Chapter 1

On our wedding anniversary, Valerie invited her childhood friend for a mountain hike.

She forced me to carry all the heavy backpacks, even though I had just undergone heart surgery.

Halfway up, feeling dizzy and unwell, I asked for a five-minute break. She snapped at me instantly:

“You’re both men, so why are you the only one whining? If you can’t climb, get lost! Don’t ruin the sunrise for Corey and me!”

Later, completely exhausted, I collapsed on my way down the trail. A kind stranger found me and called an ambulance, barely saving my life.

Valerie never checked on me. Instead, she posted photos of the scenery on her social media.

The picture showed her and Corey with their fingers intertwined under the morning sun, captioned:

“So glad to have you by my side. Thanks to you, I didn’t miss the first light of dawn.”

It turned out that in her eyes, a pretty view was far more important than my life.

I had accommodated Valerie for seven whole years.

This time, I chose to let go.

1

Walking home alone after being discharged, I casually checked my phone.

The last call log with Valerie was from five days ago, when I had tried calling her.

My battery had died back then, and not a single call had gone through.

The temperature was freezing, and I stood shivering on the roadside.

Just as I raised my hand to hail a cab, Valerie called me back out of the blue.

“It’s freezing outside! Why didn’t you turn on the heater before leaving? I’m going to freeze to death the moment I step inside!”

Over the phone, I could vaguely hear Corey’s voice in the background:

“Valerie, I saw a new hot pot place nearby. Why don’t we go together with Zach when he gets back?”

“Though they only take walk-ins and there’s a long line. It’s so cold out, maybe forget it. I don’t want you catching a cold.”

Hearing that, Valerie replied dismissively:

“Just let Zach wait in line. He’s thick-skinned anyway; the cold won’t kill him.”

A chill ran down my spine.

I had heard those exact same words on the day we left for that mountain hike.

I had begged and pleaded for over two months.

Only then did Valerie reluctantly agree to visit an art gallery with me on our seventh anniversary.

Yet the night before, she changed her mind at the last minute.

She insisted that I, fresh out of heart surgery, accompany them on a hike to watch the sunrise.

“The doctor said you need to walk more after surgery to recover faster. Besides, what’s so special about an art exhibition? It’s a complete waste of time and money.”

“Come or don’t come, it’s up to you. I’ve already made plans with Corey anyway. If you don’t want to go, find something else to do tomorrow.”

Unable to win the argument, I gave in to her demands.

The mountain trail was steep, and the air was thin.

After climbing for half an hour, my body couldn’t take it anymore.

Yet, eager to reach the summit quickly, Valerie dumped all the luggage on me.

She walked far ahead, holding Corey’s hand.

When I asked for a five-minute break, she scolded me harshly:

“You’re both men, so why are you the only one whining? If you can’t climb, get lost! Don’t ruin the sunrise for Corey and me!”

My face was pale, and my legs wouldn’t stop trembling.

In Valerie’s eyes, it was all just an act of drama.

Lacking the strength to argue, I turned around and headed down the mountain alone.

That was when I passed out halfway down the trail.

From the moment a stranger rescued me and rushed me to the ER until the day I was discharged, Valerie never sent a single text of concern.

Her feed was filled with scenic photos of her traveling with Corey.

Under one post, Corey had deliberately commented:

“It would’ve been great if Zach were here. What a shame he missed such a breathtaking view!”

Valerie’s reply was a dagger to the heart:

“A guy like him would only hold me back. It’s better that we ditched him.”

In our seven years together, I had lost count of how many sacrifices I made to accommodate Valerie.

Over time, she took every single one of them for granted.

A blaring car horn pulled me out of my memories.

Valerie was still rambling on the other end of the line.

“I sent you the address. Go grab a number and wait in line right now. Stop dragging your feet, will you?”

She loved spicy food, but forgot that my post-op diet strictly forbade anything spicy.

Besides, I had always preferred plain meals.

Then again, why would an inherently selfish person ever care about that?

I took a deep breath, finally feeling at peace.

Instead of endlessly tolerating her, I decided to live just as selfishly as Valerie did.

“I don’t eat spicy food. If you two want hot pot, go by yourselves.”

With that, I got ready to hang up.

Her shrill voice exploded instantly through the speaker:

“Who cares if you eat or not? You just need to stand in line! Once Corey and I arrive, you can do whatever the hell you want. Nobody’s forcing you to stay!”

“Asking you to do one little thing is like pulling teeth. Can you stop being so damn selfish?”

It was truly astonishing to hear her use that word on anyone else.

Sometimes, when things get absurd enough, you just have to laugh.

I cleared my throat and answered flatly:

“No.”