She smoothly took the cat from my arms. The little cat didn't resist at all. She nestled into Aubrey's arms as if asking for cuddles.

This cat was usually standoffish. It took a long time for her to warm up to someone.

I watched Aubrey skillfully feed the cat. My heart, which had felt numb, suddenly ached deeply.

"I'm not hungry," I said. "I won't eat."

I left Julian's apartment immediately.

Back in my own place, I soon heard Julian ringing my doorbell non-stop.

"Olivia, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?"

"We were all busy in the kitchen just to celebrate you coming home from the hospital!"

"How can you just leave without a word?"

"You're being so unreasonable!"

"Can't you just grow up a little?"

I ignored Julian's angry voice from outside.

Only when the sound stopped did I realize my face was wet with tears.

The next day, after Julian went to work, I went to his place.

I took the cat.

My friend Chloe is a huge cat lover. Giving the cat to her was the best choice.

After dropping off the cat, I packed my things and went back to my parents' house.

The Hayes family mansion was grand and elegant, filled with exquisite details.

The Vance family lived next door. Julian and I grew up together.

Everyone who knew us knew I was his pampered favorite.

From childhood, the person I was most attached to was Julian.

My mom told me that at my first birthday celebration, when I was supposed to pick an object to predict my future, I ignored everything.

I crawled straight to Julian, grabbed onto him, and wouldn't let go.

Julian, who was three years older, just sat there holding me, stiff and unsure what to do.

They said it was the first time they'd seen the usually serious Julian look so flustered.

People still bring up that story today.

My first word wasn't 'Mom' or 'Dad.'

It was 'Julian.'

My parents were jealous for a long time.

Coming back here always made me think of Julian.

Mom and Dad were surprised but mostly happy to see me home.

After dinner, I went to find Dad in his study.

"Alright," he said, looking at me knowingly. "Tell me. You've been unhappy since you got here. Did something happen?"

Without saying a word, I placed a photo of Julian and Aubrey in front of him.

Dad had been smiling, but his face fell instantly when he saw the slightly intimate pose in the picture.

He knew what kind of person Julian was.

And he knew that Aubrey was special to Julian.

That kind of special treatment used to be only for me.

I've always hated anyone touching what's mine, whether it was a toy or a dress.

If something could be taken from me, I decided I didn't want it anyway.

The photo was my way of telling Dad something simple: I don't want Julian anymore.

Dad was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"How do you want to handle this, Olivia?"

"I want to break off the engagement."

Julian and I started dating after I finished high school.

On our first day as a couple, he brought his parents to my house and said he wanted to get engaged.