My Boyfriend Introduced Another Man To Me

At a class reunion, someone introduced me to the man I had secretly dated for five years. “Mr. Lawson, Mia works on your research team too. Why don’t you two give it a try?” I walked over to Zeke Lawson, ready to take this chance to finally tell everyone that we were together. But Zeke took a step back and pointed toward his childhood friend, who had just returned from overseas. “No, thanks. I already have feelings for someone else.” He kept his distance and made sure no one would suspect anything between us. “If you’re looking to get married, I can introduce you to someone. I think you’d be a great match.” I let out an awkward laugh as I looked at Zeke, who was keeping a good ten feet between us. We had been secretly dating for five years, yet Zeke always made sure everyone thought he was single. He always kept his distance from me. I had waited five years for him to make our relationship public. I was not going to wait anymore. “Sure. Introduce him to me.” Chapter 1 The room went quiet for a moment. Zeke clearly had not expected me to agree. He frowned as if he wanted to say something. After a few seconds, he glanced at his friend, Ethan Calloway, then pushed a business card toward me. Zeke called the man. “You said your family has been pressuring you to get married, didn’t you? “She’s the woman I wanted to introduce you to. Her name is Mia Sullivan. She has a PhD from a top university, and she’s a senior researcher at our lab. Talk to her and see how you two get along.” After the man thanked him, Zeke ended the call and turned away. If our mutual friend had not stopped him earlier, Zeke would have done what he always did. He would have kept his distance and acted as if I did not exist. The bitter taste of whiskey filled my mouth. I dug my nails into my palm to keep my face under control. When Ethan heard that I was willing to meet someone, he handed me another business card. “He’s been asking me about you for a while, but you always refused to meet him. “He’s a great guy. Mia, give him a chance.” I instinctively looked over at Zeke. He stood beside Mabel Lowell with a smile on his face. He did not spare me another glance. One of Zeke’s friends had heard our conversation and laughed. “Come on, Zeke! Everyone knows Mia sticks close to you because she likes you. Are you really going to set her up with someone else? That’s cold!” “Exactly! She must’ve bought us thousands of cups of coffee over the past five years just to get on our good side. You never even gave her a chance.” Mabel swirled her glass of drink. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. “Were you waiting for me to come back? How come you never told me how you felt?” Zeke looked at her with an affectionate smile. “Of course. I just hadn’t gotten everything ready yet. “You deserve the best.” Mabel smiled from ear to ear. His words left a lump in my throat. When we got together, there was no confession and no grand romantic gesture. Zeke had simply asked me, “Mia, do you like me?” I had already been secretly in love with him for three years. When I nodded, he said, “We can be together, but I’m not going public with our relationship. “If anyone finds out about us, we’re over.” Back then, I was so happy to finally be with Zeke that I did not think twice about it. I thought he had finally seen how much I loved him and that there would be a day when we could stop hiding our relationship. I forced myself to fit in with Zeke’s circle of friends and kept hoping that one day he would introduce me as his girlfriend. He never introduced me at all. He even pushed me toward another man just to make it clear that there was nothing between us. I smiled bitterly. When Ethan saw that I had added the man’s contact information, he looked relieved. He smiled and said, “You always turned me down because you said you had a crush on someone else. But that guy has been stringing you along for years without ever committing to you. You should’ve moved on a long time ago! “Trust me. You’ll like this guy.” I lowered my head. He was right. I should have moved on a long time ago. After he said that, Ethan shot Zeke a subtle glance. “Did he set you up with Richard Larson? Don’t meet him. “He gets around. He’s been with quite a few models. Everyone in our circle knows his family has been pushing him to settle down for the past couple of years. He’ll marry just about anyone who agrees to marry him.” Before Ethan left, he muttered under his breath, “How could Zeke say you two were a good match?” My smile froze. That was what Zeke meant by a “great match.” We were both desperate to get married. A while ago, my family had started pressuring me to get married, so I messaged him. I thought he would finally agree to make our relationship public and come home with me to meet my parents. Instead, he ignored my messages and did not come home for an entire month. If Zeke did not want to be part of my world, then I would not keep trying to force my way into his. I turned around and left. I applied for a transfer out of Harbor City. Just then, I saw a message from the man Ethan had set me up with. [Are you free to meet tomorrow?] Chapter 2 After we agreed on a time and place to meet, I saw Zeke’s latest post on social media. [My best friend by my side, and the woman I love across from me.] The photo showed Zeke with a group of friends. Mabel stood in the center. Everyone in the group started tagging Zeke. [Way to go@Zeke! Mabel is finally back! Congratulations to you two! You’re finally making it official!] [What do you mean, ‘making it official’? Everyone knows @Zeke has always been in love with Mabel.] [What about Mia? Didn’t she spend five years chasing after @Zeke?] [Chasing him? She was practically begging for his attention. Now that Mabel is back, why would @Zeke waste his time on her?] [@Zeke had the ring and the whole proposal planned before Mabel even came