Inside the shop, Gilbert was looking for Rita when he spotted Navid standing with a woman who didn't look like the kind of women he usually surrounded himself with. She was carrying Navid's shopping bags.
"Hello, Mr. Gilbert. It's been a long time," Navid said.
"Yes," Gilbert replied.
"What about that woman you said you wanted to take revenge on? Did she fall for you?" Navid asked.
Gilbert froze. "What are you talking about?"
"No need to worry about her." Navid pointed at the woman standing beside him. "She's my secretary."
Gilbert just wanted to leave.
"I'm here with—"
Navid interrupted, "With your looks, it's not difficult for you to get a girl. But before breaking her heart, make sure she's not pregnant, or it'll be difficult to get rid of her."
Gilbert frowned. "What kind of man do you think I am?"
"Why are you getting angry? Weren't you the one who asked for my advice because you wanted to take revenge on—"
"I am here with my wife," Gilbert snapped before turning to leave.
Behind him, Rita stood frozen.
Gilbert closed his eyes, hoping it was just a nightmare.
Without saying a word, she turned and walked out of the store.
His chest tightened.
Seeing her leave, he immediately ran after her.
Navid looked at his secretary.
"Did I do something wrong?"
His secretary sighed and remained silent.
Outside, there weren't many people around.
Rita walked as fast as she could, her head lowered as she tried to hide the tears threatening to fall.
Gilbert rushed ahead and stepped in front of her.
"I can explain."
Rita didn't respond.
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Gilbert didn't even know how to explain.
"It wasn't what you think."
"He was talking about me," Rita said quietly.
Deep down, she already knew the answer, but she desperately wanted to be wrong.
"That was a misunderstanding."
Gilbert held both her hands.
"Look at me."
"What misunderstanding?" Rita asked.
She looked at him hopefully, wanting him to tell her she had misunderstood everything.
Gilbert didn't know how to answer.
All he knew was that he loved her.
"Do you seriously hate me that much?" Rita asked through tears. "What have I ever done to you that you always treat me like trash?"
Gilbert stepped closer and gently wiped away her tears.
"I don't know how to prove myself. I only know that I truly love you."
"I don't believe you."
Rita pushed him away and started walking.
Gilbert ran after her and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Please, listen to me."
"You never felt sorry for bullying me. That was all a lie."
"I was angry at my situation. I was stupid."
He couldn't bring himself to admit that he had once wanted revenge.
"Please believe me, just this once."
"How am I supposed to believe you when you've lied to me so many times?"
Rita pulled herself free from his embrace and walked away to call a taxi.
Gilbert stopped her.
"I'll take you home."
"I'm going to my parents' house," Rita replied.
Gilbert dropped to his knees in front of her.
"I'm sorry."
She turned to leave.
He immediately got up and hugged her again.
"You can be angry with me, but please don't leave me."
"Don't do things like this," Rita said, pushing him away.
"I'll do anything to earn your trust."
She looked at him through her tears.
"You can't even genuinely apologize to anyone."
Gilbert stood there crying.
For a moment, Rita wanted to hug him back, but she stopped herself.
"I can't trust you."
A taxi pulled up beside her.
She got into the taxi without looking back, leaving Gilbert standing alone on the roadside.
Gilbert's tears fell endlessly.
He couldn't move.
Finally, he called Ray.
"Hello?" Ray answered.
All he could hear was Gilbert crying.
Panic immediately filled his voice.
"What happened? Where are you?"
Gilbert could barely speak.
"Street 53."
Meanwhile, Rita reached her parents' house.
Unable to hold back her tears any longer, she ran to her mother, who was heading upstairs to sleep.
Rita threw her arms around her and broke down crying.
"Rita, what happened? Why are you crying?" her mother asked in alarm.
"He doesn't love me," Rita sobbed.
Her mother took her upstairs and helped her sit on the bed.
She gently comforted her, though she wasn't sure what to say.
Ray hurried out of his car when he spotted Gilbert sitting on the roadside.
"What happened?" Ray asked worriedly.
"Come on, let's go."
He helped Gilbert to his feet and guided him into the car.
"You're making me worry. Tell me what happened."
As Gilbert struggled to control his tears, he whispered,
"She left me."
"Why?"
"Because of me."
Ray handed him a box of tissues.
"Clean your face."
Ray understood that something serious had happened between Gilbert and Rita, but he decided not to press him further until he calmed down.
It shocked him to see his friend in such a state.
When they arrived home, Ray led Gilbert inside and sat him down in the living room.
He handed him a glass of water.
"Now tell me exactly what happened. Why did she leave?"
For the first time, Gilbert was too exhausted to care about his image or make excuses.
"I used to bully her in school."
Ray was shocked, but he remained silent and listened.
"Then we got married because of our parents. I blamed her for everything that went wrong in my life, so I decided to take revenge on her. I made her fall for me, planning to break her heart later."
His voice broke.
"Without realizing I'd already fallen for her."
Ray listened patiently, trying not to judge him.
Gilbert let out a bitter laugh.
"I said horrible things to her. I told her that no matter what she wore, she'd still look ugly. I told her she was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen."
He lowered his head.
"But she never left me."
A tear rolled down his cheek.
"And now, when I finally confessed my feelings honestly, she doesn't believe me anymore."
He wiped his eyes.
"This is karma."
Ray patted his back.
"It's okay. You can explain everything later. Right now she's angry, and she won't listen no matter what you say."
"What if she never wants to see me again?" Gilbert asked.
"Then show her how sincere you are."
Ray led him to a guest room.
"You should get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
But Gilbert couldn't sleep.
He stared at his phone, wanting to call Rita.
Fear stopped him.
What if she'd blocked his number?
What if she didn't answer?
After a long time, he finally dialed her number.
Meanwhile, Rita lay alone in her room beneath her blanket.
She stared at the pendant she had bought for him.
In the play, the girl had given the pendant to the man she loved.
But real life wasn't like the play. The love she believed in had turned out to be a lie.
She threw the pendant across the room.
It hit the floor with a soft sound.
A moment later, her phone rang.
She picked it up and saw Gilbert's name on the screen.
Part of her wanted to answer.
She wanted to hear his voice.
She wanted to hear his explanation.
Then she remembered everything he had done to her, and the hope in her heart shattered once again. He had never loved her—not in the beginning, and perhaps not even now.
With trembling fingers, she switched off her phone.
Her gaze fell on the pendant lying on the floor. In the past, she would have picked it up almost immediately, unable to part with anything that reminded her of Gilbert. But this time, she simply looked away and left it where it had fallen.
Gilbert called again and again.
Each time, he heard the same message.
The phone is switched off.
He didn't sleep all night.
He lay awake staring at his phone, replaying every moment in his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Rita walking away from him.
When the first rays of sunlight slipped through the window, he realized morning had arrived
Seeing the time, he hurriedly got ready.
He had to talk to Rita.
He had to make her listen.
As he was leaving, he saw Ray making breakfast.
"Ray, I'm going."
Ray immediately stopped him.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see Rita."
Ray frowned.
"Gilbert, if you go like this, what will her family think?"
Gilbert paused.
Ray continued,
"Do they even know what happened between you two?"
Gilbert ran a hand through his messy hair in frustration.
"I don't know."
For the first time in a long time, he felt completely helpless.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore."
His voice grew quieter.
"I don't know how to earn her trust back."