The Promise He Broke, The Love I Chose

Every year on my birthday, I wanted my boyfriend to take me to an amusement park once.

He always said next time.

Until the fifth year, when he finally agreed.

But before we even got to the amusement park entrance, the car turned toward my best friend's favorite escape room.

The escape room updated the theme Nina likes, so we can go to the amusement park next time.

For five years, every time Eric said he was taking me to the amusement park, the road would somehow turn toward Bella.

The flavor Bella liked had to be eaten first, and the games she liked had to be experienced first.

And my birthday wish to go to the amusement park with the person I loved had to be postponed indefinitely.

When the escape room NPCs charged at us, I was so scared I fell.

I tried to look up and call for help, but I saw that Eric had already protected Bella and run more than thirty feet away.

The NPC took pity on me, pulled me up, and comforted me in a low voice.

"Maybe they care more about the game experience."

I gave a bitter laugh.

"But I don't want to keep playing a three-person game with them anymore."

I picked up the walkie-talkie and requested to leave the game.

After Eric heard it, he came back looking very unhappy.

"If you hadn't held us back, we would've cleared it already. What are you complaining about now by trying to quit?"

I didn't answer, just looked at the blood pooling on the floor.

Eric followed my gaze and finally noticed the wound on my knee.

"Why were you so careless..."

"Eric, I can't solve this puzzle. Come take a look!"

Eric's words and the motion of wanting to hold me were both interrupted by Bella's voice.

"Lucy, wait for us at the entrance. Once we're out, we'll take you to the hospital together."

"We're just one final room away from clearing the whole thing. Don't worry, it won't take long."

After saying that, he turned and ran toward Bella.

But my eyes fell on his waist.

The cartoon-print bag Bella loved was slung across his shoulder, and the plush rabbit hanging from it hurt my eyes every time it swung.

We had been together for five years, and I had asked him countless times to help me carry my bag, but he always said it wasn't right for a grown man to carry a girl's bag.

Over time, I stopped caring.

A wave of bitterness rose in me. After a long while, I endured the pain and limped my way to the entrance.

At the same time, the two of them walked out side by side.

The escape room staff immediately surrounded them.

"Congratulations! You're the fastest players to escape this theme! Can you share your secret to clearing it?"

Bella leaned into Eric's arms, her face flushing slightly.

"He protected me the whole time, so I could focus on solving the puzzles without worrying about the NPCs."

The girl in charge of reviewing the security footage had envy all over her tone.

"Your boyfriend is really so good to you!"

"When that NPC suddenly jumped out just now, his first reaction was to use his own body to shield you!"

"If my boyfriend protected me like that on instinct, I'd probably be so moved I'd marry him on the spot!"

Bella smiled without explaining.

Eric glanced in my direction and said nothing, which counted as silent approval.

I lowered my head and looked at the blood that had already dried on my calf.

The interview with Eric and Bella was still going on.

"You two are basically the top players here. You also set the fastest clear record for the wedding dress theme last month!"

Bella leaned against Eric's shoulder and smiled proudly.

"Of course! We come here seven or eight times a month. We figured out your tricks ages ago!"

"I knew there'd be a lot of chase scenes in the new theme, so I even changed into flats!"

She lifted the brand-new shoes on her feet, drawing another round of admiration from the staff.

I had seen those shoes before. At the beginning of the month, Eric had sent me the link and asked if they looked good.

Back then, I thought they were a birthday gift for me, and I had looked forward to it for a whole month.

So the surprise was for Bella, and forgetting about me was real.

It felt like a huge stone had suddenly slammed into my chest, crushing the breath out of me.

Maybe I should have left this three-person relationship a long time ago.

My phone screen lit up, and a message from my boss appeared at the very top.

"Lucy, think carefully about the transfer to headquarters. Tomorrow is the last deadline."

A month ago, my boss told me he wanted to transfer me to headquarters as a project manager, basically a promotion.

But I didn't want a long-distance relationship with Eric, so I turned it down.

Now, I just wanted to get as far away from them as possible.

"I'll go."

My boss replied very quickly.

"Then take the flight tomorrow morning."

After I received the screenshot of the ticket order, I called a ride-hailing car and turned off my phone.

Eric and Bella were still sharing their escape room experience with the staff.

