Farewell, My First Love

As the wedding approached, my boyfriend cheated on me with a woman who had just returned from abroad.

Suddenly, I, his fiancée, became a substitute for someone else.

"Frank, we are all human beings, after all. You pursued me back then, but now it's also you who want to break up with me."

1

When a girl was in love, the dopamine her brain produced could indeed enhance her certain abilities, such as writing, logic, observation, and intuition.

When I noticed Frank changing his clothes more frequently and dressing neatly every single day, I knew something was wrong!

He started working late more often, and every night when he came back, there was a faint scent of perfume on him.

He began to please me, even becoming overly accommodating.

This wasn't him! This was definitely not the real Frank.

After we had been together for so many years, I could only use the word absurd to describe his behavior.

When things seemed strange, there was usually more to the story!

But I didn't find solid evidence until I saw the white shirt piled on the washing machine, the one I had changed for him after he got drunk the previous night. The lipstick stain on the shirt was such an eyesore to me.

Everything in front of me sent chills down my spine!

Cheating?

I never imagined that a man like him, who always seemed so committed and faithful, would ever be found in this situation.

I called my best friend, but the phone rang for a long time without anyone answering. She probably drank too much last night again.

I felt a bit irritated, as if despair and grievance were dragging me into endless darkness.

It was then that I noticed my phone vibrating continuously.

"What's up, Julissa? Why did you call me so early in the morning?"

Danna's voice came from the other end of the line, and I could occasionally hear the faint sound of running water, which suggested she had just gotten up to wash up.

Her question made me hesitant to unbosom myself to her. What if I was just being too sensitive?

"If you don't say anything, I'm hanging up!"

"Danna, I think Frank is seeing someone else!"

As soon as I said it, I felt a sense of relief.

Through the screen, I could almost hear Danna swallowing hard.

The atmosphere was awkward for a long time, making me feel cold.

Danna said nothing, hung up the phone, and soon appeared at my door, panting.

She looked at me cautiously, from head to toe, and only when she saw I had no injuries did she hug me.

"It's okay. I'm here with you."

I broke free from her embrace and saw tears welling up in her reddened eyes.

"Why are you more upset than I am about Frank's cheating?"

I teased her, handing her a tissue from the table.

Danna wiped her tears and scolded me for being ungrateful. "I'm worried about you. How can you bear to laugh at me?"

I smiled. At this point, if it turned out that I was just being too sensitive, then everything would end well. But if things were as I suspected, staying calm wouldn't be of use.

Danna cursed, "What a bastard! I can't believe I used to like him so much!"

My eyes turned dull. My feelings for Frank were more than just liking him.

2

Danna noticed the breakfast on the dining table, knowing it was brought by Frank.

She glanced back at me and then took out the hotdog, trying to tempt Joe, who was lying on the floor.

Seeing that Joe ignored her, she put the hotdog back and muttered, "Good dog!"

"Why aren't you eating?"

Danna rolled her eyes at me.

"Even Joe doesn't want them, so I definitely can't eat what he bought. Leave them. I'll take them downstairs later for the stray dogs on the street."

I smiled, feeling a bit more grateful. Since I met her, no matter what happened, she always stood by my side. Whether it was a matter of principle or law, she always supported me without exception.

"You've been together so many years and are going to have a wedding. How could such a thing happen?!"

Her tone carried a hint of pity. Besides Frank and me, she was the one most supportive of us being together back then.

"Don't worry. Maybe I'm overthinking it."

I felt a bit uneasy. After all, it was just a lipstick stain, and because of that, I still held onto some unrealistic hopes. With the wedding approaching, if it were just a misunderstanding, I wouldn't give up on the happiness within reach.

I couldn't bear the thought of my man being in the same bed with another woman.

Danna's eyes lit up, and she immediately came up with an idea.

"I know a journalist who can help!"

I nodded in response to her.

She replied while urging me to get dressed.

"I'll treat you to breakfast."

I never thought the road in front of my house would feel so long, as if everyone on the street were talking about me.

I pretended to be strong, yet I still felt so embarrassed, unable to lift my head.

How I met Frank was purely accidental. What I once thought was a beautiful encounter now seemed like an unavoidable joke.

Four years ago, when I had just stepped into college from high school, I still carried the various influences from my family.

Growing up in a single-parent family, I had no confidence compared to others. My parents gave me nothing to boast about except for a pretty face that others admired.

A man who drank heavily for years, besides liking to abuse his wife and daughter after drinking, was never seen otherwise.

I never called him dad, and he always called me a burden. My frail mother, to avoid the conflict reaching her, pretended to be unaware of the situation whenever I was beaten.

Initially, I would run outside while being hit, crying and begging for mercy. But later, I realized that the more I cried, the harder the man hit.

Maybe after being beaten so many times, I eventually ran out of tears. Seeing me neither cry nor scream, the man would kick me a few times and stop.

So, I studied hard just to escape from home, which was supposed to be a haven.

