Chapter 3

Everett probably couldn't understand why I reacted so strongly this time. He had only stood me up once, and this kind of thing had happened between us at least eighty times, if not a hundred.

Being hung up on was already beyond his expectations, but when he tried calling back again and again, only to hear the busy signal each time, he finally realized what had happened.

His phone number had been added to my blacklist.

I wondered if he felt momentarily lost and helpless, like I did when he took me out to a drinking party but I couldn't find him. I kept calling him over and over, only to be impatiently blocked by Everett in the end, left standing there listening to the busy tone.

Scarlett was my only good friend. For years, she's been unable to stand watching me love Everett to the point of losing myself. As soon as she confirmed that we had really broken up, she immediately spread the news.

This caused quite a stir in our social circle, but few people believed that I would really cut ties with Everett.

Everyone, even Everett himself, thought I was just joking around. They assumed that in the end, I wouldn't be able to hold out and would go crawling back to Everett to make up, pretending nothing had happened, just like I always had before.

As time passed, day by day.

On the first day, Everett realized that I didn't come to his office to bring him lunch at noon.

Every time I used to show up with my little lunchbox, he'd look so annoyed. Even when I asked for a quick kiss, he'd reluctantly oblige.

But when I finally stopped bothering him, just as he wanted, he surprisingly became upset.

He habitually picked up his phone, but just as he was about to dial, he remembered something.

With an even sourer expression, he borrowed his secretary's phone. After several rings, the call connected.

"Where the hell have you been today? Don't you know I haven't eaten yet?"

Forgetting to block Everett's secretary was purely accidental. I thought Everett would be glad to get rid of me, but for some reason, he decided to call me using his secretary's phone.

"Everett, do you have trouble understanding English?"

Everett, who had been waiting for me all afternoon with an empty stomach, was irritated: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

I said, "We've broken up. I don't deliver lunch to my ex-boyfriend."

Hearing these words from my mouth repeatedly, Everett became increasingly annoyed, ready to say something nasty.

That day, I added Everett's secretary's phone number to my blacklist as well.

Meanwhile, Everett, with a gloomy face, smashed an entire tea set in his office.

Interestingly, that day was also originally scheduled for Everett to make up for my missed birthday celebration. Everett had planned quite an elaborate event. I had previously mentioned wanting gifts from age one to twenty-seven, and Everett had taken it seriously. The sight of over twenty large gift boxes piled together was quite impressive.

Someone took a photo and sent it to me.

Many people thought I must have been touched to death by Everett's gesture.

But I just posted a status update on social media, completely severing ties with Everett.

[After being entangled with my ex-boyfriend for several years, I've made a fool of myself in front of everyone. Now we've completely separated, and I'd appreciate if no one mentions anything related to him to me again.]

Someone nervously relayed this status update to Everett. Although he didn't say anything out loud, that night he kept pouring himself drink after drink.

Nobody could stop him, and I don't know which idiot decided to call me.

"Delia, Everett's drunk. Do you want to come and pick him up?"

For the past few days, I haven't been sleeping well. I finally managed to get my hands on a few sleeping pills, but just as I was dozing off, I was rudely awakened. My tone wasn't exactly pleasant.

"What does his drinking have to do with me?"

The person on the other end, after being shut down by me twice, tried to smooth things over:

"Come on, couples don't hold grudges overnight. Delia, don't be too hard on Everett. Just consider this a way for both of you to save face and move on. It's better for everyone. Otherwise..."

Everett's attitude determined how people around him treated me. For all these years, his group of buddies were always polite to my face, but deep down, they all looked down on me.

I laughed bitterly, "Otherwise what? Stop calling me. Even if he drinks himself to death, I'm not the one who'll be facing jail time."

After hanging up the phone, I drifted back to sleep.