Your Love is Not Real

The day Sam and I got our marriage license, Phoebe slit her wrists. Sam left me outside the clerk's office and rushed to the hospital. He didn't come back that night. Instead, Phoebe posted on i********:: "[You once said, no matter what, I'll always be your must-have.]" The photo showed Sam slumped beside her bed. My eyes burned as I read it, and I quickly typed out a response: "[Trash ultimately belongs in the trash can. Scumbag and b***h, perfect match!]" ... "Luna! How could you say something so vicious? Phoebe was just cheated on and she's heartbroken, why would you rub salt in her wounds?" When I received Sam's call, I thought he would explain Phoebe's i********: post. Instead, I was met with his accusations. Sam and I had known each other since childhood, practically growing up together. I knew him as well as I knew myself, so naturally, I sensed his heart was no longer with me. But at this moment, his hysterical questioning for another woman still made my heart clench. I gripped the phone tightly. Seeing that I remained silent for a long time, he probably realized his outburst and softened his tone. "Luna, I've already explained to you, she helped me before. Besides, she's all alone here, with no friends. I have to take care of her, don't I?" "Luna, be good, come to the hospital and apologize to her, okay?" I squeezed my phone, tears welling up in my eyes. "Sam, are you alright? Asking me to apologize, aren't you afraid of upsetting your precious Phoebe?" "Luna, don't be ridiculous, Phoebe is just my friend." Sam's voice was gentle. "We'll get our marriage license as soon as Phoebe is discharged. Come to the hospital now." I gave a sarcastic laugh. "Just because you're blind and brain-dead, doesn't mean I am. She couldn't have chosen a better time to pull this stunt, right when we're getting our marriage license. Isn't she just trying to recycle trash?" "And you, knowing full well that Phoebe is stringing you along, you're still willing to take the bait. You're at the hospital, go get your brain checked too." My words enraged Sam. "Luna! You're being completely unreasonable..." I didn't want to hear any more. I hung up the phone directly. Looking up at the photo in front of me, I tore it in half without hesitation and tossed Sam's picture into the trash can. I think it's time for me to let go. ... Actually, it wasn't always like this between Sam and me. He was gentle, considerate, the male god in everyone's eyes. And I, having the advantage of proximity, confessed my feelings to him in college. To this day, I still remember that day. It was evening. He picked me up after class for dinner and saw that my shoelace was untied. He naturally squatted down to tie it for me. It was a simple gesture he had done countless times, but amidst the teasing from my roommates, I blushed. When he stood up, I took his hand. "Do you want to date?" Sam was taken aback for a moment, then he tightened his grip on my hand and laughed freely. "Luna, those words should be said by the guy first." After that day, our friendship officially blossomed into love, becoming the envy of everyone on campus. This continued until Phoebe appeared. The first time I heard about Phoebe was from Sam. He said there was a new employee in the company who chattered non-stop, giving him a headache. He complained, but there was a smile on his face. I was just stunned for a moment and didn't say anything. I didn't hear Phoebe's name again after that. Gradually, I forgot about it. I met Phoebe at Sam's company. I was on vacation and went to deliver lunch to Sam. As soon as I arrived at the company, I saw Sam furious, pointing at an employee's nose and cursing. "What are all of you good for? I asked you to secure a deal, and you managed to lose the price list!" "Do you have any idea how much effort the company has put into this project? Do you know how much money the company will lose if we don't get it?" I frowned and was about to go over when I saw a girl bouncing towards Sam. She naturally rubbed his eyebrows and said with a coquettish smile, "Alright, alright, calm down, it's not good for your health to be so angry." Her intimate gesture made my heart skip a beat. Then I looked at Sam, and sure enough, his frown had relaxed. He pulled her hand away and gave her a look that seemed like a reproach, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. Seeing that he wasn't angry anymore, the girl pulled out a folder from behind her and waved it. "Guess what this is?" Before Sam could speak, the girl exclaimed in surprise, "That's right! It's the contract!" Sam's eyes lit up and he immediately took the contract to look it over. "As expected of our little princess Phoebe!" He rubbed the girl's head, and in his eyes, there was an emotion even he hadn't noticed. I must have looked terrible at that moment, because the moment they saw me, the expressions on their faces disappeared. Even Sam cautiously asked me why I was unhappy. I made some excuses, and Sam took my hand and led me to his office. Before entering, I looked back at the girl. Her expression was dazed, tears glistening in her eyes. She turned and ran away. After that, Phoebe rarely appeared in front of me. Sam told me that the project brought in more revenue for the company than the entire previous year, and without that money, the company would have gone under. Sam also often said that Phoebe helped the company, helped us. I could feel his love for me, his excitement and nervousness about getting married. But the scene from that day kept flashing through my mind. I knew there was nothing going on between them. But who knows what the future holds? ... The next day, Sam came back, exhausted. He saw me and immediately came up to hug me. "Luna, let's not fight anymore, okay?" I didn't say anything, listening to him continue. "Phoebe is pitiful. Her parents divorced and neither of them wanted her, so she came here." "She thought she found a boyfriend who could take good care of her, but he turned out to be a gold digger who kept pestering her even after they broke up." "Luna, don't worry, we'll get married as soon as Phoebe is discharged from the hospital!" "And..." He let go of me, lowering his head, not daring to look me in the eye. "A lot of people saw what you said. They all misunderstood my relationship with Phoebe. Can you... clarify it on