The Girl Who Never Needed to Apologize

I was ten minutes late to the movie theater, stuck in the pouring rain and unable to get a ride.

I quickly apologized to my boyfriend, Liam Walker.

He impatiently said, What's the point of apologizing?

I froze. Every time I apologized, he never forgave me.

I'd pulled three all-nighters working non-stop and forgot to snag concert tickets for him.

He coldly pulled his hand away from mine.

"What's the point of apologizing? You can't even handle a simple task."

I accidentally stained his favorite white shirt, and he flew into a rage.

"What's the point of apologizing? This is my favorite shirt!"

But when his intern, Chloe Davis, spilled coffee and ruined his proposal, he didn't get angry.

Instead, he wiped her tears. "You don't need to apologize. It hurts me to see you cry."

Watching him get angry now, I finally let go of our seven-year relationship.

I was tired.

From now on, I wouldn't apologize anymore.

I was drenched, rain trickling from my hair onto the carpet.

Liam didn't even glance at me.

He walked straight to the VIP lounge.

His intern, Chloe Davis, was sitting there.

She held two steaming cups of coffee in her hands.

Seeing Liam, she immediately broke into a sweet smile, then nervously peered past him. "Liam, isn't Alice here yet? Should I not have come to drop off these files? Am I interrupting something...?"

Her voice, not far away, reached my ears perfectly.

Liam naturally took the coffee.

"She's late. Someone with no sense of time doesn't deserve to be on a date."

"But the movie's about to start..."

"Since you're here, take this ticket and watch it with me."

Liam's tone was flat, as if he were talking about the most ordinary thing.

I froze.

That wasn't just any movie ticket.

To qualify for this exclusive limited-time premiere, I'd pulled three all-nighters, doing the entire marketing and publicity campaign for the organizers for free.

All because Liam had casually mentioned, "I really wish I could see it on the big screen just once."

I used to think this movie would be a milestone in our seven-year relationship.

But now, he had casually handed my hard work over to an intern he'd only had for three months.

I took a deep breath, choking back the bitterness in my throat.

Squelching in my rain-soaked heels, I walked step by step towards them.

Hearing my footsteps, Liam turned sharply.

When he saw it was me, his brows furrowed instantly.

He instinctively shielded Chloe behind him.

His eyes were filled with undisguised defensiveness and disgust.

"Alice Linwood, if you dare make a scene here, we're over."

"Alice, please don't misunderstand, I just came to drop off some urgent files..."

Chloe cowered behind him, her eyes instantly welling up with tears.

I didn't cry, nor did I question him.

I simply took the two tickets from my bag and handed them over.

Liam was stunned.

He looked at my expressionless eyes, his frown deepening. "What game are you playing now?"

"Nothing."

I slipped the tickets into his coat pocket, my voice as soft as the wind.

"Liam Walker, enjoy the movie."

With that, I didn't hesitate for a second. I turned and walked out of the cinema.

Until the glass doors closed behind me.

I could still feel his incredulous gaze.

He probably couldn't fathom it.

The Alice Linwood who loved him so much she lost herself.

Why today, there wasn't even an apology after the fact.

Outside, the heavy rain continued.

I didn't carry an umbrella, letting the icy rain pour over me.

My body, exhausted from three days of non-stop work, was wracked with painful stomach cramps.

As I passed a flooded intersection, a delivery scooter ran a red light and skidded violently.

The handlebars slammed hard into my side.

I was thrown through the air, crashing hard onto the asphalt road.

Excruciating pain swept through my entire body.

The delivery guy was terrified and repeatedly apologized.

I was in too much pain to speak, only able to tremble and wave my hand, signaling him to go.

Rainwater mixed with mud seeped into my wounds, making me shiver uncontrollably.

I lay in a puddle, my vision blurred.

Instinctively, I fumbled for my phone and dialed the pinned number.

Seven years. It was my reflex.

When in danger, when wronged, Liam was the first person I'd call.

The phone rang for a long time.

Just as it was about to go to voicemail, it connected.

"Liam, I was hit by a car..."

"Alice Linwood, haven't you caused enough trouble?"

Liam's voice was low, filled with barely suppressed anger.

"Did you time this perfectly to ruin the mood?"

"Do you have any idea the movie just got to the most touching part? Chloe was crying because it was so moving!"

"Do you seriously have to use this pathetic stunt to guilt-trip me right now?"

I opened my mouth.

Rainwater poured into my mouth, bitter and acrid.

The severe pain in my side made it almost impossible for me to make a sound.

But I could still faintly hear the end credits rolling on the big screen from his end of the call.

That was the Easter egg I'd shamelessly begged the organizers to add, just to get the tickets.

