In a Starbucks, I was on one knee, holding a custom diamond ring and looking at Sophia Miller’s cold face.
“Liam, that’s enough.”
She didn’t even glance at the ring before turning and walking away.
Whispers and sympathetic looks from the other customers followed her out. My face burned with humiliation.
This was the seventh time.
The seventh proposal she’d rejected.
I slowly got to my feet, putting the ring back in its box. Seven thousand dollars. And she wouldn’t even touch it.
I remembered what she said the first time:
“Liam, we’re still too young. Let’s just wait.”
The second time:
“I want to focus on my career first. Maybe after I get the promotion.”
The third time:
“This project has been so draining. I just don’t have the mental space for this right now.”
By the seventh time, she couldn’t even be bothered to make an excuse.
As I walked out of the coffee shop, my phone buzzed.
A message from Ethan Vance:
“Liam, strike out again? Haha. I told you Sophia was out of your league. Why don’t you just stay on the back burner where you belong?”
I stared at the screen, and something clicked into place.
Seven proposals. And Ethan always knew the outcome immediately.
And after every rejection, Sophia would coincidentally have a new joint project with the engineering department where Ethan worked.
I wasn’t an idiot. I just hadn’t wanted to admit it.
I deleted Ethan’s contact. Then Sophia’s.
Blocked her number.
Unfriended her on Facebook.
Blocked her on Instagram.
Left every Slack channel I could.
In ten minutes, I had wiped away every connection to Sophia Miller.
Seven years of my life — gone. Clean slate.
Back at my apartment, I started packing up the things she’d left here over the years.
Makeup. Clothes. Books.
And the joint savings account passbook for the down payment on the house we were supposed to buy together.
I boxed it all up and had it mailed to her place.
By the time I finished, it was ten o’clock.
The apartment felt empty, but I felt lighter than I had in years.
Chris called.
“Liam, you coming to the team happy hour tomorrow?”
“Is Sophia going to be there?”
“Yeah, she’s the product manager. Of course she’ll be there.”
“Then I’m not going.”
Chris was stunned.
“Did you two have another fight?”
“No fight. From now on, I’m just not going to any event where she’s present.”
I hung up and sent a group text to a few other colleagues:
“Hey, from now on, if Sophia Miller is going to be at any get-togethers, please don’t include me.”
Message sent.
I lay down on my bed and, for the first time in a long time, fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
The next day, I showed up to the office half an hour late on purpose.
The product and tech departments were on the same floor, and Sophia’s desk was right across the aisle from the main walkway.
I used to always find excuses to “accidentally” pass by her desk just to talk to her.
Today, I took the side entrance and went straight to my desk without even looking up.
At 10 a.m., a Slack message from Sophia popped up:
“Liam, I want to explain about yesterday.”
I deleted it without reading.
At 11 a.m., another one:
“Why did you block me everywhere? We need to talk about this.”
Delete.
At lunchtime, Chris walked over.
“Liam, did you really break up with Sophia? She just asked me why you weren’t answering her messages.”
“We were never together. How do we break up?”
“But you guys—”
“I chased her for seven years and she never said yes. Now I’m done chasing. It’s that simple.”
Chris opened his mouth but closed it without saying anything.
At 3 p.m., I was deep in my code when Sophia suddenly appeared in front of my desk.
“Liam, why are you ignoring me?”
I didn’t look up.
“Sophia, I’m working. If this is about a project, please send an email. If it’s personal, we have nothing to talk about.”
“Personal? What do you mean? You sent all my things back!”
“Returning your property. Is there a problem?”
Her voice started to tremble.
“Are you throwing a tantrum because of yesterday?”
I stopped typing and finally looked at her.
“Sophia, do you think after being played for fools seven times, I should just keep smiling and play along?”
Her face went pale.
“I didn’t—”
“You know exactly what you did.”
I put on my headphones and went back to coding.
She stood there for five minutes before biting her lip and walking away.
At 6:00, I got an email from HR about a mandatory project kickoff meeting the next day.
I scanned the attendee list. Sophia Miller was on it.
I replied directly to the invite: “Apologies, I’ll be taking a sick day tomorrow.”
The next morning, I went to an urgent care clinic. When the doctor asked what was wrong, I said I had chest pains and shortness of breath, maybe a heart problem.
