I nodded, forcing a smile. “I will.”
When I got home, I went straight to the attic and dug out an old suitcase. In that big house, there was barely anything that belonged to me.
Max came from a poor family. His biggest dream was to pass the civil service exam in Bremont. After we graduated, he begged me to give up the teaching job I’d landed and come to Bremont with him so he could focus on the exam.
I couldn’t say no to him and I didn’t want to break up. So, I took all my savings and moved to Bremont to support him.
Max didn’t let himself down. He passed the civil service exam the very next year.
But he let me down. He let down this one-sided love I had chased after for miles.
People always say online that women shouldn’t spend their money on men or cross mountains and rivers for someone. That person won’t remember, won’t be touched.
You’ll be the only one feeling anything.
How true those words turned out to be.
It took me 20 minutes to pack, filling just half the suitcase. There wasn’t much left in that room that was mine.
Just as I was about to leave, Max suddenly came back. He was supporting a pale-looking Jane and anxiously shouted at me, “You’re already home, so hurry up and make some soup for Jane! She’s having terrible cramps!”
I held onto my suitcase, unfazed. I didn’t say a word. I just walked past him and headed for the door.
Max got furious. He quickly rushed over, grabbed my suitcase and smashed it to pieces.
“I said she’s got cramps! I told you to make the tea! Didn’t you hear me? Why are you acting like this? Who are you trying to impress?”
He was mad at me. Over his cycling buddy.
It was almost laughable. He was never like this before.
Back when I was helping him out, Max only had eyes for me. He’d call me “Baby,” tell me I was working too hard and say how much he appreciated me. He even promised to buy me a big house once he passed his civil service exam. That promise was just as hollow as it sounds now.
I looked down at the broken suitcase and the mess all over the floor.
Without thinking, I slapped him—hard.
“Give me a hundred bucks,” I said.
I held out my hand. “Didn’t you want that soup for Jane? Give me a thousand. It’s going to be expensive.”
I wasn’t joking. Max probably didn’t realize it, but I come from money. I had left my family and moved to Bremont for him, breaking ties with everyone I knew.
A cliché story, I know. But a painful one, too.