At that Time, I Thought that True Love was Invincible

This scene had played out in my mind countless times before. In my second year of college, I won first place in the school's speech competition, but someone accused me of plagiarism. My roommates, who already didn't like me, locked me out of the dorm. I wandered the streets aimlessly in the cold until I found myself standing in front of a bridal shop. "Nina, turn around." Liam's voice came through the phone. I turned to see him standing behind me, arms open, though he was supposed to be in Gallance for a competition. I threw myself into his embrace, taking in his familiar scent that calmed me. Tears streamed down my face, and he held me close. "Shh, I'm here now." Under the moonlight, our shadows stretched long and intertwined. When I later asked how he managed to come all the way from Gallance, he simply said he missed me. It was that day he promised me I would wear the most beautiful wedding dress.

"Liam, is something bothering you?" He came home, hung his coat, and placed his phone screen down on the console. I noticed he had a new scarf. He used to hate this color. When I asked why he was wearing it, he said he didn't like it. "I brought your favorite shrimp. Nina, what happened to your head?" His face filled with concern as he rushed to me, not even bothering to change out of his shoes. He cupped my head gently in his hands, his eyes full of genuine care. For a moment, I saw the eighteen-year-old Liam again. "It's nothing. I just took a small fall." "So careless. Does it hurt? Next time, call me immediately, okay?" "What about this time?" I looked at the man I had loved for ten years. He was no longer the boy I once knew—he had become a mature, composed man. But why did it feel like a knife was twisting in my heart? It hurt, so much. "Today was just an accident. A client needed an urgent meeting, so I had to go..." He stumbled over his excuses, but when he saw my tears, he stopped talking. Hastily wiping them away, he pulled me into his arms. The unfamiliar scent of perfume on his clothes made me feel sick. "Alright, don't be sad. It won't happen again," he promised softly. I bit down on my lip, trying to hold back my emotions. "Liam, we'll be together forever, right?" He hesitated for a moment before resting his head on my shoulder, gazing at the snow falling outside. In a gentle voice, he whispered. "We will."

Looking at the busy figure of Liam in the kitchen, I had a moment of trance. When I just graduated, I had to eat instant noodles every day to save money. When Liam found out about it, he applied to transfer his job to New York. In order to take care of my diet, he filled the refrigerator full, and my stomach disease also improved a lot. Suddenly, his phone screen lit up, and a message popped up. "Liam, I'll be your most beautiful bride." I stared at the message, frozen. Liam, who was in the kitchen, glanced over at me, signaling that the noodles were almost ready. I forced a smile. We'd been together for ten years, and we trusted each other, so I'd never had the habit of checking his phone. But reality had just slapped me hard in the face. As I scrolled through the chat history, my heart felt like it was being squeezed. What started as work handovers had become increasingly flirtatious. They shared their lives, wished each other goodnight, and Liam even kept track of her menstrual cycle. That girl, Maya, would playfully complain, "Got it, you nag!" As my hands trembled while scrolling through the chat, I felt my heart sink lower and lower. It turned out they had met two years ago at a company party. Maya had gotten drunk and called Liam, saying she couldn't get home. Without hesitation, he left me, who had a fever, at home and didn't come back all night. Wiping away my tears, I impulsively clicked into the girl's social media profile. What greeted me was a picture of her, smiling blissfully as she held onto a man's arm. Although his face wasn't fully shown, I recognized him immediately—it was my boyfriend. The butterfly tattoo on his ring finger was identical to Liam's. A butterfly with broken wings. Liam brought the noodles to the table, the steam rising between us like a barrier. He noticed the redness around my eyes and jokingly said. "Nina, you're still such a crybaby, just like before." I heard his words and forced a smile. Ignoring the heat, I shoved a mouthful of noodles into my mouth. It was the same beef noodles as before, and the person beside me hadn't changed either. So why, why did everything feel so different?

Lying in bed, I watched Liam towel-drying his hair after his shower. His long fingers brushed through his hair, and the butterfly tattoo on his finger fluttered with his movements. "Are you staring at me because you can't get enough of my good looks?" I didn't respond, just blankly stared at the butterfly tattoo. "Liam, I remember you didn't use to like wearing blue scarves." His expression flickered for a second. He rubbed his hands together and chuckled awkwardly. "People need to try new things, right? If you don't like it, I won't wear it." He gently urged, "Nina, you're hurt. Go to sleep, okay?" I watched him fidget the way he always did when he was lying, but I didn't call him out. I just replied bitterly. "Okay, let's sleep." In the middle of the night, Liam softly called my name, "Nina, are you asleep?" He used such a gentle tone. After confirming several times that I was asleep, he tucked me in and quietly got up to go to the living room. "My little princess, I've booked our tickets to Brittonia." "Of course, just the two of us. Don't worry, my girlfriend won't mind." "I love you." I stood at the door, listening as Liam whispered sweet nothings to another girl just a few steps away. He must have forgotten that this apartment didn't have very good soundproofing, or maybe he forgot that Brittonia was the place I had always dreamed of going. I turned on the lights, and the dim living room instantly became brightly lit. Liam sat on the couch, surrounded by a cloud of smoke. Hearing the noise, he turned to look at me, his voice still soft. "What's wrong? Can't sleep?" I stared at him for a moment, my voice hoarse. "Liam, who are you going to Brittonia with?"

