I thought leaving Cao Nian was the hardest thing I would ever do.
I was wrong.
The hardest thing was discovering that, for seven years, I had been fighting for a relationship that had already ended long before I walked away.
Three days after I left, I received a call from an unfamiliar number.
I almost didn’t answer.
But something made me pick up.
“Is this Clara Martín?”
“Yes.”
The voice on the other end was a woman.
Older.
Serious.
“I am the lawyer of the Romero family.”
I frowned.
“The Romero family?”
“Yes.”
There was a pause.
“I need to talk to you about Thalia Romero.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“What happened?”
The lawyer hesitated.
Then said:
“Did you know that Thalia was already engaged?”
I froze.
“What?”
“She has been engaged for two years.”
The room became silent.
I thought about all the times Thalia appeared.
All the times she called Cao Nian.
All the times she needed his help.
All the times he said:
“She’s just a friend.”
But apparently…
She was not a lonely girl waiting for help.
She was a woman who already had another future.
“Why are you telling me this?”
The lawyer answered:
“Because Cao Nian needs to know.”
“Her fiancé discovered everything.”
“He also discovered that Thalia was preparing to marry Cao Nian after destroying your relationship.”
My fingers went cold.
That afternoon, I received another message.
From Adrian.
“I found something.”
I called him immediately.
“What happened?”
His voice was serious.
“Thalia’s story doesn’t match what everyone knows.”
“What do you mean?”
“She didn’t meet Cao Nian because she needed help.”
“She approached him intentionally.”
I stayed silent.
Adrian continued.
“Four years ago, she already knew you and Cao Nian were together.”
“She knew he loved you.”
“And she still entered your life.”
I closed my eyes.
The photograph.
The note.
“When the time comes.”
It was never a joke.
It was a plan.
That night, Cao Nian called again.
This time I answered.
Not because I missed him.
Because I wanted to hear the truth.
“Clara.”
His voice sounded exhausted.
“Where have you been?”
I ignored the question.
“Do you know Thalia has a fiancé?”
Silence.
A terrible silence.
“You knew?”
He didn’t answer.
That was enough.
“Cao Nian.”
My voice was calm.
“Did you know?”
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
I laughed.
“You always answer quickly when you are lying.”
“Clara, listen to me.”
“No.”
I interrupted.
“For seven years, I listened.”
“I listened when you said I was jealous.”
“I listened when you said I was too sensitive.”
“I listened when you told me Thalia was nothing.”
I took a breath.
“Now it’s your turn.”
“Listen.”
He didn’t speak.
So I continued.
“Did you ever love me?”
The question stayed between us.
Long.
Heavy.
Finally…
He answered:
“Yes.”
I smiled sadly.
“Then why did you make me feel like I was competing for my own boyfriend?”
No answer.
The next day, Cao Nian confronted Thalia.
I didn’t see it.
But I heard about it.
Because this time…
The entire truth came out.
Thalia had lied.
She lied about needing Cao Nian.
She lied about their relationship being innocent.
She lied about the photograph.
Four years ago, she had written that note herself.
She believed that one day Cao Nian would get tired of me.
She believed my patience would disappear before his feelings for her did.
And she was almost right.
Almost.
When Cao Nian found out everything, he came to my apartment.
Again.
But this time…
He wasn’t confident.
He wasn’t smiling.
He wasn’t sure I would open the door.
“You knew?”
I asked.
He lowered his head.
“Not everything.”
“But enough.”
Silence.
“I was stupid.”
I looked at him.
“Yes.”
He looked surprised.
I continued:
“You were.”
“But not because you loved someone else.”
“You were stupid because you had someone who loved you completely…”
“And you treated that love like it would never disappear.”
His eyes became red.
“Can we start over?”
I looked at him for a long time.
Seven years.
A whole youth.
A thousand memories.
But also…
A thousand disappointments.
“No.”
The answer was quiet.
But final.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to spend another seven years waiting for you to realize my value.”
Months passed.
Cao Nian and Thalia’s relationship ended.
People said he regretted everything.
People said he finally understood.
Maybe he did.
But understanding after losing something…
Doesn’t always mean you deserve it back.
Adrian stayed by my side.
Not as a replacement.
Not as someone who saved me.
But as someone who respected me.
He never asked me to forget my past.
He only asked me not to return to something that hurt me.
One evening, I asked him:
“Why did you wait for me?”
He smiled.
“Because I knew one day you would stop choosing someone who didn’t choose you.”
I thought about that.
For years, I believed love meant staying.
Forgiving.
Waiting.
Trying harder.
But I was wrong.
Sometimes love means knowing when to leave.
The night before Cao Nian’s wedding, I discovered he had already prepared another bride.
I thought my world had collapsed.
But what actually collapsed…
Was the illusion that I needed him.
He lost the woman who loved him.
I lost seven years.
But I gained the rest of my life.
And this time…
I chose myself first.
