Chapter 1

My girlfriend became an overnight sensation after saving a drowning child. Netizens praised her for being beautiful and kind.

Her Instagram followers skyrocketed by hundreds of thousands in a single night.

A famous dating reality show invited her to be a guest.

Only later did I learn that on the show, she had painted me as a pathetic ex-boyfriend who did nothing but emotionally manipulate her.

She won the sympathy of countless viewers because of it.

Meanwhile, I was doxxed across the internet, and my doorway was buried under trash.

Everyone saw her performing CPR on a child by the ocean. No one knew that I was the one who had gone into the water with a raging fever and pulled that child out.

Later, her carefully crafted image collapsed. She was mocked until she vanished from social media, then came crying to me, begging to get back together.

I waved her off.

“Let’s not. This pathetic loser can’t afford to support someone like you.”

My college roommate, Ethan, sent me a video.

His message read:

“Your girlfriend is unbelievable! She’s really selling herself even though she has a boyfriend!”

I didn’t understand what he meant. I clicked on the video and realized it was from Ava’s new dating reality show.

I’d been too busy with work lately and had forgotten when the show premiered.

I was about to exit and call her to congratulate her when I suddenly heard her mention my name on the show.

Before she accepted the role, she had discussed it with me.

She said she was only going on for appearances and wouldn’t actually date anyone.

The show paid well, but all the guests had to be single.

So she suggested that we pretend to break up.

Once filming ended, she promised she would personally beg my forgiveness.

I had ruffled her hair and pretended to scold her.

“Fine. I’ll reluctantly agree this time. But don’t expect me to be so easygoing if you pull something like this again.”

That was why I was caught off guard when she brought me up.

My hand froze over the screen, and I began listening carefully.

On the show, she sat alone in an interview room, dabbing at her tears with a tissue.

“We met in college. At first, he treated me incredibly well. He tolerated everything and took care of me.”

“But toward graduation, it was like he suddenly became a different person. He slept until noon every day, refused to look for a job, and stayed home doing nothing.”

“If I tried to talk to him about it, he’d say I didn’t love him or understand him…”

I stared at the familiar face on my phone.

For one brief moment, she felt like a complete stranger.

Ava wasn’t supposed to be like this.

She knew better than anyone what kind of person I was.

Why was she twisting the truth on television?

Ava and I met during freshman orientation.

We had different majors, but we stood in adjacent rows during the drills.

One day, she fainted from low blood sugar while she was on her period. I carried her across half the campus under the blazing sun.

I stayed with her while she received an IV at the campus clinic and made her a cup of warm brown-sugar water.

After orientation ended, she confessed her feelings to me.

She said she liked me because I seemed dependable.

I already had feelings for her, so I said yes.

During the years we were together, I practically gave her everything she asked for.

She loved flowers, so I brought her a bouquet on every anniversary.

She loved milk tea, so I brought her a cup every time we met.

She once said she wanted an unforgettable birthday.

So I gathered our friends and lit up the beach for her, complete with fireworks.

In my heart, Ava had always been sweet and considerate.

If I could, I would have protected and loved her forever.

So when she used studying for an exam as an excuse to stay by my side for three years after graduation instead of finding a job, I never complained.

As long as I could support her, I didn’t care if she stayed with me forever.