Love Broken on Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day. I had booked Calvin River's favorite Western-style restaurant two weeks ago. I even picked out a limited-edition watch for him as a gift. At 5 p.m., I sent Calvin River a message on WeChat, asking how late he'd be working tonight. He replied that he might work until ten and told me not to wait for him. I felt a little disappointed but still replied, telling him to take care of himself. At 6:30, my bestie invited me to go shopping at the downtown mall. Since Calvin River was working late anyway, I agreed. When we got to the Western-style restaurant on the mall's third floor, I happened to glance inside. That glance nearly made all the blood in my body freeze. Calvin River was sitting by the window. Opposite him sat a woman dressed in red. I recognized her—she was the "female friend" Calvin River always talked about, Charlotte Sue. On the table were candlelight, red wine, and a large bouquet of roses. Calvin was smiling as he cut a steak for Charlotte Sue. That smile was a tenderness I had never seen before. I practically burst in without thinking. As I approached their table, my voice was shaking. "Calvin, weren't you supposed to be working late?" The moment Calvin saw me, his expression changed instantly. He hastily stood up, trying to grab my hand. "Georgina, please listen to me and let me explain." Charlotte also stood up, a trace of disdain on her face. "Georgina, what are you doing? Calvin River and I are just friends; we only had dinner together." "Friends? Valentine's Day, candlelight dinner, roses?" I stared at Calvin River. "Is this what you call working overtime?" Calvin frowned, his tone tinged with impatience. "Georgina, can you stop being so petty? Charlotte is just my friend—don't read too much into it." "I'm stingy?" I felt both wronged and furious. "You lied about working late but spent Valentine's Day with another woman, and now you're calling me stingy?" Everyone around us was staring. Calvin River's face turned bright red. He shoved me aside roughly, his voice rising a few decibels. "Georgina Yip, have you made enough of a scene? You're making a fool of yourself here!" I looked at him, my heart gradually turning cold. So in his eyes, it was exposing his lies that was shameful. I didn't say another word and ran out of the Western-style restaurant. Tears poured down my cheeks uncontrollably. It felt like, from that very moment, a deep crack appeared in our relationship. Three days after Valentine's Day, Calvin River asked me out. He said he wanted to take me to a party, saying all his close friends would be there, including Charlotte Sue. He wanted to prove that his relationship with Charlotte was really just friendship. I hesitated for a long time, but in the end, I agreed. I still clung to a glimmer of hope, wishing I was just misunderstanding them. The party was at a private club. When I followed Calvin River inside, it was already quite lively. Charlotte Sue was sitting in the middle of the sofa, surrounded by a few guys. When she saw Calvin River, she immediately stood up and hooked her arm around his. "Calvin, you're finally here. We've all been waiting for you so long." Her actions were natural and intimate, completely ignoring me. Calvin smiled and patted her hand, then pulled me close. "Let me introduce everyone — this is my girlfriend, Georgina Yip." The others only gave me a token greeting. But Charlotte walked up to me and sized me up from head to toe. "Georgina Yip, right? You're really lucky to have found someone as great as Calvin River." I didn't say anything, just tugged at the corner of my mouth.