You Were Once My Starry Sky

We were out on a trip for Christmas when falling rocks broke the bridge, and everyone fell into the water.

Jose ignored the fact that I couldn't swim and was drowning. He rushed off in a panic to save Emma.

Ignoring my cries for help, he carried Emma, who was scared, and left me behind.

The next day, I woke up in the hospital and saw Emma's post on WhatsApp.

"Happiness is when he always puts you first in danger!"

Everyone was expecting me to tear her apart for stealing my boyfriend.

I smiled slightly. "The perfect couple! Good riddance, stop ruining lives."

...

On the day I was discharged, Jose, who had been missing for a while, finally showed up.

He didn't even ask why I was in the hospital or if I was hurt.

He didn't ask how I, who couldn't swim, had made it back.

Instead, he immediately defended Emma and accused me, "What's that post on WhatsApp supposed to mean?

"Don't you know how important reputation is for a girl? You've got a bad heart, and you're always slandering others!"

I cut him off. "Jose, I was hurt too..."

He froze, rubbed his nose awkwardly, but still stubbornly said, "But aren't you standing here fine now?"

Yeah.

But at that moment, I almost died.

When freezing water was filling my lungs, I was on the verge of suffocating. However, I saw the man I loved carrying another woman, panic all over his face.

I finally understood that love isn't something you can hold onto through someone's charity.

Even if I begged him on my knees, someone who doesn't love you won't even spare you a glance.

After this near-death experience, I became indifferent.

Seeing that I wasn't speaking, Jose softened his tone. "It was an emergency, I..."

I didn't need to hear the rest to know what he was going to say.

I didn't want to hear his excuses. I raised my hand to stop him, exhausted. "It's fine, you don't have to explain. I get it."

His words were all too familiar. How urgent it was, how poor Emma was, how much she needed help.

But I was his girlfriend. I needed help too!

Shouldn't the person he protected have been me?

His phone rang at the worst possible moment.

When he saw who it was, he couldn't hide his smile. His voice was unusually soft. "Yeah, I'll be right there."

After hanging up, he glanced at me, looking guilty. "Emma's hurt. I have to go."

The same childish tricks, but they always managed to make him leave me behind.

I gave him a tired look and turned to leave the room first.

Once in the car, I closed my eyes to rest.

Jose never bothered to comfort me, always assuming that I'd apologize to him like before.

When we got home, Emma, dressed in skimpy pajamas, jumped off the couch and threw herself into his arms, crying like a damsel in distress.

"Jose, you're finally back."