Chapter 1

My girlfriend, Rosalie Lowe, started ignoring me over an ordinary argument. She didn't answer my calls or reply to my messages.

She only replied with a "yes" when I said I would go to her place in two weeks to celebrate her birthday.

I was overjoyed, so I used the money I had originally set aside for a new laptop to buy her a gift.

Then, I bought a train ticket and traveled hundreds of miles to the city where she lived.

The moment I got off the train, it felt like a lifetime had passed. The 14-hour-long trip was exhausting. For the first time, I felt like I could fall asleep while standing.

However, upon the thought of meeting my girlfriend soon, I was thrilled.

I was nervous on my way to her campus. I wondered how she would react when she saw me.

Would she throw herself into my arms excitedly? Would she nod at me calmly like she always did in the past?

Rosalie had always been aloof and prideful. She was distant and beyond everyone's reach.

I should be grateful to have someone like her as my girlfriend.

I let out a sigh when I thought of our argument. "I think I should apologize to her later."

I arrived outside the campus. Before I even got out of the car, I spotted her at the stall next to the entrance.

Just as I was about to raise my hand and greet her, a tall, charismatic man clad in a suit suddenly appeared beside her.

He casually took the half-bottle of water Rosalie had left and finished it in one gulp.

Rosalie seemed unbothered, and she even blushed shyly.

I widened my eyes and almost thought I had gotten the wrong person. I was surprised to see such a gentle side of Rosalie.

A tall, charming young man and a bright, smiling young lady ran around freely in the gentle summer night breeze.

It was just like a scene straight out of a movie, but I couldn't enjoy it.

I felt a chill run through every part of my body. For the first time, Rosalie felt like a stranger to me.

She was a prodigy known by everyone in the state. She was accepted to Baston College before turning 18 years old, and at 21, she was already a rising star in academia.

However, she had a strange habit, and that was why we were ignoring each other.

Rosalie hated it when others had physical contact with her. She was almost obsessively averse to it. She never took public transport or even attended any social gatherings in school.

It was impossible to see her in a crowded place.

When we went for a meal together, she would make a reservation for private dining in advance.

As her boyfriend, I thought I was the exception.

When we first got together, I accidentally touched her arm, and she sprang back as if she had been electrocuted.

Not only did she wipe her arm with a wet tissue multiple times, but she also ignored me for a month after that.

Although we had made our relationship public, we never kissed or hugged each other. There was even a wet tissue separating our hands when we held hands for the first time.

On our first anniversary, we went to a movie. I finally mustered my courage and held her hand.

Despite being in public, she shot up to her feet and screamed. Then, she left in a hurry.

After that incident, I soothed her and also secretly comforted myself, thinking that prodigies tend to have some weird habits.

I thought she would slowly accept me after some time.

Every year, during celebrations like Valentine's Day, I would see photos of my roommates kissing and being lovey-dovey with their partners.

I was envious and even jealous of them.

This year, on Valentine's Day, I sent a screenshot of my Instagram feed to Rosalie and jokingly said, "We've been together for so long, but we've never hugged each other. Why don't we take a photo and post it this year?"

She didn't reply to my message.

At midnight, I couldn't take it anymore and texted her, only to find out that she had blocked me.

She always did that to express her dissatisfaction.

I kept coaxing her, and she only unblocked me after two weeks. She didn't even apologize to me or say anything to comfort me.

I had traveled hundreds of miles. I had crossed almost half of Zanston, only to be greeted with such a scene.

The man caught up to Rosalie. Laughing, he grabbed Rosalie's hand and held her in his embrace.

I felt a pang in my heart when I saw the drastic difference.

At the same time, Rosalie finally spotted me, who was across the road.