He Gave Up Everything, Including Me

The graduate school admissions are nearing an end. At the same time, a post titled, "What Happened to the Boy Who Left the Last Two Questions Blank for You?" goes viral. Amid countless comments criticizing people who throw away their futures for love, one young woman's boastful comment stands out. She writes, "Back then, he left the last two questions blank just so he could attend the same college as me. Now, he gives up his chance to attend graduate school abroad so that we won't have to enter a long-distance relationship. He says that between his future and me, I'll always be more important." Those who know they are loved always have the confidence to take it for granted. As soon as the comment is posted, countless replies pour in. There are envious replies and increasing arguments over the topic. I feel a twinge of envy because my boyfriend and I are the exact opposite. When my boyfriend does poorly on his exam, I want to apply to the same college as him. However, he advises me against it, saying my future is more important. Yesterday, he tells me he fails to secure a graduate school recommendation and won't be able to go abroad with me to continue his studies. Staring at the two lines on the pregnancy test, I begin seriously thinking about our future. Perhaps because the young woman has received too many hateful comments, she eventually posts a photo showing her boyfriend's side profile. She gloats, "You're all just jealous because I have a handsome boyfriend who loves me this much, aren't you?" The instant I see the photo, my blood runs cold. The man in that picture belongs to Joshua Salter, my boyfriend of seven years. Everything from the past comes crashing over me like a tsunami. It turns out the signs have been there all along. I wipe away my tears. Joshua is right. Between my future and him, my future is indeed more important. Chapter 1 Vivienne's POV I clicked on the young woman's profile picture. The next moment, a familiar face appeared before me. It was my boyfriend Joshua Salter's childhood sweetheart, Mikaela Urban. She had been part of Joshua's life even longer than I had. I spent the entire night watching all 20 videos on Mikaela's profile. The videos spanned from high school to college, recording every little moment between Mikaela and Joshua. The very first video was from a week before the exam. Mikaela sobbed her heart out in front of the camera, saying she didn't want to be separated from Joshua. Beneath the video, someone with a starry-sky profile picture had replied, "Your wish will come true." I stared at that profile picture, and the last trace of doubt in my heart vanished. The picture featured Neptune, the planet Joshua had talked about with me countless times. It was his favorite planet. It was also the planet I knew best, despite knowing next to nothing about astronomy. During those countless days and nights we spent apart, whenever I missed Joshua, I would observe Neptune through the lab's telescope. I'd imagined Joshua was right there beside me, or that we were gazing at the same starry sky. But it turned out that while I was away, he had Mikaela by his side. I walked over to the table and unwrapped the carefully packaged gift. It was the graduation gift I had prepared for Joshua today. Inside it was a pregnancy with two pink lines. I had taken it last night after Joshua told me he had failed to secure a spot in graduate school. I was carrying our baby, the fruit of our seven-year relationship. The moment I found out about her, my heart had pounded wildly. Countless thoughts had raced through my mind. Four years ago, Joshua and I had ended up in different cities for the sake of our futures. Now, four years later, we were about to end up in different countries. Was the baby's arrival telling me that I should be brave for love, just this once? The thoughts that had already crossed my mind thousands upon thousands of times had resurfaced. Could I give up my chance to attend graduate school abroad and stay by Joshua's side? Could I make up for all the years we'd spent apart? With those thoughts swirling in my mind, I'd carefully wrapped up the gift. I'd planned to tell Joshua in person about my decision. But now, that decision became nothing but a complete and utter joke. It turned out that from the very beginning, I'd never been part of Joshua's future. Even though we had walked side by side all this way, he still turned without hesitation and chose the winding road that had Mikaela on it. Even my future and I combined couldn't compare to Mikaela in his eyes. So, I threw the pregnancy test into the