"It's not me. The company has a business deal that needs to be handled in Brittonia." He stood up, stubbed out his cigarette, and walked toward me. His eyes were full of sincerity and love. As if this situation was something he had rehearsed countless times in his mind, without any worry of being caught. I followed his lead, sitting on the couch as he handed me a warm glass of milk. I met his gaze, which was tinged with curiosity, and slowly spoke. "You still have the habit of warming up milk for me, just like before." He laughed softly at my words and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Nina, go to bed." I nodded quietly, and just as I was about to step into the bedroom, Liam called out to me. "I love you." Looking at him, relaxed and leaning against the couch, I smiled faintly. "Get some rest too."

Back in bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling. Half-asleep, half-awake, I found myself back in the summer when I was eighteen. The cicadas buzzed loudly, an annoying but unavoidable sound in the heat. That was the first time I met Liam, appearing in front of him in a very embarrassed way. "Hello, everyone, I'm Liam. Today's broadcast will feature a special presentation from me..." Liam's voice echoed through the school speakers, and the girls in my class gathered together, chattering about him. Listening to his voice, I blushed unconsciously, not even realizing when I had scribbled his name onto my notebook. He was the school's star—top of the class, handsome, and kind. No one could resist being drawn to him. I was no different, secretly admiring him as my idol. But that innocent admiration became the reason I was bullied. "Oh, look! Isn't that our class's little pock-marked girl, and she's crushing on the great Liam too!" I clutched my faded school uniform tightly, feeling a mix of shame, helplessness, and fear, all magnified in that moment. In the face of Joanna's taunts, I chose to ignore her. But she, as if finding some new source of amusement, yanked me up from my seat. Standing in front of me, her presence overwhelmed me. I tried to escape, using the excuse that a teacher was calling for me. She smiled sweetly, stepping aside as if to let me pass. But just as I turned, she pushed me from behind, and I fell hard onto the ground. The other students gathered around, whispering and giggling, their mocking eyes and glee bearing down on me. That was when Liam appeared. He shoved those bullies aside and draped his jacket over my shoulders. Under the gaze of everyone, he led me away. Later, I don't know what he did, but somehow, we ended up as desk mates. I still remember the day he smiled at me and extended his hand, "Hello, Nina. I'm Liam. Looks like we'll be sitting together from now on." The sunlight bathed him in a golden glow—it was such a beautiful sight. And just like that, we became desk mates for two years. For two years, he protected me. When we applied for college, I chose the same university as him. At freshman orientation, even among the crowd, he instantly recognized me. With the same bright smile, he walked over, just like when we were eighteen, and extended his hand again, "Hello, Nina. We'll be together for the next four years. Let's take care of each other."

Later on, a senior confessed to me, but Liam chased him off and then confessed to me himself. On the day we made it official, he stuffed a large bouquet of roses into my arms, grinning like a fool. "Nina, from now on, you'll be Mrs. Liam." "I'll love you forever." I smiled and agreed, feeling like my heart was filled with honey, so happy it felt unreal. At that time, I was constantly anxious, afraid that happiness was just a dream. When Liam found out, he ruffled my hair and laughed indulgently. "Silly girl, it's not a dream." But after discovering Maya, I finally understood. It wasn't that happiness was a dream. It was that the sunlight had long since stopped shining in my world. …… The next morning, when I woke up, I was alone in the empty room. I reached out and touched the space beside me—it was cold. The sunlight streamed in through the window, adding a warm touch to the room, but I couldn't feel happy. So, it wasn't a dream! I walked into the living room, seeing the breakfast on the table and Liam fixing his hair in front of the mirror. I felt a bit lost. "You're awake? Come have breakfast!" Liam pulled me to sit down, placing the breakfast in front of me, his eyes brimming with joy he couldn't hide, "Nina, I'll be on a business trip for a few days. Take care of yourself." He stood up, ruffled my hair again, and turned to leave. As I watched him put on that blue scarf, I bit my lip and hesitated. "Can you not go, Liam?" He gave me a reassuring smile, "The company's car is already downstairs. Be good, I'll be back soon." "But..." The door was slammed shut before I finished speaking. I stood on the balcony and looked down. Sure enough, that girl Maya was excitedly holding Liam's hand, and he gently patted her head. I laughed bitterly at myself. How foolish.