I didn't wait anymore and walked straight out of the mall.

It was rush hour, so the car wouldn't arrive for another ten minutes.

I leaned against the bus stop sign, just barely able to stay standing.

Eric's voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of urgency.

"Lucy! Didn't I tell you to wait for us at the entrance? Why did you leave on your own?"

I looked at Eric and said directly,

"You and Bella were playing escape room. Staying there would only slow you down."

The moment the words fell, the atmosphere turned awkward beyond belief.

Bella took my hand.

"Lucy, saying that makes me really sad."

"If it bothers you that Eric played the escape room with me, then I won't play with him anymore."

I pushed her hand away and took a step back.

When Eric saw my movement, his tone turned unhappy.

"You insisted on leaving early, and now you're being sarcastic about it?"

Thinking of the cartoon shoulder bag on him, and thinking of how he had silently let people assume Bella was his girlfriend during the interview, my grievance surged up all at once, and even my voice started shaking.

"Eric, did you forget that I'm your girlfriend?"

I pointed at the bag on him.

"What kind of boyfriend carries his best friend's bag? And why didn't you say anything when the staff said you two were boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Seeing me cry, Eric sighed.

"When we were playing, Bella was handling the puzzles. Carrying a bag would've slowed her down, so I took it."

"If I explained that she wasn't my girlfriend, people who didn't know the situation might misunderstand her as the other woman. Then they might attack her."

"Lucy, you and she are best friends. You wouldn't want her to be misunderstood by other people, right?"

"Right now, the most important thing is getting your injury checked at the hospital."

Not wanting Bella to be misunderstood, so I, his real girlfriend, had to swallow it.

I gave a cold laugh and automatically put more distance between the two of them.

"I'll take a taxi to the hospital myself. You don't need to worry about it."

Eric's patience finally ran out.

"Lucy, I already explained it. What are you still making a scene for?"

As he spoke, he snatched my phone away, canceled my ride-hailing order, and then lifted me up in his arms and shoved me into the back seat.

"Whatever it is, we'll talk after you get your wound checked."

I pressed my lips together and said nothing.

Bella naturally sat in the front passenger seat, and Eric started the car.

It wasn't until we were almost at the hospital that Bella suddenly gasped.

"Buddy's home alone! Take me back first!"

Buddy was the dog she raised.

Bella's home and the hospital were in completely opposite directions. Dropping her off first and then coming back to the hospital would take at least two hours.

My wound was already swollen. I couldn't wait that long at all.

Eric glanced at me.

"Lucy, Buddy's been having some separation anxiety lately. We'll take Bella home first, then go to the hospital!"

He was the one who insisted on taking me to the hospital, and now he was the one asking me to wait.

My matters were always behind Bella's, and now they even had to come after Bella's dog.

My nails dug into my palm.

"Pull over! I'll go myself!"

Eric's voice suddenly turned cold.

"Lucy, I'm just asking you to wait a bit. Why are you acting up again?"

Looking at the impatience in Eric's eyes, the grievance and hurt in my heart surged out like a floodgate had been opened.

I wanted to ask him whether there was still room for me in his heart.

But in the end, I only gave a bitter laugh.

"Pull over."

Eric's patience was obviously worn out. He pulled the car over at the intersection.

He let me open the door myself and limp out of the car.

By the time I reached the hospital, the doctor took one look at my wound and frowned deeply.

"It's already infected and full of pus inside. Why didn't you come to the hospital earlier?"

I lowered my head and apologized, feeling heavy and stifled inside.

While the wound was being bandaged, my screen lit up with a birthday greeting from the bank.

I never expected the first happy birthday of my twenty-fifth year to come from a bank customer service rep.

When I got home, Eric was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

When he saw me come back, his gaze landed on the bandaged wound on my calf.

"Lucy, you owe Bella an apology."

Looking at his matter-of-fact expression, I no longer had the desire to argue with him.

Besides, I still had to pack for the flight tomorrow morning.

I threw the hospital report in front of him. The infected wound had been circled in red by the doctor.

Eric glanced at it and his tone softened.

"Sorry, Lucy. I didn't know you were hurt this badly."

I didn't look at him. In the end, I swept my gaze around the house.

The sofa was the brown leather Bella liked, and the floor was the off-white tile Bella had picked.

