01

I met my first love at a class reunion seven years after we broke up.

He had a successful career, was holding his girlfriend's hand, and had a huge expensive diamond ring on his hand.

Everyone taunted me:‘You dumped Conrad, now you regret it, don't you? It's too late!’

But after dinner, Conrad drunkenly hugged me and cried:‘If you want to get back together, you can do it anytime.’

1

A class reunion is always a battleground for gossip to converge.

Not to mention the former couples in attendance, with the most disparate statuses being Conrad and me.

Everyone was chattering away.

Taking advantage of Conrad's girlfriend's trip to the restroom, a classmate looked at me with a mocking glint in their eye:

"Melody, you were the one who dumped Conrad back then, right?"

Hearing this, Conrad sat across from me, his eyes cold as ice, a faint smile playing on his lips, though it didn't reach his eyes.

Seven years after our breakup, this was our first encounter.

Had I known he'd be here, I wouldn't have shown up.

Conrad was different now. Who here didn't address him as Mr. Conrad, the golden boy?

He got a highly educated returnee from abroad and started his own business after coming back to the States, becoming a top-tier entrepreneur at a young age.

Moreover, his demeanor was outstanding, dressed in a crisp suit. He was simply impeccable.

The Rolex on his wrist glinted gold, highlighting the mediocrity around him.

Everyone treated him with utmost respect.

But I was a far cry from my former self, much more down on my luck.

"Yes, she was the one who initiated the breakup." Conrad spoke calmly.

The people present all harbored their own thoughts.Perhaps they suspected I was a gold-digging bitch who couldn't handle hardship, bet wrong on my future, and ended up with nothing.

"Melody, I heard that guy you hooked up with later got locked up? And you went to bail him out, even took on his debts? Is that why you came to this reunion - to raise money?"

Amid the increasingly unrestrained teasing, Conrad's deep, ocean-like eyes remained fixed on me, yet he said nothing.

I could only force an awkward smile that was far from attractive.

I didn't bother trying to explain.

The atmosphere was extremely uncomfortable until his girlfriend returned.

"What were you all up to just now?"

Conrad's girlfriend pushed open the door, keenly sensing the odd atmosphere as she spoke with a smile.

She was still so beautiful, with a hint of innocence that belied her age.

Conrad stood and took her hand, his tone gentle:

"It's all in the past, just catching up."

As his cool, authoritative voice rang out, everyone instantly fell silent.

Realizing the big shot didn't want to discuss the topic, they all quickly shifted their attention to other matters.Then, Conrad's girlfriend proactively raised her glass and approached me:

"Melody, thank you for stepping aside back then. You absolutely must come to our wedding and toast to our happiness."

I froze for a moment, covering the scar on my wrist. After a long pause, I stumbled out a congratulations.

After the gathering, Sally ranted indignantly over the phone:

"Why didn't you say anything? You should have told her off!"

I had already bundled up in my coat, standing in the cold night and exhaling a puff of warm air.

"It's fine. He has a girlfriend now."

"He has a girlfriend?"

Her voice was tinged with disbelief. She paused repeatedly, seemingly wanting to comfort me but not knowing how to begin.

"Mm-hmm."

I responded briefly.

My classmates had long since dispersed. The streetlights shone on the snow-covered ground, like shattered crystal.

"After all this time, you finally got to see him again—"

I cut Sally off:

"Sally, no one will wait for me forever."