“Come on, be honest-have you ever made love with Zoe?” Oscar Hond’s deep voice drifted through the crack in the door, freezing me in my tracks just as I was about to step inside.


    Peering through the gap, I saw Alvin Dolton sitting up high, his lips slightly pursed. “She made the first move, but I wasn’t interested.


    “Alvin, don’t talk like that. Zoe is considered one of the most beautiful women in our circle. There are plenty of guys who’d love to be with her.” The one speaking was Oscar, Alvin’s longtime friend, who had witnessed our ten-year rtionship.


    “It’s too familiar, you know?” Alvin frowned deeply.


    When I was fourteen, I was sent to the Dolton family and met Alvin for the first time. Back then, everyone told me I would marry him one day. Since then, we’d lived together, and ten years had passed.


    “Yeah, I get it. You two work in the samepany, heads down all day, barely looking up. At night, you sit at the same table for dinner.


    “You probably know when the other person’s about to take a dump or fart without even having to ask,” Oscar said.


    Oscar teased him, then clicked his tongue. “It’s not like the old days, when time and feelings were enough to make a rtionship work.


    “Now, between men and women, it’s all about mystery. It’s the chase, the not-quite-getting-it that makes it exciting.”


    Alvin stayed silent, neither confirming nor denying what Oscar said.


    “So, are you going to marry her or not?” Oscar asked, his tone more serious now.


    Alvin’s parents had been pushing us to get our marriage license. He hadn’t said yes or no, and I hadn’t dared to ask. But now, Oscar was asking for me.


    Alvin didn’t answer.


    Oscarughed. “Don’t want to marry her?”


    “I… didn’t say that.”


    “Then you do want to, but you’re just not ready tomit, right?” Oscar had known Alvin since childhood, so he could read him like an open book.


    “Oscar, have you ever heard that saying?” Alvin gave a faint smile.


    “What saying?”


    “Something that’s tasteless-throw it away, but it’s a shame to waste it.” Alvin lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around his face, obscuring the one I had adored for ten years.


    My heart tightened. I thought, ‘So, to him, I am already something he can discard without a second thought.’


    “So, are you going to marry her or not?” Oscar pressed.


    Alvin nced up, his eyes cold. “You’re so eager to know. What’s your deal? You got feelings for her too? Should I send her over to you?”


    I was a living, breathing person, but in his eyes, I was no more than an object he could casually give away.


    Even his pets-his dogs and cats-would have built up some attachment over ten years. But to him, I was nothing. Yet, he had been my light for the past ten years. He was my everything.


    His words hit me like a punch. A bitter, salty feeling surged in my throat… I lowered my head, biting my lip hard as I stared at the ID card with trembling fingers.


    Oscar sneered. “What are you saying? A friend’s wife is off-limits. I’m not some desperate guy, you know.”


    Alvin stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up from the couch. “Get out. You’re just giving me a headache.”


    “It’s not me who’s causing trouble, it’s Zoe. If you really have no feelings for her, why not end things cleanly?


    “That way, you won’t be wasting the girl’s time while she looks for someone better,” Oscar said, grabbing his coat and heading toward the door.


    When the door swung open, Oscar froze when he saw me standing there. He awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose, realizing I’d overheard their conversation.


    He gave a sheepish smile. “Looking for Alvin? He’s right here.”