When Love Ceases

"Leon, I heard you named the asteroid after me? I'm divorced now. I'm at the airport. Do you want to come see me?"

The message was from a contact saved as "Phoebe".

Just four short lines, and the man I had loved for five years completely lost his composure.

The next second, the door suddenly swung open. The phone screen also went dark at the perfect moment.

Leon had come back to get his phone. When he saw me standing by the table, he paused and asked, "Did you see my phone?"

I shook my head, pretending to be confused, and replied, "No."

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. After grabbing his phone, he turned and left without another word.

I watched his back as he walked away, forcing a bitter smile. My chest felt tight, as if something invisible were squeezing my heart.

Just then, my phone rang again. It was my mother. Her voice was full of joy when I answered.

"Sweetheart," she said, "Nathan agreed to the engagement, but he wants it to happen in five days. If that's too rushed, I can—"

"It's not," I cut her off. "I'll come home in five days."

That day would mark exactly five years since I left home. Aetheris was too cold now. I wanted to go home.

It was time to end things with Leon.

…

Back in high school, Leon had been the top student. He had won numerous physics awards and had been recognized as a genius.

Although I had been engaged to Nathan at the time, Leon and I were the same age. Because of the close relationship between our families, he always looked out for me at school.

Over time, I couldn't help but focus on him more. But deep down, I had always known his heart belonged to someone else.

That person was Phoebe, another top student.

They had dated since high school. However, as they approached the stage of marriage, they started arguing frequently.

Leon had wanted to go to Aetheris to pursue his dream of working in aerospace, while Phoebe refused to give up on her dance career.

After their unhappy breakup, Phoebe had soon gone abroad and married a world-class dancer.

The night Leon found out she was married, he had shown up at my door drunk. He had always been calm and restrained, but that night, he had lost control for the first time and kissed me.

"Didn't you like me? Let's be together," he had said.

Only then had I realized my feelings for him had been far too obvious.

After that night, I had broken off my engagement with Nathan and followed Leon to the Aetheris. Once we got there, it had seemed as if he had completely moved on from Phoebe, and we started dating.

The dry weather had often made me sick. Whenever I had a cough or fever, he would stop working and take care of me.

When his female junior had tried to flirt with him, he had simply smiled and said, "Sorry. Someone already has my heart."

Since then, everyone at the research institute had known that Leon was deeply in love with me.

And I had believed it too.

I had even planted rose seeds in the desert behind the institute and told him, "When they bloom, let's get married."

Back then, he had held me gently and said, "Okay."

But everything that happened yesterday made all the things I did seem like a joke. How could roses bloom in the dry, endless desert of Aetheris?

I packed all my belongings into bags, ready to throw them away.

Just as I finished, I heard Leon's voice behind me. "What are you doing?"

"There's too much stuff in the room. I'm planning to throw some of it out," I replied calmly.

He nodded and didn't ask more. After all, I usually took care of things at home.

But sensing something was off with me today, he gently held me close and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I got caught up with work and slept at the institute last night," he explained in a soft voice as if trying to ease my mood.

Too busy? Was he busy catching up with his first love?

Seeing that I didn't respond, Leon gently brushed my cheeks with his fingers and said softly, "Once I finish everything in the next few days, I'll spend our fifth anniversary with you."

My heart tightened. So, he did remember that we had been together for five years.

"Sadly, I won't be there to celebrate it with you," I whispered silently in my heart.

Leon didn't notice anything unusual. Suddenly, he smiled, as if something had just come to mind.

"By the way, I got a message yesterday," he said. "Uncle Nathan is getting engaged. It seems to fall on the same day as our anniversary. How about we go back to Rivelle together?"

Seeing the genuine smile in his eyes, I couldn't help but smile back. "Sure."

Satisfied with my reply, Leon left happily.

I continued packing in silence, wondering where to throw all this junk.

…

Since that day, Leon started coming home less frequently. He always used work as an excuse.

I never got the chance to bring up the breakup. All I could do was continue helping with the engagement preparations.

On the last day, someone knocked on the door.

I glanced at the clock. It wasn't the time Leon usually returned. I got up to open the door and found his junior, Alex Mason, standing there.

Alex was drenched in sweat, but he smiled brightly when he saw me.

"Ms. Bates, today is Mr. Burton's award ceremony. I came to pick you up!"

