My Ten Years Forgottn, My Spot Taken

On the sixth year of our long-distance relationship, I secretly flew to New York City to give my girlfriend a surprise for her birthday.

Inside the trendiest bakery downtown, my eyes caught the custom cake the guy next to me was picking up. The icing on it read: [Happy Birthday, Vivian, My Love].

My girlfriends name was also Vivian.

Noticing my lingering gaze, the man struck up a conversation.

"Ordering a cake? Youve got great taste. I get my girls birthday cake here every single year."

His buddy smirked and nudged him. "Still calling her your girl? Shes basically your fiance now!"

A tender smile spread across the man's face. "Shut up, man."

He pulled out his phone and showed me photos of the different custom cakes hed ordered over the years.

"Here, bro. These are some past designs. Just to give you some ideas."

In the photos, a girl was snuggled tightly in his arms. They were both beaming with pure happiness, holding a cake together.

It wasn't a coincidence. It wasn't just someone with the same name. His fiance was my Vivian.

Those photos didn't just show birthday cakes. There were anniversaries, Valentines Days, and New Years Eves.

The very last photo showed a cake with the words [999 Days] written on it.

I stood there, frozen, for what felt like an eternity.

Doing the math, Vivian had been with another man since the third year of our long-distance relationship.

She used to tell me, *"Asher, baby, please understand. Work is so crazy right now, and flights are so expensive. Let's save every penny we can so we can get married sooner."*

My heart had ached for her back then. I swallowed all my loneliness and promised to be patient.

That was why we talked less and saw each other less. It turned out she was spending all that saved time in the arms of another man.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms, desperately suppressing the bitter wave of betrayal and fury rising in my chest.

The man didn't notice my distress. He offered his hand. "By the way, I'm Julian."

"What a coincidence that you're celebrating today too. I booked the best rooftop restaurant overlooking Manhattan tonight. If you don't mind, why don't you join us?"

My mind was a chaotic mess. Acting on pure, desperate impulse, I nodded.

Until I saw Vivian with my own eyes, I refused to let my heart die.

We took the elevator up to the 49th floor. The restaurant had a breathtaking view, offering a stunning panoramic look at the NYC skyline.

"Grab a seat, bro. I need to set up a little surprise for my baby. She went all out for me on New Year's and Valentines, so I have to return the favor."

I managed a tight nod, my heart aching with a sharp, stabbing pain.

Vivian had always told me she hated "senseless, commercial holidays." So, in our ten years together, we only ever celebrated our actual birthdays.

But for this man, she made exceptions.

"Man, they are so disgustingly cute. Pure couple goals," Julian's friend said, looking on with envy.

"You have no idea. When his fiance made her first million from her startup, she spent almost the entire thing on a Patek Philippe watch for Julian. Over a hundred and fifty grand, just like that."

"Julian loves the ocean, so every year she rents a luxury yacht and sets off private fireworks over the harbor just to make him smile."

I stopped breathing.

Vivian had lied to me. She told me her startup was struggling, that she was barely making ends meet.

I had worked day and night at my job in Ohio, sending her money transfers under every excuse I could think of, terrified she was starving or stressed.

On my birthday last year, Vivian said she was too busy to travel and only ordered a tiny, cheap grocery-store cake to be delivered to my apartment.

I had eaten every single bite of that dry cake and sent her a video.

*"Thank you, baby. The cake is great. It feels like we're celebrating together anyway. My only wish is to finally end the distance and move in with you."*

She hadn't replied until the next day: *"Great. You're so understanding, Asher."*

Julian was busy pinning polaroid photos onto silk ribbons hanging from the ceiling.

"Are you celebrating your birthday alone? Your girl didn't come with you?"

My eyes scanned the photos. Every single one of them was a sweet, intimate shot of him and Vivian.

Them kissing with their eyes closed, him carrying her bridal-style, her laughing as she sat on his shoulders...

Vivian smiled so brightly in those pictures. I couldn't remember the last time she had smiled at me like that.

"We're long-distance. I wanted to surprise her," I said, staring at Julian. "I was actually planning to move to her city, propose, and finally end the distance."

When we graduated, Vivian chose to stay in New York to build her business, while my father fell gravely ill, forcing me to go back to Ohio to care for my parents.

She always told me to wait. To wait until her startup took off to get married, to wait until her company was stable so she could move to my town.

