A Hopeless Love

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly ahead.

Loud noises echoed outside the door as Miles seemed to be smashing things again. At some point, he had developed this habit of expressing his dissatisfaction with me through this method.

The first time it happened, he broke our matching mugs. Then, he shattered the ceramic figurines we had made together. The final straw was when he threw our engagement rings straight out the window…

…

Countless waves of sadness crashed over me. It was like I was being suffocated. I suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired.

I lowered my gaze to my wrist, where the bruises had left purple scars that looked like a circular blade. It was slicing through my heart and slowly cutting away the decayed parts of my soul.

Then, the doorbell rang, and the living room abruptly fell silent. I stood and walked out. The place was a complete mess by now, and it was utterly unrecognizable.

Pieces of our photos lay shredded across the floor in the living room, glaringly out of place. I simply slowly closed my eyes.

I was 19 when Miles saved me and carried me into his car. From then on, I gained the nickname "little damsel".

Miles never formally introduced me to his friends. On the rare occasions we met them, I would overhear whispers and teasing comments like, "Oh, so this is Miles' little damsel?"

I thought I wasn't good enough for Miles, so I worked relentlessly to get into a top university. I also discovered my passion. That was how I pursued my dreams in the world I loved while yearning to be a part of his.

Back then, I would often cup my face with a smile and ask, "Miles, when will you marry me? When will you introduce me to your friends?"

Miles would only pat my head and give me a fond smile. He never directly answered my questions, so I always assumed he just wasn't ready to make promises.

Until one day, I happened to sit in the booth behind him and his friends where we were separated by a screen.

Miles had spoken casually, "I do like her. She's stunning, and I could say she's one in a million. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone against everyone to carry her into the car back then.

"But she's so resilient, like hardy grass. Hardy grass can't compare to the delicate charm of a begonia, which makes you want to cherish it.

"Even so, she cares enough about me. She'll eventually back down no matter how much she protests. I don't even need to put in much effort to mollify her. I think I could keep her around for a few more years."

"I guess meeting you was truly her misfortune then…"

"What a headache. This is such a nuisance."

They talked about me like I meant nothing. Back then, I had to struggle to steady myself, forcing my back straight to suppress the bitterness in my heart.

That was when I realized I was nothing more than a bother to Miles. But still, I naively believed that if I behaved better and became even more outstanding, Miles would stop seeing me as a nuisance.

I began tolerating all his bad temper without limits. It seemed his habit of smashing things started when I abandoned my boundaries.

Later, when his so-called "begonia" Nora returned, I realized that after all these years, I was still just a nuisance in his life.

Miles was holding me in his arms when his friend mentioned Nora. His usually calm and indifferent expression flickered with a trace of longing.

"Nora? She's such a delicate little flower. If I were single, I'd keep her like a treasure in a golden house. She deserves to be adorned with jewels, and she's always so proud and beautiful."

I forced a smile while I was still in his arms. At the same time, the nails I had done to please him dug painfully into my palms. I pretended to be strong as I endured all the pitiful glances directed my way.

From then on, I started to reexamine our relationship and realized it had always been one-sided. It was nothing but a futile effort.

After I finished packing my belongings, I suddenly received a photo. It was Miles from behind, and he was fresh out of the shower.

He was wearing only a white towel around his waist. His broad shoulders were undeniably attractive. Meanwhile, Nora was dressed in a lace nightgown as she stared directly at the camera with a smug, provocative look.