i********:?" I raised an eyebrow, mockingly. "Clarify what? What I said, wasn't it the truth?" Sam abruptly raised his head to look at me. "Luna!" "What does her parents' divorce have to do with you? What does her having no friends have to do with me? She found herself a gold-digging scumbag, so I have to give up my fiancé to her?" I was smiling, but my heart grew heavier and heavier. "The b***h still wants to play the innocent card. Sam, how can you be so..." *Slap* A crisp sound rang out. My mind went blank, and my cheek stung. He had never laid a hand on me before, not until now... for another woman. It was as if a huge wad of cotton had been stuffed into my chest, making it impossible to breathe. Tears streamed down my face. Sam's face was pale, his fingers trembling as he looked at me. "Luna, I..." I glared at him coldly and slapped him back twice. "Get out! Get out!" I hit him frantically, my nails scratching bloody marks on his face. Sam kept retreating, not daring to provoke me further. It wasn't until he was out the door that I finally crouched down at the entrance, sobbing uncontrollably. "Luna, don't cry, it's all my fault! I won't hide anymore, you can hit me, hit me all you want, just please don't cry. You..." The ringing of his phone interrupted him. He suddenly panicked after hearing whatever was said on the other end. "...Phoebe, don't worry, I'll be right there!" A moment later, Sam's anxious and apologetic voice came from outside the door. "Luna, I'm sorry. I can't leave Phoebe behind. It's because of me that she met that gold-digging scumbag." "Don't worry, as soon as this is resolved, I'll be back!" ... In the days that followed, I went to work and came home as usual. I even went to the dentist. My wisdom tooth was inflamed, and the doctor advised me to have it extracted sooner rather than later. I was afraid it wouldn't look good at the wedding, so I endured the pain, thinking I'd get it extracted after the wedding. But now it didn't matter anymore. After the extraction, I bumped into Sam at the hospital. He seemed to have seen me too and wanted to come over, but because Phoebe's wrist was bleeding, he had to see the doctor first. I ignored him and turned to leave. Later, I received a text message from Sam asking me why I was at the hospital. I didn't reply. But Sam soon found out and texted me to take care of myself. Sam still didn't come back, but he sent me a lot of text messages. They were all about Phoebe's emotional instability, how she was making a scene and threatening suicide, and how that scumbag came to find Phoebe again and hurt her. Sam said that once things were settled, he would come and explain everything to me, and then we would go get our marriage license. I deleted all the messages he sent me. Opening w******p, I saw a video posted by Phoebe. Clicking on it, the location tag showed a picturesque scenery of Guangxi. Phoebe was wearing ethnic clothing, arm in arm with Sam, her smile bright and unrestrained. Someone ran up to them from behind. "Mr. Gu, Mrs. Gu is out for a walk again?" "Such a handsome man and beautiful woman, a perfect match!" Phoebe smiled shyly, tightening her grip on Sam's hand for the camera. The video ended abruptly. I turned off my phone, sitting there in a daze, a corner of my heart collapsing inch by inch. What followed was an unprecedented sense of relief. I put down my phone, stood up, and walked into my supervisor's office. "It's you." Mike glanced at me and then looked away. "Didn't we already agree that you can only transfer after you finish your current project? Don't tell me you can't even wait that long." My expression suddenly tensed, and I clenched my hands tightly. "Mike, I... I want to retract my transfer request." Mike's hand paused, finally looking up at me. "What do you mean?" I pursed my lips, forcing a small smile. "Mike, if possible, I'd like to apply for the opportunity to study abroad!" The corners of Mike's mouth lifted in an elegant arc, quickly suppressed. "Are you sure you've thought it through? Studying abroad takes three years, you..." "I've made up my mind!" I interrupted her, my tone firm. "I want to go!" Mike studied my expression, then laughed lightly. "You silly girl, you've finally come to your senses." Mike was my mentor. She had been guiding me ever since I joined the company. She initially wanted me to study abroad and take over her position when I returned. But I chose to transfer to logistics because I was getting married, wanting to have more time to take care of Sam. Mike was furious and scolded me, but she couldn't change my mind. And now I finally understood, men might betray me, but work wouldn't. Mike smiled and handed me a form. Just as I was about to take it, she withdrew her hand and asked suspiciously, "Are you absolutely sure you've thought it through? Once you hand this form to me, there's no going back." I nodded, took the form, and filled it out in front of her. "Mike, I won't let you down." After that, I bowed deeply to her. With that done, I had made up my mind. ... I called both sets of parents together and, in the calmest tone I could muster, told them everything that had happened. My parents were shaking with anger, threatening to go give Sam a piece of their mind. Sam's parents apologized profusely, at a loss for words, and immediately called Sam back. The next day, when Sam showed up, he looked disheveled, clearly having rushed back in a hurry. *Slap* Sam's mother slapped him across the face, her eyes red. "Sam! I'm so disappointed in you!" Her hand was trembling. "Did you lose your mind? You know Luna is your fiancée, yet you abandon her for someone else!" Sam's father stood there with a cane, his face full of shame. "In-laws, please rest assured, we will give Luna an explanation for this!" My mother turned her head away, refusing to speak, and took my hand, her eyes red with distress. "Luna, can we talk?" Sam's eyes were bloodshot, his handsome face etched with exhaustion and sorrow. Years of affection made my heart skip a beat, a dull ache spreading through it. I pursed my lips and agreed. Sam's parents and my parents gave us some time alone. Sam knelt down on one knee in front of me. "Luna, I admit it's my fault. I promise I won't ever..." "It doesn't matter anymore." I cut him off. Sam froze, fear creeping into his voice as he trembled. "What... what do you mean?"