forgive you!"

I checked the time of the last message—three hours ago.

Relief washed over me. With a flick of my finger, I deleted Vinny’s contact.

There was a knock at the door.

With my permission, my mother entered the room, carrying a glass of milk.

“Son, your stomach isn’t in the best shape. Drink this while it’s still warm,” she said gently.

I had returned home unexpectedly with my luggage the night before, but my parents hadn’t asked a single question. Instead, they simply cared for me, as they always had, without hesitation or judgment.

Looking at the strands of gray in my mother’s hair, I sniffled, holding back the sting in my nose.

"Mom, there’s something I want to discuss with you and Dad. I’ve found a place I really like. It’s not very big, but it’ll be perfect for the three of us to live in together."

With a warm smile, my mother said, “Then buy it. How much more do you need? Your dad and I will cover the rest.”

Even though I smiled and shook my head, assuring her that I had enough for the down payment, my ever-doting mother still transferred me thirty thousand dollars.

With that, I immediately arranged with the landlord to sign the contract next Monday.

That evening, my father not only cooked a table full of delicious dishes but also bought a cake to celebrate my missed birthday from the day before.

As I faced the glowing birthday candles, I clasped my hands together and made a heartfelt wish: May my parents stay healthy and may everything go well.

But not long after blowing out the candles, I received an unexpected message.