Love Was Yesterday

My avoidant fiance refused to talk to me about anything. Every time we fought, he would put on his earphones and turn the volume all the way up. This time, we were arguing over laundry detergent again. He impatiently slammed the earphones on me. "Are you seriously going to do this again, Jessica? You fight because of bad photos. You start a fight because I didn't take out the trash in time, and you start fights because I forgot our anniversaries. And now I can't even choose which detergent I use?" I stared at the red mark on my thigh and the broken earphones on the ground. I saved up most of my salary for that. It was a present, but now he was using it to vent. Yet he had kept the laundry detergent his childhood friend gave him for six whole years. Every time an important date was coming up, he would use a bit of it to wash all his clothes. The sickly sweet scent of that detergent filled the room. I looked up and held back my tears. "Let's break up, Zack." Chapter 1 It's Not Him Zack paused midway through pouring the detergent. He did not even realise he had poured far more than usual. He was staring at me in disbelief. "Are you mad? We just got engaged yesterday! If we break up now, everyone's going to laugh at us and our families!" I nodded coolly. "Yes, I am mad." The engagement party was yesterday, and I had waited for seven whole years. I spent more than six months planning for the party, and I handed in my proposal to the planning company. But when I arrived at the venue, I realised that not a single corner had been done the way I wanted. I loved peonies, but the entire place was filled with jasmines. I loved pink, but the whole place was decorated in gold. Even the photo at the entrance was the one I had the most complaints about. I wanted to ask the person in charge for an explanation, but Zack frowned and stopped me. "I told them to do this." That destroyed me, and I demanded to know why. I told him more times than I could count about how much this event meant to me. He clicked his tongue. "Can you stop being so selfish? This event is for both of us. Are you saying I can't change it to something I like?" I froze and fell silent for a long while. When the event came to an end, Zack's childhood friend showed up in front of me, bashful and holding a glass of wine. "Thanks for helping out, Jessica. I was so worried about my engagement party with Felix." My blood went cold. Zack looked at Jessie Shaw tenderly and patted her head. "It's alright. You can use our wedding to see if you'll like the real deal." So it was not him. He was not the one who loved jasmines and gold. A small smile forced itself on my lips. "I'll talk to your parents and move out as soon as I can." Zack wore the new earphones and ignored me. I looked at the cat in the corner. "I bought Mango, so I'm taking the cat." Zack still said nothing. I clenched my fists. "I'll leave the accessories your parents bought with you. You'll have to take back the house you lent Jessie." A few years ago, I managed to save up for a house after working hard enough. After I started dating Zack, he talked to me and rented out the house to Jessie for cheap. He said it was tough for a girl to work in Imperia alone. I said rent it for cheap, but I had never received a single cent. Zack had forbidden me from taking money from her and called me petty for even bringing it up. This time, he finally took out his earphones and gave me a sardonic sneer. "Do you even need the money? I've spent a lot more on you than the rent could ever match. Must you threaten me with Jessie every time we fight? She's young. It's tough for her to survive in Imperia alone. You're overreacting." I hung my head low and bit my lip. My eyes stung. I doubt he remembered that I was six months younger than Jessie. Chapter 2 Moving Out I started packing my stuff, and it took me until midnight before I was done. As I stared at the pile of luggage in the corner, my shoulders sagged. For seven years I had lived in this place. I thought this was my home. Whenever I bought anything, I never once considered whether it would be easy to carry away. The door swung open. I looked up. Zack strode in and gave me a tight hug. He smelled like alcohol. The corners of his eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse. "You can't leave me, Jessica. We have so much history. Do you have no heart?" My hands hung by my sides. I did not pat his shoulder. I did not comfort him. With difficulty, I supported him and placed him on the bed. His phone kept ringing, and I took the call. "I know how you feel about me, Zack, but I can't respond to your feelings. I'd