I spent the whole morning getting tests done.
The doctor said I was perfectly healthy.
I returned to the office with my doctor’s note. The meeting was already over.
Chris pulled me aside.
“Sophia kept asking why you weren’t there. She looked pissed. Ethan spent a long time calming her down.”
I scoffed. “Of course he did.”
That afternoon, Sophia came to find me again.
“You skipped the meeting on purpose, didn’t you?”
“I was sick. I have a doctor’s note.”
“You’re not sick.”
“Are you a doctor now, Sophia?”
She was so angry her face turned red, but she was speechless.
From that day on, Sophia and I were in a full-blown cold war.
If she needed to discuss a project, I’d say I was busy and tell her to talk to my team lead.
If she tried to chat privately, I’d say it wasn’t a good time and suggest we stick to official channels.
A week later, she finally snapped.
At 3 p.m., Sophia was blocking the doorway to the break room, her eyes red.
“Liam, what the hell do you want?”
“What do I want? I want to do my job in peace without being bothered.”
I got a glass of water from the cooler and tried to leave.
She blocked my path.
“Are you still angry about the proposal? I can explain.”
“Don’t. There’s no need, Sophia. There’s nothing between us. Please remember that.”
“How can you say there’s nothing? We’ve known each other for seven years.”
“Knowing someone for seven years doesn’t mean anything. I’ve known half the people in this office for that long.”
Tears started rolling down her cheeks.
“How can you be so cruel?”
I looked at her crying, and I felt nothing. Not a single thing.
“Cruel? Sophia, I proposed to you seven times. Was that not enough devotion? Now that I’m choosing to let go, you call me cruel?”
“I never explicitly rejected you.”
“Not saying no is a no. We’re adults. You should know that.”
I walked around her and left the break room.
I could hear her sobbing behind me, but I didn’t look back.
The next day, I got a notification from HR.
The company was partnering with a major tech firm on a new project, and I had been appointed as the technical lead.
I saw the partner company’s name and had a laugh. It was the company Ethan Vance had moved to.
This was Sophia’s doing, no doubt about it — a way to force me to interact with her.
I went straight to the director of technology.
“Mr. Roberts, I’d like to request a transfer off this project.”
“Why? This is a great opportunity, Liam. It’s a big step for your career.”
“Personal reasons. I’d rather not get into it.”
Mr. Roberts frowned. “What’s going on with you lately, Anderson? Your attitude has been off.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but if being on this project is mandatory, then I quit.”
He was completely stunned. “You’re crazy. You’d quit your job to avoid a project?”
“Yes.”
In the end, Mr. Roberts approved my transfer, but the news spread like wildfire.
The entire department knew I’d almost quit just to avoid working with Sophia.
She cornered me as I was leaving work.
“Are you insane? You’d throw away your job just to get away from me?”
“If I can’t get away from you, then yes, I would.”
She completely broke down.
“Liam, why are you doing this to me? I never did anything to hurt you.”
I stopped and turned to face her.
“You never hurt me, Sophia? Do you really believe that?”
I thought of seven years. Seven birthdays. Seven proposals.
“I remembered your birthday and got you a gift every single time. When is my birthday?”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“Where were you when I had the flu? Did you ever once check on me when I was working late into the night?”
“I was busy with work.”
“Busy enough to have dinner with Ethan. Busy enough to go to the movies with him.”
The color drained from her face.
“Sophia, I’m not a fool. Seven years of one-sided love. That’s enough.”
I walked away without another word.
I could hear her crying behind me, but my heart was a stone.
From then on, Sophia started trying to find me everywhere.
She waited outside the office building, outside my apartment complex, and even followed me to the gym.
Every time I spotted her, she would start crying and say we needed to talk.
I never said a word. The moment I saw her, I’d turn and walk in the other direction.
Chris couldn’t stand it anymore.
“Liam, Sophia is going crazy looking for you. What is going on between you two?”
“Why should I care if she’s going crazy?”
“But she told me she regrets everything and wants to start over with you.”
I laughed coldly. “Start over? What right does she have to say that?”
Chris frowned. “What is it that you know?”
I looked at Chris and finally told him: “She’s in love with Ethan. Always has been. I was just a backup plan.”
