I Was His Doormat for Three Years—Then I Walked Away and He Lost It

Chapter 4

By the time I arrived at the bar, Ralph was surrounded by a group of girls. They came in all types, but they shared one trait: they were all gorgeous. Even heavy makeup couldn't hide the youthful plumpness in their faces, and you could tell at a glance they were all barely out of their teens.

It was no wonder the girls liked him. Ralph was famous and rich, generous with his money, and handsome to boot. His playboy nature only proved how many women adored him, which actually added to his charm.

I touched my own face, remembering Ralph's scornful remark. "You're already 27. If you need cosmetic work done, go get it done. Can't you fix yourself up a bit?"

No wonder he looked down on me. He was surrounded by girls in their early twenties. I didn't say anything. Standing outside the crowd, my eyes met his. But he pretended not to see me, quickly looking away.

Barbara's face was flushed, her entire body pressed tightly against Ralph, her ample chest rubbing against him as she spoke in a cloying voice, "Ralph, have another drink."

Ralph smiled. Under the lights, he raised an eyebrow, looking incredibly handsome, but there wasn't a trace of warmth in it. He tempted her, "Drinking like this is so boring. Why don't you feed me?"

"How?"

Ralph didn't answer, merely lowering his gaze to look at her. Half a second later, Barbara understood. A flash of delight passed through her eyes, and she tipped her head back, downing the brightly colored cocktail in her glass in one gulp.

Then Ralph suddenly gripped her chin and kissed her fiercely. His kiss was rough and aggressive. Barbara endured it with her head tilted back, her eyes growing wet from breathlessness.

Alcohol trickled from the corners of their mouths, giving off a hazy glow under the lights. When they finally parted after a long while, a thin, silvery strand stretched between them.

The place instantly erupted into cheers; everyone was screaming and cheering. I knew he was doing it on purpose. He was punishing me. Punishing me for giving him attitude that day and not making it up to him afterward.

It wasn't until I walked up to Ralph that everyone finally saw me and gradually fell silent.

Ralph looked up, his expression calm. "Why are you here?"

Looking at his face, I drifted back to those intimate days, to when we'd been tangled up in each other. In the heat of the moment, we'd told each other we loved each other too.

Was I sad? It seemed I was, a little. But could I call it painful? Not really. After all, I had known for a long time what kind of person Ralph was. Pillow talk. Who actually takes that seriously?

He was promiscuous, emotionally exhausting, always chasing the next thrill. He was selfish, a pampered young master coddled since childhood, forever self-centered and inconsiderate of others' feelings.

I spoke, my voice somewhat hoarse. "Ralph, you've gone too far."

Ralph glanced up at me. Even though he was sitting on the sofa and I was standing before him, I felt as if he was looking down on me.

He still wore that nonchalant expression, a contemptuous smile on his lips. "Too far? You can dump me. No one's stopping you."

I didn't say a word, just looked at him. I'd lost track of how many times he'd threatened to dump me. Fifty times? Or a hundred?

A friend beside him also felt he had gone too far. After all, everyone had seen how I treated him over the years. He said softly to Ralph, "Ralph, don't be mad at Charlotte anymore. Look, she's about to cry."

In fact, I was crying. If I was going to put on an act, I was going to commit to it. As that tear slid down my cheek, I clearly saw Ralph's expression change. The hand holding his cigarette twitched, but he remained silent.

He pressed his lips tightly together, like a petulant kid holding his breath because he couldn't get the toy he wanted.

Then, I said softly, "Fine, Ralph. Then let's break up."

Ralph's face instantly twisted. For a moment, I almost thought he was going to jump up and hit me. Yet instead of getting angry, he laughed, his words coming through clenched teeth. "Pretty ballsy, Charlotte. Fine. But I never go back to old flames. Don't you f*****g come crawling back to me like a dog."

"Fine." I nodded, wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes. Then I turned and left without a backward glance.

Ralph didn't come back that night. I didn't care. I simply stayed up all night deleting his contact info and every trace of him, then packed my bags.

Early the next morning, I boarded the earliest flight back to my hometown. Once we were above the clouds, I pulled out my SIM card and threw it into the waste bag.