Watching You Break Me

Because I forgot to text my boyfriend goodnight, he brought up breaking up again.

It's always that damn internship of yours!

Emma, believe me, one word from me and you'll be done in New York!??

I'd been pulling overtime for three months straight trying to get that job.

Exhausted, I hung up.

Suddenly, bullet chat appeared in my vision:

[What's up with Emma? Not only didn't she apologize, she hung up before Liam did!]

[Liam stayed up half an hour past his usual bedtime waiting for her 'goodnight'! He was practically whimpering for it.]??

[Liam's such a tsundere.]

Just then, I received a message from HR:

[Ms Davis, our full-time conversion slots in New York are filled. Would you consider a position in San Francisco?]??

San Francisco?

Before I could process it, other jarring messages appeared:

[Internship is more important than me?]

[Emma, we're through!]??

[Just wait for the termination notice.]

I typed out an explanation and hit send.

But a red exclamation mark met me.

Liam had blocked me. Again.

Id lost count of how many times we fought.

The bullet chat, however, were overwhelmingly on Liams side:

[Tsundere boy deleted our girl again! He instantly regrets it and is gonna be staring at his phone all night unable to sleep. So adorably pathetic!]??

[Emma, go add him back! Liam's about to cry!]??

[Liam's just all talk. He adores Emma deep down. His mom's always been against him dating her, but he insists it. If that's not love, what is?]??

I couldn't be bothered to read more.

This wasn't the first time Liam had blocked me.

Last time, we were traveling abroad together.

He wanted to see a famous local show, but due to transit and weather, we arrived five minutes late.

Liam flew into a rage, blaming me,

"If you'd reminded me three hours earlier, we wouldn't be late!"??

"Why didn't you check the damn weather forecast? Why didn't you research properly?"??

"You just don't care about what I want!"??

"We're done!"

It was the midnight of a foreign city.

He just left me in the strange neighborhood, having taken all our cash.

Alone, unfamiliar territory, and just then, news broke about young female tourists going missing.

Terrified, I sent him frantic messages to apologize and beg him to come back.

But halfway through my texts, he blocked me.

Luckily, two tourists from the US happened by and helped me out.

When I got back to the hotel, Liam was fast asleep.

He wouldnt open the door when I knocked.

I knew if I got the front desk to open it, hed make a scene.

Finally, I slept on a sofa in the hotel lobby that night.

The next day, Liam finally came to me.

Seeing me looking wrecked, he apologized profusely,

"I was just so angry last night. Breaking up was just talk."??

"Emma, Ill never do that again. Im just insecure. Please forgive me?"??

"Honey, just look at me, Ill always come crawling back to you."??

But afterward

It was me who had to apologize countless times, bending over backwards to appease him.

And hed say,

"Apologies need sincerity. I don't see it in you."?

He practically wanted me to grovel.

Itd been four years since we started dating.

We were about to graduate from college.

Many couples drift apart at the moment.

Maybe it was time for our relationship to end too.

A few days later.

The overtime crunch eased up.

I went back to campus.

Right outside my dorm, I saw Liam.

I wasnt deluded enough to think he was there for me.

Sure enough, Chloe came sprinting down the next moment.

As she ran towards Liam, she "accidentally" stumbled and fell right into his arms

Bullet chat popped up:

[Liam's at it again, deliberately making Emma jealous.]??

[Liam sees Chloe as just a hometown acquaintance. He has zero feelings for her.]??

Right then, Liam scooped Chloe up in a princess carry, saying he'd take her to the hospital.

Chloe blushed, pouting,

"No need for it! Didnt you promise to take me to Six Flags?"??

"Liam, you wouldn't back out now, would you?"

Liam glanced at me out of the corner of his eye,

"Of course not."??

[Liam promised a date with Chloe in a fit of rage. Now he regrets it but can't back down. LOL!]

[Liam desperately wants Emma to stop him. If she just says no, hed ditch Chloe in a heartbeat and be her little puppy again!]

Chloe had set her sights on Liam freshman year after seeing him perform at the talent show.

After Liam and I got together, she didn't give up, always flirting with him in French.

But she didnt know Id learned it.

Liam had studied French for overseas development. I learned it hard in case I would go to Paris with him.