“No way. She texted with you every day.”
“Because Ethan had a girlfriend and she needed a distraction. Now that Ethan’s single, she doesn’t need me anymore.”
“How do you know?”
I showed him the screenshots of Ethan’s texts.
After reading them, Chris’s face turned red with anger.
“That bastard Ethan. I never knew he was such a piece of garbage.”
“Which is why I’m staying away. By the way Sophia is acting now, it seems like she really regrets it.”
“Regrets it? What does she regret? That Ethan doesn’t want her?”
Chris fell silent.
That evening, as I walked out of the office, I saw Sophia standing on the corner.
She had been waiting there every day for a week. Same pose, same spot.
Today, she looked exhausted. Her eyes were swollen, and her hair was a mess.
The second she saw me, she ran over.
“Liam, please just listen to me.”
I ignored her and headed for the subway station.
She followed me. “I know I was wrong. I really know I was wrong.”
I walked faster.
“Liam, let me explain. There was never anything between me and Ethan. The proposals… I didn’t mean to reject you. I was just—”
I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to her.
“Sophia, do you know what self-degradation is?”
She stared at me, confused.
“Chasing someone who doesn’t love you for seven years. That’s self-degradation. I’ve been stupid enough. I’m not going to be stupid anymore.”
“But I do love you!”
I laughed. “You love me, Sophia? You don’t even remember my birthday. What do you love about me? My money? The fact that I was good to you? Or did you just love the way I followed you around like a dog?”
Tears streamed down her face. “No, that’s not it. I really—”
“Forget it. I don’t want to hear it.”
I turned and started walking again.
She screamed after me. “Liam, you can’t do this to me. We have seven years of history!”
I didn’t look back.
“Those seven years were my history, not yours. They had nothing to do with you.”
The next day, Sophia didn’t come to work.
Chris secretly told me she had called in sick.
I didn’t react. I just kept working.
Around noon, Sophia’s roommate called me.
“Liam, Sophia is sick. She has a high fever and keeps calling your name.”
“Then take her to the hospital.”
“She refuses to go. She said she’s waiting for you.”
“Sorry, I’m busy.” I hung up.
In the afternoon, her roommate called three more times. I didn’t answer.
That evening, Chris found me.
“Liam, Sophia is really sick. You should go see her. She has nothing to do with me, but you’re the only one she trusts right now.”
“That’s a problem, Chris. I mean it. From now on, don’t tell me anything about Sophia. I don’t want to hear it.”
Chris looked at me and sighed.
“You’ve really changed.”
“I haven’t changed. I’ve just woken up.”
On the third day, Sophia’s mother called me.
“Liam, Sophia is in the hospital. You should come see her.”
“Mrs. Miller, Sophia and I are no longer in contact.”
“What do you mean? Weren’t you two about to get married?”
I paused.
“Mrs. Miller, did Sophia tell you we were getting married?”
“She said you had proposed and she said yes.”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
“Ma’am, she rejected me seven times.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line.
“Liam, regardless, Sophia is very sick. The doctor said we need a family member to sign some forms. Her father is out of town on business and I’m here alone.”
“Mrs. Miller, I’m not her family. She has a boyfriend. You can call Ethan Vance.”
“What boyfriend? Sophia doesn’t have a boyfriend. She only has you.”
I closed my eyes.
“Mrs. Miller, the person Sophia loves is Ethan Vance, not me. She may not have told you, but it’s the truth.”
I hung up the phone. It immediately rang again.
I turned it off.
When I got home that night, there was a pile of stuff outside my door — all kinds of fruit baskets, supplements, and an envelope.
The letter was from Sophia, her handwriting shaky, clearly written from a hospital bed:
“Liam, I know you’re angry, but please give me one more chance. I know I did a lot of things wrong, but I have never not loved you. I rejected your proposals because I was scared, not because I didn’t love you. I was afraid I wasn’t good enough for you. Afraid I’d disappoint you after we got married. Please forgive me. I really can’t lose you.”
I read the letter, tore it into pieces, and threw it in the trash.
Then I carried all the baskets down to the dumpster.
The next day, Chris found me, his eyes red.
“Liam, Sophia tried to kill herself last night. She cut her wrists.”
