My Heartbeat Was 135, His Was 80

My boyfriend and I were the most talked-about game designers in the industry. The romance game we co-created, Heartbeat Echo, was about to launch.

At the press conference, the investors asked us to put on the games matching heart-rate wristbands and play through the Couple's Synergy level live on stage.

Amidst the roaring cheers of the crowd, we easily made it to the final stage. The screen was about to flash the "Perfect Match" achievement.

But a second before the completion animation played, the system's cold electronic voice made an announcement.

My heart rate was 135. His was 80.

His heart didn't even skip a beat for me.

Maybe it was time for me to let go.

The lights at the venue were so bright they made me dizzy.

On the giant digital screen, the game characters Vincent and I designed were hugging tightly, celebrating the unlock of the "Perfect Match" achievement.

Below the stage, the applause and cheers were deafening.

"They are literally the perfect couple! So sweet!"

"Heartbeat Echo" is going to be a massive hit!"

But I was the only one who clearly heard that cold, mechanical voice just now.

"Chloe, heart rate: 135."

"Vincent, heart rate: 80."

Eighty.

That's just the normal resting heart rate of an adult male.

And we had just finished the final stage of the "Couple's Synergy" levela level we designed together.

The animation on the screen kept playing. The heroine I designed had eyes shining with happiness, while the hero Vincent coded was leaning down to kiss her.

But in reality, Vincent, standing right next to me, was completely calm.

His heart didn't even beat faster from the electric atmosphere in the room.

Meanwhile, my heart was racing wildly, and my hands and feet were ice-cold.

The host's enthusiastic voice echoed through the microphone: "Incredible! As expected of our star Creative Director and Lead Programmer! Only a perfect couple in real life could make a game that understands love so deeply!"

Vincent picked up his microphone and gave the crowd a slight smile.

He said, "Thank you, everyone. We just did our job. The success of this game belongs to the whole team."

His response was flawlessly professional, drawing another round of applause.

He didn't look at me once.

On my wrist, the heart-rate band felt like it weighed a ton.

The flashing numbers silently mocked my spiked heart rate of 135.

How pathetic.

The very game I designed had used cold, objective data to slap me right in the face.

After the launch event was the after-party hosted by the investors.

I didn't have much of an appetite, so I stood in a corner with a glass of champagne.

Many people came over to congratulate me. I smiled and thanked them one by one, but my mind was completely blank.

I saw Vincent surrounded by a crowd.

Next to him stood a young, unfamiliar woman with short hair and black-rimmed glasses. She looked sharp and capable.

She was talking to Vincent excitedly, and Vincent was listening intently, nodding from time to time.

Our publisher, who was standing beside me, nudged my arm.

"Chloe, that's Bree, the new genius programmer. She just came back from studying abroad. She's absolutely obsessed with Vincent's next-gen rendering pipeline."

I followed his gaze.

Bree was looking up at Vincent, her eyes filled with undisguised adoration.

She said, "Vincent, your vision is so ahead of its time. If we can pull this off, it will completely revolutionize the industry!"

A smile crept onto Vincents facea smile I hadnt seen in a very long time.

He said, "It's just an idea for now. Implementing it will be quite difficult."

"No, we can definitely do it!" Bree's voice was firm. "You are literally the architect of this entire game's universe!"

The people around them let out a collective, friendly laugh.

Someone joked, "Looks like Vincent has found his intellectual soulmate."

Vincent didn't deny it. He just smiled.

He finally noticed me, raising his glass in my direction as a brief greeting.

Then, he turned right back to Bree, continuing their passionate discussion about technical details.

The scene looked so harmonious, like a perfect painting.

A painting that had no room for me.

I downed my champagne, the bitter taste spreading from my tongue straight to my heart.

The after-party wrapped up around midnight.

I stood at the hotel entrance waiting for my ride, the cold night breeze hitting my face.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Vincent.

"Heading back to the office with Bree. There's an issue with the server architecture that we need to optimize right away. Grab an Uber home."

I stared at the words for a long time.

No asking if I needed a ride. No warmth.

Just a cold work update.

I replied with a simple "Okay," put my phone away, and got into the Uber that pulled up.

When I got back to our shared apartment, it was pitch black.

I didn't turn on the lights. I just sat on the couch in the dark for a long time.

Every single piece of furniture in this apartment had been chosen by both of us.

Our college photo was still hanging on the wall, showing us laughing brightly.

But now, I was the only one left.

I opened my phone and habitually scrolled through Instagram.

A trending post popped up.

Genius Programmer Couple Keyboards

I clicked on it.