I was stunned and asked, "Did Leon ask you to come?"

"No, he didn't." Alex scratched his head. "But haven't you always gone to his award ceremonies before?"

That was true. I had never missed any of Leon's moments of honor. But now, I was leaving soon. I could also guess what the ceremony would be about.

I was about to turn Alex down, but seeing him drenched in sweat, I couldn't bear to do so. So, I changed my mind and said, "Okay."

When we arrived at the auditorium, the ceremony had already started.

Besides reporters, many respected figures from the astronomy field were present.

I asked Alex to take care of his tasks while I stayed quietly in a corner at the back of the auditorium. To my surprise, Phoebe was there too. She was sitting in the most prominent spot, as if someone had planned it.

When Leon accepted the naming certificate from the director, the room erupted in applause and camera flashes.

Under all that spotlight, Phoebe stood up from her seat and clapped excitedly for him.

Leon looked at her with a gaze that was both determined and gentle. It was as if Phoebe had been by his side all these years.

Even though I had already decided to give up on him, a dull ache still spread through my chest.

I should forget it. I was getting married soon anyway. What was the point of caring about this anymore?

So, I joined the crowd in applause as well. I considered it my final cheer for Leon.

But on stage, Leon's hand froze when he took the trophy. It was as if he sensed something. He looked toward the crowd again, but not at Phoebe. Instead, his gaze moved through the crowd and landed on me, standing in the corner.

After the ceremony ended, Leon came straight toward me. His expression was unusually flustered. The first thing he asked was, "Why are you here?"

I didn't feel like saying anything else. I just smiled and said, "I just arrived. Congrats."

But Leon didn't relax. He frowned and quickly explained, "This award belongs to Mr. Bennett. He's attending a scientific conference in Caelundra, so I accepted it on his behalf."

"Mm." I gave a slight nod, showing no objection.

Leon's shoulders eased slightly as he stepped closer and took my hand. "Let's go home."

"Rachel?" Just as he finished speaking, a woman's voice called from behind.

It was Phoebe, dressed in a flowing white dress. She smiled brightly when she saw me and came over to take my hand.

"What a surprise to run into you here! We're having a celebration later. Would you like to come?" she asked.

Before I could respond, Leon turned her down for me. "She's not going."

The slight furrow in his brow showed that he didn't want me to have much interaction with Phoebe.

I didn't want to cause trouble, either. I was just about to politely decline when the department head, Neil Shapemen, came over. He had just finished speaking to reporters.

He greeted me warmly. "Rachel, you're here? We're heading off to celebrate, join us with Leon!"

As he spoke, he motioned for Leon and me to get into the car. Leon seemed a bit reluctant, but out of respect for Neil, he got in.

Through the window, I saw Phoebe biting her lip, staring at us with an unhappy expression.

…

At the celebration, everyone naturally arranged for me to sit next to Leon.

Before long, Phoebe pushed the door open and entered the room. She sat down at the seat farthest from him.

She had barely taken a seat when a guy recognized her. "Aren't you Phoebe Jones, the dancer? My sister loves you. She watches you on TV all the time!"

Phoebe smiled sweetly, showing her dimples. "Yes, that's me. Leon and I were classmates in high school."

"Wow! I thought Mr. Burton was impressive, but I didn't expect his high school classmate to be just as amazing!" the guy said excitedly.

"By the way," he added curiously, "I heard that you recently got divorced. My sister was so upset. Is it true?"

The question was blunt, but Phoebe wasn't offended. Instead, she admitted it and said, "Yes, I got divorced."

She gave the person a playful wink as she continued, "I came today to see if I might meet someone who's a good match. Everyone here is a scientist serving the country. You're all undoubtedly exceptional."

At her words, Leon looked away silently. His lips pressed into a thin line, and veins bulged on the hand gripping his glass.

I could tell that he was angry.

Phoebe wasn't just beautiful. She had a way with words. Before long, she started drinking with Leon's male colleagues. One glass after another, her cheeks turned red, but she kept drinking and chatting.

Finally, Leon couldn't stay quiet any longer. He stood and walked toward her. Taking the glass from her hand, he said firmly, "That's enough! You can't drink anymore."

Phoebe placed her chin on her hand, her gaze soft and slightly distant as she looked at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.