Chapter 1

It is New Year's Eve, so I fix a big spread of dishes for my girlfriend, Lily Heath.

Lily doesn't even spare me a glance. She continues to pack her luggage, saying coldly, "I can't spend New Year's with you this year."

I say nothing at all and simply eat my meal in silence.

Lily's first love, Forrest Zimmer, posts a photo on his social media right as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve.

Lily is leaning affectionately on his shoulder in the photo, with dazzling fireworks lighting up the sky outside. He even has a caption that says, "She said that all I have to do is ask, and she'll leave it all behind for me."

I refrain from throwing a scene or questioning her, merely giving the post a like.

Lily calls me, her voice tense and frantic. "Please don't be upset, Ethan. I'll definitely spend next New Year's with you."

I chuckle bitterly. "It's just a shame that there won't be a next year for the two of us."

Chapter 1

Lily Heath, my girlfriend, returned after the New Year's Day.

I used to meet her at the entrance of our apartment complex, but I skipped it this time. I suddenly received a message from Lily. "Where are you, Ethan?"

I was eating lunch at the moment, so I casually replied to her. "I'm having lunch right now, so just come up on your own."

It was moments later, as I was washing the dishes in the kitchen, that Lily came up hauling her suitcase. She was panting from exhaustion as she looked at me and said, "I haven't eaten either, so make me something, Ethan."

I would have dropped everything to whip up some food for her in the past, but now, I just stated flatly, "I'm not free right now, so head downstairs and get something to eat on your own."

Lily shot me a frustrated look, but she bit her tongue and said, "I get that you're still upset about what happened during the New Year holiday, but don't pull this on me now. I'm really hungry, Ethan."

I dried my hands after washing the dishes and said, "I'm not upset at you."

Lily still wasn't convinced. "Forrest is all by himself in this city, so no matter what our relationship is, I should be there for him."

I responded indifferently. "I get it."

Lily stared into my eyes as if trying to read my mind, then suddenly said wearily, "You're really wearing me out when you act like this. Can you stop acting out, Ethan?"

I looked right back at her and replied, "I'm not acting out, and you don't have to explain yourself to me, Lily."

Lily stared at me silently for a moment before taking out a model airplane from her suitcase and handing it to me. She looked down at me and said flatly, "It's your New Year's gift."

I noticed that the model airplane wasn't properly wrapped, and the box it came in was crumpled. I realized that it was a sharp contrast to the beautifully wrapped one Forrest had posted online. I didn't show a hint of excitement, merely saying politely, "Thank you."

I gave no further response once I said that.

Lily looked briefly displeased and asked me irritably, "Is that all you have to say?"

I replied indifferently, "That's all."

Lily turned livid and thrust her hand out to me. "Where's my gift?"

It only just occurred to me, so I said with an apologetic voice, "I'm sorry, but I totally forgot about it. I'll wire you some money, so go get something yourself."

I picked up my phone and transferred her some money as I said that.

Lily widened her eyes in surprise, as if she couldn't believe I had forgotten; after all, exchanging New Year's gifts every year had been our tradition. I had always kept it up, finding Lily a different gift each year, even when she sometimes forgot to give me one.

In that instant, the atmosphere in the room turned awkward.

I picked up my coat off the couch and opened the door, preparing to head out.

Lily hurriedly called out to stop me. "Where are you going?"

I replied indifferently, "I'm heading out for drinks with friends."

I closed the door behind me as soon as I said that, paying no attention to Lily's shouts.

I stopped drinking entirely once I started dating Lily just because she said she didn't like me doing it. In the end, all of my friends came to view me as a wet blanket, and since they knew how tight my leash was at home, they stopped inviting me to drinks altogether.

I was finally free to drink as much as I pleased.

Chapter 2

I was a few drinks in when my friends began complaining to me. "You know, I thought you'd forgotten all about us once you got a girlfriend. You'd better not pull that move on us again, Ethan."

I assured them. "You guys can just give me a call whenever there's a drinking session. I'll definitely be there."

I made Lily the center of my universe after we got together. I let every part of my life and work revolve completely around her, losing my friends and social life in the process. In retrospect, I realized how foolish I had been.

I checked my phone and saw that Lily had refunded the money I transferred to her earlier. I finally returned home at 1:00 am, and when I switched on the light, I spotted Lily sitting on the couch. I stood there bewildered for a second, almost doubting what I was seeing.

Lily, seeing how drunk I was, made no move to come over to support me. She just looked at me with a disappointed expression instead. "Why can't you act like a man for once, Ethan? You should just say it outright if you're jealous. You'll just make me look down on you even more by getting wasted like this."

I was feeling lightheaded, so I reached out to steady myself on a dining chair and slid into the seat.