Even beside the bed in the bedroom, there was a massage recliner reserved for Bella.

It turned out that Bella's traces had long since filled every corner of my life with Eric.

I just hadn't noticed it all this time.

Seeing that I still didn't speak, Eric wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"Lucy, I'll definitely take you to the amusement park for your birthday next year."

I had heard this line too many times and believed it too many times, but now it no longer meant anything.

I hummed in response and turned to go into the bedroom.

I zipped up my second suitcase.

When he saw the two suitcases beside me, his face showed confusion.

"Why are you packing? Going on a business trip?"

I closed the suitcase and said softly,

"Seasonal cleanup."

He didn't ask any further.

"Come eat first! I even added an egg for you."

Just as he finished speaking, Eric's phone rang.

When he came back, his voice sounded unnatural.

"Lucy, something came up at work. I need to go back and work overtime."

If this had happened before, I would definitely have called out such a lousy lie and asked him who he was really going to see.

But now, him not being home worked perfectly for me.

"Okay. Don't keep your coworkers waiting too long."

Eric was very satisfied with my understanding.

He kissed my forehead, grabbed his coat, and rushed out the door.

By the time I finished packing, it was already midnight.

Eric called me.

"The work stuff is a little tricky. Go to sleep first. Don't wait for me."

"I'll take you to the hospital to change your bandage tomorrow, and I'll have lunch with you at noon. Be good."

I hummed and hung up.

The next second, he appeared in Bella's updated post.

"Suddenly wanted to go to the amusement park. Eric booked out the whole place right away and even arranged a fireworks show. Good job~"

In the video, the two of them leaned close together, and the fireworks reflected in both of their eyes.

I lowered my eyes and looked at the gift box I usually treated like treasure.

Inside was the ring Eric had given me five years ago.

I grew up in an orphanage, and whenever I watched TV, I would hope to go to an amusement park once.

Back then, Eric made promise after promise.

"Lucy, every year on your birthday, I'll take you to the amusement park!"

"With this ring as a promise token, when you turn 25, I'll set off fireworks across the whole sky and use them to propose to you!"

But every year on my birthday, Eric would forget his promise to me because he had to rush off to see Bella.

This year, he didn't forget.

He went to the amusement park.

He set off fireworks across the whole sky.

It was just that none of it was for me.

I put the ring on the nightstand.

Since the person who made the promise had already forgotten it, I didn't need to keep it anymore.

At five o'clock the next morning.

I put the keys on the shoe cabinet by the entrance and closed the door for the last time.

While waiting at the airport, Eric was still active in Bella's feed.

They had gone to see the latest movie.

"This movie was so heartbreaking. By the second half, someone's shoulder was soaked with tears!"

In the nine-grid photo set there were movie tickets, popcorn, and two hands tightly clasped together.

In the comments, all our mutual friends were liking and congratulating them.

"No need to eat dinner tonight. I'm full just from your and Eric's dog food!"

"I can feel the happiness between you two through the screen. I hope you stay together forever!"

So everyone already knew about Bella and Eric, and they had all agreed to speak with me in the same way.

For five years, I had been nothing but a joke.

Eric liked the post first, so he had seen all those comments.

But not a single explanation came from him.

I laughed and liked it too.

Then I sent Eric my final message.

"Let's break up!"

Then I deleted and blocked all of Eric's and Bella's contact information.

By the time Eric and Bella finished the movie and came out, the man suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

An uneasy feeling stirred him so much that he couldn't settle down.

During the times we fought before, Lucy had also brought up breaking up, but every time it had been less than ten minutes before she ran back to him to make up.

So at first he didn't take it seriously, but now six hours had passed, and there still wasn't a second message in Lucy's chat window.

He hurriedly bought Lucy's favorite breakfast and rushed home, only to find the house completely empty.

Thinking she might have gone to the hospital to change her bandage, he felt a little relieved.

The next second, he found that the half of the closet belonging to Lucy was already completely empty.

He sent Lucy a message, and the screen quickly showed a red exclamation mark.

He then called Lucy's number, but all he got was the cold message that the other party could not be reached.

A huge sense of losing control was taking over Eric's heart, and he was panicking badly.

He turned around and saw the ring he had once given Lucy on the nightstand.