The Past Is Only a Prelude

My former roommate's cousin was the CEO of a company. She and I had been secretly dating for three years.

That day, my roommate said, "Alicia's bringing the guy she's been seeing for the past three years over to meet her parents soon."

He added casually, "Oh, by the way, when are you gonna bring your girlfriend around so I can meet her?"

I froze at his question, not sure how to respond. Without a word, I stepped out onto the balcony and called his cousin, Alicia Davids.

The call suddenly cut off. When I turned around, I saw my girlfriend standing in the doorway, arm in arm with another man.

The smile on her face disappeared the second our eyes met.

"What… what are you doing at my place?"

Alicia Davids furrowed her brow, and the question slipped out before she could stop it, drawing everyone's eyes straight to me.

As if realizing her misstep, Alicia shifted her tone, softening her words.

"Benjamin, what a surprise to see you here. Weren't you supposed to be away on a business trip?"

Under the watchful gaze of her entire family, I froze for two seconds, then forced a bitter smile, trying to play along with her performance.

A sharp sting pierced my chest. So this was it—I wasn't allowed to be seen.

I had a thousand things I wanted to say, countless questions I longed for Alicia to answer. But now, all my strength had drained away. Suddenly, everything felt meaningless.

"I just got back and haven't had a chance to inform you yet, Ms. Davids," I replied, keeping my voice measured.

Recognizing my subtle courtesy, Alicia's expression returned to its usual calm.

At the dining table, everyone laughed and chatted as if part of a perfectly staged scene. I and Alicia's boyfriend, Chuck Martin, pretended to get along—clinking glasses, exchanging small talk, swapping contacts.

That day, I didn't speak a single word to Alicia. After the meal, I went home alone.

Sitting on the sofa, my mind kept replaying the scene: Alicia, arm in arm with Chuck, appearing before her parents and relatives, introducing him as her boyfriend.

And this—this had once been what I had wished for. I had wanted her to make us public, to bring me to meet her parents. I would have told them I would care for her my whole life, that I would never let her suffer a single ounce of grievance.

Not be like a shadow, hiding in the dark like some cowardly rat.

I sat on that sofa until midnight before Alicia finally came home.

All the emotions I had been holding back should have erupted then, just like before—calm giving way to argument, to shouting, to excuses, blame, and eventually a cold shoulder. But now, I found myself without the energy. None of it mattered anymore.

After changing her shoes, perhaps noticing my silence, Alicia unusually spoke first.

"I only brought Chuck home to meet my parents because they've been pressuring