April Fools' Day Lies Come True

1

"Alan Green, let's break up."

As I knelt down to propose in front of a crowd at the restaurant, instead of the joyful embrace I had imagined, I was met with a cold-hearted breakup.

"Mona, you must be joking! I know today is April Fool's Day, so this has to be a joke, right?"

Still on one knee, I smiled awkwardly at the woman I had loved for 2,190 days, hoping desperately to hear from her lips that it was all just a prank and she was just kidding.

As usual, she always loved to play pranks, didn't she?

"I'm serious, Alan. I've fallen for someone else. I don't love you anymore."

Her eyes looked at me with a coldness that made me wonder—when did her gaze toward me become so emotionless?

"Mona! Why?"

She turned to leave, but I grabbed her hand, trying to hold onto her. I couldn't believe that all the time we had spent together was meaningless. We had loved each other so much. I thought we'd be like this forever, until the end of time.

I couldn't believe anyone could love her like I did, nor could I believe that she would fall out of love so easily. I could always feel her love for me—it wasn't fake.

But all I received in return was a merciless slap. She hit me hard, with all her strength, and blood trickled from my mouth as my face burned with pain.

As if that wasn't enough, she then poured the wine from the table over my head. The sour, slightly bitter liquid ran down my face, reflecting my current state of panic and confusion.

"Alan, I've been with Jeff Yukio for a while now. I'm sorry for telling you this so late, but please don't bother me anymore. It's over between us."

2

Jeff, that junior who was two years younger than her, was very popular with the girls—sunny, cheerful, handsome, and the acknowledged heartthrob of their school. He was also Mona's junior.

Sometimes I looked at him and thought, if I were a girl, I might fall for him too!

He seemed like a male version of Mona. They always had endless things to talk about, conversations that I couldn't even begin to join.

The first time I saw him, I hated him. I hated the way he looked at Mona. I knew he had feelings for her.

I still remember our first meeting. It was at a gathering with their classmates. I couldn't accompany Mona that day because I had something else to do. When I went to pick her up that evening, I found her drunk and lying in Jeff's arms. They were talking about something I didn't understand, but they were both so happy, it hurt to watch.

"Mona, let's go home." Mona squinted at me as if trying to figure out who I was, while I just wanted to pull her away from Jeff.

"Who... who are you? I can't go home with a stranger. My boyfriend will be angry!" Mona was so drunk that she couldn't recognize me. I was furious that she didn't know who I was, especially in front of Jeff. From the moment I saw Jeff, I disliked him. He liked Mona, and I feared he would take her away because, by societal standards, he was a better match.

He had a good family background, good grades and good looks. He had it all.

"Hey, Alan, she doesn't recognize you. Should I really let her go with you? After all, she doesn't go home with strangers!" Jeff emphasized the word "stranger," as if trying to remind me of something, but I didn't want to acknowledge it.

I pulled Mona into my arms, but she struggled.

"Who are you? I don't know you! Jeff, come save me! There's a bad guy trying to grab me! Help!"

I used all my strength to control Mona, who was flailing around, especially angry that this was happening in front of Jeff.

As I busied myself with getting Mona into the car and settled, Jeff actually said.

"Alan, if I had a girlfriend like her, I wouldn't let her go out drinking alone at night. You sure are trusting!"

I couldn't help but grip Mona tightly, not wanting to acknowledge him.

"Because I trust Mona. No one can take her away from me."

"Is that so? Well, you'd better keep a close eye on her! See you later, Mona!"

"Oh, Mona, see you tomorrow!" Mona, still confused, waved goodbye to Jeff, which made me furious. She didn't recognize me, but she recognized Jeff.

But the next day, when I brought it up, Mona brushed it off, saying she was too drunk to remember anything.

Yet I knew she remembered. She had always been a good drinker. She wouldn't get drunk so easily. Mona had started lying to me—because of Jeff.

3

I watched as Mona turned away from me and walked into Jeff's arms. They embraced under the lights, and I ran after them, just in time to see them kissing.

They kissed each other so passionately and deeply. Mona had been avoiding me, let alone kissing me.

I immediately rushed over to pull them apart.

"Are you really giving me up for him?"

