After a Breakup

My boyfriend is a prominent figure in Beijing's elite circles.

We've been in a relationship for seven years, yet he remains distant. In public and private, no one knows I exist as his girlfriend.

Despite knowing how much I yearn deeply for marriage, he openly gave a custom-made ring to his idealized first love.

When a video of them passionately kissing surfaced, I realized he could be so deeply and fervently in love with someone else.

Later, he cornered me, his voice trembling, "Can we not break up?

The child needs a father. Let's get married."

I calmly pushed him away.

"It's too late. I don't want either you or the child."

Just ten minutes before the video of Julian and Emilee's kiss went viral, I had requested a leave of absence.

The director looked at me helplessly, "Your career is on the rise, and the hospital intends to promote you to chief physician. Taking leave now..."

"If you insist on this, I'm afraid the opportunity will have to go to someone else."

I touched my abdomen and smiled, "Director, I'm pregnant."

After seven years with Julian, no one anticipated this child more than I did.

I once overheard him talking to a friend.

His voice had never been so gentle, "A child?

They're quite adorable. Having one wouldn't be bad."

For years, Julian was known for his impeccable reputation and moral integrity.

I sweetly thought it was time to marry and have children.

That night, I cautiously hugged his waist and softly asked, "We've been together for seven years. Can we start planning our wedding?"

He was silent for a long time, his eyes deep enough to hold the moonlight, before he lowered his head to silence my incessant chatter with a kiss.

That night, he was unusually persistent, not letting me go until dawn.

The next morning, he left for a business trip abroad.

This child was a gift from that night.

As I left the director's office with a smile, my phone buzzed with a message from my mom.

A short video clip.

In an underground parking lot, the headlights of a Maybach—a symbol of luxury—were on full blast.

Two entwined figures were elongated by the lights, tangled in an intimate embrace.

The woman wore a form-fitting black mermaid gown, a white mink coat precariously hanging from her elbow, her slender waist encircled by the man's arm clad in a deep blue suit.

Their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Julian's job often required him to travel, and that deep blue suit was one I had personally ironed to perfection.

My mom's messages kept popping up: "Isn't that Julian? How can you not keep your man in check?"

"Your brother is about to get married and buy a house. Don't mess things up right before the finish line!"

I didn't reply, just shakily opened the video again.