In the second month of our silent treatment, my fiancé humiliated me in front of all our friends—

He joked that the birthmark on my face made me look like a Dalmatian.

Without saying a word, I just turned around and walked out, ending everything

Everyone thought I was being dramatic. They even placed bets on how long my little "tantrum" would last.

After all, I had devoted ten years of my life to Eric Gibson, and we were weeks away from our wedding.

That night, as I packed my things, Eric stood in the doorway, frowning like I was the one being unreasonable.

"Are you really going to throw away ten years over a harmless joke?"

I looked him in the eye.

"Yes. Exactly because of that 'harmless' joke."

***

When Eric said the birthmark on my face looked like a Dalmatian spots, I had just walked into the bar.

Everyone turned to look. The mark near my left eyebrow burned like fire under their stares.

Someone tried to hide a laugh with a cough. But Kelly Harlan—perched at the bar with her wine glass—didn’t even bother pretending. She burst out laughing.

"It really does look like that," she said.

I shot her a cold stare. She immediately covered her mouth, feigning regret.

"Sorry, I've been abroad so long that I've gotten used to saying whatever's on my mind… Maddie, you're not mad, right?"

Eric's tense face relaxed the moment Kelly spoke. He shrugged, like it was no big deal.

"Why would she be mad? She's pulled all kinds of stunts to get my attention. Why would she care about something so small?"

Then he looked at me with disdain. "If you behaved better, maybe Kelly could help you get rid of that mark. She just got back—I don't want to embarrass her. If you're smart, go home."

Eric knew Kelly used to have a crush on him. He still let her cling to him. Still let her drag him into the laughing crowd. She looked at me like I was dirt beneath her heels, her smile sparkling like the diamonds on her ears—cold, sharp, and dazzling.

I turned around, heart pounding. The music was deafening, like waves crashing through my chest. It was hard to breathe.

I wiped my eyes and headed for the door. Then someone behind me said loudly:

"Is the Dalmatian finally leaving?"

Laughter exploded.

I stood frozen, head buzzing. I looked down and realized my nails were digging into my palms. But I didn’t feel a thing.

All I could think was—

I came here tonight to make peace.

But now… what was the point?

The story of how I had met Eric had hardly been a pleasant memory.

It all started when I was in my second year of high school. I got mixed up with some troublemaker students in my class. The worst part was when they cornered me by the girls' bathroom door, grinning and waving a black marker. They said they were gonna draw legs on my birthmark to make me look like a big black toad.

I couldn't fight them off. They pinned me down, and the smell of alcohol mixed with my struggling as they scribbled on my skin. My eyes were blurry with tears and sweat.

That's when Eric showed up. Like a superhero, he kicked away the guy holding me down.

With no teachers around during lunch, he quickly took care of the three troublemakers, then dragged me to the playground. He stayed by the water fountain while I washed my face.

He was a considerate guy—he knew how much girls care about their looks, so he never once looked at my messy face.

When the black marks finally faded, and I looked up, my face red from scrubbing, to thank him, he paused for a second before smiling. "No wonder those jerks picked on you. They must have thought you were pretty."

His eyes were clear, like he wasn't just saying something to make me feel better.

Even though a lot of people would see the birthmark on my face and say stuff like it's a "flaw on a gemstone," I always thought Eric didn't care about it.

Later on, I found out that Eric is actually the grandson of Hendrix Gibson, who's the head of the Gibson Group and will inherit the whole empire someday.

Even knowing there was a huge difference in our backgrounds, I couldn't stop looking at him.

He liked tall girls, so I was secretly happy about my height, even though people used to make fun of it. When he decided to go to a university on the north side of the country, I suddenly changed my college application and worked super hard to get into the same school.

In my second year of chasing after him, Eric finally let me be around him.

He'd take the water I gave him right after playing basketball, and when friends joked about whether I was his girlfriend, he'd just smile and not say anything, letting the rumors fly.

Just when I thought all my waiting was finally worth it, he introduced me to this super pretty girl who looked like a doll at a party.

That was when I found out he had a childhood friend studying abroad—Kelly.

Kelly was from a wealthy family and always seemed to glow with confidence and grace. Most importantly, no matter how much people looked at her, she always acted with class and elegance, never showing any sign of feeling less than others.

At our first meeting, she stared at my face for a long time. Then she asked, confused, "Is that... a fly on your face? It looks like a Dalmatian."

It was a fancy dinner. The kid sitting next to me started laughing, and even Eric's friends and relatives found her comment funny.

Amidst the laughter, I quickly bowed my head, using my hair to cover the birthmark near my eyebrow, forcing an awkward smile.

Noticing my discomfort, Eric—who had already been in a minor argument with her—snapped back sarcastically, "People shouldn't talk while eating. Can't food shut you up?"

Kelly's expression darkened. She slammed her fork down and soon said she had to go back to her school overseas early.

After learning she left without saying goodbye, Eric didn't seem too worried. But I heard that the guy who hardly ever drank got completely wasted that night.

The next day, he caught me just as I was about to give up and said, "Do you want a relationship that never breaks up?"

It turned out that he was right.

