It was a shame though, when his like-minded ex-girlfriend reappeared, I was reduced to nothing more than “a girl who bakes cakes” in his mind.
"Sarah, I want to eat the dessert that you made last night. Do you bring it?" Freddy asked. He acted as if nothing had happened.
In the past, I would make desserts that I custom-made simply for him every night so he could eat them for breakfast the next morning. Since he was addicted to something sweet, I became worried that too many desserts would be harmful to his health, so I specially formulated a recipe that was both tasty and low in sugar for him and he always loved it.
"I didn’t bring it home. I threw it away," I lied.
Actually, because I had worked hard to make that dessert, I could not bear to throw it away, so on the way home, I gave it to a stray dog.
"Sarah, I’m sorry about last night. It was my fault. I was upset last night. Please forgive me," he said, then he came up to me and wrapped me in his arms to coax me. "I didn’t mean it. It’s just that some classmates were there and when I mentioned calling you, they teased me about being a henpecked husband so I got embarrassed and couldn’t back down. Then you kept pushing and I got impatient … yet it was still my fault. Let me make it up to you today. Let’s celebrate our two-year anniversary properly, okay?"
"Are you still angry? I admit I was in the wrong to take the cake without telling you. It was late and there wasn’t time to order another. I promise it won’t happen again! Please, stop being mad at me," he said, his tone grew even more agitated before he took a deep breath and softened his tone,
"Lately, it feels like you don’t understand me. I’ve been under a lot of pressure and sometimes I speak without thinking. Maybe I’m just not doing enough. Tell me what you want me to do and I’ll fix it. Just stop being upset."
Taking advantage of my distracted state, Freddy took my hand and said, “Let's go, let's take you to a fun place today, I promise, I will make up for it and give you a perfect two-year anniversary!”
I was still in a daze when he pulled me to the door. Just as I was about to turn down his offer, his phone rang. When he answered the phone, it was actually Rose.
"Freddy, my stomach hurts so much. I think I ate something bad last night. I can’t even get up because of the pain. Could you take me to the hospital?" Her weak, delicate voice came through the receiver.
"What? What happened? Is it serious? Should I call an ambulance for you instead? … I have plans today. There is something I must do…" Freddy hesitated as he fumbled to find the right words.
"I don’t want an ambulance. I want you to take me!" Rose interrupted in a petulant tone. "No! No! Are we not even friends anymore because we broke up? Can’t we be old classmates? Or is it Sarah who won’t let you go? I’m only asking you because I’m sick and have no one else to turn to. She wouldn’t be so petty, would she?"
I looked at Freddy's hesitant eyes, my gaze filled with disdain as I waited for him to make his decision. In the end, he chose her.
I was actually quite surprised at how calm I was at this moment.
Maybe love was just a capricious thing. When it came, I saw Freddy through rose-tinted glasses and felt every inch of him was perfect. Now that love had gone, for me, he was just an ordinary man. He was an indecisive man who was easily manipulated by another woman and oblivious to how pathetic he seemed.
I said nothing. I opened the door and silently gestured for him to leave immediately.
