The Past Is Only a Prelude

The limited-edition bag I had given her—my gift—was shredded and tossed into the trash after Chuck sneered, "Fake," with a single glance.So this was what love and indifference looked like.Ridiculous. I had refused to believe it until now.Just as she had said earlier, in a fit of anger, the first reaction was always the truest thought.She thought I wasn't good enough for her.It was true. Back in college, I had met Alicia by chance. Because of her, after graduation, I didn't return to my hometown—I went straight to work at her company.She was the CEO of Starry Group. To everyone else, I was just a freeloader, living off her connections. I was a source of shame. Chuck, on the other hand, was the perfect boyfriend: well-matched, respectable, and someone who made her shine.Even after three years of being attentive to her every need, of bending to her every whim, I could never compete with Chuck.Perhaps it was time to end these absurd three years.I grabbed a spare blanket f

"I'm not being passive-aggressive! I'm telling the truth, really. Can you stop being so sensitive?"Alicia's face darkened. She slammed my laptop shut and glared at me."All because I asked Chuck to act as my boyfriend for a day, you've been sulking at me since yesterday! Do you think this is funny, Benjamin? You didn't even thank Chuck! And you left passive-aggressive comments on his social feed."Don't think I'll coddle you just because you're younger. If you want to throw a tantrum like a child, go home and do it with your parents. Don't expect me to indulge you! Know your place!"Keep this up, and we're done!"Her words were thick with threat and anger.In the past, I would have cowered, begging her for forgiveness. But now… I was tired of it.All I wanted was to finish testing these programs before the code had to be rewritten.I nodded and muttered, "Okay… got it. You just keep driving."I had no idea which word had set her off again. She yelled at me once more, "Get out

"Benjamin! You bastard!"Alicia's face burned red as she grabbed the bag and flung it at me.It was just a small bag, unsealed, and the contents—sexy lingerie and bell-adorned nipple covers—spilled across the coffee table.Immediately, everyone in the room froze, expressions flickering with unease, eyes darting away.Alicia stormed forward, raising her hand as if to strike my face. I casually caught her wrist."What's this? Ms. Davids, is your first instinct to hit someone just because you're embarrassed? Am I not stating the truth?"I let go of her wrist. She stumbled back a few steps before regaining her balance, her lips trembling, eyes blazing with fury."Benjamin… do you think you've been fair to me?"Sometimes, people laugh at the absurdity of life."Whether I've been fair to you… you know that already. But you, Alicia… have you been fair to me? When you and Chuck… were doing those things in my car, did you ever think of me, even for a second?"I nearly shouted the word

After graduation, I stayed in Bolin City because of Alicia instead of moving back to Ricott City. So it was no surprise that nobody here recognized me.I wasn't planning to cause a scene, but my sister couldn't help herself.She scoffed, her eyes sweeping over Alicia with a mix of curiosity and disdain before she finally spoke."Who is that assistant with the big mouth? Oh, that's right—Ms. Davids's assistant, from Starry Group! I wonder what brings Ms. Davids all the way out here."Alicia's expression soured at Sarah's sarcasm, but the people around instinctively looked back and forth between them, reading the room, already plotting.Chuck was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Sarah to lay into them like that. He flashed an awkward smile and explained, "Benjamin and I used to work together. There were some misunderstandings, some tension. We just happened to run into each other today, and I wanted to clear things up, hoping he'd forgive me."In just a few words, Chuck painted