trash. I opened my laptop and logged into the website. Without hesitation, I clicked "Confirm". Chapter 2 Vivienne's POV I no longer wanted a seven-year relationship where I was never the one he chose. When Joshua walked into the hotel room, I had just finished washing up. He was carrying some freshly baked buns, milk, and churros. I reached for the food, but Joshua instinctively pulled them out of my reach. He explained apologetically, "Vivi, Miki specifically asked me to buy these for her yesterday. If you're hungry, I'll take you to eat at the college cafeteria later. You know Miki has quite the temper. If she finds out I didn't do what she asked, she'll throw a fit." I lowered my eyes and withdrew my hand. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Ever since high school, Mikaela had ordered Joshua around freely far more than I, his girlfriend, ever did. When we went to the movies, she had to sit with Joshua. On her birthday, she demanded that Joshua buy her a cake and cut it with her. When we went to an amusement park, she always got Joshua to accompany her when she wanted to go into the haunted house. I had argued with Joshua about it countless times. But every single time, he would insist that he only doted on her like she was his little sister. Later, Joshua and I ended up separated by thousands of miles. And so, Mikaela disappeared from my life. On the few chances we were able to reunite, I didn't want to argue with Joshua over Mikaela. At the same time, he never brought her up on our dates. I thought Mikaela had finally grown up and learned to respect boundaries. But looking back now, I could see that one had been happy to give, and the other had been more than willing to take. With an empty stomach, I walked toward Joshua's car. Just as I was about to open the front passenger door, he stopped me. "Vivi, sit in the back," he said. "I'm picking up Miki on the way to the graduation ceremony." I looked at him and smiled. "Is the front passenger seat reserved exclusively for Mikaela? I'm your girlfriend. Can't I sit there?" Joshua's expression darkened slightly. "Vivi, don't make things difficult. I don't want to argue with you about Miki today. She can be quite childish. Just let her have her way." I'd been giving in to her for seven years. In fact, I'd practically handed Joshua over to her. If I kept stepping aside, would there still be a place for me beside Joshua? I didn't know the answer to that question, but it no longer mattered to me now. I did as Joshua wished and got into the back seat. As soon as I closed the door, I couldn't help but sneeze as the strong scent of rose perfume hit my nose. It was Mikaela's favorite fragrance. A photo of Joshua and Mikaela hung from the safety charm in the front. The seat cushions were the Hello Kitty ones Mikaela liked. They were already showing faint signs of wear. Clearly, they had been there for quite some time. I shifted to another spot and felt something underneath me. I picked it up and saw that it was a tube of lipstick. Joshua glanced at it through the rearview mirror and reached back to take it. "It must be Miki's. She's been looking for it for ages. I didn't expect it to be in the back seat." Traces of Mikaela were everywhere in the car. This was Joshua's car. Yet I, his girlfriend, seemed more like an outsider than Mikaela did. What Joshua had called "on the way" turned out to be a long drive with many twists and turns before we finally reached Mikaela's home. "I'll go get Miki. Wait for me in the car," Joshua said. I waited for an hour. My stomach growled with hunger, making me feel dizzy and lightheaded. Unable to bear it any longer, I took one of the buns Joshua had bought and ate it. It didn't make me feel a whole lot better, but it'd have to do for now. Finally, Joshua came back downstairs, carefully holding Mikaela's hand. He wore a black suit, and he had even styled his hair for the occasion. Mikaela wore an ivory dress, her makeup flawless. Standing together, they looked like the perfect couple. Meanwhile, I looked completely out of place with my bare face and wearing nothing but a plain T-shirt and jeans. Joshua opened the front passenger door for Mikaela, and she slid into the seat with practiced ease. Joshua got into the car as well and said, "Miki, Vivi came to watch our graduation ceremony." Only then did Mikaela notice me in the back seat. She turned and looked me up and down before curling her lips into a smile and feigning surprise. She said, "Oh, you're here too, Vivi? Have you gained weight? The dark circles under your eyes are so bad. If you don't dress yourself up a