I never once doubted Vivians love. So, the moment my parents' health stabilized, I rushed here to be with her.

I didn't want her to exhaust herself traveling back and forth for me.

But I never expected to walk into this.

"Is that so? Sounds like you love her a lot," Julian said, his smile unchanged.

"But honestly, bro? If a man has nothing to his name, if he can't even afford a decent life for himself, what kind of happiness can he really offer a woman? Better not drag her down."

Before I could reply, his friend gasped, looking at his phone.

"Julian! Get ready! Boss Vivian is downstairs!"

"Surprise!"

The elevator doors slid open, and the crowd popped confetti cannons.

In the middle of the falling colorful rain, Vivian looked at Julian with eyes full of tenderness.

She didn't notice me at all, standing there in the dark corner. She ran straight into Julian's arms.

Julian leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Happy birthday, baby!"

Vivian affectionately brushed a piece of confetti off his shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"Thank you, handsome."

Amidst the cheers and teasing from their friends, Julian brought out the cake, lit the candles, and gestured for her to make a wish.

Vivian stood on her tip-toes and kissed him deeply on the lips.

"I don't need to make a wish. Heaven has already given me the best gift I could ever ask for right here."

I stared blankly at the flickering candle flames.

Six years of long-distance. To see Vivian, I had saved stacks of cheap bus and train tickets.

I never let her make the tiring trip to see me even once.

On my birthday during our fourth year, she sat beside me, completely distracted, staring at her phone all night.

For the last two years, she was virtually non-existent in my life.

And now, she was calling Julian the best gift heaven had ever given her.

My chest felt completely numb, a dull, agonizing ache. A single question echoed in my mind over and over again.

*What about me? What was I to you?*

Julian smiled, helping Vivian blow out the candles.

"If you won't make a wish, then I will."

Someone in the crowd yelled, "What did you wish for, Julian? Let me guess, does it involve Vivian?"

"Duh! Everyone knows Julian is a total simp for her. His whole world revolves around Vivian."

Vivian blushed, playfully hitting Julian's chest.

He gave her a doting look, and in the next second, he dropped to one knee.

The room erupted.

Julian pulled out a red velvet box, his expression dead serious and full of devotion.

"Vivian, it's been four years. Will you marry me?"

Vivian covered her mouth, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for her answer.

But then, a cold laugh broke the silence of the room.

"Four years? Vivian, what about my ten years? What did our ten years mean to you?"

Everyone whipped their heads around to look at me.

Vivian turned, her face freezing in absolute horror and shock.

Their friends looked back and forth between us, whispering.

"Who is this guy?"

"No idea."

One of Julian's friends walked up and threw a heavy punch straight at my face.

"Are you out of your mind? Julian was nice enough to let you join the party, and you come in here to ruin his proposal?!"

The blow left me dazed for a second.

Julian looked back at Vivian, confused. "Babe, do you know him?"

"No."

Vivian coldly pulled her gaze away from me without a single shred of hesitation.

She forced a sigh. "Julian, you really shouldn't just invite any random street rat to your parties. Just ignore him."

My eyes widened.

This was the woman who once cried hysterically when I got a tiny paper cut. Now, she watched someone punch me and didn't even blink.

I loved Vivian for ten years, only to be called a "street rat."

With shaking hands, I threw a heavy punch right back at the guy who hit me.

He fell straight to the floor, groaning.

The next second, two heavy security guards pinned me down.

At Julian's nod, the guards didn't hold back.

In front of everyone, I was beaten until my face swelled and my ears rang.

As the guards held me down, Julian walked up to me and kicked my knee hard.

I let out a sharp cry and collapsed onto my knees before him. My dignity and my ten years of devotion shattered completely in that exact moment.

Vivian stood to the side, motionless, though a tiny flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes.

Julian's lips curled into a mocking sneer.

"I tried to be a nice guy and let you hang out. I didn't expect you to be a psycho."

"Beating you up is wasting my energy. Throw him out like the trash he is!"

The security guards dragged me by my arms toward the exit.

I was too dizzy and weak to fight back.

Everyone in the room stared at me with pure disgust.

"This loser clearly has nothing going for him. Just trying to cause drama."

"He's probably just jealous! Trying to be a homewrecker because he's broke. Trash like him deserves to get run over by a car."

The vicious insults rained down on me, but Vivian never looked back.

