Joana paused for a moment, setting down her glass of water as she glanced at her despondent colleague. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Caitlin. In truth, Joana had experienced something similar, and it had taken her a long time to heal from the pain. She could only guess—maybe Caitlin had once wanted to marry that man.
"Loyal women are always left behind for being too loyal," Joana mused.
"Do I look that pathetic?" Caitlin asked.
Joana simply shrugged in response, but Caitlin already knew the answer. She was pathetic these days, especially with her mundane office routine weighing her down. Conversations about marriage made her remember that she once had that dream too, but now she was no longer a part of Tobey's future.
The thought made her dizzy, the same question looping endlessly in her mind—why had she ever fallen in love with someone like him? She wished her ex, the one whose name she refused to even think about, and his now-pregnant lover would just fall off a cliff together from being too happy.
"All men are the same. You just have to find the right one, or you'll end up with something worse," Joana said with a faint smirk.
"He doesn’t even look the least bit guilty," Caitlin murmured, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "How do I even begin again?"
Joana patted her shoulder lightly. "If it’s that hard, then just embrace the pain for now. Come on, you have a long life ahead of you. How could you stay so loyal to someone like that?"
"Me?"
Then Caitlin started telling her story. How they had been together since their teenage years, drawn to each other from frequent encounters. Tobey had confessed his love after school, just like in those coming-of-age romance movies.
They had been waiting for the rain to stop—Caitlin standing near the basketball court, watching the downpour, when Tobey approached her with a bouquet of wildflowers. He had picked them before the rain got heavier, carefully bundling them together into a delicate little bouquet. And just like that, they became a couple.
"That sounds like a scene from a teen romance movie—sweet yet slightly cringeworthy. I’m honestly jealous of how beautiful your love story was. You must have been devastated, having all those lovely memories replaced by betrayal. But at least you were his first love," Joana said, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Really? I doubt that means nothing to him now." Caitlin gave a weak shrug.
She hadn’t expected to share this with Joana. They weren’t particularly close, after all. Perhaps Joana only showed concern because Caitlin’s work performance had been slipping ever since her breakup with Tobey. Even Daniel’s presence wasn’t enough to heal her wounds—or erase the lingering trauma.
"What about you, Jo? Any love stories like that?" Caitlin asked, shifting the focus away from herself.
"Nothing like yours. I was just a nerdy girl," Joana admitted with a small chuckle. "That’s probably why I enjoy listening to your story—it’s like a real-life romance drama. You and Tobey must have been quite popular back in school. How did you even manage a long-distance relationship?"
"Because I loved him? I don’t know." Caitlin tilted her head, unsure herself.
She hadn’t expected their relationship to last so long. They had attended the same junior high and high school, seeing each other every day until graduation.
But college had pulled them apart, with each of them pursuing different fields of study. The distance and lack of time were heavy blows to their relationship. People always said that long-distance relationships never ended happily.
"Men need physical presence," Joana nodded knowingly.
"I know, but… well, it is what it is."
"After hearing this, I feel like punching him." Joana grinned mischievously.
Joana’s comment made Caitlin laugh. It didn’t fix anything, but it made her feel a little lighter. Somehow, they had managed to get through half their workload while chatting. Caitlin was starting to feel comfortable with Joana, realizing that she was someone she could trust.
Caitlin had truly believed their relationship was fine. They met up on weekends—when they had time. They texted in between their busy schedules, talked on the phone until one of them fell asleep. Caitlin never even complained when Tobey went days without messaging her. She had always reassured herself—he was probably tired or busy.
"I was too understanding, wasn’t I?" Caitlin asked, more to mock herself than to seek an answer.
"You were too kind," Joana corrected, looking at her with sympathy.
Caitlin shook her head with a small smile. "No, I was stupid."
"Tell me more about how you felt back then. I’m curious," Joana urged, sipping her coffee now that her water was gone.
Encouraged by Joana’s enthusiasm, Caitlin continued. In truth, she hadn’t been that naive. She had always had her suspicions. Tobey was the type of person who was friendly with everyone, effortlessly charming in social situations.
People often misunderstood his kindness, and Caitlin couldn’t help but feel jealous whenever she saw him around other women. There were times when she had fantasized about getting rid of them one by one. But she never voiced her jealousy, afraid that Tobey would think she was immature. So, she swallowed her feelings and kept them hidden.
Joana gave her a knowing smile. "Ahh, I see now. You sacrificed too much in the relationship."
"Exactly," Caitlin said, turning back to her work.
"So, what was the first clue that something was off?"
"Hmm… I guess when Tobey suddenly disappeared, and I couldn’t contact him at all." Caitlin narrowed her eyes, sifting through old memories.
One day, while Caitlin was buried in work at her apartment, Tobey had gone completely silent for a whole week. It was the school’s semester exam period, so Caitlin had assumed he was busy processing student data and grading papers.
"Oh, I’m sure he was already cheating by then," Joana declared.
"If only I had known sooner," Caitlin muttered bitterly.
Tobey wasn’t a government employee, but he had a lot on his plate. Since he was younger than most of the other staff, he was often asked to handle computer-related tasks that the older teachers weren’t familiar with.
"Do you want revenge?" Joana asked, her curiosity piqued.
"For now, I just want to forget him."
"One word for Tobey?"
"Asshole." Caitlin spat the word out, slamming her palm against her desk.
Joana burst into laughter before holding out her hand for a high-five. "Damn right, Caitlin! That guy is definitely an asshole."
Caitlin glanced around, relieved that no one else seemed to have heard them. The two of them giggled like schoolgirls, and Joana promised to treat Caitlin to lunch later—on the condition that Caitlin continued her story. From that day on, their friendship grew even closer.