Love Rediscovered: The Starry Journey

I bought a men's jacket as a birthday gift for my dad, but when I checked out, I accidentally used my ex-boyfriend's supplementary card.

To my surprise, my ex showed up right behind me the next second.

"Using my money to buy gifts for another man? How does it feel?"

I straightened up, trying to sound confident despite the awkward situation.

"Well, it's ex's money, which is equivalent to compensation."

1

On our third anniversary, I broke up with Luke Ross.

It wasn't the first time I'd mentioned breaking up, but it was the last.

Every time we'd fought, I was always the one being unreasonable, while he stayed calm and collected.

That day was no different. He looked at me with his usual indifferent expression, slowly took off his gold-rimmed glasses, and said the two words that always deflated me.

"As you wish."

It felt like shouting into the void-all my emotions were pointless to him.

But this time, I was serious about ending things.

I'd booked a trip to an island for our anniversary, hoping to spend a romantic getaway with him.

Luke was in his study, focused on work, those glasses making him look even more unapproachable. When I told him about the trip, he didn't even look up. "As you wish." he said.

"Alright, there it is. But which hotel should we book? This one looks nice, but the reviews aren't great... What do you think?"

I looked at him expectantly, but he barely glanced at the tablet before replying, "Anything's fine. You choose."

My hand holding the tablet hesitated.

"What about restaurants? I picked a few with good ratings. Any preferences?"

"Anything's fine. You choose." he repeated.

He gave me a faint smile and went back to work. The excitement I'd felt about the trip vanished.

His words made it clear-I wasn't as important as his work.

A wave of frustration hit me. I turned off the tablet, stood up, and left the room.

As I reached the door, I made a decision.

"Luke." My hand gripped the door handle tightly, and I took a deep breath.

"Let's break up."

The room fell silent as his breath could be heard clearly. Finally, his typing stopped.

For once, he looked up from his work, his eyes meeting mine.

"Are you sure?"

I knew he'd say that. I'd thrown the word "breakup" around before, and he'd always brushed it off.

But this time, I felt calm.

"I'm sure."

I turned to face him, my voice steady.

"Luke, we met through a blind date. We don't have a strong foundation. Over time, I've realized our personalities just don't match. If we're not right for each other, let's not waste any more time."

Luke leaned back in his chair, removed his glasses, and set them on the table. He always hid his emotions so well, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

It made me wonder if I'd ever truly mattered to him even once.

The silence stretched on. Finally, he looked at me and said, "As you wish."

It was like shouting into the void-nothing I did ever seemed to affect him.

In truth, Luke had been the most indulgent boyfriend I'd ever had.

We'd met through a blind date my mom arranged. Before the date, she'd told me to dress nicely, saying it didn't matter if I wasn't pretty-just look presentable.

She'd also mentioned he was a self-made millionaire, older than me, and earning more money than I could ever imagine.

I wondered if I was even her real daughter, given the way she talked about me.

I'd imagined what kind of man Luke would be, someone my mom praised so highly.

When I finally met him, I realized she wasn't wrong.

Luke was handsome, polite, and everything I'd ever wanted in a partner.

But I had a bad habit in relationships-I always threatened to break up. My last boyfriend had left because he couldn't handle it.

So, before things got serious with Luke, I warned him.

"No problem," he smiled at me, his eyes calm.

"I'm also a bit lazy and don't like doing housework."

"No worries, my apartment has a robot vacuum and a dishwasher."

"I'm not a fan of cooking, so my skills in the kitchen are pretty basic."

"That's fine. I can cook, and I'm decent at it. When I'm busy, I'll order us some good takeout."

No matter what I said, Luke stayed calm and unfazed, as if nothing I mentioned bothered him.

I guess there was some truth to the idea that good-looking guys were often easygoing.

After the blind date, we exchanged our contacts and started dating.

However, as I spent more time with Luke, I gradually realized that he seemed uninterested in anything I talked about.

Whether it was planning dates or trips, I was always the one excited. He never put much thought into it.

His mind was entirely focused on work.

Even during our final breakup, he just looked at me calmly and walked me out.

"Do you want me to drive you home?"

I clutched my bag tightly, turned around, and glared at him.

"No need!"

2

I drove straight to my best friend Olivia Starr's place.

I moved all my stuff into her guest room. She stared at me, confused, until I grabbed a bottle of wine from her cabinet and started drinking without a word.

"So, you broke up again?"

"This time, it's for real."

I put down the wine, staring blankly ahead.

"Olivia, I don't think Luke really likes me. He loves his work, not me."

My eyes stung, and I tilted my head back, trying to hold back tears.

My mom adored Luke from the moment she met him. He was good-looking, successful, and loyal-no ex-girlfriends in sight.

In her mind, Luke was already her ideal son-in-law.

After we started dating, I did feel his kindness. He moved into a bigger apartment to make my work easier and even set up a soundproof bedroom for me.

He gave me a supplementary credit card and let me handle everything in our lives.

But deep down, I couldn't feel any real affection from him.

"He always told me to make the decisions, but I wanted him to respond, to care. It was always one-sided. I put so much effort into planning our anniversary, but his mind was always on work. If that's how it is, he might as well date his job. He's wasted my feelings, my time, and my effort!"

The more I talked, the angrier I got, and I took another swig of wine.

Olivia sat beside me, munching on chips, letting me vent.

"So, have you really decided to let him go?"

Her question deflated my anger.

I shot her a glare, then buried myself under the covers, forcing myself not to think about Luke anymore.

After the breakup, life went on as usual, but the emptiness inside was hard to shake.

I knew we couldn't go back to how things were. He never came looking for me after that day.

Two weeks later, it was my dad's birthday. After work, I went to the mall to buy him a gift.

I picked out a jacket at a men's store and was about to pay when a message popped up in the work group chat.

Distracted, I accidentally handed the saleswoman the supplementary card Luke had given me.

It wasn't until the card was handed back that I realized my mistake.

Then, I heard a cold voice behind me.

"So, you're using my money to buy gifts for another man?"

I turned around and saw Luke standing there, holding a shirt.

His eyes were fixed on the shopping bag in my hand.

This was our first meeting since the breakup, and I wasn't about to back down.

I put the card back in my wallet and said defiantly, "Well, it's ex's money, which is equivalent to compensation."

He pressed his lips together, squinting at me. For the first time, I sensed a hint of anger in him.

Was he upset because he saw me buying clothes for another man?

Did that mean he still had feelings for me?

I was about to explain when a soft female voice came from behind him.

"Luke, have you picked out your birthday gift yet?"

3

The woman wore a white dress that unintentionally matched Luke's white shirt, making them look like a perfect couple.

She walked over to him, smiled at me, then turned to Luke.

"Have you decided? Let me pay for it."

She reached for the shirt draped over his arm.

My mind went completely blank.