Break Free from Hypocrite

My boyfriend, Tom Evans, was a lawyer who often spent his own money to help victims, living a modest life.

Everyone said he was the most upright and kind-hearted man, a real gem.

To support his noble cause, I juggled three jobs, even delivering takeout after hours.

Until one day, I snagged an urgent order for a luxury hotel-a grand gesture of love with hundreds of roses, a bottle of wine, and ten boxes of condoms.

And the recipient? My boyfriend, who was supposed to be meeting a woman suffering from domestic abuse.

Without a word, I turned and left.

The next day, I stepped out of a Maybach belonging to a scion of the elite.

Tom was frantic, grabbing my hand to explain, "Eva, you've got it all wrong... "

I cut him off, "Excuse me, do I know you?"

Beside me, John Holland quickly wrapped his arm around my waist, asserting, "You took my first night; now you are mind."

1.

"Tom, didn't you say you were meeting that poor woman who was abused?"

I looked up and met Tom's guilty gaze, and my heart seemed to stop for a moment.

The temperature that day felt like it was over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit.

To earn a bit more to support Tom's career, I didn't even spare a moment to buy a cold soda.

Yet now, I felt a chill run down my spine, the chill spreading from my heart to my entire body.

The cost of those ten boxes alone could have covered a whole day of deliveries in this scorching summer.

More ironically, I had just texted him, planning to discuss our marriage over dinner, "Darling, I'll make your favorite grilled prawns tonight. The customer tipped me 100 dollars."

Who would have thought this generous customer was him?

My lips trembled, unable to utter another word, unaware of when my eyes had turned red.

"I... Eva, it's not what you think. I'll explain later... "

He frowned, pursing his lips to hide his embarrassment at being caught, glancing nervously inside.

He seemed more concerned about the person inside than comforting me.

He didn't even notice my lips were cracked from dryness.

At this moment, he just wanted to soothe me and urge me to leave, "Eva, you know my character. I'll explain everything later. I really have work to handle now, it's inconvenient... "

Inconvenient?

I glanced at the order for ten boxes of condoms, and threw it at Tom with all my might.

Tom lowered his head, not dodging.

A coquettish voice came from inside, "Tom, I've already been naked, come on."

A wave of nausea surged through me, and I forced my trembling legs to carry me away.

2.

Riding my scooter home, scenes from the past flashed through my mind.

Tom was my senior in college.

He worked part-time and funded a legal aid charity on his own. Due to his integrity and these good deeds, he was known as the campus hero.

He was always so attentive, both to me and to our friends.

Everyone said he was the kindest, most reliable man.

This sudden blow made me wish it was all just an illusion.

Holding my breath, I rushed home. I threw myself onto the bed, and cried my heart out.

I didn't know how long I cried before I heard Tom returning home, the sound of him changing shoes, a sound I used to long for.

He hugged me tightly from behind, kissing my earlobe and whispering, "Today, the faucet at that abused girl's place broke, soaking our clothes. I was just fixing it. Those flowers and stuff, she ordered them as a prank on my phone. She's been through abuse, her mental state isn't good. I didn't want to upset her, that's why I urged you to leave. I know you care me the most... "

He even showed me his phone, with my photos as the wallpaper, saying he always emphasized to others that I was his supportive partner.

I really, really wanted to believe him.

But, did he really think I was a fool?

I stood by him for five whole years, never once asking for a Valentine's gift to save money for him, always without complaint.

Yet he could lavish 999 red roses on someone else.

My body shook uncontrollably.

The bed we once shared so intimately felt as cold and empty as an ice cave tonight.

Tom's phone vibrated, who could be messaging him so late?

The answer was obvious.

My last line of defense crumbled, my emotions like an avalanche.

I rushed out of the house, down the stairs, just wanting to escape from where Tom was.

Tears blurred my vision, and a Maybach with blinding headlights came straight at me.

The world spun, and I fell to the ground.

3.

As soon as I regained consciousness, I heard Tom and a woman approaching the hospital room.

I pretended to sleep, peeking through my eyelids to see it was Tina Smoke, the domestic violence client he mentioned before.

Tom said, "I've been with Eva for so many years, I don't want to lose her. You don't want to lose your compensation, right? When Eva wakes up, just act pitiful and say I was helping you."

Tina reassured him, "Don't worry, Tom. As long as you keep up the righteous lawyer act, that fool will give you anything, blindly believing in you. After all, she can't forget how her sister died."

The air seemed to freeze, and I felt suffocated, my mind blank.

I bit my lip, trying to hide my trembling.

My sister Sara and I were orphans, relying on each other. She worked in a factory to support my education.

But she encountered a corrupt boss who harassed her.

Sara sought legal aid, but the lawyer was bribed and destroyed evidence and even accusing her of slander.

In despair, Sara jumped to her death.

I'd never forgotten her, working hard to become a journalist for justice.

I never told anyone about Sara until I met Tom, who shared my ideals.

I scrimped and saved to let Tom help girls like Sara.

Whenever I woke from nightmares of Sara's bloody body, Tom would hold me, breaking out in a cold sweat, comforting me. I never imagined the person I thought understood me best would stab me in the heart I opened to him.

My heart ached as if it had stopped.

In a daze, a warm hand brushed my forehead, and I heard a voice, anxious, "Doctor, why hasn't she woken up? No matter the cost, give her the best treatment... I hit her, it's all my fault. I'll cover all her medical expenses!"

This tone, this voice, could it be...

In the whirlwind of hatred, anger, sorrow, and surprise, all emotions surged to my head as I opened my eyes.

4.

I touched my head, feigning distress as I opened my eyes and grabbed the sleeve of the man in front of me.