"Yes! Alan, have you looked in the mirror lately? With a face like yours, you don't even deserve to stand next to her. And as far as I know, hasn't she been the one supporting you financially all these years? You're nothing but a leech."

Jeff shielded Mona behind him and mocked me. I wanted to explain—I had a job too. I could support myself. If she didn't like how I looked, I could get plastic surgery. I could look however she wanted.

Mona had told me she liked having me as a stay-at-home husband, so I...

"Mona..."

I tried to reach for her, to ask if these were the real reasons. Would we, like so many others, grow tired of each other after seven years?

But I didn't notice the shadow behind me, something seemed to be moving. My consciousness started to blur as if something was devouring me. My last conscious thought was Mona's anxious face.

"No!"

4

When I was in middle school, my parents were in a car accident. Aside from a large sum of compensation, all that was left were two small urns. Overnight, my once beautiful family crumbled, leaving me all alone.

During that painful time, only Mona stayed by my side. We went through a carefree childhood together, a confusing youth, and finally, after confessing our feelings for each other, we were about to walk down the aisle. But suddenly, she said she didn't love me anymore!

How could I believe that? It was clearly her who approached me first. But just when I was deeply in love, she pulled away and left.

Why? It's not fair, is it? She was the one who said she liked me first!

She and Jeff have only known each other for a few months. How could that possibly compare to the thousands of days and nights we've spent together?

Maybe I should have noticed earlier. She has been unusually busy these past few months.

"Hey, Mona, are you coming home for dinner tonight? I learned how to make sweet and sour fish. I remember you really wanted to eat it before!"

"No, I have something to do. I'll hang up now..."

"Hey, Mona, are you free today? That movie you've been looking forward to is out. Let's go see it together. I booked the whole theater."

"No, there's work in the lab. I have to go. Don't call me unless it's important..."

"Hey, Mona, CoCo is sick today. He misses you and has been waiting for you at the door. Are you coming home today?"

"Alan, I told you, I'm busy lately. Stop calling me all the time. If CoCo is sick, take him to the vet. I'm not a doctor. I'm hanging up..."

"Wait... I miss you too..."

For several months, Mona had been avoiding me, not coming home. I knew she's busy, but was she really too busy to even take a call?

A friend of hers told me that she's been getting close to Jeff lately, and I should be careful.

5

I was hospitalized because of an illness, and coincidentally, so was Jeff. Even more coincidentally, the hallway outside his room was where I ended up. I got sick in the middle of the night and went to the emergency room, but there were no beds available. I remembered Mona had interned at this hospital, so I called her.

But she didn't answer. I called several times, and she finally picked up, but she sounded extremely impatient.

"Alan, what do you want? I'm very busy right now!"

"I'm sick and in the hospital, but there's no bed available. I want to ask if you have ways."

"I can't help if there are no beds. I'm not a doctor. Why are you being so delicate? What's wrong with you? Can't you just get an IV? I'm busy. Don't call me unless it's important."

"But..."

Before I could say anything else, she hung up. I remember her saying that she was in a critical phase of an experiment, so I figured she really was busy and didn't call again.

I slept in the hallway that night. But the next day, I saw Mona rushing into the hospital. I thought she was there to see me, but just as I was about to greet her, she walked right past me and into the room next to mine. I didn't disturb her. I just quietly followed her.

Jeff was in the room. He was sick too. I heard from the patient next to me that Jeff had been admitted urgently in the middle of the night. I must have missed him while I was going through the check-in process.

While I was suffering in the hallway, drowning in pain, Jeff was in the room next door, enjoying a quiet room and Mona's care. How absurd. And that room was probably arranged by Mona herself.

She wouldn't do it for me, but she would for Jeff.

So the urgent matter Mona mentioned was Jeff, wasn't it?

I looked through the small window on the hospital room door and saw the two of them inside. Mona was peeling an apple for him. I reached out and called her. She didn't answer, so I kept calling.

She finally answered.

"Alan, didn't I tell you not to call me unless it's important? I'm very busy." Mona's tone was cold and impatient, but I could see her smiling warmly at Jeff and feeding him the apple.

"But I miss you. What are you doing right now?"

"What else could I be doing? I'm in the lab. I can't talk now. I'm busy..." She hung up quickly. I watched as she ended the call and continued chatting happily with Jeff. I couldn't control myself and rushed in!