Sorry, My Love Affects Your Love for Others

It was my boyfriend's birthday party.

His ex-girlfriend showed up wearing the exact same white chiffon dress as me.

One of his friends suggested playing a blindfolded game to liven up the atmosphere - the "find your wife" game.

With his eyes blindfolded, my boyfriend walked straight over to his ex-girlfriend, embracing her waist and kissing her passionately.

The atmosphere in the room became awkwardly silent.

Everyone stared in shock, not expecting the game to go so wrong.

To everyone's surprise, I started clapping and stepped off the stage, cuing up a nostalgic love song about missing an ex - "I Still Miss You."

***

The speakers filled the room with a dreamy, intoxicating melody.

"I still love you, want to enter your heart, peel away the mist and grab hold of your voice..."

The two on stage kissed as if entranced.

The friend who suggested the game looked embarrassed, covering his eyes and reluctantly tapping Ethan.

Ethan pulled off the sheer scarf, his face flushed with passion.

He was quickly replaced by panic and awkwardness.

"I thought it was you, I was walking towards you..."

Before I, the real girlfriend, could even ask, Ethan was already anxiously explaining himself.

He looked guiltily into my eyes.

"Emma, it was a mistake."

Sophie had been drinking and was wobbly on her feet from Ethan's kiss. She clung to him, looking at me provokingly.

Another friend quickly tried to cover for Ethan.

"It's all Bear's fault for suggesting such a dumb game. He should drink three shots as punishment to apologize to Emma."

Bear came over with a drink, apologizing profusely, but I ignored him and didn't respond.

The atmosphere plummeted again.

Everyone thought I was bottling up my anger, ready to explode, and they shrank back a step.

"Sophie can barely stand, why don't you two go to one of the private rooms and continue there?"

I said in a mocking tone, using the most disdainful words to strike at their deepest insecurities.

Ethan's face darkened.

"I said it was a mistake, don't be so sarcastic."

"Sophie and I broke up years ago, we're just ordinary friends now. I've always treated her as a friend, and she has a boyfriend too. Don't go looking for trouble for her."

"Ethan, don't scare Emma. It was our fault to begin with."

Sophie finally pulled herself upright, looking sweetly at me.

"Emma, just treat what happened as a silly joke, okay? Ethan and I used to be the most intimate, you can't hold it against us forever, right?"

The friends all laughed it off, accepting Sophie's explanation and telling me to forget the incident.

Seeing I didn't argue back, Ethan visibly relaxed, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

If this had happened before, I would have cried, momentarily ripping off my weak facade to question and accuse him in front of everyone, making a scene just to defend my pitiful self-respect that they trampled on.

When Ethan and Sophie broke up, it wasn't long before he accepted my pursuit.

He came from a better family, had better relationships, and had...