At the very end of the acknowledgments, there would be a small line of text:

[To Liam Walker: Our seventh year. May you always swim free like a fish in the deep blue sea. C Alice]

I had imagined that when that line appeared, I'd be leaning on his shoulder, listening to him tell me he loved me.

Instead, he was sitting in that very seat, with another girl by his side.

He didn't even have the patience to glance at the screen, only caring about wiping away someone else's tears.

"Speak up! Are you mute?"

Liam's patience completely ran out.

"I'm warning you one last time, drop the spoiled princess act."

"When I get home, I expect you to apologize to Chloe. You really scared her today."

The call was mercilessly cut.

I looked at the black screen and suddenly laughed.

A raw, gut-wrenching sound, tears mixing with the rain as they streamed down my face.

It pulled at my wounds, making me gasp from the pain, but I couldn't stop.

It felt like a ball of cotton was lodged in my throat.

I painfully dragged myself out of the muddy water, limping back home.

But the Alice Linwood who always carefully tried to please him.

She had died in that downpour.

Pushing open the door, the house was silent.

I groped my way into the bathroom in the dark. The person in the mirror was disheveled and pathetic.

The bruise on my side was swollen and purple, and the slightest movement sent a sharp, stabbing pain through me.

I found the first-aid kit, and trembling, I pressed an iodine swab to my knee.

The keypad lock clicked open at the entrance.

Followed by Liam's deliberately lowered, gentle voice:

"Watch your step. You can sleep here tonight. I'll find someone to fix the leak in your dorm tomorrow once the rain stops."

"But, Alice will be angry if she sees me..."

Chloe's voice was timid.

"What right does she have to be angry?"

Liam sneered.

"There's no way I'd let you stay alone in an apartment with no power."

The overhead living room light flared on, filling the room with blinding white light.

Liam walked in, one arm around Chloe, the other carrying her duffel bag.

He turned his head and saw me, slumped on the bathroom floor.

The curve of his lips instantly vanished. His gaze swept over the bloody swab, his eyes filled with disgust.

"Alice Linwood, what kind of stunt is this now?"

He walked over, towering above me.

"I wondered why you hung up so fast. Turns out you were cooking up some grand scheme at home."

"You dabbed on some antiseptic, made a huge mess, and you think that's going to make me feel sorry for you?"

Antiseptic.

The heavy rain outside had washed away the blood on my body.

Seeing my silence, Liam grabbed my arm and forcefully pulled me up.

His hand clamped down hard on my bruised side.

A jolt of excruciating pain shot through my brain. My legs gave out, and I collapsed back onto the floor.

"Ah!"

Chloe flinched back in fear.

Liam abruptly let go, as if touching me for another second would contaminate him.

"Alice Linwood, haven't you made enough of a scene?!"

"Chloe's been startled and got wet from the rain. Do you have to give her grief right now?"

I was covered in cold sweat, trembling from the pain.

He clearly saw that I was drenched.

But he only felt pity for Chloe getting wet.

"I'm not making a scene."

Clutching the doorframe, I shakily pulled myself up, my voice hoarse.

"I just accidentally fell."

Liam paused for a moment.

Perhaps my lifeless gaze made him uneasy.

"Good. Go change the sheets in the master bedroom. Chloe has a fever; she'll sleep in there tonight. You can sleep in the guest room."

That sentence, like a dull knife, severed our last remaining connection.

The master bedroom contained the bed I'd chosen, the custom-embroidered pillows with my name, all my personal belongings.

Now, he wanted me to give it to another woman.

"That's my room."

I looked at him.

"This is my apartment!"

Liam pointed to the front door. "If you feel so wronged, then get out now! Don't stand there bothering me!"

Chloe tugged at his sleeve, her eyes brimming with tears. "Liam, I can just sleep on the couch..."

"Don't mind her. She just doesn't know her place!"

Liam squeezed her hand reassuringly.

A sweet, metallic taste filled my throat.

I didn't cry, nor did I argue.

I turned, dragging my aching leg, and walked into the master bedroom.

From behind me, Liam let out a cold snort:

"See? If you'd just listened earlier, you wouldn't have to make such a fuss."

I pulled out the black suitcase from under the bed.

I didn't change the sheets, didn't tidy the room.

I only took my documents, a change of clothes, and my work laptop.

Seven years of my youth, it weighed so little.

A small suitcase couldn't even fill it.

When I walked out dragging the suitcase, Liam was pouring Chloe a glass of water.

Seeing the suitcase, his pupils contracted sharply, then he let out a sneering laugh.

"What? Can't sleep in the master, so you're playing the runaway game?"

He walked towards me, blocking my path.