little, you'll embarrass Josh later." Chapter 3 Vivienne's POV I looked down at my slight bump on my stomach. It wasn't noticeable unless one looked closely, but it was proof that the baby existed. I had dark circles under my eyes because I didn't want to miss Joshua's graduation ceremony. I'd deliberately rushed to finish a month's worth of work and taken a red-eye flight. I had arrived in this city three days early just to attend his graduation ceremony. Joshua cleared his throat and said, "It's fine. She's not going onstage anyway. She's just sitting in the audience." I lowered my head and looked at my phone without saying anything. The moment Mikaela took the breakfast out of the glove compartment, she exclaimed loudly, "Josh, did you eat one of the buns? Why are there only five today?" He quickly replied, "What? That's impossible. I watched the lady put all six in the bag." Mikaela glanced suspiciously at me. "Maybe someone stole one!" Joshua turned to look at me. I looked up and met his gaze calmly. "I was starving, so I ate one. Is there a problem? You bought the food, Joshua. Am I not even allowed to eat one bun?" Before Joshua could say anything, Mikaela had already thrown all the food out the window. She huffed, "Josh, I'm not eating something someone else has already eaten. That's disgusting!" Joshua frowned. He looked at the sulking Mikaela for a moment and patiently coaxed her. "How about I make it up to you at the cafeteria?" Mikaela didn't object, silently accepting his offer. Joshua turned back to me. "Next time you want something, tell me beforehand. Don't fight with Miki over it." I found it utterly ridiculous. So, in Joshua's point of view, I had to report to him before eating a bun. I asked quietly, "Joshua, do you even remember who your girlfriend is?" The car fell silent. Joshua didn't answer. It didn't matter because I already knew the answer in my heart. The moment the car reached the campus entrance, Mikaela got out in a huff. Without even sparing me a glance, Joshua hurried after her. I leisurely got out of the car. I looked around the college I'd visited many times. I'd traveled thousands of miles to come here and see the man I loved. It was also a place I had dreamed about time and again. I had always held such beautiful fantasies about it. But now that the rose-tinted glasses were gone, it looked no different from any other campus. I asked a passerby for directions, and he pointed me toward the graduation ceremony. By the time I arrived, the ceremony was already halfway over. As an outstanding graduate, Joshua went onstage to give a speech. His voice boomed through the microphone. "I was fortunate to spend four wonderful years at this college. Thank you, everyone. And the person I want to thank most is…" At that moment, Mikaela walked onto the stage with flushed cheeks, holding a bouquet of flowers. She handed it to Joshua. Joshua smiled and finished his sentence. "Mikaela, who's always been by my side." Thunderous applause erupted from the audience, mixed with cheers and teasing shouts. "Kiss her! Kiss her!" Unable to resist everyone's enthusiasm, Joshua kissed Mikaela on the cheek. The atmosphere instantly reached a fever pitch. Expressionless, I applauded along with everyone else. Then, I took out my phone and scheduled an appointment for that afternoon. When the ceremony ended, Joshua sent me a text message. "We're going to a get-together. Go back to the hotel and get some rest." I didn't reply. As I was leaving the auditorium, I overheard several professors talking about Joshua. "Joshua was one of our best students. How come he didn't get a recommendation for graduate school?" "Ah, to be young. He let love go to his head. He was originally offered the spot, but he came to me and said he wasn't going to graduate school. He wanted to look for a job with Mikaela." "He really doesn't know how good he had it. He had such a great opportunity to go straight to graduate school, and there was only one spot in the entire college. Does he even know what he threw away?" I smiled. Of course Joshua knew. The path I was walking now was the very path Joshua had once planned for himself. Except back then, I had thought this would be Joshua's life as well. I thought I was destined to spend my entire life looking at his back from afar, trying to catch up. But after Mikaela entered the picture, Joshua gradually strayed from that path. Back in high school, he'd ranked first in our entire grade. Our school was the best high school in the city. He had a chance of becoming the city's top scorer. But he had unexpectedly performed poorly on it and only managed