My girlfriend's lie

Chapter 5

I dragged the last box through the door.

With a bang, the old security door slammed shut behind me, kicking up a cloud of dust.

I stood in the middle of the rental unit, a space less than two hundred square feet. It was a typical rundown apartment in the university district—peeling paint on the walls, and a damp, musty smell that clung to the air.

The window faced the brick wall of another building, like a suffocating air vent.

This was my new beginning.

A week ago, not only had Du Wanning kicked me out, but I’d also received a call from my company's HR director.

"Xiao Tong, you won't be needed on the project anymore. Please come in to complete your termination paperwork." The voice on the other end was polite yet frigid.

I didn't even bother to ask why. I knew her family was behind it.

Seven years of love, seven years of striving—all wiped clean in a single night.

Exhausted, I sank onto the edge of the bed and reflexively pulled out my phone.

The screen lit up, still showing our picture together. I stared at her radiant smile in the photo, but my fingers, acting on their own, opened WeChat.

Her chat was still pinned to the top.

Like an archaeologist excavating a tomb, I scrolled up through our chat history, inch by inch, carefully moving from the bottom to the top.

The higher I scrolled, the faster my heart beat.

All the sweet memories, the late-night whispers, the plans we made for the future—now, every word felt like a slap in the face.

My fingertips began to tremble uncontrollably, and a hot sting filled my eyes.

And then, I saw it. The message.

From three days before we broke up.

"Xiao Tong, I can't find my earpick. Bring it to me now."

No term of endearment, no emoji, just a cold command.

I remembered that day. I had a fever and a terrible stomachache, but without a second thought, I got out of bed, searched the entire apartment, and when I couldn't find it, bought a new one from the pharmacy and delivered it to her in the pouring rain.

So, even back then, I wasn't her boyfriend anymore.

I was just a tool, an errand boy on call to deliver earpicks.

A wave of shame and nausea rose in my throat. I gagged, but nothing came up.

"Babe, what are you doing?"

On the phone's screen, a video started playing automatically. It was Du Wanning, lying on her stomach on the bed, cooing at me coquettishly. A screen recording of a video call from last year. Her eyes curved into crescents when she smiled.

The sweeter her voice sounded in the video, the more grating it was to my ears now.

That single word, "Babe," echoed in my suffocating little room like a phantom's curse.

The phone slipped from my trembling hand.

*Clack.*

With a sharp c***k, it hit the cheap laminate floor, the screen instantly going black.

I heard something else break along with it.

Outside, the sky had darkened without me realizing. I hadn't turned on a light, and the room was plunged into darkness.

I remained in that same position, completely still.

My stomach started to hurt again, but I could no longer feel it.

An overwhelming sense of loneliness and abandonment washed over me like a tidal wave, drowning me completely. I curled into a ball, burying my face deep in my knees.

There, in the unseen darkness, my shoulders began to shake in silent sobs.