Lily caught the smell of alcohol on me and frowned slightly. "I thought I made it clear that I don't like you drinking, Ethan. Forrest and I aren't involved like that—we're just friends. There's no reason to get drunk like this because of him."

I supported my head with my hand and mumbled blearily, "Y-You're overthinking it... I only drank this much because I was actually having a good time…"

Lily's voice grew shrill after seeing me in that state. "That's enough, Ethan! I've already tried to meet you halfway! What more do you want from me? You'd better not push me too far; I have my limits too. I can't keep putting up with you forever, Ethan!"

I was already having a headache, and listening to her shrill voice only made it worse. I rubbed my temples and said, "You don't have to get so worked up, Lily. I'm heading to bed now."

Lily let out a sigh, put her anger aside, and got up to support me.

I still had just enough sense left to dodge her hand. I stumbled straight into the guest room and locked the door behind me, paying no mind to Lily's knocking outside. I drifted off into a heavy, remarkably restful sleep.

I woke up the following morning, only to find Lily watching TV in complete silence. She looked utterly grim, leaving no doubt that she was mad at me.

I didn't bother trying to smooth things over with her. I just washed up and left home. I went straight to work and turned in my resignation letter. I had only taken this job to be closer to Lily, and now I no longer had a reason to keep it.

When my boss kept trying to talk me into staying, I stood my ground and declined.

Just a few days earlier, I heard back about a job application I sent abroad—I got hired. I had wanted to work at that company since I was young, but I had passed on it back then because of Lily.

It was fortunate for me that it wasn't too late to pursue that dream.

I wrapped up my remaining duties once I resigned and called my friend to share the great news.

He was thrilled for me when he heard the news. He fell silent for a moment before asking, "What about Lily, then? Is she moving abroad with you, Ethan?"

I smiled wryly and replied, "I'll be going alone since things between us are pretty much over."

I began preparing the documents for my move abroad once I wrapped up my remaining work tasks. I had already lost both of my parents, so aside from a few close friends, Lily was the only one I had left back home.

I used to feel like home was wherever Lily was. Now, I had nowhere left to call home. I was just a wanderer, drifting from place to place and making a home wherever I ended up.

Lily was just about to head out when I returned home. She was wearing full makeup and a pair of short shorts that highlighted her slim legs.

I instantly understood what was going on when I noticed her holding the birthday cake. It was Forrest's birthday, and she was heading out to celebrate with him.

Lily was chatting on the phone right then, sounding thrilled. "You don't have to guess anymore! If I told you what I got you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. You should just wait until I get there."

I couldn't hear what the person on the other end of the line said, but it made Lily burst out laughing, flashing her teeth. That kind of smile was something I rarely got to see anymore.

She had been laughing the entire time, but the moment she saw me, she stopped. She never seemed to refuse Forrest anything, yet she was reluctant to even smile at me.

She instantly grew grim and, without saying anything further, turned away from me in distaste. She quickly changed her shoes and left, closing the door behind her.

I knew Lily was going to give me the cold shoulder; after all, we had been through this before, and every single time, it had been because of Forrest.

In the past, I would go into panic mode whenever this happened and bend over backward just to make it up to her. I would keep pushing through the cold shoulder, even if she ignored all my messages.

I couldn't care less about it now, though. I just searched for some foreign recipes online and practiced cooking them at home. I needed to get used to them ahead of time, after all.

Chapter 3

I came across a post from Forrest on my feed while I was lying in bed. "I'm really grateful that after everything we've been through, you're still right here by my side."

There was a comment from one of Lily's best friends. "You two are so sweet! I'm just glad to see Lily happy!"

I looked through the likes and found that all of Lily's best friends had liked Forrest's post. They had always looked down on me, believing that I was the one who came between Lily and Forrest. They were convinced that Lily would be happier if I weren't around.

I couldn't help but think that they were right after seeing Lily's comment. "It all worked out for the best."

As I watched their sentimental interaction expressionlessly, I noticed a comment left by one of Lily's best friends. "You guys had better stop posting before Ethan catches wind of this. He'll definitely throw a massive fit, especially considering how he usually is."

I used to remind Lily nicely to keep her distance from Forrest. I only thought that, since Lily was already in a relationship with me, they should avoid anything that might cause misunderstandings.

Lily's friends, however, mocked me for being too controlling and accused me of taking away Lily's basic freedom to have friends. Lily sided with them and told me that I should be more understanding and open-minded.

I didn't react the way Lily's best friends expected. I simply exited the feed, scrolled through short videos for a bit, and fell asleep in bed.

Lily came home to find me fast asleep. She woke me up in frustration and yelled, "You didn't even bother to check on me, your girlfriend, who was out all night? Do you know that my best friends' boyfriends actually call them constantly? What about you? You didn't even call once! What's that supposed to mean, Ethan?"

