Chapter 2My Fiancée Always Criticizes Me

My emotions still hadn't calmed down by the time my friend, Alex, came to pick me up.

After I posted the news of the canceled wedding on social media, everyone started asking what happened.

Most people said things like: "Leo, are you and Evelyn just having a misunderstanding?"

"She's such a great woman; you'll never find anyone like her again."

Even my mom sided with Evelyn. "Evelyn told me about what happened. It's just a small thing, no need to dwell on it."

And Evelyn herself just texted me three words: "Stop messing around."

I gripped my phone, a wave of helplessness spreading through me.

No one understood.

After all, in everyone's eyes, Evelyn was the perfect girlfriend.

Beautiful, capable, earned good money, and had been with me for ten years without ever cheating.

If she had any fault, it was that she loved putting me down.

We grew up together.

She was the "golden child," excelling at everything, always better than me.

But fate is fair. While it gave her talent, it also gave her a difficult family background.

Her mom passed away young, and her dad was a workaholic who barely paid attention to her, only giving her a second glance when she won an award.

And her dad was traditional and old-fashioned, always saying it was "a shame she was a girl."

Because of this, Evelyn was exceptionally driven.

While the other neighborhood kids were still playing in the dirt, Evelyn was already participating in math competitions and winning awards.

Her difficult upbringing shaped Evelyn into someone strong-willed and demanding. But only with me did she reveal her critical side.

If I got second place instead of first, she'd tap my head and tell me I "wasn't smart enough," pointing at my mistakes and scolding me, "How could you get something so simple wrong?"

If I only won a bronze medal in a competition, she, who always won gold, would be deeply disappointed, coldly criticizing me and calling me a "blockhead."

My mom's favorite saying was, "Look at Evelyn, she's so brilliant. She always gets first place and wins awards left and right."

You could say I grew up in Evelyn's shadow.

I hated how she always made me feel worthless, and I hated my mom constantly comparing me to her.

Yet, in our early romantic years, everyone called Evelyn and me a classic "opposites attract" couple.

They said the way Evelyn treated me was her way of showing affection.

Even when Evelyn confessed her feelings, she said, "Leo, if I didn't like you, would I be so hard on you?"

It was the first time she’d ever spoken to me so gently. Her young face softened, and her eyes sparkled with a smile.

The cheers and teasing around us were constant, and I was too caught up to notice the little knot of discomfort in my stomach.

And just like that, I kind of stumbled into a relationship with Evelyn.

That "stumble" lasted ten years.