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799words2026-01-26 09:06

Ten Years of Misplaced Affection
I was about to marry my boyfriend of ten years,Ethan Thompson.Everyone said I was the one true love,his white moonlight in life.
I used to belive that too, until a week before the wedding when he arranged an anniversary celebration.

"Lily,happy fourth anniversary of our relationship,"he said.This year was clearly our tenth anniversary.And I wasn't Lily.
I once saw a question on the internet:"What's it like to be in a long-term relationship and getting ready to get married?"
After much hesitation,I typed out my answer:"Love has turned into family affection.He has started to dislike the tiny crow's feet at the corners of my eyes and the smell of cooking oil on my body.But I don't have the courage to end this relationship."
Because it had been too long.
"Honey,I've prepared a surprise,"Ethan sent me a message.
The location was the Grand Palace Hotel.He hadn't told me about it in advance.

To be precise, he hadn’t prepared a surprise for me in the past five years.
After much hesitation,I put on an exquisite makeup,wore a newly bought white halter dress,and went to the Grand Palace Hotel.
The lobby on the first floor was decorated with a romantic atmosphere.
There were red carpets,flowers,and a wedding officiating platform draped with white veils.

Had he prepared all of this?I tried to calm my pounding heart and stepped onto the red carpet.
Ethan, dressed in a black suit, had his back to me, muttering something as if he was preparing for something.A warm feeling welled up in my heart.
I was already twenty-nine years old.I had passed the youngest and most beautiful time of a woman.
Ethan hadn't treated me like this for many years."Lily,happy fourth anniversary of our relationship.
We will get better and better,"he said.My heart stopped beating for a moment.I wasn't Lily.My name was Ava.And this year was clearly the tenth anniversary of our relationship.
So,this anniversary celebration wasn't prepared for me.Then for whom?
"Ethan!"A happy cry came from the door.I turned around.I saw a girl in a pink dress.
She looked five or six years younger than me,with innocent eyebrows and eyes,and her appearance was seven points similar to mine.
Ethan turned around in surprise,but he saw me."Ava?Why are you here?"I looked calmly at Ethan,whose expression was flustered,and the girl at the door."Ethan,I don't want to get married anymore."
A week before the wedding,I broke up with him.Fortunately,we hadn't gotten the marriage certificate yet,and everything could still start anew.
Ethan, two years younger than me, had already started to dislike me because I wasn't as young and beautiful as before.
My friends and his friends all thought that I was the gentle and serene white moonlight in his heart.But today I found out that I wasn't.
Ethan had always liked Lily.He had been in an ambiguous relationship with Lily for four years and even carefully prepared an anniversary celebration for her.
In fact,the day before yesterday was the anniversary of me and Ethan.It had been ten years. “Do you even know what day it is today?” I asked Ethan that night with a hint of sadness.
He was impatiently scrolling through his phone, not even bothering to look at me."What day?"There were no gifts or surprises,and he just forgot our tenth anniversary.
Even when brushing his teeth at night,he leaned forward and examined the corners of my eyes.
"Ava, you've got more wrinkles at the corners of your eyes. Last time I took you to dinner, my colleague said you looked like my older sister."
Ethan's sister was already thirty-five, implying that I had embarrassed him..I lowered my head, kept brushing my teeth, and spat out the foam."Sorry,I'll put on a good makeup next time."
Ethan was two years younger than me.Over the years,I had always been accommodating towards him.
I fulfilled his unreasonable demands,accompanied him as he grew up,and watched him transform from a newbie in the workplace into an excellent person.
But in return, all I got was betrayal.One day,while he was using my computer for work and forgot to close WeChat,I saw his comment about me:"Ava?There's really nothing special about her.
Maybe it's because the novelty has worn off.Anyway, I'll get tired of her sooner or later after all these years."
I originally thought I could endure it.Now I found that I didn't seem to want to endure it anymore.And I didn't have to endure it either.
Whether others said I was making a big deal out of nothing or that I was being silly,I wouldn't get married.
When I neatly sorted out everything with a decisive attitude,Lily sent me a WeChat message."Sister Ava,I want to meet you."I frowned and blocked her number.Unexpectedly,after two days,she added me with a new number."Sister Ava,I have something important to tell you.You definitely want to know."