After the Eight Years of Love I Gave Up
Chapter 1

"Mr. Wilson, is that overseas branch position you mentioned last time still available? I've made up my mind, I want to go."

Hearing that I agreed to the overseas training, my boss's voice was full of relief.

"Alright, I'll submit your information right away. But I heard you're getting married soon..."

"It's fine, the wedding's off. Don't worry about it."

My voice had a slight tremor.

To prevent him from noticing, I hung up the phone immediately after speaking.

My eyes were fixed on the thousands of photos of a girl on Lucas White's computer, lost in thought.

After graduation, we joined the same company, working in different departments.

Tonight he went to attend a bachelor party thrown by his friends, with his phone turned off.

His manager couldn't reach him but urgently needed a proposal, so the call came to me.

That's why I turned on his computer for the first time, only to discover these photos.

In an instant, eight years of memories flooded my mind.

In all our time together, he never had any photos of me on his phone, nor did he keep any records of our relationship.

No matter how much I cried or complained, he always said that since we saw each other every day, there was no need for mementos.

It wasn't until this moment that I understood it wasn't unnecessary; I just wasn't necessary to him.

For eight years, I made every excuse for his indifference.

My stubborn behavior now seemed like a joke.

The words his friend accidentally let slip when he learned about our wedding suddenly echoed in my ears:

"Wow, I thought you were going to stay single forever because of Annie Hall! You're really getting married? You're not just being impulsive, are you?"

At the time, I didn't notice Lucas's awkward expression, and I confidently patted my chest, saying:

"We're doing it for love!"

Now I understand why he asked that question, and I no longer have the confidence to say those words.

I took a few deep breaths and closed the computer.

I opened my phone, wanting to text Lucas about breaking up, but saw that he hadn't even replied to my message about choosing a wedding dress from a day ago.

I opened his WhatsApp Moments, seeing a blank black background without any updates.

Only a single word under his profile picture.

[Waiting.]

I pulled my lips into a bitter smile, collapsing powerlessly onto the sofa.

Before, I didn't know he was hiding someone else in his heart; I just thought he was introverted and not good at expressing himself.

Now that I think about it, I was naive to the point of ridicule.

I had asked him many times about his WhatsApp bio, but he never answered.

At this moment, I finally knew the answer.

There were only three days left until our simple wedding. I had set the countdown as my phone's dynamic wallpaper to remind myself daily.

Looking at the numbers ticking away on the screen, I rubbed my sore eyes, suppressing the overwhelming fatigue.

Just as I was about to book the ticket, Lucas's friend called me.

"Grace, Lucas is drunk. Can you come and take him home? I'll send you the address."

Through the receiver, I faintly heard Lucas's familiar voice calling "Annie!"

My heart was unexpectedly gripped.

The caller quickly covered the phone and hung up.

I shook my head to clear away emotions I shouldn't have, changed my clothes, and walked to the entrance. Only then did I see that Lucas's half of the couple's keychain I had carefully chosen was carelessly thrown on the cabinet.

This was a custom design I had ordered from an original store based on our experiences.

He said it was too childish and never wore it.

After some thought, I picked up the keychain and threw it in the trash.

Looking up, I caught sight of the unopened couple's mugs under the coffee table.

They seemed to be silently mocking my one-sided play.

A wave of powerless frustration welled up, and I picked up the trash can and threw all the couple items into a bag.

After disposing of the garbage, I took a taxi to the address his friend had sent.

As I reached the door of the private room, I heard playful questions from inside.

"Annie, why did you come back today? You didn't regret it after hearing that our Lucas is getting married, did you?"

I took a deep breath, pulled my lips into a smile, and pushed the door open to enter.

The laughter and chatter inside stopped instantly, and everyone's faces were awkward.

The man who was supposed to marry me in three days was lying in a woman's arms, his face full of tender affection.

That woman's face, I had just seen countless times on his computer.