Prologue
He couldn't meet my gaze directly; his eyes roamed the park, avoiding any meaningful connection. I sensed that whatever he had in mind, it was going to shatter me into pieces. And unfortunately, I was right—it did.
His tongue darted out to moisten his lips, a habitual gesture of his. He would often fix his hair, a strand falling out of place every now and then. His undercut hairstyle accentuated his square-shaped face, and his brown eyes added an irresistible charm.
"Sorry, Aki, but my mom doesn't want me to have a girlfriend. She gave me an ultimatum: choose between my studies and you. I'm really sorry, but we have to break up," Adrius said, his voice laced with discomfort.
A wave of heat rushed to my face, turning it a shade of scarlet. Rumors about Adrius being a playboy had circulated, and even my closest friends disapproved of our relationship, believing he was exactly what people said he was—a magnet for girls. They even bet that Adrius and I wouldn't last a week. But to their surprise, we proved them wrong, enduring seven months together filled with constant fights caused by other girls.
"Stop peeking. We need privacy!"
"It's only my mom here."
"Quit being jealous."
"You're just being paranoid."
These lines were his go-to defenses whenever we argued, and those moments were always frustrating. I longed for a mature relationship, but it seemed impossible with him. We rarely went out due to my mother's disapproval, and during the short time we were together, I learned that your boyfriend's friends are not necessarily your friends.
I would often turn to his friends for updates on him, but they would lie to me. There was one friend, in particular, whom I avoided because of his perpetually scowling expression, which was rather intimidating.
Then there was Daniel, a friend of Adrius who seemed unusually close to me. I couldn't shake off the feeling that he had feelings for me. He would act touchy with me, and on one occasion, he even called me "babe." The rumors circulating about him being involved with other girls didn't help either.
The truth was, you could never be certain if someone was sincere. Just because they said "I love you" three times a day didn't guarantee their sincerity. However, I believed Adrius was an exception.
I refused to believe him. We were happy just yesterday. We laughed together, and he even mentioned that his parents had accepted our relationship. Were all those moments just lies? I pinched my fingers together, trying to stop the tears from flowing. I didn't want him to see me as weak when it came to him.
Anger surged within me as I recalled our conversation about his mother's approval despite our young age.
"Mama said it's okay for us to be together."
"Really?" I said cheerfully.
"I hope I can bring you home and introduce you formally."
Those memories were still vivid in my mind, but now they seemed to fade away, replaced by pain, anger, and confusion. It was nothing short of a miracle that my mother agreed to let me have a boyfriend. Every day filled with love and happiness felt like a lie.
"Why, Adrius? We were happy, we were laughing just yesterday. What happened? Is there someone else?" My voice grew louder.
He shook his head.
"No one else, Aki..."
He didn't even look at me.
Liar.