Behind me, I heard her clearly say, *"Yes, Ill marry you,"* followed by a deafening cheer of celebration.

Outside, a cold drizzle was falling. The guards threw me onto the wet pavement and kicked me twice in the ribs for good measure.

A kind passerby tried to step in, but one of the guards glared at him.

"This creep tried to stalk Boss Vivian and ruin her engagement. You want to take his side?"

The passerby's expression instantly changed to disgust.

"Get a life, man. Stop trying to ruin other people's happiness."

"So pathetic. If he were my son, I'd die of embarrassment."

My entire body screamed in pain, and my vision began to fade to black.

"I'm... I'm not..."

But no one was listening. Everyone just walked past me coldly.

The rain soaked through my clothes. As I lay in a puddle, right before I lost consciousness, I heard that familiar female voice.

"Take him to my apartment near the office. And take his phone."

In my feverish, chaotic sleep, I dreamed of Vivian when she was twenty-two.

Back then, we were just two broke college graduates trying to survive in New York, renting the cheapest, moldiest studio apartment. We believed that if we just worked hard, everything would be okay.

But a year later, my dad got terribly sick, and we needed a massive amount of money.

I emptied my savings and borrowed from everyone I knew.

Without telling me, Vivian emptied her own bank account and took out personal loans to send the money to my family.

*"This is my family's mess! I didn't want you to go into debt! I didn't want to drag you down..."*

The winter nights in NYC were freezing back then.

We couldn't afford heating, so we huddled under a single thin blanket on our squeaking wooden bed to keep each other warm.

Hearing my sobbing complaints, Vivian held me tighter.

*"Your dad is my dad, Asher. I couldn't just stand by. I wanted to do this."*

*"It's going to get better. I promise."*

New York was where the money was, so Vivian had to stay to build her career, while I had to go back to Ohio to care for my parents.

The moment I finished my day job, I did food delivery until 3 AM, only to wake up at 7 AM.

I pushed myself to the absolute limit, eating free crackers from the office pantry for lunch to save every dollar.

We survived those brutal two years and paid off eighty thousand dollars in debt.

Just when life seemed to be getting easier, Vivian told me, *"Asher, I want to start my own company."*

I didn't hesitate for a second. *"Do it. I'll support you."*

I gave her every single penny I had left.

But the corporate world was brutal. Vivian drank herself to stomach bleeding trying to pitch to investors, but couldn't get a single dime.

I couldn't bear to see her destroy herself. Without telling her, I reached out to a wealthy senior from my college, Seraphina.

After making a deal with Seraphina, Vivian miraculously received her first major seed funding.

Vivian told me, *"Asher, just wait for me a little longer."*

We had survived the hardest times. I never believed that distance could ever destroy our love.

But I was dead wrong.

I snapped my eyes open. The sweet face of twenty-two-year-old Vivian vanished, replaced by the cold, unfamiliar twenty-nine-year-old woman standing over me.

She sighed. "Let me explain, Asher."

Vivian held a glass of water to my lips, helping me drink.

My body was burning with a fever, my head felt like it was splitting open, and my voice was completely hoarse.

"My phone... give me my phone."

"Asher, don't even think about calling the cops. It won't work."

She was worried I would file a report against Julian.

She cupped my face, her eyes filled with pity.

"You have to believe me. With Julian... I had no choice. There's a reason."

I pushed her hands away, struggling to stand up.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to know. Vivian, we're done. It's over."

I stumbled into the living room and froze.

On the coffee table sat a framed photo of Vivian and Julian holding a golden retriever puppy.

Next to the frame lay a few unused condom wrappers.

A pair of black stockings lay crumpled on the couch, with a lace thong hanging off the edge.

Beside the couch was a dog bed, lined with a worn-out piece of clothing.

It was a designer shirt I had saved up for months to buy her for her birthday. It cost me $800.

Inside the dog bed was a chewed-up, ruined plush black cat keychainsomething she had begged me to hand-make for her years ago.

We had promised that when we got married, we would get a black cat together.

My heart began to spasm in agony again. I gasped for air, suffocating.

"Vivian... you could have just broken up with me. Why did you lie? Why did you give the things I bought you to a dog? Why did you have to drag my love through the mud like this?!"

"Don't call him a dog! That was the puppy Julian and I raised for years. He was family, and he passed away in an accident. Do you have to be so hateful?"

