9
took the ring off and tilted my head at him. “Because I don’t love you anymore.”
Liam remained silent for a long, heavy moment.
I pushed him away. “I’ve explained everything. Don’t come looking for me again.”
As I turned to leave, Liam grabbed my hand. “Sarah, can you give me one more chance?”
I looked at him, my eyes tinged with mockery. “Which Sarah are you pleading for?”
I pulled my hand free from Liam’s grasp. As I walked out, I saw Jake standing by the door.
He looked at me, his expression momentarily stunned, then quickly shifted to concern. “I heard your voice, so I came to check.”
I nodded, brushing past Jake without stopping.
From then on, Liam stopped looking for me.
He became withdrawn and melancholic, no longer coming to campus. Instead, he started seeing a therapist for psychological treatment. I heard he had fallen into depression because he couldn’t remember the face of the woman he loved.
After Liam retreated, Jake gradually began to integrate into my life. He was incredibly perceptive, understanding that I wasn’t eager for close contact, so he approac- hed me step by step, keeping within acceptable boundaries.
Liam’s love had been a fervent, explosive declaration, meant for the entire world to witness. Jake was his antithesis a slow burn, gradually taking over my life, little
by little.
This “boiling a frog slowly” approach meant that by the time I realized what was happening, Jake had already permeated every corner of my existence.
He’d wait for me after class with a hot coffee, gently asking, “There’s a new hot pot place near campus. Want to go?”
He remembered my preferences: I liked spicy food but had a sensitive stomach, so he’d always have yogurt and antacids ready for me.
I never wore the ring in front of Jake.
So, in his eyes, I was simply me.
I thought, this ring truly has no use anymore.
Because perhaps I had finally found someone who truly cared for me.
Six months into my relationship with Jake, we graduated.
Using Jake’s family connections, I landed a fantastic job at a top–tier tech company and successfully moved from intern to full–time employee, signing my contract.
The day I got hired full–time, Jake proposed.
I said yes.
I looked at Jake, his eyes sparkling with joy, and asked him, “Jake, do you love me?”
He pulled me into a hug, his voice soft. “Of course, I love you, silly.”
pulled the ring from my pocket. This, I decided, would be my final test.
Jake noticed the ring. “When did you get that? It’s beautiful.”
I asked Jake to turn around, and he obediently complied
I put the ring on, then told him to count to three before turning back.
“Three, two, one… I’m turning around now…”
He turned, and his gentle smile dissolved into a look of shock.
At lasted only a second, then vanished, replaced by his usual warmth.
sweet
I smiled, my voice sweet. “Now, what do I look like in your eyes?”
Jake paused.
“No change,” he said.
I covered my mouth, letting out a soft, playful giggle. “Of course, there’s no change, silly.”
Then, a sudden shift in my voice, a harshness that scraped against the air.
“The Sarah I knew wasn’t like this. It’s sick. I actually spent half a year with that woman! What the hell happened?!”
“Because i don’t love you at all, Jake.”
“Goodbye, Jake.”
Jake’s face went ashen.
I pulled away, grabbed my bag, and walked out, ignoring Jake’s desperate cries behind me.
When Jake first started getting close to me, Liam had sought me out.
He looked much thinner, his eyes wide and vacant as he stared at me.
I urged him to speak. He told me a secret.
“Sarah, don’t trust Jake. He had a girlfriend who died in a car crash. He’s only pursuing you to use you.”
I froze for a moment, then thanked him. “Thank you. I’ll remember that.”
As I left, Liam called out to me again.
He whispered, “Sarah, I’m sorry..”
The man sat behind me, clutching his chest, silently uttering the words he couldn’t say aloud.
“I love you…”
That evening, my colleagues threw a party to celebrate my promotion.
They noticed the ring on my finger.
“Did your boyfriend buy that for you? It’s gorgeous.”
I held up my hand, proudly displaying it. “What boyfriend? I don’t have one! I bought this for myself.”
“Then why are you wearing it on your middle finger? Singles wear rings on their middle finger.”
I smiled, gazing at the ring, then lowered my eyes and solemnly kissed it.
“Because I’m the person I love most.”
“Girls, love yourselves!”
