A slight brake sound interrupted my thoughts. I peered out; Ye Zhengchen’s car had stopped at the street corner. I watched as he stepped out, holding a key, and walked to the door, inserting it into the keyhole.
The lock turned, and he opened the door. I couldn’t hear anything; Yu Yin must have heard the wind chimes clearly, standing at the door with a coquettish smile. Ye Zhengchen glanced at her and walked past her into the house, as naturally as if entering his own home.
I checked my watch in the pale moonlight. It was ten o’clock—a man coming to a woman’s home at that hour. What would happen was obvious. Guessing and suspecting was one thing, but the reality laid bare before my eyes was another.
In that moment, I bit my hand hard, tears falling in clusters. I hated myself a bit. Why didn’t I go to Kobe? Why did I have to wait here and see the truth I already knew? Now that I’ve seen it, it serves no purpose except to make myself hurt more.
I stood under the tree, the magnolia flowers swaying in the wind. I remembered many things: when Yu Yin first went to the convenience store, her light laugh, and when she met Ye Zhengchen there with a polite handshake. I recalled that night when Yu Yin drove toward me; she had probably seen me clearly. I also remembered her cold fingers holding my hand, saying she sometimes envied me.
Two months ago, her boyfriend had found new love, using busyness as an excuse to have trysts, living a carefree life. And I was still foolishly becoming friends with his lover, helping her choose men’s underwear. After crying my tears dry, I started to laugh, almost dying from my own laughter. The most ridiculous thing was that I actually thought Ye Zhengchen would marry me, that he would still hold my hand when our hair turned gray and travel the world together. Yet I believed in his undying love for me.
Ha! Ha!
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