He Used Me as His Practice Run, So I Left Him in the Dust

On the year I turned twenty-five, Austin handed me a hotel room card. Though I felt a flush of shyness, I went to meet him with a heart full of hope. I genuinely thought he was just one of those guys who found it hard to confess his feelings. But the next morning, I stood outside the office breakroom and heard him talking to his buddies. He wasn't even trying to hide it. "Damn, man, you actually landed her? Clara is top-tier." I frowned, initially wanting to just walk away and ignore them. Then, Austin’s arrogant voice rang out, dripping with pride: "Shh, keep it down. Don’t spread it around. I’m planning on marrying the CEO’s daughter, you know? But she’s a tough nut to crack. I figured I needed someone to practice on first." Austin’s words froze me to the core. My lips parted slightly, but not a single sound came out. The chill in the hallway seemed to seep deep into my bones. Inside the breakroom, his colleagues had no idea I was standing right there. The laughter and banter went on. "Using a gorgeous girl like Clara for practice? You’re savage, man." "Hey, when you get bored of her, can you hook me up? I’ve been eyeing her for a long time." Austin replied with complete indifference. "I wouldn't mind, honestly. But she’s head over heels for me. She’d never look at you." "You have no idea. The moment she got my room card, she practically ran to the hotel." "And now she wants us to be official. What a joke. If she didn't have such a great body and wasn't so good in bed, I wouldn't even have bothered using her for practice." His buddy let out a dirty laugh. "A girl like that is only good for one thing..." Austin cut him off, sounding annoyed. "Shut up. Do you think I'm the type of guy who lets his lower half rule his head?" "I only gave her what she wanted because she’s been chasing me so hard. I was just throwing her a bone." The whispers and laughter in the office grew louder and cruder. "Man, you really have a way with her. So many guys tried to ask Clara out before, and she turned them all down. Turns out she likes guys like you." "What’s that saying again? Your dream girl is just someone else's..." The conversation degenerated into pure filth. I stood there like a statue. Tears streamed silently down my face. I had to use every ounce of my strength just to keep my knees from buckling. The sound of other colleagues approaching echoed from the elevator. Forcing my trembling body to move, I practically fled the scene. With the last bit of my energy, I stumbled into the empty stairwell.The tears wouldn't stop, and my heart felt like it was being ripped apart. Those toxic, humiliating words kept echoing in my head. They shattered my years of devotion into a million pieces. If I hadn't overheard them today, I probably would have kept deluding myself. I would have believed he was just "bad at expressing himself." It turned out he didn't care about love at all. The sweet words were fake. The promises were fake. The only real thing was his utter lack of respect for me. Everything I had done for him was just a joke to them. I sat on the cold stairs, hugging my knees, shaking as I sobbed. My throat felt raw, and my heart was hollow. A few minutes later, my phone vibrated. It was a text from Austin. [Why are you late for work? Exhausted from last night?] [Let’s do it again tonight. Same place.] [I'm a bit tight on cash this week. You book the hotel this time.] [Did you take the Plan B yet? Take it early. I don't like using condoms anyway, it doesn't feel as good.] [Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to my teammate. He’s my best friend.] I stared at the screen with empty eyes. Last night, from the moment we entered the room, he couldn't wait. It was non-stop. Even when I clearly told him I was in pain, he didn't care. He just said, *"It's always like this the first time. You'll get used to it. To make it better for you, I won't wear a condom. Just take the pill afterward."* *"Birth control is actually good for your skin anyway. You know, like regulating your hormones."* He had rambled on about how terrible abortions were and how hard it was to be a single mom. At the time, I thought he was being responsible and caring. Now, I realized it was just pure selfishness. Once the tears ran dry, my mind became terrifyingly clear. I stood up, adjusted my clothes, and went to the restroom to wash my face. Since things had already reached this point, I needed to minimize the damage. I walked down to the pharmacy on the corner, bought the Plan B pill, and swallowed it dry. As soon as the pill went down, I felt like all the energy had been drained from my body. Austin and I were childhood friends. This wasn't just a brief office romance. We had known each other for over ten years. When we were kids playing house, we held hands and promised we’d be together forever. In every version of my future, he was there. I had never imagined a life without him. But now, I had to. I called in sick for the rest of the day and went home. Late that night, my coworker Chloe sent me a message on Snapchat. [Clara, why didn't you come to the happy hour tonight? Austin is practically throwing himself at Amber from the marketing