For the whole five years we were together, we hardly ever fought. Even when we did, it was mostly just little arguments, and every time, I'd figure it out right away, calm myself down, and then go to him.

Except this time, we'd been in a silent argument for a whole month.

It was all because of Kelly.

It took a while after we started dating for me to hear from other people about how close they used to be.

They grew up together in the same courtyard as kids, and their families almost arranged a baby match for them. The biggest thing was that Eric gave her his first kiss, even though they were both really young and didn't know much back then.

But when I got upset about it, Eric just gave me a casual smile and tried to cheer me up. "When I was born, there were a bunch of nurses around too. Should I be jealous of all of them? Come on, stressing out so much is why your hair's been falling out lately."

When I heard that, I pursed my lips and touched my hair.

"Isn't that just perfect?" Kelly, who was at his family dinner, glanced at me and said in a flat voice, "Maddie's a model, right? If she goes for a full bald head and keeps that birthmark on her face, wouldn't she be an instant hit?"

Everyone at the table, especially Eric's mom, immediately frowned.

Kelly let out an "ah," quickly pretending to zip her lips shut as she smiled apologetically. "Look at me, always saying the wrong thing. I forgot Eric's mom doesn't like modeling..."

For the first time, I looked right at her. "This is our engagement party. I don't remember inviting you."

She paused, quickly putting on an innocent, hurt look.

"After all, I grew up with Eric. I'm practically part of his family... Maddie, being so harsh, do you not want any female friends around him?

"The Gibson family is a prestigious family. I thought his future wife would be understanding and generous..."

Eric stepped in to ease the tension. "That's enough. You only cause trouble when you're back."

He gave Kelly a deliberately stern look, then turned to put his arm around me, pinching my cheek. "Why argue with a kid? Though I do love seeing you jealous."

I swatted his hand away, uncharacteristically showing temper, "I'm not jealous!"

Eric had never seen me this mad before, so he was really surprised. But then he laughed and hugged me, his voice super soft. "Yeah, yeah, you're not jealous. I made my wife upset, and I deserve to get in trouble."

The tension disappeared with his words, and soon everyone at the table was laughing again.

But Kelly, sitting across from me, had a really dark look in her eyes, and her lips were pressed tightly downward.

That night after dinner, I got added to a WhatsApp group called Princess Kelly and Her Slaves. Eric was in there too.

Nobody acted surprised to see me. Everyone was busy complimenting Kelly on her latest post on Instagram.

A Gucci limited-edition bag, the same one I'd asked Eric to help me get through his connections to find a sales agent, but he couldn't do it.

I checked her profile, and it was set as public.

I saw her newest update right away. She was hugging the bag, smiling with dimples, and the caption said.

"Crossed thousands of miles just to celebrate my birthday early. This princess will reluctantly forgive you."

Looking back, Kelly had just tagged my boyfriend, saying, "Thought you'd forgotten. A bag won't buy my forgiveness that easily."

It was vague, but it was clear who it was for when Eric, who'd just told me he was "busy," replied in seconds. "You really are a handful, my little deity."

Perhaps noticing I was there, he sent another message that sounded like an excuse. "She's been spoiled by the neighborhood guys since she was a kid. Just take it as entertainment."

I didn't say anything back.

After that, whenever Kelly tagged him, Eric would only respond with short messages.

Then one day, she suddenly tagged me, asking if I needed help. Not just other people, but even I was curious.

I replied to her. "What kind of help?"

"To get rid of the birthmark on your face. Didn't Eric tell you I study medical aesthetics? Honestly, Maddie, you must have been made fun of a lot for having that birthmark all these years, right? It's really... not easy on the eyes at first glance.

"Just because Eric praises you, don't actually think this birthmark is a treasure and start dreaming of being a famous international supermodel?"

Her over-the-top comments got the attention of people in the group who didn't know the story.

The next second, an unflattering picture of me was posted.

"There you go, tell me if I'm making sense."

Someone sent a rude "Holy shit, so ugly" and quickly recalled the message.

My fingers were shaking with anger as I held the phone, and to make things worse, Eric chimed in after her.

"This birthmark really isn't aesthetically pleasing. If you want to succeed in this industry, you don't have to take such a radical approach..."

Hearing him side with everyone else, I remembered the first time we met, when he said my birthmark was unique. The irony was too much.

I quickly typed and sent two messages.

"What, now you're criticizing something I was born with?"

"Pretending to be kind while digging at me. Do you really think you're a princess? And the rest of you, naming this group something so ridiculous is hilarious. Do you all enjoy groveling for a princess? Does your girlfriend know about this?"

Before I could calm down, I looked up to see that I'd been kicked out of the group.

Just then, Eric sent a video call. When I answered, his face was gloomy. "Maddie Kecith, do you know what you just said?"

I laughed out of anger. "I only know that you and your childhood sweetheart, along with her army of admirers, were just making fun of me."

"They're all our people. It was just a joke. Kelly has been studying abroad—she doesn't beat around the bush like we do. She gave you advice out of kindness, but you... You've really disappointed me." His tone got colder. "I'll give you her number. Call her and apologize."