back. How could anyone still not know who he really loves?] [Wait. Isn’t Mia in this group too?] The next second, I was kicked out of the group chat. A quiet bitterness slowly settled in my chest. I had begged Zeke to add me to the group chat because I wanted to fit into his world. I used to send everyone gift cards to liven things up, but Zeke only frowned. “There’s no need to send them gift cards. They wouldn’t care about a few gift cards anyway.” After that, the group went almost completely silent. Zeke had said, “They’re all busy with their own lives. Who has time to chat?” It seemed they were not quiet because they had nothing to say, but because they just did not want to include me. I had waited so long for Zeke to make our relationship public. I had waited forever for him to commit to me. With Mabel, he was ready to give her everything without her having to ask. She only needed to stand there. I sat by the river and replied to the messages before I finally went home. I had just stepped out of the elevator when I saw Zeke. Mabel was right behind him. The moment Zeke saw me, he stopped. His brow furrowed, and his expression turned cold and guarded. “Mia, what are you doing here?” I opened my mouth. I wanted to tell him that I was just coming home. Then, I remembered that Zeke had forbidden me from telling anyone that we lived together. He had even set strict times for me to leave and come home so no one would suspect anything. We lived at the same address, but we had never left home or returned together. Zeke seemed worried that Mabel might figure something out, so he spoke first. “Can you stop following me everywhere? “I don’t want others getting the wrong idea.” I stood there, completely at a loss. Then, my phone lit up with the texts he just sent. [Don’t come home for a while.] [Mabel just got back and doesn’t have anywhere to stay, so I told her she could stay with me.] [I already had someone pack up your things and move them to a place outside the city. Stay there for now.] I walked toward the elevator. Mabel looked at me and asked who I was. Zeke said casually, “She’s just someone who’s interested in me. She actually followed me all the way home! “Don’t worry about her. You can stay here. I’ll have security keep a closer eye on things.” Just before the elevator doors closed, I heard Mabel laugh. “Wow, Zeke, you haven’t changed the code in five years! It’s still like the day I left. “I told you to wait for me for five years, and you actually did?” My hand froze over the elevator button. When I first moved in, I had secretly been thrilled when I learned the password. Zeke did not want to make our relationship public, but his door code was the date we started dating. I thought it was his quiet way of showing me that he cared. I assumed he was just not good at expressing his feelings. But even that tiny bit of happiness had never been meant for me. I dragged myself to the outskirts and moved my things out. Late that night, Zeke saw that I still had not replied, so he sent me another text. [Don’t overthink this. Mabel just got back, and I’m only helping her out as a friend.] [About making our relationship public, just give me a little more time.] I did not reply. I just unpinned his chat from favorites. Chapter 3 The next day, I went to work as usual. Clara Bennett, my assistant, told me that someone new had joined the department. When I met her, I realized it was Mabel. Zeke introduced her to everyone without the slightest hesitation. “Mia is a friend of mine. “She was working on a research project overseas that happened to be closely related to my work, so I invited her here to learn more about our research. “Please look after her.” Zeke was the director of the research institute, but he never gave anyone special treatment. His mentor’s son had once asked to sit in on one of his research projects. Zeke turned him down without hesitation. He had also refused every person who tried to pay their way into his graduate program. When everyone heard Zeke openly say that Mabel was there because he had invited her, whispers spread throughout the department. “Mr. Lawson always keeps things strictly professional. If he’s willing to do that, she must be pretty important to him!” “Mabel, is there something going on between you two?” “Come on, tell us! We promise we won’t tell anyone!” Mabel glanced at Zeke with a playful smile. “Us? “If you want to give it a name, I guess you could call us childhood sweethearts.” Zeke’s ears turned red when he heard her. Someone immediately said teasingly, “Oh, childhood sweethearts!” “Sounds like you were meant to be!” Zeke’s smile grew wider at their words. He cleared his throat. “To welcome our new colleague, dinner is on me today. “Order whatever you want. Go for the expensive stuff.” The others got even louder, teasing her as Zeke’s future wife. I said nothing and just watched Mabel. I had loved Zeke in secret for three years. We had been together for five. I had dreamed about standing by his side more times than I could count. I had always imagined Zeke proudly introducing me as his girlfriend and just wanted to be by his side without needing to hide it. But I never got the chance. I stopped listening to their teasing and walked away. After work, Zeke invited everyone to dinner. When he noticed that I was the only one missing, he asked, “Where’s Mia?” Clara gave him a vague answer. “Mia left as soon as work ended. I think she’s meeting someone she was set up with.” When Zeke heard that I was meeting someone else, the tension in his shoulders slowly eased. He knew Richard. Everyone in our circle knew what Richard was like. Zeke knew I would not spend much time with someone like that. At 10 p.m., I had just gotten home when several videos appeared in our work group chat. Zeke held a bouquet in his left hand and a diamond ring in his right. The entire area was covered in champagne-colored roses. Candles formed