Love Story1–Chapter 1
I hadn’t even gotten out of bed when Austin Colson suddenly threw some clothes at me. “Hurry up and get dressed! My girlfriend is coming over!”
1 froze, confused. “Girlfriend?”
“Yeah, Emily Karson just accepted my confession!”
Seeing my stunned expression, he frowned and smirked. “Catherine Grayson, you’re not seriously taking this childhood–friend thing seriously, are you? Who ends up with their childhood sweetheart?
n’t that disgusting?”
He added with a mocking smile, “You just haven’t been with enough men. Maybe it’s time for you to try something new.”
We had lived together for a year. Except for an actual confession, we did everything a couple would do. Even our friends assumed we were together.
But now, he was telling me he had a girlfriend.
Later, as he wished, I went out and “tried something new.”
And then he regretted it. He knelt before me, pleading, “Catherine, can’t you just look at me and me
alone?”
Austin had always had great stamina. It was late into the night before I finally drifted off to sleep.
Before falling asleep, he kissed me gently and whispered in my ear, “Tomorrow’s your birthday. I’ve
got a surprise for you.”
I fell asleep with anticipation and happiness in my heart.
The next morning, I wasn’t woken up by his kisses or a gift, but by the lingerie he threw at me with a
thud.
“Catherine, get up! She’s coming!”
I was startled and asked in confusion, “Who?”
“My girlfriend!”
A Love Left Behind. Embracing a Better Future
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He was wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants, and his brond back was covered with fresh scratch marks.
Seeing my bewildered expression, he laughed and held up his phone for me to see.
It was a screenshot of a confession text exchange between him and Emily Karson, sent just after I’d fallen asleep the night before.
The woman had replied with three simple words: “I’m willing.”
I felt my scalp tingle instantly.
So, during our intimate moments, his mind had been full of another woman.
The woman was someone I knew–a girl he had chased relentlessly during university. Back then, Emily had gone abroad, and their relationship had fizzled out without resolution.
For years, he hadn’t mentioned her, and I had thought he’d forgotten her.
My voice trembled. “She’s your girlfriend now?”
Then what am I?
We had lived together for over a year.
In that time, we attended parties together, kissed under fireworks, and even took couple portraits at a photo booth.
Even our WhatsApp avatars were matching couple icons.
Our friends had always assumed we were a couple, often teasingly calling me “sis–in–law,” and he
had never denied it.
I always thought we were just one step away from breaking through that thin layer of ambiguity
But now, he was telling me he had a girlfriend.
Austin was busy texting, his eyes brimming with happiness. His tone toward me was dismissive. “Hurry up, Catherine. Emily will be here soon. Don’t let her get the wrong idea.”
The late autumn indoor temperature was freezing.
Shivering, I pulled on my underwear and bra. Before I could put on my pants, Austin Colson yanked me off the bed.
A Love Left Behind: Embracing a Better Future D
Barefoot, I stood on the cold floor and watched as he, someone who never did housework, began changing the sheets,
“Catherine Grayson, pack up your things. Emily might move in, and she’s so pure–don’t let her see anything she shouldn’t.”
My face burned hot, a deep, unspeakable shame washing over me.
When he turned back and saw me standing motionless, as if realizing something, he scoffed.
“Catherine, don’t tell me you thought we were in a relationship?”
My face turned pale.
Crossing his arms, his gaze filled with disdain, he added, “Come on, it’s just a game between adults. Why are you taking it so seriously? Besides, who would ever end up with their childhood sweetheart? Isn’t it disgusting?”
I opened my mouth, but my throat felt blocked–I couldn’t make a sound.
Finally, I forced a smile. “Yeah, it’s just a game.”
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, smiling. “You just haven’t been with enough men. Sleep with a few more, and you’ll get used to it.”
It felt like a bucket of ice–cold water was dumped over my head. My fingertips hurt with numbness from the chill.
I numbly finished putting on my pants, and my gaze fell on the gift I had prepared on the table.
It was a pair of couple’s rings. I had planned to confess to him today, on my birthday.
I walked over, intending to salvage the last shred of my dignity, but he got to it first.
“Perfect timing. Emily came back in a hurry, and I didn’t have time to get her a gift.”