"John, why am I here? Weren't we attending the college graduation party together?"

Everyone present was stunned.

Tom, standing nearby, immediately turned pale and pulled John away.

"Eva, what are you talking about? What college party? Why were you with John?"

"Why can't I be with John? He's my boyfriend. Tom, what's wrong with you?"

I pulled back my wrist from Tom's tight grip, the overpowering scent of Tina's perfume made me feel sick.

Tina interjected, 'Eva, why would you use amnesia as an excuse to make Tom worry? He was just being kind and comforting me. You've really misunderstood him."

Tom looked exasperated. "Eva, I know you have misunderstandings about me and Tina, but there's no need for such jokes. Aren't you just that law school senior? We don't have much of a connection, do we?"

I continued to look at him with feigned confusion.

Tom, you could pretend to be poor, and I could pretend to have amnesia. Fair enough.

He seemed angry, his mouth opening and closing without a word, his pale hand gripping my wrist so tightly that veins bulged.

"Evan, I've explained nicely. How long are you going to keep this up in front of everyone?"

Even now, he wanted to maintain his image as a good boyfriend in front of others, which disgusted me.

I pried his fingers away in disgust. "Tom, what are you doing? You're hurting me...let go... "

John also reached out to restrain Tom's increasingly forceful grip. "Tom, you are hurting her."

Reluctantly, Tom slowly released his grip, then began pacing back and forth, talking to himself.

"Eva, I know you're mad at me. How could you forget me? It's impossible, absolutely impossible... "

As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed me and shook me vigorously. "Eva, you still remember me, right?"

His anxious and nervous demeanor left me puzzled.

Wasn't I just a pawn in his game to uphold his virtuous facade?

Perhaps, after all these years of treating him as my world, he couldn't accept me recognizing another man as my boyfriend.

Under Tom's insistence, I underwent several examinations.

The doctor insisted I was fine. "If subjected to excessive stress, the patient may selectively forget things that cause them pain.""How could that be?

How could the painful thing be me? Doctor, you must be mistaken. Eva loves me the most."

Ignoring Tom's chaotic state, I looked earnestly at John.

"John, I'm so tired. I want to go home."

John was momentarily stunned, a hint of surprise flashing across his face before he quickly composed himself.

Tom, however, completely lost his composure. "How can you go to another man's home?"

His nails dug into the hand I extended towards John.

Despite the pain, I resolutely placed my hand in John's warm palm.

Before he could react, I pulled him into his luxury car, a Maybach.

Tom was left standing there, shocked and speechless.

5.

Sitting in the car, free from Tom, I felt as if I could finally breathe fresh air.

Through the dim lights of the night outside the window, I glanced at John's profile.

Under the faint night light, his high nose and distinct jawline seemed somewhat hazy, like a prince from a dreamy reverie.

He seemed to linger in the university days, still that privileged heir from New York.

Back then, he openly pursued me in our class, and I vaguely guessed he intended to confess at the final graduation party.

But that night, I ran away.

My heart and mind were in turmoil, fearing that this prince was merely playing a fleeting game.

Instead of attending the party, I inexplicably ended up in the library.

Almost the entire school was at the banquet, and the sound of typing in the empty library was particularly clear.

Under a beam of white light, Tom was like a lone warrior, drafting a statement for a girl in need.

At that moment, I fell deeply and helplessly in love with Tom.

Perhaps everything was destined, a twist of fate.

After a long silence, John finally spoke, "I know you're doing this to anger Tom. I secretly told the doctor to say you forgot the person who hurt you because of the shock."

This... I awkwardly forced a smile after being exposed.

"John, long time no see. Thank you for helping me out."

"After all, I almost hit you. Consider it compensation. You don't have anywhere to go, do you? That hotel up ahead is also mine. I'll have the manager arrange a penthouse suite for you. Goodnight."

His tone was unexpectedly calm as he parked the car steadily.

My hand hovered over the seatbelt buckle, my emotions churned by memories.

What if I had chosen him back then? I sighed with a hint of regret.

"Can't unbuckle the seatbelt? No way, it's a new car." John leaned in, intending to help me with the seatbelt.

As he approached, I caught a familiar scent of pear blossoms on him.

It seemed that once, I had casually mentioned liking this fragrance, and he had used it ever since.

Unexpectedly, after all these years, he still...

Could it be that he still had feelings for me?

As I looked up, his clear eyes met mine, and our gazes finally settled on each other's lips.

We both swallowed hard.

Unintentionally, I glimpsed his slightly exposed chest beneath his open collar.

At such close proximity, his breathing and heartbeat were clear, each sound distinct. In a moment of reckless impulse, I leaned towards his lips.

His Adam's apple quivered, and his brows furrowed slightly. "Eva, what do you take me for... "

His tone seemed a bit displeased, yet his body betrayed his true feelings by staying close.

"Sorry, I was too forward."

In a panic, I tried to escape the cramped space, but in my nervousness, I accidentally touched the wound from my fall.

"Ouch." I instinctively bit my lip.

John's previously composed face immediately showed undisguised concern.

"I'm not kicking you out, why the rush?"

He carefully examined my wound, handling it with the care of restoring a precious artifact.

At that moment, I was almost certain.

For five years after graduation, John hadn't forgotten me.

I also recalled the ten boxes of condoms I had personally delivered to Tom.

Steeling my heart, I wrapped my arms around John's neck and kissed him.

John's eyes widened, his pale neck instantly flushed, and his ears turned bright red.

His hands hovered awkwardly in the air, unsure of what to do, and he tried to speak, but my kiss silenced him once more.

Amidst our rapid breaths, he finally found a moment to ask.