Spiraling Down

Allison’s sharp voice rang in my ears. “Eric, are you crazy? How dare you push him in front of everyone?”

As she spoke, Allison hurried over to pull Aaron out of the fountain, but he floundered in the icy water for quite a while without getting up. It was winter, and the fountain water was freezing. Aaron sneezed several times, his carefully styled hair now soaked and disheveled. He looked utterly miserable.

Some colleagues even pulled out their phones and started taking pictures.

Allison still managed to throw a parting threat my way. “Eric, you uncivilized brute! I won’t let you get away with this!”

I ignored her, shoved my hands into my pockets, and walked straight out of the venue. Standing by the roadside waiting for a ride, I watched the rain outside grow heavier and felt a pang of nostalgia.

The first time I met Allison was on a rainy day like this. I’d been standing outside a convenience store, making a phone call. Just as I opened my umbrella and was about to leave, a spirited figure dashed out of the rain. She ducked under my umbrella, her eyes crinkling in a sweet smile.

“Hey, I forgot my umbrella. Mind sharing yours for a bit?”

For some reason, my heart skipped a beat, and my mind went blank. Without thinking, I agreed.

Later, I often thought that moment might have been fate—love at first sight. It was only after we got married that I learned she had someone else in her heart, a figure she could never forget.

She’d married me out of spite.

I once believed that if I treated her well enough, I could replace that person in her heart and carve out a bit of happiness for myself. Little did I know, it was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Lost in thought, I suddenly heard familiar voices behind me. It was Allison and Aaron.

Seeing the rain, Allison complained coyly, “Why did the weather suddenly change? And it’s raining so heavily. Did you bring an umbrella?”

Aaron glanced around and then locked eyes with me. “Wow, Allison, look how considerate Eric is! He knows you don’t like rainy days, so he waited here just for you. He even called a car for you!”

It was rush hour, and with the bad weather, traffic was congested, and rides were scarce. The car I’d ordered had just arrived.

Allison nodded in satisfaction. “Don’t think that calling a car for me means you can wipe the slate clean. You humiliated Aaron in front of the media, and I’ll deal with you for that later. But since you arranged a car for me, I’ll let it slide for now. As for your impulsive resignation, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

With that, she prepared to get in the car, gesturing for Aaron to join her.

Aaron glanced at me hesitantly and said with a smile, “This doesn’t seem right. After all, this is Eric’s car. Wouldn’t it be rude of me to tag along?”

However, Allison replied without hesitation, “It’s a big car, isn’t it? One more person won’t make a difference. Or do you want to stand here in the rain and wait forever? Eric can just flag another car down.”

Just as Allison reached for the door handle, I slipped into the front passenger seat first. “Who said this car was for you? Stop flattering yourselves.”

I then gave the driver my phone number to confirm the ride, and the car smoothly pulled away, leaving the two of them standing there, stunned in the rain.