In every aspect, Id pushed myself so hard for a future with Liam.

But he seemed to have overlooked my efforts all the time.

A few hours later, I saw Chloes Instagram.

She posted pictures from Six Flags, in which they were painfully intimate.

Someone commented: [Isnt Liam dating Emma?]??

Chloe replied: [Shes just Liams lapdog. When has Liam ever admitted shes his girlfriend?]??

Seconds later, Liam replied it with an [Yeah.]??

My breath hitched.

So all my compromises, in his eyes, boiled down to one word C lapdog.

And the Six Flags post wasnt enough.

That evening, Chloe sent me a video of them in a hotel room.

"Did you ever take Emma to an amusement park, Liam?"??

Liam was getting close to the camera, wearing only a robe,

"Why bring up that hick during our date?"

I had asked Liam to take me to an amusement park.

Hed said it was no fun and ridiculously expensive, not worth a visit.

But today, he showed me he could accommodate someone else. Just not me.

As he spoke, Liam glanced at the camera.

Clearly, he knew what Chloe was up to.

He suddenly smiled and pulled Chloe closer by the waist.

The video cut off at the moment.

Simultaneously, I got a text from Liam:

[Bring that half-empty box of condoms over.]??

Liam sent me the hotel address.

I thought for a long time and decided to go for putting a full stop to these almost four years.

Bullet chat flew across my vision:

[As soon as the video ended, Liam pushed Chloe away!]??

[Liam doesnt want to sleep with her at all. Hes only thinking about Emma, waiting for her to come find him.]

[Guaranteed, the moment Emma shows up, Liam will kicks the other girl out. Emma gets to use that half-box on herself!]??

I knocked for ages. No one answered.

Through the door, I heard giggling and playful sounds.

The bullet chat said it was all an act for my benefit.

Chloe suddenly dropped a live-stream on Instagram.

It was titled "Lapdog Delivers Condoms"??

The camera was aimed at the hotel room door.

Before I could react, the door swung open.

My face was suddenly live on stream.

How dare she conducted such barefaced humiliation!

I slapped the phone out of her hand.

Liam, whod been silent until then, grabbed my wrist,

"What the hell! Since when do you hit people!"??

"Apologize to Chloe!"??

[Liams just being petty again! He was actually thrilled the second he saw Emma!]

[Hes trying to provoke her and make her back down.]??

Liam held my wrist in a death grip.

As I struggled, Chloe raised her hand and slapped me across the face.

Smack!?

The sharp sound echoed in the hallway.

Liam looked momentarily stunned while Chloe giggled,

"Okay, you're forgiven."???

How ridiculous it was that I should be forgiven by this b**ch who was just humiliating me!

Besides, her phone had landed on the plush hotel carpet without even a scratch.

Liam let go of my hand, looking uncomfortable,

"You hit her first."??

At that moment, all my fight drained away. Arguing felt pointless.

I just pulled the half-box of condoms from my pocket and held it out.

Liams face darkened instantly,

"Emma, what the hell are you doing!"??

I smiled,

"Isn't this what you asked me to bring?"??

Liam looked furious.

Then, right in front of me, he pulled Chloe into his arms

Chloe poked Liams chest,

"Liam, just so you know, Im not part of your lover's quarrel."??

Liam snorted,

"Lover's quarrel? With Emma? Please."??

"Looking at her makes me sick."??

I watched, expressionless.

Liams eyes flickered with something like panic,

"Fine!"??

"Emma, don't regret this!"??

He spat the words out like they were poison.

The door slammed shut in my face.

The bullet chat exploded:

[Whats wrong with Emma? Isnt she here to make up to Liam?]??

[Liams really pissed this time! He even offered himself up just to make Emma apologize!]??

[No way! Its all Emmas fault for not apologizing!]??

[Its definitely just an act for Emmas benefit. Even if Liam does sleep with Chloe, its just to practice technique and get better for Emma.]??

My stomach churned with disgust.

If love meant one person endlessly yielding and proving their loyalty, I wanted no part of it.

There was nothing left for me here.

I pulled out my phone and replied to HR:

[I accept the offer. I'm thrilled about the position in San Francisco.]??