department. You need to come and claim your man!] Along with the text, she sent a video.In the VIP lounge of the bar, Austin was practically glued to Amber. He followed her everywhere, pulling out her chair, grabbing her drinks, and even gently tucking her hair behind her ear when they laughed. The chemistry between them was undeniable. Amber was wearing a designer dress with a massive logo, her makeup flawless and her posture elegant. She was the rumored daughter of the CEO. Although she had never openly confirmed it, the management's special treatment of her, combined with her sharing the CEO's last name, made everyone certain of her elite status. Even through the screen, I could feel Austin's desperation to please her. At the very end of the video, I saw their hands secretly slip into each other’s. Tears spilled over my lashes again. He had just bragged about using me for "practice," and now he had already moved on to the real target. I was the only fool who had cherished that night. Chloe sent another video. My finger tapped it automatically. People were playing a party game—popping balloons by pressing their bodies together. Amber held a tiny balloon in her hand and beckoned Austin with a finger. As expected, he stood up instantly. Because the balloon was so small, their bodies had to press incredibly close. Amidst the loudest cheers of the night, the balloon popped, and they wrapped their arms tightly around each other. To the sound of wild catcalls and whistling, they walked out of the bar together, hand in hand. My eyes locked onto the condom wrapper slipping out of Austin’s jacket pocket. The pain was unbearable. It felt like a physical knife twisting in my chest. I wanted to cry, but my tears had run dry. My eyes just burned. The video ended, and Chloe’s message popped up right after. [Clara, do you see what kind of guy he is now?] [He doesn't deserve you. Dump him. The longer you drag this out, the more it’s going to hurt. Or do you want to be his dirty little secret forever?] I wiped the corner of my eye and replied, my voice raspy as I dictated the text: [No. I’m done with him.] I had been blinded by love, believing he would eventually see me. I thought if I just did enough, he would finally choose me. [Are you serious, Clara? Don't play with me. I've warned you so many times before, and you always brushed it off. Please tell me you’re not making excuses for him again.] [Stay away from this toxic trash. He’s stringing you along. Even if you guys somehow ended up together, he’d definitely cheat on you.] [I know. I finally see it clearly now,] I replied, feeling my heart go completely numb. [I’m not looking back this time.] [Isn’t there an open slot for the Sydney project? Nobody wanted to relocate so far, so the position is still empty.] [I’ll take it.]The Sydney project was actually a golden opportunity. It was a fresh market, bursting with potential. When it was just short-term business trips, everyone fought for it. But now that the project was entering its critical phase, it required someone to relocate permanently to manage the clients. The company had planned to hire locally in Australia, but due to corporate culture differences, they couldn't find the right fit. In the end, the board decided to send someone from the headquarters. For the employee, it was a guaranteed promotion and a massive raise. However, it required a minimum three-year contract, which scared most people off. When I first joined this company, Austin and I had agreed to settle down in this city. All his family and friends were here, so he never wanted to leave. Even though I hated the freezing winters of this city, I had never thought about leaving because of him. I had worked so hard at this company, but I had never once considered the relocation program. We had been inseparable for so many years that our families already assumed we would get married. Back then, I had no reason to leave him. But now, everything was different. If I stayed here out of some pathetic lingering affection, I would despise myself. Since he wanted to use his body to climb the corporate ladder, I might as well climb it with my own hard work. The next morning, I went straight to the HR director’s office. Without a shred of hesitation, I signed the relocation agreement. From now on, we would be oceans apart. I hoped we would never meet again.Even now, the faint marks on my skin hadn't fully faded. The love bites were scattered across my neck and collarbone. Looking at those painful reminders, the memories of that night rushed back against my will. The heat of his hands, his breathless whispers in my ear, the rhythm of his body... it all felt so vivid. But then, the video clip of him holding Amber flashed in my mind. He would say those exact same words to her. Maybe he would even be gentler with her. Instantly, the warmth of those memories vanished, replaced by a wave of nausea. Since he left the bar with Amber that night, he hadn’t texted me once. In all the years we had known each other, this was the first time we went completely silent. I suppose he was too busy chasing his "CEO's daughter" to care about me. That was fine. A slow ending was still an ending. My mind was a chaotic mess, and I didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning. The next morning, the rich aroma of coffee and breakfast woke me up. I opened my eyes to see Austin sitting at my dining table, holding a bag of bagels from the café downstairs. He was smiling at his phone, typing furiously. He was so engrossed that he didn't even notice me walking up. I tapped his shoulder. He flinched, immediately flipping his phone face down on the table. His guilty reaction was almost laughable. He avoided my gaze. "Oh, you're awake. Why didn't you wake me up? I brought you breakfast." I took two steps back, dodging his hand as he reached out to touch my waist. Austin froze, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Why so distant all of a sudden? Are you shy?" "I’ve been crazy busy with work the last few days, so I couldn't check in on you. Are you mad?" He smirked and stepped closer. I stepped back again. We ended up walking in circles around the kitchen island. His smile faded, replaced by irritation. "What is your problem today?" "Is this about the happy hour last night? Just because I talked to a few girls? Why do you have to be so insecure all the time?"I didn't say a word. I walked straight to the front door, pulled it open, and pointed outside. Austin stood frozen. "Can you stop making a scene? You haven't texted me in days either. I was only ignoring you because I was annoyed." "By the way, did you take that Plan B? The effect should last for a week, right? Since we're still in the window, we could..." I grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and hurled it right at his face. "Austin, what exactly are we to each other?" I demanded, my voice cold as ice. He blinked, then let out a smug, knowing laugh. "Oh, I get it. You want us to be official. No wonder you're throwing a tantrum." "We've known each other for ten years, Clara. Why do we need to do all that boyfriend-girlfriend label stuff? Let’s not worry about those pointless things. I can make you feel secure in other ways..." He gave me a sleazy wink, treating me like some prize he had already won and locked in a cage. I wondered how stupid he thought I was. Did he really think a few empty words would keep me hooked forever? "Then tell everyone at the office tomorrow that we're dating," I said. "Do you dare?" He fell silent for a moment. "Don't be childish, Clara. You know office romance is a bad look. It’s bad for both of our careers." Seeing my expression remain cold, his temper finally flared. "Have I been too nice to you? Get over yourself!" He snatched the breakfast bag and slammed it onto the floor. The hot coffee spilled, leaving a dark, ugly stain on my clean cream rug. "Did you seriously think sleeping with me once gave you the right to control me?" "Let me tell you something, Clara. Keep dreaming. I have plenty of girls lined up waiting to jump into my bed." His utter contempt and disrespect were laid bare for the first time. His words cut deep, ripping away the last of my dignity. Tears I thought had run out welled up again, blurring my vision. Seeing me cry—something I rarely did in front of him—he seemed a bit flustered. "Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I apologize. But you shouldn't be acting like this either..." He reached out to wipe my tears, but I slapped his hand away. "We can still go out at night. Just give me a few years, I will..." Before he could finish, his phone buzzed loudly. He glanced at the screen and immediately stood straight. "I have to go. I don’t have time to waste on your drama. Think about it, Clara. We've already crossed that line. Who else is going to want you if you ruin things with me?" "Making a scene won't do you any good."Later that afternoon, I saw Amber’s Instagram story. It was a photo of a mug of warm ginger tea. The caption read: *"The right one always knows how to take care of you. <3"* I swiped past it, feeling absolutely nothing. I heard rumors that Amber wanted Austin to make things official with her today. But right after clocking out, I was cornered by an angry Amber in the lobby. Before I could say a word, she slapped me hard across the face. "Clara, you desperate bitch!" she shrieked, drawing the attention of everyone in the lobby. "How dare you try to steal my man? Do you love chasing after other people's boyfriends that much? If you're that desperate, go find a street corner!" The drama attracted a huge crowd. Colleagues stopped and stared. My cheek burned, but I kept my eyes on Austin, who was slowly walking over from the elevator. "Is that what you told her?" I asked him, my voice dangerously calm. Austin looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. "Well, didn't you throw yourself at me first?" A wave of profound exhaustion washed over me. I didn't want to deal with this garbage for another second. I turned to walk away. Austin ran forward and grabbed my wrist, stammering, "Clara, wait..." I yanked my hand back and looked him dead in the eye. "Don't ever touch me again. We are nothing to each other." "Never were, and never will be." Austin stood there, completely dumbfounded. While he was frozen in shock, I pushed through the glass doors and walked out. His figure grew smaller and smaller in my reflection until it completely vanished.