They must have been sure I didn't use short video apps, that I wouldn't find out. That’s why they were so bold, so shameless in flaunting their relationship. In the story they were creating, I was nothing more than the mistress, the one who didn’t belong.
How could I let them get away with it?
I had kept all the evidence. I came to James today to give him a chance to confess, to say it himself. But now, it seems unnecessary.
After James left, I received a message.
Ella: Are you so comfortable without a job? If I were you, I would have broken up with Mr. Carter a long time ago.
Her words stung, but they were wrong. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a job; I had passed the selected students’ interview months ago.
I stayed in the cinema, lost in my thoughts, until the afternoon. When I finally stood up to leave, I bumped into David Moore, my childhood sweetheart.
"Are you back?" he asked, his tone casual.
"Yeah," I replied, my voice flat.
"For James?"
I hesitated. There was a hint of something unspoken in his words, a quiet disapproval of James.
I’ve always been close to David, so I didn’t hide anything from him.
"James cheated."
David didn’t seem surprised at all. He just nodded, as though he had known for a long time.
"Oh, you finally know."
I stared at him, shocked.
"You knew too?"
David shrugged, his expression not one of sympathy but quiet understanding.
"Anyone with eyes could see it. He and Ella have a complicated relationship. We’re in the same city, remember? We see each other every day. It’s easy to pick up on the little things when you're always around."
I forced a smile, my fingers brushing against my forehead in a gesture of helplessness.
"So, everyone knew about this. It's almost laughable, isn't it? The person who once treated me so well, the one I thought was different, is the one who betrayed me."
David looked at me with a serious expression, his voice calm but firm.
"Haven’t you heard the saying? Find someone who is good in themselves, not just someone who is good to you."
His words hit me harder than I expected.
Yes, I had chosen James because he loved me, but I had overlooked something crucial.
Sincerity can fade, and love can change. James was no longer the shy boy who blushed when we first met.
I sighed quietly, feeling the weight of everything.
"Where are you headed? Going back to school by high-speed train?" David asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," I replied softly.