"Our relationship is over!"
A voice note echoed from David's phone.
"Huh…?"
David froze.
After everything he had done to maintain their relationship, after all the patience, sacrifice, and humiliation, he was discarded like a useless piece of trash.
He immediately replied, begging her to reconsider.
Again.
And again.
And again.
No matter how many messages he sent, no matter how desperate his words became, there was no mercy.
David was no longer valuable.
Instead of answering him privately, Livy took screenshots of every message—every plea, every apology, every declaration of love—and turned them into content on a short-video platform.
Within hours, David's private humiliation became public entertainment.
His self-esteem shattered.
Shame gnawed at his mind as he realized that thousands of strangers were laughing at him. His privacy was stripped away and exposed mercilessly.
He had become a joke.
---
The next day, David returned to work at the restaurant.
The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere changed.
"Poor boy."
"Simp."
"Lack of self-respect."
Whispers followed him everywhere.
His colleagues looked at him like a disgusting animal.
Yet, as usual, David smiled.
A faint, weak smile—masking anger, humiliation, and despair.
He always smiled.
He always forgave.
He never defended himself.
He convinced himself that they were just joking.
That they were not serious.
That they were still good people.
In reality, everyone who knew him laughed behind his back and kept their distance.
In the messages Livy had shared, David had confessed everything.
That he could not live without her.
That she was the best woman in the world.
That he would become anything for her.
He had even cried in a voice note.
That voice note was now trending.
An adult man crying because of love—like a child mourning an ice cream that had fallen to the ground.
Disgusting.
Livy showed no pity.
Even though she was the one who had initiated their relationship.
Even though she had always told David she was a religious woman.
"I'm not like other girls," she used to say.
"Don't judge people by appearance, David."
She dressed freely, acted boldly, and yet always spoke about faith, purity, and morals.
She often warned him,
"Don't judge me. True faith is in the heart, not in how someone looks."
Because of that, David restrained himself.
He held back his desires.
He never touched her.
He believed her.
He even believed she was still a virgin, saving herself for marriage.
Now, looking back, he felt like the biggest fool alive.
---
David was not competitive.
He avoided conflict.
He lacked ambition.
Perhaps because he was too preoccupied with the lives of his two younger sisters to think about his own future.
Since graduating from high school, David had been an orphan.
Both of his parents had died in a car accident.
Relatives had offered to take care of Clara and Layla.
David rejected them.
Arrogantly.
Confidently.
He believed that as the eldest son, he could shoulder everything alone.
That decision destroyed them all.
Their relatives, slightly hurt by his rejection, slowly abandoned them.
They lived in poverty.
They ate whatever they could find.
Their most luxurious meal was leftover food from the restaurant where David worked.
Online loan debt suffocated him.
He had no assets.
No savings.
No future.
And now, Livy—the only escape he had—was gone.
---
"You're such an idiot!"
"How embarrassing!"
"My classmates know everything!"
"It's all because of you!"
Clara, his younger sister, exploded the moment David came home.
She could no longer endure living in poverty.
The angrier she became, the sharper her insults grew.
"How long are we going to live like this!?"
"This is your fault!"
"Forgive me, Clara. I'll work harder from now on," David begged, as usual.
"Stop being a perpetual loser, it's repulsive!" Clara shouted.
"I'm so jealous of my friends! They go to cafés, take vacations, wear nice clothes!"
"Stop, Clara," Layla tried to calm her down.
"Please don't be angry at David."
"That's enough, Layla!" Clara snapped.
"You know how we've suffered because of that fool!"
She pointed straight at David's face.
"I promise, one day we'll live comfortably," David said.
"One day!? When did you start talking like that!?"
"If you hadn't rejected Aunt's offer, we wouldn't be suffering like this!"
"Do you want me to sell my body, huh!?"
"Sell sexy photos on social media just to survive!?"
"ENOUGH!!!"
David shouted for the first time in years.
Then he immediately lowered his head.
"Forgive me, Clara…"
Tears streamed down Clara's face.
She ran to her room and slammed the door.
In a house without parents, the quarrel ended in eerie silence.
---
Midnight
Rrrt… Rrrt…
David's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"David, you can't work here anymore," his boss said coldly.
"What did I do wrong, sir?"
"New employees say you're slow and lazy. Even old employees agree."
David was stunned.
He had always worked diligently.
He never reported lazy coworkers.
"Please don't fire me. I've worked hard," David pleaded.
"I'm sorry. A new female employee said you often flirt with them and make them uncomfortable."
"Find another job."
The call ended.
Rejected by his lover.
Mocked by society.
Scolded by his sister.
Fired from his job.
David climbed to the attic and sat under the night sky.
He lit a cigarette.
Only nicotine could calm him now.
One cigarette already felt like heaven.
"Why…?"
"I never did anything wrong."
"I even restrained myself for her sake…"
"Why am I like this…?"
He had believed in kindness.
In patience.
In sacrifice.
He had believed goodness would be rewarded.
Now, he only felt resentment.
"Where is the proof that goodness always wins?"
"Is it all a lie…?"
His voice trembled.
And for the first time in many years—He cried.