My girlfriend's lie

Chapter 3

A twisting in my stomach, like an invisible hand clutching my insides.

I walked back along the wet streets, rain mixed with some unknown liquid dripping from the ends of my hair, blurring my vision.

The ear-cleaning spoon from two years ago, and me at the door of the private room just now, played on a loop in my head like trailers for two terrible movies.

It turned out I wasn't the main character. I was just the prop guy.

Finally, dragging my leaden legs, I stood at the door of the apartment I shared with Du Wanning.

Our home.

I took out my key, but before I could fit it in the lock, I heard a sound leaking from the c***k of the door.

It wasn't the TV, nor was it music.

It was the sound of a woman's laughter, mingled with a man's low teasing. A laughter so flirtatious it was foreign to me.

My whole body went stiff. The pain in my stomach was instantly pierced by something sharper.

The key in my trembling hand missed the lock several times.

*Click.* The door opened.

The entryway light was off, and the living room was dim. The air was filled with the scent of an unfamiliar men's cologne, mixed with the cloying sweetness of red wine—a sharp and intimate smell.

The bouquet of roses I’d bought for our anniversary was scattered on the floor, the petals crushed and smeared with muddy water, like a pool of cheap blood.

On the entryway cabinet, the velvet ring box I’d saved three months' salary for was wide open. It was empty.

The diamond ring I was going to propose with was gone.

The blood in my veins seemed to freeze. My hands and feet went cold. I was like a statue nailed to the floor, unable to move.

The bedroom door creaked open.

Du Wanning walked out, wearing nothing but a black silk slip dress, the hem barely covering the tops of her thighs. Her hair was a mess, her lips were swollen and red, and her face was flushed with the afterglow of s*x.

When she saw me, she froze for a moment, then her brow furrowed tightly. There wasn't a trace of guilt in her eyes, only the annoyance of being interrupted and an undisguised contempt.

"Why are you back now?" Her voice was cold, as if questioning a stranger who shouldn't be there.

I stared at her, my throat too dry to form a single complete syllable. A tidal wave of emotions churned in my chest, threatening to explode.

"Du Wanning," I heard my own voice, so hoarse it was unrecognizable. "We... need to talk."

"Talk about what?" Before she could answer, a tall figure emerged from behind her.

The man had nothing on but a bath towel wrapped loosely around his waist. His chest was bare, still beaded with water. He casually reached out, pulling Du Wanning into his arms and nuzzling her neck affectionately.

He looked up at me, his gaze like someone inspecting a piece of merchandise—full of scrutiny and derision.

"Wanning, is this the... waiter boy you were talking about?"

Waiter boy.

Those two words were like a poisoned blade, stabbing precisely into my freshly scabbed wound.

So, my humiliation at the restaurant was just post-dinner entertainment for this cheating pair.

I stared hard at Du Wanning, hoping to see a hint of explanation on her face, even a flicker of panic.

But there was none.

She even leaned closer into the man's embrace, her tone coy. "Chengyu, stop it."

I couldn't hold it in any longer. The volcano in my chest erupted.

"Why?" I screamed the word with all my strength.

Seven years together, countless days and nights, all my efforts to win over her parents, all the plans I’d made for our future... Why?

Du Wanning finally looked at me properly, but her eyes held only cold disgust and impatience.

"Xiao Tong, can you stop making a scene?"

With that one light sentence, she defined all my questions, my anger, and my pain as nothing more than an embarrassing scene.

After she spoke, she took the arm of the man she called Zhou Chengyu and, without a second glance at me, turned and walked toward the door.

The heel of her high-heeled shoe crushed a rose petal on the floor with a soft *snap*.

The sound was like the echo of my own heart shattering.

"Let's go. Ignore this lunatic."

The door slammed shut with a loud *bang*, and the world fell silent.

I stood alone in this empty room, thick with the stench of betrayal, like a joke abandoned by the entire world.

The twisting pain in my stomach returned, more violent than ever before. I doubled over, my body limp, my vision going dark.

Through my blurred sight, I saw a photo album on the coffee table.

Du Wanning had bought it. She'd said she wanted to use it to record every moment of our lives together, from black hair to gray.

But now, the future hadn't even arrived, and I was the only one left.