When I Traded Love Away, He Begged for It Back

The day I caught Carter and Ruby together was the day I randomly decided to bring him lunch.

I had just reached the door of the CEO's office when I saw Carter pinning a young, beautiful girl against the wall, kissing her fiercely and passionately.

The room was filled with the sound of their intimate embrace. They did not even notice me standing there.

My mind went blank.

I couldn’t understand how Carter, who had once sworn to love only me, could be kissing someone else.

The lunchbox in my hand fell to the ground, and finally, their kiss was broken as they became aware of my presence.

He instinctively shielded Ruby, standing in front of her as if to protect her from my gaze.

That day, I asked for a divorce.

Carter’s face turned pale instantly.

He quickly pushed Ruby aside and began crying, begging me for forgiveness.

"Zendaya, I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. I must have been out of my mind to do something so foolish."

"It’s my fault. Go ahead, hit me. Get all of your anger out," he said, grabbing my hand and slapping his face with it, tears welling up as he pleaded, "But please, don’t leave me, Zendaya."

He enlisted everyone around him to beg me to stay, swearing that this was the first and only time he’d ever crossed that line.

My gut told me that our relationship should end, but giving up on nine years of love felt like tearing out a part of myself. It was not something I could do lightly.

Therefore, I chose to forgive him.

However, once a crack appeared, it was impossible to repair.

Perhaps it was because he had once been such a proud person, and I had held him so tightly in my grasp that he couldn’t let go.

Or maybe, he realized he had become an indispensable part of my life, and now, he could act without restraint.

It did not take long before he brought Ruby back to his side, this time as his assistant.

In the year since, he tested my boundaries over and over again, and now, he openly posted about Ruby on his social media.

My love had become the weapon he used against me.

But what if... love really could be pawned?

I snapped back to reality. The virtual avatar on the screen was still there.

"Can love be pawned?" I asked, my voice filled with doubt.

"Pawn your love, and receive what you need," the virtual avatar quickly replied.

"Here, you can trade in your heavy, painful, or unresolvable love for everything you need, including beauty, health, and success."

"But love should be mutual," I hesitated before continuing, "My love... it may already be gone."

The virtual avatar responded, "Don’t worry, miss. This pawnshop accepts one-sided love too."

"We’ve detected that your love meets our pawning standards."

"Would you like to proceed with pawning your love?"

As soon as the words left its mouth, a pop-up appeared on the screen.

"Please confirm whether you wish to pawn your love."

At the bottom of the window were two options laid out: "Confirm" and "I’ll Think About It".

I pursed my lips. Since I couldn’t do it myself, I decided to let the Love Pawnshop handle it for me.

Without hesitation, I pressed the “Confirm” button.

"Now, what would you like in exchange?" The virtual avatar seemed to exhale in relief, and its tone of voice sounded noticeably lighter.

"We highly recommend exchanging it for career success! Customers who’ve chosen it all say it’s fantastic!"

"Alright, I’ll take the career option," I replied. Since my love was already gone, my career couldn’t afford any more setbacks.

"Ding! The pawning contract has been successfully signed," the virtual avatar responded.

"To minimize any physical and emotional harm to you, we will gradually withdraw all of your love over the next five days."

"At the same time, your career luck has been successfully activated. From now on, you will excel in your career, achieving twice the result with half the effort."

"Enjoy the experience."

Five days. Could a person’s love truly disappear in such a short time?

I felt a sharp pain in my chest, but soon, I felt strangely lighter.

When I glanced at my phone again, the Love Pawnshop page had vanished, replaced by a shopping ad for Black Friday.

Everything was back to normal, as if nothing had happened—like it had all been a figment of my imagination.