The Betrayal Behind the Smile

efore, but I fell head ove

But as I gradually found that what emerged from this sea of love wasn't the

y made me feel ex

." I coldly pushed him aside, loo

farce was fi

the crowd, I felt a triumphant satisfaction.

back in my so

d from a comfortab

e best food and clothes, aiming to raise me well so

hine. I often saw him on the basketball court and in many other places. I always

versity, and many boys tried to win me over

was dif

ourses, so sometimes we wo

because the view from the back was poor, and h

nty had tried to win me over, so at fi

y. Every day, I would narcissistically admire myself in the mirror. My skin

me every day, would event

op into my head for no reason. It

l you be my

n a daze, not fully processing

s case of morn

and elegant beauty topping the university

assed, and I turned to

always sat behind m

annoyance. "What? Are y

is day: "Who do you think you are, to tell my friend to get lost? If you don't wa

is name was Roderick because the professor called

guy spoke to me like t

ling my arm and pushing Roderick asi

away, but his words ke

I thin

renowned beauty on th

to explode, and I couldn't he

, like a hunter savoring

and looked again, h

st my ima

cognized goddess of our department.

t had happened and tried to comfort me a

beginning of Roderick's i

notice him un

m the boys who only

ays ahead of me in elective courses, ofte

everything seemed as if it never occurred. Our relat

ning, and I forg

d friends showed up for the public lecture due

ll-off, my parents never

hought I would have to

mbrella onto my desk as he pa

. He was handsome, smart, a basketball player, and always rea

many girls

to the principle of not owing each other anything, I went to the cafeteria to

se, perhaps because a guy like h

nto him at the cafeteria. He would alway

ead, he would help me get more food from the window, explaining

lossomed amidst th

one dark evening, standing outside my dorm with a bouquet

dorm, ready to nod. But then I remembered

pered, "I'll give you three days to show

cepted the

small gifts on any occasion, delivering meals to my dorm, and tr

it was tim

the basketball court and saw the cro

ys explained calmly, "Rylie, I

looking so earnest, as if I w

conv

en he confessed again,

change. He was more gentle, attenti

web to catch its prey, willing

ur one-month anniversary, h

meal that I saw a

ting his phone. Knowing his pas

y of WhatsApp notifications, a

s like, "Where shall we eat, big brother?" and "The weather's

ll of payments ranging from te

fforts into making money and in

e boy who swore he only had eyes fo

, I'm

icking, I quickly turned off his phone, pretending no

tle and meticulous, knowing all my preferences, even

ed softly, feig

was a storm

end was a

ething I nev

d the dorm supervisor to carry me to the infirmary

onship, he unhesitatingly distanced himself from all other girls

zon, and he would pour out those honeyed words, "Seeing the sun set makes me think of

ing him silly as I laughed, never suspecting t

s he had used on me, he had also

Don't fall so deep in love

filling me with regret for the night

t day always made