Vivian rubbed her temples, looking exhausted.

"Asher, stop being so childish. My startup went through a massive financial crisis years ago. If Julian hadn't begged his dad to bail me out, I wouldn't have any of this today."

"You should be grateful to him."

How incredibly absurd.

I stared at her blankly, realizing it was useless to speak to her.

"Sure. Whatever you say."

I coldly began searching the living room for my belongings, wanting nothing more than to escape this disgusting woman forever.

But Vivian rushed forward and hugged me tightly from behind.

"Asher, stop throwing a tantrum. Aren't you tired of being broke? I have money now. We don't have to be long-distance anymore. In a few weeks, I'll buy you that luxury penthouse overlooking Central Park you always wanted. We can go back to how we used to be..."

I cut her off, my voice ice-cold. "Vivian, are you asking me to be your side piece, or are you making Julian one?"

Vivian fell silent for a long moment before whispering, "I have to marry Julian."

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, and her face went pale.

She grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the guest bedroom. "Julian is coming up. Hide in here. If you go down now, you'll run right into him."

"No, let me go"

Losing her patience, Vivian slapped me hard across the face.

"Stop acting up!"

My head spun, and I realized my body felt incredibly weak and heavy.

I suddenly remembered the glass of water she had just given me.

"You drugged me? Vivian, I'm literally sick with a fever!"

"Asher, I had no choice. I need to make sure you behave. Just cooperate, okay?"

She dragged me into the bedroom, pulled out a set of restraint ropes she kept for her private games, and tried to tie me to a chair.

The sedative wasn't that strong. I could have fought her off.

But then, Vivian softened her voice, speaking to me like a child.

"We've been together for ten years, Asher. We can't just end. And don't forget... I lost your baby once. You owe me for the rest of your life. You can never pay me back for that."

The words hit me like a physical blow. I froze, letting her wrap the ropes around my body, coil by coil.

The pregnancy had been an accident. Years ago, after I visited her in New York, she told me she was pregnant but lost the baby due to high stress and exhaustion at work.

We had always used protection, but she claimed it was a freak accident.

By the time I found out about the baby, it was already gone.

I had fallen to my knees back then, promising her I would spend the rest of my life making it up to her.

And now, the woman who had cried in my arms used my deepest, most agonizing guilt to blackmail me.

She tied a tight knot behind my back.

"Don't hate me. You're too emotional right now. Just be a good boy and stay here."

Vivian kissed my forehead, then tore a piece of heavy duct tape and slapped it over my mouth.

Outside, the sound of the front door passcode lock beeped. Vivian locked the guest bedroom door from the outside.

A moment later, Julians ecstatic voice echoed from the living room.

"Babe! I saw the pregnancy test on the counter! Two pink lines! You're pregnant! Why didn't you tell me?! We need to move the wedding up right away."

"We lost our last baby to an accident... This time, I won't let anything happen to our child..."

My pupils dilated in sheer horror.

The baby Vivian had lost back then... wasn't mine.

"I was going to tell you once the doctor said it was stable... Honey, I'm sorry about last time..."

From outside the door, the unmistakable, muffled sounds of heavy breathing and moaning began to drift in.

I bit my tongue so hard the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, my stomach turning in violent disgust.

I don't know how much time passed before they finally stopped. The sound of the front door closing left me in a state of sudden terror.

*Vivian will come back to untie me, right? She knows I have a high fever!*

I waited. And waited.

The sun went down, and a new day broke. She never came back.

I lost track of how long I had been without food or water. Eventually, the darkness swallowed me whole.

When I finally opened my eyes, I was lying in a hospital bed, my body completely drained.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Asher. Boss Vivian got caught up in wedding prep and... forgot about you. She asked me to apologize on her behalf."

Vivian's assistant placed a check on the bedside table.

"This is compensation from Boss Vivian. She'll come visit you in a few days."

I didn't say a word.

My phone buzzed with a trending notification:

[The Royal Wedding of Tech Mogul Vivian and Julian, Heir to the Mercer Empire.]

With a blank expression, I swiped the notification away and sent a text to Seraphina:

*"I lost the bet. I keep my word."*

She replied almost instantly: *"I'm coming to pick you up right now."*

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I sent one last text to Vivian:

*"Vivian, we are done. For good."*

Ten years of devotion, and I never got to see the dawn.

For the rest of our lives, may we never meet again.