The mouse in my hand stopped moving for a second. Then I resumed clicking.
“What does that have to do with me?”
“How can you be so cold-blooded? She almost died.”
“That was her choice.”
Chris finally exploded.
“Liam, are you even human?”
I turned to face him.
“Chris, she did that to guilt-trip me. It’s emotional blackmail. If I go back to her because of this, she’ll just use more extreme methods to control me in the future. No buts. Whether she lives or dies is her choice, but she’s not going to use it to force my hand.”
Chris looked at me with a mixture of disappointment and confusion.
“You’ve really changed.”
“Yes, I have. I’m not so easy to fool anymore.”
The news that Sophia had attempted suicide spread through the office quickly.
Everyone knew it was because of how heartless I’d been.
Walking through the halls, I could feel my coworkers’ strange looks.
Some called me cold-blooded. Others, cruel. A few called me a jerk.
I didn’t care. They didn’t know the truth, and I wasn’t about to explain it.
At lunch, a few female colleagues sat near me, talking loud enough for me to hear.
“Sophia is such a great girl. How could Liam do this to her?”
“I know, right? Seven years together, and he just throws it all away. No conscience.”
“I heard she’s still in the ICU and Liam hasn’t even gone to see her once.”
I kept eating as if I hadn’t heard a thing.
That afternoon, Sophia’s father came to the office to see me.
He was a kind, gentle man who had always been good to me. He used to say he’d watch me grow up.
“Liam, you’ve heard about Sophia, haven’t you?”
“I have.”
“She’s not in a good state. She keeps calling your name. The doctors say she has severe depressive tendencies and needs her family around her.”
“Mr. Miller, I’m not her family.”
He looked taken aback. “But Sophia said you two were already—”
“We were nothing, Mr. Miller. For the past seven years, Sophia never once returned my feelings. The person she loves is Ethan Vance, not me.”
Mr. Miller’s expression hardened. “What did you say?”
I showed him the text from Ethan. His face was grim as he read them.
“That bastard…”
“So you see, Mr. Miller, there’s really nothing between Sophia and me. The way she is now isn’t because she’s heartbroken. It’s because she lost her free backup plan.”
Mr. Miller was silent for a long time before finally sighing.
“Liam, whatever the case, Sophia is in a dangerous place right now. For my sake—”
“Mr. Miller, if I go back now, she’ll think these extreme tactics work, and she’ll only get worse in the future. It won’t do her any good.”
“But her condition—”
“Someone will take care of her. Isn’t Ethan Vance so concerned about her? Let him do it.”
Mr. Miller looked at me, his eyes filled with disappointment and helplessness.
“You’re really not going to reconsider?”
“Never.”
A month later, Sophia was discharged from the hospital.
Chris told me she’d lost a lot of weight and looked completely worn out.
I ran into her in the elevator on her first day back.
The moment she saw me, her eyes turned red.
“Liam.”
I stared blankly at the floor indicator.
“Liam, can we please talk?”
I ignored her. The elevator reached my floor, and I stepped out.
She yelled after me.
“Liam, do you really hate me this much?”
I stopped and looked back at her.
“I don’t hate you. I just don’t feel anything for you anymore.”
Tears streamed down her face.
“That’s not possible. You can’t feel nothing for me.”
“Sophia. Feelings aren’t something you can just will into existence. The elevator doors closed, cutting off her cries.”
That afternoon, the company held a planning meeting for the annual holiday party.
I didn’t want to go, but it was mandatory for all employees.
In the conference room, Sophia sat diagonally across from me. She stared at me the whole time, her eyes a mix of pleading, resentment, and despair.
I kept my eyes on my laptop and never once looked her way.
After the meeting, Ethan Vance suddenly stood up.
“Everyone, I have an announcement to make.”
All eyes turned to him.
“Sophia and I are getting married.”
The room went dead silent.
Everyone looked from me to Sophia.
Sophia’s face was ashen. She shook her head.
“No, I didn’t agree.”
Ethan smiled. “Sophia is just being shy. We’ve been seeing each other for a long time and decided to finally make it official.”
I watched the scene unfold, a strange sense of amusement washing over me.
Sophia frantically tried to explain.