a heart around Mabel. The camera angle was perfect. Both of their faces were clearly visible. Zeke dropped to one knee and looked at her with affection. “Mabel, you told me to wait for you when you left. I waited five years. Now that you’re finally back, I have the chance to tell you how I feel.” Mabel nodded through her tears. Everyone who saw the video admired the beautiful setup Zeke had prepared for the proposal. My coworkers kept sending their congratulations. I stared at the video. My fingers trembled. The entire setup of the proposal was the same as the one Zeke had promised me when he said he would make our relationship public. A month ago, he had asked me what kind of proposal I wanted. I thought he was finally going to make our relationship public, so I excitedly told him that I liked a traditional setup. I wanted roses, candles, and a diamond ring. I wanted him to get down on one knee. Zeke wrote down every detail. I thought he was planning to use that to finally make our relationship public, so I started getting up an hour early every morning just to do my makeup perfectly. I never imagined that he had asked me about the proposal because he was planning it for Mabel. Teardrops fell onto my phone. That was the moment I finally walked away from our secret relationship for good. Chapter 4 The next day, I went through everything that needed to be handed over and gave Clara the research data. The new lab was short-staffed, so my transfer came through almost immediately after I applied. At some point, Mabel walked over to me. “Mia, why weren’t you at dinner last night? It was Zeke’s treat.” I kept my tone professional. “I had something else to do.” She suddenly let out a mocking laugh and said, “Did you really have something else to do? Or did you hear that Zeke was going to propose to me and decide not to show up?” I frowned. The hostility in Mabel’s tone was impossible to miss. She gave me a cold smile and said, “After all, while I was overseas, you were the woman Zeke was sleeping with, weren’t you?” The moment she said it, everyone nearby turned to look at us. Their faces showed curiosity, confusion, and contempt. I immediately denied it. “No, I wasn’t!” Mabel took out her phone and played a voice text from a friend. “Mia? Yeah, she was the one Zeke slept with for the past five years. “She found out Mabel was leaving the country, and she went after Zeke that same day. “Everyone in our circle knows Zeke and Mabel grew up together. Mia shamelessly kept trying to get between them.” The recording stopped there. Every word felt like a knife to my heart. Mabel raised an eyebrow. “Mia, you really don’t want to admit it?” The disbelief and contempt on my coworkers’ faces were impossible to miss. Their voices were full of mockery. “I can’t believe it. She’s Dr. Sullivan in public, but behind closed doors, she’s sleeping with the director!” “Who knows how many times she’s done this? Maybe she even slept her way through to her PhD.” “I always wondered why Mr. Lawson kept his distance from her. He probably thought she was disgusting.” My fists tightened, but I forced myself to stay calm. “I wasn’t his lover. I just…” Several coworkers who had never liked me rolled their eyes. “What? The voice message made everything perfectly clear. “Mabel left, and you went straight to Mr. Lawson’s bed. You really want to claim that nothing happened? “Someone like you has no place in this lab. Forget about the transfer. She should be fired.” I dug my nails into my palms and tried to defend myself. “Zeke and I are together. We are in a relationship.” The words had barely left my mouth when Zeke hurried over. His face was tense, and he looked genuinely concerned. I put all my hope in him. “Zeke, you’re here. Perfect! Tell them. Haven’t we been together for five years?” He walked right past me and went straight to Mabel. “Are you okay?” The moment everyone saw that, the mockery grew louder. “Mia, this is what you call dating? “You really think you two were together? “Did you make the whole thing up? I think it’s pretty obvious who he likes.” She pointed at Mabel, then at me with a mocking smile. “Look at them. Has Mr. Lawson looked at you that way even once?” I refused to believe it. I kept my eyes on Zeke. There was a look of pity in his eyes. After a brief pause, he finally spoke. “What could there possibly be between us? “Mabel and I grew up together. How could I ever be with you?” Laughter and ridicule erupted around me. “You heard him, Mia! You thought you were in a relationship, but it was all in your head. You slept with him and convinced yourself he loved you. “Mr. Lawson didn’t even know about any of it.” I bit my lip to hold back my tears. A metallic taste filled my mouth. When Zeke met my eyes, he quickly looked away. Then, he coldly withdrew his approval of my transfer. “Mia, take some time off and go home.” I gave him a bitter smile and said, “Zeke, I never want to see you again.” The others continued to mock me. “Oh, please! “Mr. Lawson must have the worst luck in the world. You clung to him and then spread rumors about the two of you.” I said nothing. I packed up my things and left. After I was gone, Zeke took Mabel back into the lab. His voice was unusually stern. “Mabel, you said you wanted me to propose to you so you could fit in with my coworkers. Why did you have to go after Mia?” Mabel pouted. “Zeke, I was only trying to help you see how Mia really feels about you! “If she comes back to you after all that, wouldn’t that prove she really loves you?” Zeke sighed. He said nothing more. A week passed, then another. Zeke still had not heard from me. He finally couldn’t take it anymore and called me. When the call connected, all he heard was a noisy crowd in the background. Amid the music, laughter, and cheers, one sentence came through loud and clear. “Mia is always so absent-minded. She left her phone behind when she got into the wedding car.”