1

In the meticulously arranged wedding room, I gaze steadily at Ling Yu's drunken state.

His cheeks are flushed, clutching the photo on his phone, lying drunkenly on the sofa.

He keeps murmuring a name continually, seemingly lost in a dream.

"Yangyang... Yangyang..."

My name is not Yangyang.

But I recognize the woman in the photo on his phone.

Wang Yangyang.

I silently watched for a long time.

I lowered my head to look at the sneakers on my feet.

Actually, I don't like sneakers.

Sneakers do not match my aesthetic.

I prefer small leather shoes, all sorts of exquisite small leather shoes, but Ling Yu said leather shoes are not convenient for walking.

When I insisted on wearing leather shoes while walking, to punish me, he took me hiking. Even though my feet were worn raw, he refused to hail a cab or return my phone so I could call one.

And now...

I kicked off the sneakers underfoot and changed into my favorite leather shoes.

Left the house and hailed a taxi.

"Driver, to Marriott Home."

Sitting in the taxi, I silently watched the trees swiftly retreating past the window, my heart growing increasingly bitter and sorrowful.

Actually, I used to believe that among the countless men in the world, Ling Yu was different.

He would take care of me when I was unemployed.

Patiently accompany me to find a job.

Be kind to me.

Hold me in his arms and soothe my pain.

Help me gradually forget the hurt from my original family.

I had long considered Ling Yu's potential for infidelity.

Once tried to numb myself, thinking all men might stray, and if it's not a substantive issue, perhaps forgiveness was possible.

However, all my suppositions were completely overturned when it really happened.

I cannot accept a man who cheats.

I cannot accept emotional infidelity.

Even less can I accept that Ling Yu's affair is with Wang Yangyang.

Anyone else would be bearable.

But it just couldn't be Wang Yangyang.

Yet it is Wang Yangyang.

The one who bullied me for twelve years, took everything from me, destroyed my life, and plunged me into unbearable agony.

The one I can never forgive.

I uncontrollably picked up his phone, opened it, and saw the hidden space he'd never let me see before.

Wang Yangyang.

All there is revolves around her.

She is Ling Yu's secret passion, his unattainable person in his youth, moreover my half-sister.

Twelve years ago.

I had just started eighth grade.

It was then that I encountered Wang Yangyang and endured two years of relentless school bullying, almost obliterating my sense of self.

Pain.

Despair.

Confusion.

Finally getting into high school, thinking I could escape the shadow of bullying, yet I met Wang Yangyang at home.

My father had an affair with her mother.

He drove my full-time homemaker mother away and divorced, fought for custody of me—because he could no longer have children—so I ended up becoming sisters with the one who harmed me.

A full decade.

Adding the previous two years.

Twelve full years.

There wasn't a day I didn't live in pain.

This pain eased significantly after meeting Ling Yu, his affection soothed the scars from my original family.

But I didn't expect that a sudden storm would be more wounding than continuous heavy rain.

I have no idea when the two of them were together.

But I know that Wang Yangyang always liked to take what's mine.

Seven years of loving each other.

I thought Ling Yu was always calm and composed, handling everything properly, persistently accompanying me during my unemployed months, supporting me.

I never imagined one day he would drink himself into a stupor over someone's photo, not even changing his clothes, collapsing on the couch, tears streaming down, calling out a woman's name.

Nor did I expect to see his diary filled with regret.

So I chose to let go.