It was a photo of two handsone with sharp, masculine knuckles, and the other slender and paleresting on two identical mechanical keyboards.

The keyboards were a limited-edition run from a top-tier brand. Vincent and I each had one.

But the other hand in the photo wasn't mine.

The caption read: "Overtime coding at the office. Working with my intellectual soulmate makes all the exhaustion disappear. #HeartbeatEchoRelease"

The poster was Bree.

The background of the photo showed our companys iconic floor-to-ceiling windows and the city's sparkling night skyline.

The comment section was already blowing up.

"Omg, is that Vincent's hand? Who's the other one? His girlfriend Chloe?"

"Duh, Chloe's hands don't look that young. That's obviously Bree, the new genius girl!"

"So, the launch event was just for show, and this is the real deal?"

"Ive always said tech guys need to be with tech girls to actually have something to talk about."

I stared at the comments, my fingers clenching into fists until my nails dug deep into my palms.

So, they weren't optimizing server architecture.

They were enjoying their private world as "intellectual soulmates."

And I, his official girlfriend, was sitting here looking like a complete fool.

I stood up, walked into the study, and opened my laptop.

The screen lit up, reflecting my pale face.

I didn't cry. I didn't even feel angry. My mind was terrifyingly calm.

I found our co-founders contact info and sent him an email.

Subject: Resignation.

The body of the email was only one sentence: "Due to personal reasons, I am resigning from my position as Creative Director of "Heartbeat Echo", effective immediately."

After hitting send, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

My mind drifted back to five years ago.

I had just graduated and already had a lucrative offer from Moonlight Games, a famous international studio.

But Vincent had grabbed my hand, his eyes shining like stars.

He had said, "Chloe, don't go. Stay and help me. Let's build our own game togetherone that will make the whole world's heart beat."

Looking at his dream-filled eyes, I chose to stay.

I gave up a smooth career path and accompanied him, starting from a tiny three-person workshop to get to where we are today.

We made it.

Our game was about to be a massive success, and the company was heading toward an IPO.

But the man who promised to create a heartbeat with me... his heart no longer beat for me.

The next day, I went back to the office to pack up my things.

I didn't have much at my deskjust a few books, a small potted plant, and a framed photo of Vincent and me.

I slid the photo out of the frame and threw it into the trash can without a second thought.

My coworkers looked at me in shock.

"Chloe, what... what are you doing?"

"I'm resigning," I replied calmly.

The news spread like wildfire. Within ten minutes, Vincent stormed into my office.

He grabbed my wrist, his brow furrowed.

"Chloe, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?"

His voice carried a hint of impatience.

I shook his hand off and kept packing.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum. I'm serious."

"Is this because of last night?" He looked at me as if I was being completely unreasonable. "Bree and I were just discussing work. As the Creative Director, you should focus on the project instead of letting these petty emotions get to you."

"Petty emotions?" I stopped what I was doing and turned to look at him. "Vincent, to you, your heart rate being 80 at the launch was a 'petty emotion'? You ignoring me to chat happily with someone else at the after-party was a 'petty emotion'? You guys showing off matching couple's keyboards late at night in the office was a 'petty emotion'?"

My voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the open-concept office heard it loud and clear.

Vincent's expression shifted.

He grabbed my arm, trying to pull me out of the room.

"Let's talk outside."

"We can talk right here," I said, staying rooted to the spot. "Let everyone hear how our brilliant Lead Programmer sacrifices his relationship for the 'purity' of the project."

He looked at me, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"Chloe, I thought you understood me. Bree is incredibly talented. Her ideas can make our game perfect. I just admire her talent. Why do you have to make everything so dramatic?"

"I'm making it dramatic?" I let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "Vincent, do you remember when we first started this company?"

He blinked, startled.

"Back then, I wanted to go public with our relationship. What did you say?"

I answered for him.

"You said, 'We're a startup. We need to keep a flat structure and avoid workplace romance so we don't mess up the team dynamic.'"

"And I believed you. I stayed by your side for five years as your 'best partner.' Everyone thought we were just highly compatible co-founders."

"But look at this now." I pointed toward Bree's desk nearby. "You're totally fine letting the air get thick with tension between you two? You're fine with people calling you guys 'soulmates'?"

"That's different!" he defended himself. "Bree and I are just having pure technical discussions!"

"Is that so?" I looked into his eyes. "Do your technical discussions require matching couple's keyboards?"

Vincent was completely silenced.

His silence was the loudest answer.

I packed the last of my things into the box and stood up, holding it.

"Vincent, we're done. From today on, we owe each other nothing."

I walked right past him, not giving him a single glance.