love it if you could come to my wedding next month." When I saw the name on the screen, the phone slid out of my hand and fell to the ground with a crisp thud. "Jessie." That reminded me. Every time things became intimate between us, Zack would kiss my eyes and call my name with affection. But each time, it sounded less like Jessica and more like Jessie. I thought that was just a mishearing. Now, I finally realised the truth. He had been trying to find the woman he loved through me. I clenched my fists and held down the pain, then I took my phone. Just when I was about to call the movers, I saw Jessie's post. It was a wall of text, and it talked about a boy who had taken care of her since she was a little girl. A boy who would do anything she asked. A boy who would never let her feel neglected. I bit my lip and left a like on the post, but I felt tears welling up in my eyes. That man had never been willing to talk things through with me. I looked up and heaved a long sigh, then I called the movers. As the movers moved out all the familiar decor and fixtures, I felt my heart slowly hollowing out. I went back to the company's dormitories. When my colleague came out of their room and saw me standing across the corridor, they looked surprised. "You actually moved back! They told me you were, but I thought they were joking. Your fiance treats you like a queen, and you're moving back? That means he'll be alone!" I forced a smile. "You jest." I looked down at my wrinkled jacket and greasy hair. Maybe my colleague thought I was a poor girl who got kicked out and had nowhere to go. I sat before my desk and texted my parents. "Dad, Mom. I'll take over management of the overseas branch." I refused to go anywhere over the last few years because I wanted to be with Zack. Because of that, my relationship with my parents had grown strained. Their reply came back fast. "Of course. We'll start the procedure right away. Your flight is in three days." Late that night, I had already fallen asleep when my phone rang and woke me. "Ms. Shayman? Your boyfriend got into a fight, and we need you to come over." I held the phone tightly and answered softly, "Sorry, but he's my ex now. Please call someone else." The officer sounded bemused. "But he told us to call you. He got into a fight for you. I think you should come over." Chapter 3 The Boyfriend's Useless A moment of hesitation later, I went out. Halfway there, the rain started pouring so heavily that I could barely keep my eyes open. The first thing I saw after arriving at the precinct was Zack sitting on a chair. I paused for a moment before going over. A police officer noticed that I was drenched and handed me a packet of tissues. "Wipe yourself dry. You don't want to catch a cold." Then he added something nonsensical, "You're his girlfriend? Doesn't look like the other girl." My heart sank, and I looked at Zack. He did not react much. Only his face darkened. After I signed the papers, I stood before him. "I've handled everything. Let's go." He stayed in his seat. My patience ran out, and I ran into the rain. Zack followed me and grabbed my arm. Coldly, he said, "I think you owe me an explanation." I blinked. "Explain what?" Zack clenched my shoulders, and the pain was making me go white. "Because you asked Jessie to return that house, her boyfriend dumped her. She was standing by the river when I saw her. If I had gone even a moment later, she would have taken her own life! "You have sinned! You owe me an explanation! How dare you treat everything like they should revolve around you!" The barrage of questions caught me like a deer in headlights. The rain pelted against my face, blurring my vision until I could barely make out his outline. All I could see was his twisted expression. He was attacking me, but I had done nothing. I tried to explain, but he coldly interrupted, "Don't tell me you didn't do it. Jessie has the chat history." I closed my mouth, and a sense of defeat washed over me. I worked hard to manage this seven-year relationship, and yet I could not get even an ounce of trust from him. What a failure. My tears were fusing with the raindrops, so much so that I could not tell them apart. My heart whimpered in agony. My heart whimpered in agony. My voice was hoarse and cracking as I asked, "How could you do this to me? Seven years ago, you said you wanted to start a business, so I got you investors and connections! You didn't want anyone to say you were leeching off me, so I refused any help from my family. "I pulled all-nighters with you. When things were at their worst, I ate nothing but instant food for seven months. It burned