I didn't know if he had been angered outside or if those ladies hadn't served him well, but Steve lost his temper and shouted, "Shut up, you fool!"

By now, I had become immune to such insults and wouldn't panic like the first time I heard them.

I remember when he first called me a dumbass, I cried all night long.

I was devastated.

But after hearing it often enough, I became numb.

He didn't stop there and continued to insult me, "You stupid, homeless swine, what makes you think you can challenge me?"

In fact, I wasn't very fat. I was 5.4 feet tall and weighed 108 pounds.

Although I was eight pounds heavier than in college, I wasn't fat.

But he could always find a reason to insult me.

I quietly looked at him, my gaze falling on his suit pants pocket.

A piece of black lace, thin and semi-transparent, stuck out, attached to a slender string.

I knew what it was.

It must have been stuffed inside by some scheming woman.

I didn't try to placate Steve, nor did I have the energy to argue with him.

I just smiled and said, "Stevie, we've been together for so many years and truly loved each other. There's no need for things to turn out like this."

Steve froze at my words.

He remembered that nickname.

I used to address him like that when we were deeply in love.

Steve and I were high school classmates.

Before we chose our respective academic tracks, we were in the same class.

The affection we had for each other during our school days was simple and vague.

I had feelings for him but didn't dare to show them.

He was good-looking and excelled academically. On the basketball court, his effortless jumps and shots always earned him cheers and applause.

For the entire first year of high school, I watched him silently.

In the first semester of the second year, we became desk mates. But not long after, we had to choose our academic paths.

I excelled in liberal arts, so I naturally chose that track, while he, being a top student in science, was bound for the science class.

This made me even more reluctant to express my feelings.

On the day we separated, a girl from the science class approached him boldly and said, "Steve, you're finally going to be with me."

She was Steve's middle school classmate, Susan Green.

Jealous, I bit my lip and tried to leave through the back door, but Steve blocked me at the stairway.

Standing in front of me, he gently asked, "Nancy, are you upset?"