“That’s not true. We’re not dating. I never—”
“Sophia, you don’t have to deny it.” Ethan walked over to her side. “A lot of people here know about our relationship.”
He looked directly at me. “Especially Liam. He should know better than anyone.”
The air in the room was so thick, you could cut it with a knife.
Everyone was waiting for my reaction.
I closed my laptop and stood up.
“Congratulations to you both.”
With that, I walked out of the conference room.
Behind me, I could hear Sophia’s desperate cries.
“No, Liam, it’s not like that!”
I didn’t turn back.
Outside the building, I took a deep breath.
The truth was finally out. Ethan had finally dropped his act, and Sophia was finally getting a taste of what it felt like to be used.
Was this the outcome they wanted?
I pulled out my phone and called a recruiter.
“Find me a new job. The requirements are simple: as far away from Chicago as possible.”
Sophia had a complete breakdown. She didn’t come to work the next day.
Apparently, she had tried to cut her wrists again at home.
This time, even Ethan didn’t bother with her.
Chris came to me.
“Liam, Sophia is in a really bad way. Just go see her.”
“Chris, I told you. Her life and death have nothing to do with me.”
“But—”
“No buts. She chose this path for herself.”
Chris looked at me, his eyes full of confusion.
“Don’t you feel any sympathy at all? This is the woman you loved for seven years.”
I smiled.
“The woman I loved for seven years, Chris — she was never my woman.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth. I loved her for seven years while she was in love with someone else. Now that he doesn’t want her, she suddenly remembers how good I was and wants me back. On what grounds?”
“She knows she was wrong now.”
“And knowing she’s wrong means I have to forgive her? Chris, some mistakes can’t be forgiven.”
Chris said nothing more. He probably understood then that I was never going back.
That night, Sophia’s mother came to my apartment. She was crying hysterically.
“Liam, Sophia is dying. The doctor says she has severe depression. If this goes on—”
“Mrs. Miller, I know you’re worried about Sophia, but I can’t help her.”
“How can you not help? You’re the only one she cares about.”
“If I was the only one she cared about, why did she turn me down seven times?”
Her mother froze.
“Mrs. Miller, Sophia is in love with Ethan Vance. She told him so herself. I was just a backup, a means to an end.”
“That’s impossible. Since she was a little girl, Sophia has always—”
“Always what? Thought of me as a brother, a friend, a free chauffeur, an ATM.”
Her mother’s expression changed.
“Liam, how can you talk about Sophia like that?”
“Because it’s the truth. Mrs. Miller, you know your daughter better than I do.”
I stood up. “I have things to do, ma’am. I won’t keep you.”
After she left, I started packing. The recruiter had already found me a job in Austin, over a thousand miles away.
Halfway through packing, Ethan showed up.
“Liam, we need to talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about.”
“Are you just going to stand by and watch Sophia die?”
I sneered. “Ethan, why should I care if she dies? Isn’t she your girlfriend? Why are you coming to me instead of saving her? Or what? Are you tired of playing with her and want to push her back on me?”
Ethan’s face flushed. “What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Ethan, Sophia is your woman. Her life and death are not my problem.”
“She’s not my woman.”
“Then why did you announce at the meeting that you were marrying her?”
Ethan stammered for a moment before finally saying, “I just wanted her to give up. To stop bothering you.”
I laughed. “What a noble excuse.”
“Liam, regardless, Sophia is in danger.”
“Then let her die.”
Ethan stared at me in shock. “How can you say something like that?”
“Why can’t I? What do I lose if a woman who played me for a fool dies? Yep. Ethan, get out of my apartment and don’t ever come to me about Sophia again.”
I pushed him out and slammed the door.
A week later, I left Chicago.
Chris came to see me off at the station.
“Liam, are you sure about this?”
“I’m sure.”
“What about Sophia?”
“She has Ethan. She has her family. She doesn’t need me.”
Chris sighed. “She’s still in the hospital, asking for you every day.”
“That’s her problem.”
“You really don’t have a soft spot left for her?”
I looked out the window at the city skyline — the place that held seven years of my youth and devotion.
“Chris, do you know what a spare feels like?”
“What?”
“It’s when you think you’ve finally found happiness, only to realize you were just a pawn in someone else’s game. But Sophia — now what? Now she regrets it. Now she realizes how good I was. It’s too late.”