After graduating from high school, I escaped from that small town to the city. Then, in college, I escaped from the city to the seaside.

With all my wounds, I breathed in my first breath of freedom.

I sat on the swing in the school playground, pushing with my feet and swinging back and forth, greedily enjoying my freedom.

Tears slid down my cheeks, the scene witnessed by Frank beside me.

At that moment, he stood in front of me, casually handing me an unopened pack of tissues. He stood in my way, yet became my guiding light.

3

"Julissa."

Danna bit the plastic straw in her mouth, looking at me while I was staring out the window, her eyes full of pain and worry. She pushed the plate with steak toward me.

"What if this is true?"

"Then I'll break up with him."

The wind chimes hanging on the restaurant door swayed continuously in the wind. Even those swinging decorations seemed luckier than me.

The fallen leaves on the street paved a golden carpet on the road.

"It's autumn."

Danna said nothing, linking her arm with mine and silently accompanying me.

I tugged at my collar and headed home against the wind.

Frank, as usual, didn't come home for lunch. I just didn't know if he was on the office sofa or in someone else's bed, but none of that mattered to me anymore.

By the time the sun set, I followed Danna to a small bar.

The clock on the wall pointed precisely at seven when the person we were waiting for appeared at the door.

"Hey, Danna. What made you think of inviting me? A glass of plain water, please."

The person who sat down was a young man wearing a baseball cap. Hearing his voice, I guessed his identity.

He looked at Danna, who wore a mischievous grin, not noticing me sitting beside her.

"What? Do I have something on my face? Or do you want to dance with me?"

I should have guessed who it was when Danna mentioned he was a journalist.

Henrik Morrison, a reporter for a mainstream magazine and Danna's childhood friend.

I was used to their banter. The three of us used to hang out often, but after I got together with Frank, I drifted apart from him. Today, he was less restrained than usual.

"It's been a long time, Henrik."

Hearing my voice, he quickly turned around and froze. After a long pause, he stammered, "Julissa!" He looked at Danna, who was laughing heartily beside him, and appeared a bit at a loss.

"Would you still like to dance with me, Hank?"

Henrik forced a smile, his expression somewhat awkward. He shot Danna a glare and hurriedly explained, "I, I was just messing with you. You know I don't drink, let alone dance."

"And please, don't call me Hank. We're not that close. Call me Henrik."

He was a bit annoyed at Danna's teasing, so he started acting formal with her.

After a while of bantering, the two quieted down.

"Alright, I came to ask for your help today, " Danna conceded first, earning Henrik's forgiveness at the cost of a meal.

Danna patted me on my shoulder and gave him a meaningful look, and Henrik immediately understood.

"Julissa is also one of my best friends. I'll do my best, " he replied.

I smiled at him, showing my gratitude.

After saying goodbye to Henrik, I declined Danna's invitation to her home. Helplessly, she accompanied me back.

"Julissa, don't you think Henrik seems a bit prissy around you?"

"Maybe it's because we haven't seen each other for a long time, and I'm nearly a strange person to him."

"That seems to make sense. But I can't figure out what he's thinking."

4

Since high school, I've often been jolted awake by nightmares. The fear from those dreams would leave me drained for the entire day.

I dreaded interacting with strangers. And I was accustomed to leaning against walls and avoiding all gatherings. I isolated myself in a locked-off city, unwilling to venture out.

How could a misfit like me, disconnected from the human world, possibly get along with others?

This dreadful state lingered with me through my graduation from high school. I thought it was because I hadn't moved far enough from home. However, even after I was admitted into college and pursued education in another city, such a situation persisted.

I considered seeing a doctor, but each time I reached the clinic's door, my body instinctively shrank.

Eventually, I gave up on trying. Perhaps this was my fate.

I looked at Frank standing in the light, mustered the courage, and spoke the first words of our meeting.

"I'll return a pack of tissues to you."

My barely audible voice made Frank, who was about to leave, pause. He turned back to look at me, lost in thought.

"Alright."

His voice was pleasant, like the sound of water trickling over rocks, or perhaps it was the sound of my heartbeat. For the first time, I felt an urge to get to know someone.

However, the crowd was unfamiliar and made me feel uncomfortable.

However, I insisted on searching for Frank in every classroom, following the image in my memory. First room, second room, third room... I had searched so many classrooms, yet I still couldn't find him.

The sky was heavy that day, dark clouds seeming to press down. Even the sun had to retreat. People trickled out of the restaurant entrance, and soon, they were all gone.

I watched the heavy rain outside, leaning against a pillar and waiting for it to stop. The rain, mixed with the scent of earth, washed over the city with abandon.

I liked such a moment. The world turned peaceful.

"If you don't have an umbrella, you better run."

That familiar voice sounded not far from me. He held an umbrella, extending his other hand to feel the rain's temperature.

Before I could react, he was already beside me.

"I hope you don't mind sharing an umbrella with me."

He moved the umbrella closer to me.

I didn't refuse, nor did I remember how to. A voice inside kept telling me, "Julissa, say something!"