a hole through my stomach, and I was sent to the hospital! Do you remember what you said back then?" Raindrops slid into my eyes, and they stung. I clutched my chest. "You were on the verge of tears, and you promised you would never turn your back on me. Have you forgotten that?" Zack trembled a little. I wiped the rain from my face. "I've never had to suffer before I met you." A police officer standing nearby hurried over with two umbrellas. "Oh, you don't have to fight in the rain." Zack fell silent, again. I could not believe it. He could stay calm every single time while I was driven up the wall. I sneered and took out my phone. In a hoarse voice, I said, "You won't answer me? Fine. I'll call Jessie and take my house back. "You called me a sinner, didn't you? Then it would be rude of me not to live up to the name. "She lives in my house and still tries to slander me. This isn't the first time she's played dirty. How dare she! She's nothing but a homewrecker!" Chapter 4 Change the Lock I made the call. Zack tried to snatch the phone from me, but I refused to let go. His face fell, and he grabbed my arm as he pried my fingers open. Then I felt a sharp, unnatural pain shoot through my hand. I looked down. My fingers hung limply, bent in a way they should not have been. 'Are they broken?' I wondered. Zack snatched my phone and roared as he slammed it into the ground. "That's what you get! Call her? I can't believe how evil you are. You think of everyone in the worst way! Are you trying to get her killed?" The breaking of my phone shook my heart, then I stepped back. This man was no lover of mine. He was a monster. The police officer noticed my hand and said sternly, "What are you doing, Zack? I can put you right back in that room, do you hear me?" Zack's voice was hoarse, and when he looked at me, there was only ice-cold hatred in his eyes. I asked myself how things turned out this way. It was different seven years ago. Back then, we lived in a basement. In winter, we could not afford the heater, so we held each other for warmth at night. Whenever my feet were freezing, he would sit up, rub his hands together until they were warm, then cup my feet in his palms to warm them. After I fell sick, I was treated to the most sumptuous meal we had in months. I knew we had no money, and I looked at his pale face, the needle marks he tried to hide. He sold his blood just so I could have something healthy to eat. I wondered if even that had been fake. Someone hurried toward us with an umbrella. When she came close enough, I realised it was Jessie. She quickly held the umbrella over Zack's head, looking worried and full of guilt. At least, that was how she wanted to appear. "Don't fight over me, Zack. I know it's all my fault, but you shouldn't be risking yourself. I'm really sorry. You wouldn't have fought with Felix if it weren't for me." So he had done it for her. Zack noticed that she was standing on tiptoe and immediately grew concerned. He took the umbrella from her. "I'll hold it, and don't beat yourself up. We didn't fight because of you." I saw the concern in his eyes and gave a self-mocking smile. Then I walked over to the police officer and asked for an umbrella. He frowned at my left hand. "We can give you a ride to the hospital." I looked down. The pain was almost unbearable. Still, I shook my head and smiled. "No, thank you." I went to the hospital by myself. After that, I bought a new phone, called my property manager, and listed my house for rent. "But someone's living there. Stubborn person. Might need your help." "Leave it to us, Ms. Shayman." The property manager brought his team over, opened the lock, and cleared everything out of the house. Zack called me not long after. I hung up right away and blocked him everywhere. I refused to leave even a single thread of connection between us. When Zack sent Jessica home, he noticed all her stuff was tossed out, and the lock was changed. He grabbed the property manager, who was showing the house to potential tenants. "What is the meaning of this?" The manager frowned. "So you're the squatter Ms. Shayman told me about. Honestly, do you know no shame? She let you stay for seven whole years for free. You should be thanking her. Instead, you're refusing to leave?" Zack's face fell. He said coldly, "I want Jessica to tell me that herself." The manager looked like they'd heard the best joke ever. "I'm afraid she doesn't have the time. She's already on a flight overseas. The lady's busy taking over her family business. She certainly doesn't have time for you." Jessie's eyes went wide. "She went overseas? But your wedding is next week!"