This was the first time he'd ever talked to me like he was bossing me around.

"You're older than her. How can you be so careless with what you say?"

I was so mad that I hung up the phone right away.

The silence lasted a month. I was planning to give in again and try to make up with him.

But what I didn't expect was to see him make fun of the birthmark on my face in public, just to calm her down.

That night, I went back by myself to the house that used to be mine and Eric's. I packed up all my stuff like I was trying to erase any sign that I'd ever been there.

Before I left, I looked at the suitcase he always kept by the door, like he was always ready to go. If Kelly just waved her hand, he'd run to her side, even be there for every big moment in her life.

It turned out, everything had a trail.

After I got to my new place, I got a message from my best friend, Sarah Sutton.

"What's going on? Did you break up with Eric?"

"Yeah."

"Maddie, your wedding date was already set. Hearing this out of the blue is a bit... You know what they just said?"

I knew she was talking about his friends.

"They were betting in front of Eric about how long your tantrum would last. They must have been drunk, and even Eric joined in."

"Oh?"

"He bet three days, 150 thousand dollars."

"Then he's gonna go broke."

When she heard my calm voice, there was a pause on the other end.

"Maddie, is this... for real this time?"

"You have to think clearly. Leaving other things aside, you've spent a full ten years on him!"

I didn't answer right away, just asked, "Sarah, can you accept the man you love making jokes about your flaws with others?

"I did love him, but everyone should have a bottom line."

The other end showed "typing" for a long time, then fell silent without any more response.

That night, I had a dream about my childhood after a long time.

I was five years old, just old enough to understand. Kids my age threw sand at me, calling me ugly. I ran home crying, hugging my mom and asking why I was different.

Why did a dark brown birthmark have to grow on my fair face? Why did everyone frown at the first sight of my face? Why couldn't she have given birth to me more beautifully?

My mom cried with me, saying she was sorry. In the dream, her tear-stained face melted into deep and shallow marks on the pillow.

I slumped over, hiding my face. The bitterness that I'd held back for so long started bubbling up from my throat, and the pain spread from my chest to my head. My temples kept pounding, but I stayed clear-headed.

Honestly, ever since my mom left, I've known this isn't some unforgivable curse.

It was a gift my mom left me.

Eric showed up to see me three days later. Maybe he was embarrassed in front of his friends because he didn't sound friendly at all. "Can we go inside and talk?"

I moved aside to let him in.

Some things really need to be talked out in person.

"Moving out is one thing, but ignoring me and blocking my number all this time. Maddie, you've really gone too far." He tried to pull me close, but I just stepped to the side.

He frowned and said, "There has to be a limit to your tantrums."

I looked at him calmly. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. Breaking up is breaking up."

Eric studied me for a moment, then sighed and took my hand. "Let me guess... is this about the joke I made that night at the bar when you came to see me?"

I calmly pulled my hand away and said, "A joke should be funny. Eric, did you really think that comment was humorous?

"Or is it that having your partner publicly compared to a dog means nothing to you? After all, it was just a joke, right?"

Because of my birthmark, I've had to deal with so many cold stares since I was a kid. For a girl, how could I not feel insecure about it during my teenage years?

But when I was feeling the worst about myself, Eric once casually said that the birthmark actually made me look unique. He encouraged me to overcome my insecurities and turn my flaws into an advantage, which inspired my goal of walking on bigger runways and making a name for myself, to prove I was worthy of him.

Now, though, I suddenly didn't care about Eric's applause on the day I achieved that goal.

Seeing my serious face, Eric's attitude changed. He stroked my fingers, his tone soothing. "Honey, that comment was really just a joke—no harm meant. You know how I get when I've had a drink. I was just trying to ease the tension between you and Kelly, so she could help you remove the..."

"Did I ever say I wanted it removed?" I tugged at my lips. "You think you're acting in my best interest, but when have you ever asked for my opinion before making a decision?"

Eric seemed taken aback by my outburst. I was usually so easygoing. He froze for a moment, then quickly softened his tone again.

"Okay, okay, I promise it won't happen again.

"If you don't want to remove the birthmark, we won't. There's no need to let such a small thing strain our relationship, right? Besides, we're going to look at wedding dresses in a few days. You've been looking forward to that custom-made gown. You'll look amazing in..."

I frowned. "Haven't I made it clear enough? We're done. Or are you still too drunk to understand English?"

Rumor had it that to welcome Kelly back, they booked out a whole bar for three nights. People saw Eric holding her, disappearing into a private booth—and when they finally came out, both had swollen lips and messed-up clothes.

Now, he had the nerve to stand here like he was the victim?

Eric’s jaw tightened. "So that's it? After everything I've done to make it right, you're still punishing me over one harmless comment?"

His voice was sharp, desperate. "I've never begged anyone like this. Think carefully, Maddie. I don't take back my words. Once you walk away, there's no undoing it."

"Let me ask one last time. Are you sure you want to give up our ten-year relationship over such a small joke?"

I looked him straight in the eyes, calm and unwavering.

"Perfect," I said. "Then let this be my final word."

I leaned in, smiled, and whispered:

"Yes. Precisely because of that joke."