to get into a mediocre college. Chapter 4 Vivienne's POV Meanwhile, I had performed better than I ever had before. I'd ranked tenth in the entire city and had been accepted into the best college. Afterward, countless teachers lamented what a shame it was. Some even said Joshua had fallen behind in his own studies because he had been tutoring me. For a long time, I had thought that was true too, so I had never dared mention it in front of him. It wasn't until seven years later that I finally learned the truth. Now, with the harsh reality laid bare before me, I was forced to face the ugly truth that had been hidden for seven years. Joshua had never loved me. There had never been a place for me in his future. Even though I had walked beside him this entire time, and even though I was good enough, I had never been one of his choices. After leaving the college, I took a cab to the hospital. Once I arrived, I took the consent form for the abortion from the doctor and signed my name. If there was no place for me in Joshua's future, how could I expect him to treat this tiny life any differently? The anesthesia gradually took effect. I closed my eyes, and all the arduous journeys I had made across the country over the years surfaced in my mind. There was a popular belief that the seventh year is when many relationships started to fall apart. Joshua and I happened to reach the end of our relationship in our seventh year together. Since there was no place for me in his future, I erased him from mine as well. From now on, both of us had nothing to do with each other. The procedure ended quickly. The life Joshua and I had created together became nothing more than a tiny mass of blood. With his tacit consent and indifference, I personally ended the future that he and I had once carried together. I rested for the entire afternoon and gathered enough strength to leave. But when I went downstairs, I saw Joshua rushing inside with Mikaela in his arms. Panic filled his face as he shouted, "Doctor, my friend got burned!" Sure enough, there was a burn on Mikaela's hand. The doctor immediately took her into a room for treatment. Joshua waited outside. And as I was leaving, I happened to walk past him. When he saw me, his hand shot out to grab me, and he looked incredibly shocked to see me there. "Vivi, why are you at the hospital?" he asked worriedly. "Are you feeling sick?" I shook off his hand and replied perfunctorily, "It's nothing. I just came for a checkup." Joshua didn't believe me. He frowned as he took in my pale lips and the cold sweat covering my forehead. His face was full of concern for me. He gently wiped the sweat from my forehead, and the worry in his eyes was impossible to hide. "What's wrong? Why do you look so weak? Take me to the doctor who examined you. I need to ask them exactly what's going on, or I won't be able to stop worrying!" he said in a rush. I looked at him. He did look genuinely anxious, and his concern was completely undisguised. It didn't seem to be fake. I thought perhaps I did have a tiny place in his heart, even if I couldn't compare to Mikaela. But so what? It was already far too late. Perhaps our relationship had already ended the day he gave up the last two questions for her. It had simply taken seven years for the final verdict to arrive. Before I could say anything, Mikaela's pitiful cries came from inside the room. "Josh, it hurts so much. Can you come in and stay with me?" Joshua instinctively let go of my hand and said apologetically, "Vivi, wait until I come out. We'll talk after." The warmth of his hand still lingered on mine. His hands had always been warm. I couldn't deny that they had comforted me countless times before. But now, that warmth belonged to someone else. After watching him walk inside, I silently said goodbye. Then, I turned and left without hesitation. Between Mikaela and me, I would always come second. This time, I wouldn't wait anymore. I took a cab back to the hotel, packed my luggage, and gathered up everything that belonged to me. The seven-day trip I had deliberately squeezed into my schedule ended after only three days. I had been so excited when I arrived, but now, I felt nothing in my heart. Before I boarded the plane, I took one last look around the city. For the past four years, every time I had come here, my heart had pounded with anticipation. The man I had once loved most had been here. And because he was here, every journey across thousands of miles had been worthwhile. But now, all that anticipation and meaning came to a complete end at this moment. The future Joshua and I might have had ended here as well.