I looked at her in confusion, unable to figure out why she was flying off the handle. I used to do the same thing back then, only for her to tell me off. "I'm not here to satisfy your need for control, so please give me some space and stop suffocating me!"

I gave her the space that she wanted, only for her to lash out at me for not caring enough. I was completely lost as to what she actually wanted.

I didn't bother bringing up the past, though. I merely responded calmly. "You were out with friends, so it wouldn't make sense for me to keep blowing up your phone. You're close friends with Forrest, so there's no reason for me to worry about anything."

Lily looked completely taken aback, probably shocked that I mentioned Forrest without causing a scene. She seemed to realize something for a moment and explained, "That post was just to commemorate the past. There was nothing more to it, so don't read too much into it, Ethan."

I shook my head, intending to speak, but Lily preempted me. "What's the problem? Do you think I shouldn't have gone to Forrest's birthday? He and I have known each other for a decade, and we've only dated for a short time. We're just friends now. It's perfectly reasonable for me to celebrate his birthday with him, Ethan."

I looked calmly at Lily and said, "I hear you. It's getting pretty late, so head back to your room and get some sleep, Lily."

Lily remained silent as she watched me closely, seemingly trying to confirm that I really wasn't upset. After a while, she couldn't tell what I was thinking, so she reached out to grab my arm, only for me to silently move out of her reach.

I asked flatly, "Do you want to sleep in the master bedroom or the guest room tonight?"

Chapter 4

Lily's eyes widened in surprise when I rejected her advances, something I used to plead for endlessly. She felt embarrassed and annoyed as she slammed the guest room door hard and stomped off into the master bedroom instead.

Once she left, I fell asleep in no time. I found that falling asleep had gotten way easier once I stopped overthinking things.

It was early the following morning when Henry Stewart, my university professor, called after learning that I was going abroad. He offered to host a send-off for me, but I turned him down right away, so he dropped the idea.

He then mentioned that he was planning an intimate get-together to catch up with our former classmates. He had already put in so much effort, so I really had no choice but to accept his invitation.

I hadn't expected Lily to be there when I went that evening, but it was understandable since she was also one of Professor Stewart's prized students.

Lily had brought Forrest along as well.

I never thought Lily would bring Forrest with her to a reunion like this.

Lily noticed me and gestured for me to join them.

I simply pretended I hadn't noticed them. They made a good-looking pair, so I thought it was better to leave them alone.

Forrest shot me a subtle, smug smile the moment he saw me. He quickly wiped it off his face and flashed me an apologetic look, saying, "I'm so sorry for crashing your class get-together. I was just so bored all alone, so Lily offered to bring me along."

Lily looked like she wanted to explain things to me a couple of times, but she kept holding back.

I politely raised my glass and said, "If Professor Stewart is fine with it, then I'm definitely fine with it too."

I took a sip of the drink after saying that. I noticed my phone buzzing non-stop throughout the meal. I took it out to check, only to find a few messages from Lily. "I just brought him along since he was around, so please don't overthink it. If it bothers you that much, I won't drag him along next time."

I scrolled to the bottom and saw her last message. "Let's head home together after dinner, Ethan."

I cleared my throat before replying, "It won't be necessary. You can just go with Forrest. I drove here earlier."

I concentrated on eating and no longer bothered with her messages.

Thus, over the course of the meal, everyone enjoyed a warm conversation and reminisced about old times.

Professor Stewart had drunk so much that his eyes were getting bloodshot. He stood up at the table, raised his glass to me, and said, "You were the student I was most proud of back then. You always talked about studying and working abroad, so I never understood why you suddenly changed your mind and stayed."

He paused briefly before adding, "You're finally going abroad now, though! You'll finally be able to pursue the dream you've always had. I'm really happy for you, Ethan. I'll drink to you—here's to a safe journey and a bright future in your career!"

I offered a bittersweet smile, raised my glass, and downed the drink.

Lily looked stunned, as if she had just heard something unbelievable. "What are you talking about, Professor Stewart? What do you mean Ethan's going abroad?"

Professor Stewart patiently answered Lily's questions. "You weren't aware that Ethan was going abroad? You see, unless something unexpected comes up, this is our last meal together. It won't be easy to see him again after this, Lily."

He didn't know about my relationship with Lily, so he didn't find it strange that she hadn't heard about my plans to go abroad.

Lily's eyes turned bloodshot the second she heard that. Ignoring everyone else, she yanked me out of my seat and pulled me outside.

I stood against the wall in a silent standoff until Lily finally broke the silence. She looked at me with a gaze brimming with shock and panic as she asked, "What do you mean you're moving abroad? Why didn't you talk to me about this? Why didn't you tell me, Ethan?"