But just moments ago, scrolling through Leonard's social media, I'd discovered the truth: that same day, she'd been on a luxury yacht, throwing a party for Leonard.
A single bottle of champagne from that party cost more than hundreds of those discount coupons combined.
I suddenly found the whole thing laughable.
A violent cramp seized my stomach, and I doubled over, retching.
Rowena panicked and rushed to hold me. "Ulysses, what's wrong?"
"Don't touch me!"
I shoved her hands away with every ounce of strength I had and forced myself upright.
I blinked the tears back.
"This thing between us... it's over."
"Just go. Don't come looking for me again."
Rowena stared at me, her eyes brimming with hurt.
I turned my back to her. I couldn't look at her anymore.
A sigh drifted from behind me.
"Ulysses, no matter what you're thinking, I've never once considered leaving you."
"If you insist on blowing this out of proportion, maybe we both need to cool down."
Her voice had gone cold. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall.
Only when the door clicked shut did I feel the last of my strength drain away.
The cramping in my stomach finally won. My legs buckled, and I crumpled to the floor.
In the early hours of the morning, my phone rang.
I sighed and answered without looking at the screen.
"Stop calling. We're done—"
Leonard's voice came through, thick with tears.
"Ulysses, I think my girlfriend's cheating on me. What do I do?"
"She went out all of a sudden tonight and she's still not back..."
"What else could she be doing besides keeping some boy toy on the side? She used to tell me everywhere she went!"
I didn't respond.
Or rather, I had no idea how to.
What was I supposed to say? That the woman who doted on him so attentively was actually my girlfriend?
His sobbing bled through the speaker. I said nothing and pressed the end-call button.
I didn't sleep at all that night. The next morning, I dragged myself to work with dark circles under both eyes.
I came home exhausted, only to find Leonard standing outside my apartment complex.
The second he spotted me, he rushed over. "Ulysses, can I crash at your place?"
I didn't dare let anything show. I played dumb. "Doesn't your girlfriend have money? Did you two have a fight?"
Leonard's eyes went red instantly.
"She cheated on me! I'm not spending a single cent of hers!"
"I'm still in college. You're the only person I'm close to. None of my classmates get along with me. I've got nowhere else to go..."
I couldn't bring myself to say no. So I brought him home.
Inside the cramped studio apartment, the silence was suffocating.
Leonard sniffled.
"Honestly, I don't really think she cheated. I just... I don't feel secure, you know? I figured if I threw a little tantrum, she'd care about me more."
"I mean, the gap between us is huge. I have to do something to keep her attention."
"Rowena doesn't know you, so there's no way she'd think to look for me here."
There was a smugness in his voice. I listened and couldn't think of a single thing to say.
Leonard didn't notice my silence. He was already wandering around the apartment, poking through my things.
"Ulysses, you and your girlfriend aren't that close, huh?"
I froze. Leonard was pointing at a box of ultra-thin condoms in my drawer, a sly grin plastered across his face.
"If things were good between you two, why's the packaging still sealed?"
Pride crept across his features.
"My girlfriend is insatiable. Always all over me... We never run out of condoms at our place."
"Oh, funny coincidence. My girlfriend likes lemon-flavored ones too!"
My mind went blank. A low ringing filled my ears.
The truth was, life had ground me down so hard that Rowena and I hadn't been intimate all that often.