"Alice Linwood, you tried that three years ago. Do you think I'll chase after you and beg you to come back?"

He pointed to the stormy rain outside.

"If you've got the guts, then get out today."

"If you step foot out that door, even if you beg on your knees, I won't let you step foot in this apartment again!"

My fingers gripping the handle were white, and my legs were so sore I could barely stand.

"Okay."

Without a second's hesitation, I walked past him and pulled open the front door.

I don't know how long I walked before my phone vibrated in my pocket.

The screen lit up. It was a text from Liam:

[I canceled your joint credit card. If you don't have money for a hotel, stop being dramatic and come back to apologize.]

I looked at the words on the screen and gave a stiff, humorless smile.

That card was for buying our future home.

For seven years, I'd faithfully deposited my entire salary into it every month.

In his eyes, it was all his money.

He could cut off my livelihood at any time, just to force me to yield.

I didn't reply.

I immediately blocked his number, pulled out the SIM card, and tossed it into the gutter by the road.

Along with it went seven years of my youth, utterly wasted.

It was two in the morning.

Gritting my teeth, half-dead, I checked into the emergency room at City Hospital Two.

The ER doctor held up my X-ray, his brows furrowed in a tight knot.

"A comminuted fracture of the right scaphoid bone, and severe soft tissue contusion in your lower back."

"Why did you wait so long to come in for your hand?"

The doctor glanced at my medical record.

"You're a concept artist, aren't you? Your finger joints show long-term strain from holding a pen."

"You need surgery for steel pins immediately, or else this hand won't even be able to lift heavy objects in the future, let alone hold a pen."

I was drenched, sitting on the cold plastic chair, my mind blank.

I was a concept artist.

My right hand was my life.

"Doctor, please schedule the surgery."

My voice was horribly hoarse.

"Go pay the fees. A twenty thousand dollar deposit."

I took the paper and walked with difficulty to the payment window.

I searched all my pockets and found only an old payroll card, not linked to Liam.

Balance: thirteen hundred dollars.

This month, to get those two exclusive movie tickets for Liam, I'd used up all my savings, even overdrafting my food money for next month.

I clutched that thin bank card tightly, suddenly feeling despair.

I pulled out my phone, wanting to ask someone for money.

Scrolling through my contact list, I realized how pathetically barren my life was.

To accommodate Liam's schedule, I had canceled all my social engagements and outings.

My closest friend, Chloe Davis.

She was currently lying in my master bedroom, sleeping in my bed.

At twenty-seven years old, I was homeless, penniless, and nearly an invalid.

"Are you going to pay or not? There are others waiting behind you."

The cashier impatiently tapped on the glass.

I stiffly stepped aside.

Leaning against the pale hospital wall, I slowly slid down, squatting on the floor.

I buried my face in my knees, a broken laugh escaping my throat.

I trembled with laughter, tears splashing onto the muddy floor.

It was too ridiculous.

Alice Linwood, you truly live like a joke.

Just as I was laughing so hard I could barely breathe.

The harsh fluorescent light overhead was suddenly blocked by a shadow.

"Alice."

The voice was familiar, yet filled with an undisguised tremble of panic and concern.

I slowly lifted my head.

Ethan Reed stood before me, breathless.

He must have just come from a business function, but his hair was wet with rain.

"I was just in the neighborhood for a project, and I saw someone who looked a lot like you walking in the rain..."

He crouched down, his gaze falling on my right wrist and my blood-stained knees. His eyes immediately reddened.

"What have you done to yourself?"

I looked at him, opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

The nerves that had been taut all night.

Upon hearing that long-lost concern, they completely snapped.

My vision went black, and I lost consciousness.

In the last second before I passed out, I faintly heard Ethan's furious roar:

"Doctor! Help her!"

Meanwhile.

New York, our old apartment.

Liam Walker stood by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking at the overwhelming downpour outside, he impatiently tugged at his tie.

Half an hour.

Alice Linwood hadn't cried and knocked on the door in the hallway as usual.

Nor had she sent any begging texts.

"Liam..."

Chloe Davis, wearing Alice's silk pajamas, walked over timidly.

"Alice went out so late, will she be okay? Maybe you should call and check?"

"What could happen? She has no money, and I canceled that joint credit card."

Liam snorted, his voice certain.

"Don't worry about her. The rain's so heavy outside, she'll come crawling back, crying and begging me to open the door, in less than half an hour."

He turned and walked towards the couch.

His gaze suddenly caught something on the table, tucked under a glass.

It was the velvet ring box he'd bought for his proposal next month.

And next to the box, a set of keys lay quietly.

Alice Linwood's apartment keys.

Liam's heart suddenly, inexplicably, skipped a beat.