His voice was quite pleasant, and he was more articulate than I had imagined. Overall, it wasn't as awkward as I had feared. The only downside was that just as we were about to finish, Rhys suddenly came back, startling me so much that I slammed the computer shut with a loud "snap."
After realizing what I'd done, I was a bit angry with myself. I'm not having an affair, so what was there to be afraid of?
But... I wasn't sure if he had seen anything.
Two days later, Rhys came home drunk, brought back by a friend.
When he saw me, the friend was shocked. "Paige? Have you and Rhys gotten back together?"
"No, we just happened to rent the same apartment," I replied.
He scratched his head, glanced at the door number, and hesitated before asking, "Rented the same apartment? But this is clearly..."
"Get lost!" Rhys suddenly woke up, shoved the guy aside, took a big stride, and fell onto me as we entered the apartment. He slammed the door shut with a loud "bang."
Resigned, I dragged him to the sofa. Looking at his unfocused face, I couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something from me.
At that moment, his phone fell out of his pocket, and I saw that familiar lock screen again.
I picked up the phone, and as if by some strange impulse, I entered a string of numbers, and... it unlocked.
After hesitating for a long time, I opened the photo gallery. It was filled with pictures of us from before, personal photos of me, and screenshots he had taken during our video calls.
Not a single one had been deleted.
Holding the phone, I crouched beside him, feeling conflicted.
His brows were tightly furrowed, his cheeks slightly flushed, and he was mumbling something softly.
I leaned in closer to listen carefully.
"Paige, you wanted to break up, you wanted to break up. Don't beg me, even if you beg, I won't go soft. You wanted to break up..."
Tsk... Even in his dreams, he thinks I'm begging to get back together!
I stood up, ready to get him some water, but before I could take a step, he grabbed my wrist, pulling me down onto him. He held me tightly, his voice carrying a hint of pleading:
"Paige, don't go, please don't go. I'm begging you, can we get back together? Paige..."
As he spoke, somehow, we ended up switching positions. He buried his head in the crook of my neck, where I could feel a faint dampness. "Paige, don't go see him, okay?"
Him? Malachi?
After settling the completely intoxicated Rhys, I opened his social account.
"The Man Paige Loves the Most."
Sure enough, it was him. How bold of him!
But considering how much he's helped me, I decided to let it slide.
As I was about to exit, I accidentally opened his notes.
Inside, it was filled with details about me—my likes, my habits, my menstrual cycle, and various anniversaries.
Today is the eighty-first day since Rhys and I broke up, and I'm starting to not understand him. Why is he doing all this after we've broken up? Why didn't he do this earlier?
The next day, when he woke up on the sofa, I was in the kitchen making salad.
"Last night, I didn't say anything weird, did I?" His morning voice was raspy, with a hint of uncertainty.
I calmly set the bowls on the table, turned to look at him, and said, "No, you only mentioned one thing—that you're getting a new girlfriend, and that I should hurry up and find a new boyfriend too."
After I finished speaking, I smiled slightly and continued making salad. After a while, the food in my hand was suddenly snatched away by him.
Rhys looked at me angrily and said, "You're talking nonsense!"
I took the spoon back and replied, "People speak the truth when they're drunk, and this truth came from you. What are you so mad about?"
He stared at me for a moment, then walked briskly into the bathroom.
After a while, he finished washing up and came back, leaning stubbornly against the kitchen door. "I never said you should get a new boyfriend."
I chuckled softly and looked at him seriously. "That's not important. What's important is that I am indeed getting a new boyfriend, and his name is Malachi."