The train started moving, and I watched the landscape recede.
I was never coming back to this city.
In Austin, I quickly adjusted to my new job and new life. My new colleagues were friendly, and no one knew about my past.
I could focus on my work, on my life, without worrying about running into someone on a street corner.
Two months later, Chris called me.
“Liam, Sophia is out of the hospital.”
“Okay.”
“She asked for your address. She might come looking for you.”
I paused. “You gave it to her?”
“No, I’m not that stupid. But she said she’ll find you no matter what.”
“Let her try.”
“Liam, if she really finds you—”
“There is no if. Chris, I’m changing my number. Don’t contact me again.”
“Wait—”
I hung up and got a new phone number that same day.
New city, new job, new number. I had completely cut off all ties to the past.
Six months later, I met a girl at my new company.
Her name was Emily, an accountant in the finance department.
She was quiet, gentle, didn’t say much, but had a sweet smile.
We started dating. Movies. Dinner. Long walks.
There was no dramatic, all-consuming passion — just a quiet, steady affection.
But that was enough. I didn’t need to go through that kind of heartbreak ever again.
A year later, Emily and I got married.
The wedding was simple, just our families and a few new friends. No one knew about my past. No one mentioned the name Sophia.
On our wedding night, Emily asked me:
“Did you have a girlfriend before me?”
“No.”
“Then why are you so cautious when it comes to relationships?”
I held her close. “Because I want to make sure I cherish you properly.”
She smiled and snuggled into my arms. “I want to cherish you, too.”
In that moment, I felt like I had finally found true happiness.
Five years later, Emily and I had a wonderful daughter.
We bought a house in Austin and were living a normal, happy life.
Sometimes I’d think about the past — about those seven years of obsession and pain.
But mostly, I was grateful for that experience.
If it weren’t for Sophia’s rejection and betrayal, I would never have met Emily.
If I hadn’t made that clean break, I wouldn’t have the happiness I have today.
One day, I was at the mall buying a toy for my daughter when I heard someone call my name.
“Liam.”
I turned around and saw a woman who was both a stranger and hauntingly familiar.
Sophia.
Five years had passed. She had changed a lot. She was rail thin. Her hair was streaked with gray, and her eyes were empty.
Nothing like the proud, beautiful woman I remembered.
“It really is you.” Her voice trembled.
I looked at her, my expression blank. I felt nothing.
“You have the wrong person.”
I turned and walked away.
She yelled after me.
“Liam, I’ve been looking for you for five years!”
I didn’t look back.
“Liam, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me!”
I kept walking.
“Liam, I’ve been waiting for you to come back!”
I walked out of the mall. She was still chasing me.
“Liam, wait—”
I stopped and turned to face her.
“You’ve made a mistake. I’m not Liam Anderson.”
She froze, tears streaming down her face.
“That’s impossible. You were Liam. You have to be.”
“I am, but I’m not the Liam you knew.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Liam Anderson who would have cried for you died. He died five years ago.”
She completely broke down, collapsing to her knees on the pavement, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Liam, please come back, please.”
I looked down at her, feeling only a cold detachment.
“Sophia, how you feel right now? This is how you made me feel. Desperate. Helpless. And in pain.”
“I know I was wrong—”
“And does knowing that help? There are no do-overs in life.”
I turned and walked away. And this time, I never looked back.
I could hear her cries behind me, but my heart was still.
When I got home, Emily asked, “What took you so long?”
“Ran into a crazy person on the way.”
“What kind of crazy person?”
“Just a sad person stuck in the past.”
My daughter ran up and hugged my leg.
“Daddy, did you get me a toy?”
I pulled the toy out of the bag. “Of course. Daddy never breaks a promise.”
My daughter giggled happily. Emily smiled.
Looking at their smiles, I knew this was the most beautiful thing in the world.
As for Sophia, she was just a ghost from another life. A ghost who taught me what despair felt like and what it meant to finally wake up.
Her purpose in my life was served.
I have a new life, a new family, a new happiness.
And she is left to live in her memories, to bear the weight of the pain she once gave me.
That is justice.
Not the justice I gave her, but the justice she brought upon herself.