For the first time, I realized how enjoyable rain could be.

The distance from the school cafeteria to the dormitory seemed much shorter than usual. Before I knew it, we were near the sports field. After we turned the corner, a girl rushed out in the rain.

Her umbrella was closed, and after she glanced at us, her eyes widened in disbelief and then turned curious.

Danna opened her umbrella and pulled me away from Frank.

"Thank you for bringing her back."

"You're welcome."

With that, Frank disappeared into the rain, leaving Danna and me standing there.

The way back seemed longer, and even what was in sight felt more boring.

"You're Julissa Hopkins, right?"

I nodded, surprised that someone remembered my name.

"We're classmates. Just call me Danna."

"Thank you. I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

She waved her hand and disappeared down the corridor.

The rain outside showed no sign of stopping.

He must have gone back by now.

That rain, unrestrained, clouded my judgment, making me a fool trapped by my feelings.

After that, Frank and I began a four-year-long relationship. No, more precisely, it was three years, six months, and seven days.

Until the day we graduated from college, I still hadn't returned that pack of tissues I owed Frank.

After graduation, we started the Franlissa Law Firm together.

Later, we got engaged.

5

Watching Joe being chased around the room by Danna, I was somewhat amused.

Exhausted from playing, Danna finally sat down, panting. She lay beside me, staring at me silently.

"I'm sorry!"

Danna suddenly said, her eyes darting away as if she lacked the courage to meet my gaze.

I understood her meaning. After all, it was her efforts that brought Frank and me together in college. She was like a professional matchmaker, tirelessly creating opportunities for us to be together.

I leaned over and pinched her cheek, feeling touched.

In the middle of the night, I was suddenly awakened. After gently moving Danna's arm aside, I quietly made my way to the bathroom. Passing through the living room, I saw Frank, who had been missing all day.

He was sitting by the window, the cigarette in his hand glowing red in the darkness, and the smell of tobacco made me cough lightly.

Hearing my cough, he quickly turned around, extinguishing the cigarette in the ashtray.

"Why are you awake? I thought I was being quiet, " he said, his face showing genuine guilt, though I no longer felt the same passion as before.

"Just needed the bathroom, " I said softly in response.

"I was too busy today and forgot to call you, " he said.

"I know."

"Well, get some rest. Goodnight."

I didn't respond and headed straight to the bathroom.

It felt like there was a growing distance between us, and even our conversations seemed unnecessary.

I was waiting for an explanation from him, like a last chapter in a book, but all I got was his habitual goodnight.

So be it. There was nothing left to expect from this relationship. All I wanted was to end it in a dignified way.

In the following days, everything seemed as usual, with no news from Henrik.

Frank occasionally called, maintaining his facade of being a faithful man. When he came home in the evenings, he'd bring things I liked, but seeing Danna there, he'd naturally retreat to the guest room.

However, every morning, Danna would take the breakfast to feed the stray dogs downstairs. Seeing her enjoy it so much, I let her be.

After a few days, with no news from Henrik, Danna went back.

Frank unexpectedly told me he was negotiating a project with someone and would be away for a few days, and then disappeared without a trace.

I told him I understood, thinking to myself, "Finally, he can't hold back anymore."

The days dragged on, and I felt out of sync with the usual rhythm of life. Finally, on the fourth night, I received a message from Henrik.

Pleasure Park!

Pleasure Park was in the center of the city, and Frank's law firm was in that area.

As the streetlights passed by, I realized my hands were sweaty.

Stuck at a red light, I wished time could stop here. But the green light soon shattered my illusion.

The car quickly parked by Pleasure Park, where Henrik was waiting under a streetlamp not far away.

"Julissa, " he greeted me, unable to meet my eyes. His expression was a blend of sadness, echoing with the coldness of autumn.

The dark phone screen showed no response from Danna.

"Let's go."

Saying these words seemed to have drained all my strength. After speaking, I let Henrik lead the way.

Following the familiar path, we soon crossed the park's heart. At the end of the road was Frank's law firm.

6

The path was short, so short that before I was ready, I saw that familiar figure.

By the red SUV, Danna was throwing a tantrum while Frank stood on the other side.

Emotions churned inside me!

As soon as Frank saw me by the roadside, his expression changed. He quickly pushed Danna aside, intending to leave.

"How dare you hit me!"

Danna, supported by Henrik from behind, looked like an enraged lioness. Noticing our arrival, she seemed more emboldened.

The crowd around us grew, and only then did I notice a woman in Frank's car.

I inexplicably felt relieved, calmer than ever, as if today's farce had nothing to do with me.

"Julissa... "

Frank approached me, but before he could say something, Henrik punched him in the face.

Blood trickled down Frank's nose, marring his usually gentle appearance.

After falling, Henrik pinned Frank down, each punch a shocking blow to the senses.

"Stop it!"

The woman from the car had somehow come over, but before she could intervene, Danna slapped her.

"You shameless bitch! How dare you seduce my friend's man! Today, I'll teach you a lesson!"