Part 1Negative Exposure

When my boyfriend snapped yet another unflattering photo of me, I couldn't stop the tears from welling up.

Damien looked at me with pure annoyance.

"That’s just what you look like, Zoe. Did you expect me to edit you into a supermodel or something?"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

This time, I didn't chase after him to apologize. Instead, I pulled out my phone and typed a breakup text.

Suddenly, rows of floating text—like a livestream chat—scrolled across my vision.

[Nooo, baby girl, don't break up! The Male Lead actually loves you so much! He takes bad photos because he’s afraid of your beauty! He’s scared someone else will steal you away!]

[Exactly! His parents divorced when he was young, he has zero sense of security. Just tolerate him a little longer, sis!]

[The Male Lead isn't actually impatient! He uses coldness to hide his insecurity. He’s literally buying you boba right now, just waiting for you to come beg for forgiveness.]

My nose stung.

I stared at the screen for a moment. Then, I hit Send.

* * *

The second the "Delivered" receipt popped up, the floating chat exploded.

[AHHHH! Zoe, what are you doing?! The Male Lead just wants you to care about him! How could you dump him?]

[My poor baby boy Damien is so tragic. No one loved him growing up, and he thought he finally found true love... I can’t imagine how broken he is right now.]

[Stop, I’m crying. His face just went pale. He’s shaking. He just dropped the boba tea on the sidewalk. This is heartbreaking.]

[This Female Lead has zero empathy. I’m dropping this story.]

I gripped my phone tighter.

My heart felt heavy, but mostly, I was exhausted.

The Chat claimed Damien loved me. But for the past three years, I hadn’t felt a shred of it.

Damien was a brilliant photographer. Whether it was landscapes or portraits, he captured the soul of his subjects.

Except for me.

With me, he only captured distortions. Double chins, awkward blinks, unflattering angles.

Then he’d show these disasters to his frat brothers and classmates, laughing as he critiqued me: "Zoe is just average looking. Mid body, mid face."

He didn't care about my embarrassment. He didn't care about the pitying looks people threw my way.

But the photos he took of his "junior mentee," Lexie? They were stunning.

He even won first place in a campus photography contest with a portrait of her.

I’d seen him shoot with her. He gave her endless emotional support, guiding her patiently.

"Lexie, smile a bit. Yes, just like that. You’re glowing." "Hold that pose. Perfect." "This shot is absolutely insane."

But with me? It was always cold hostility.

"If you think I take bad photos, go find someone else." "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, Zoe."

But... I wasn't hideous. My roommates called me a bombshell. Freshman year, guys asked for my Snap constantly.

I couldn't understand why, in Damien’s mouth, I was worthless.

I endured it for three years.

Now, I was done. I was done paying the bill for his "insecurity."

I remembered reading somewhere: If you can’t feel the love, then it isn't love.

So, I was done compromising.

Back in my dorm, my phone buzzed. A reply from Damien.

Just two words.

[Fine. Done.]

Even through the screen, I could picture his sneer.

But strangely, I let out a massive sigh of relief.

As I went to wash my face, the Chat appeared again.

[The Male Lead doesn't want to break up! He’s just saying that out of anger! He has too much pride to beg, Zoe, don't believe him!]

[Our boy is so good, honestly. He saw the text and hasn't eaten dinner. He’s hiding under his duvet crying right now.]

[Just apologize to him, Zoe! He’s so deep, you don't get it.]

[I’m sick of this FL. The Male Lead thought she was his redemption, but she’s pushing him into the abyss. Can we swap the MC?]

[Selfish. Just selfish.]

I grabbed a basin of water and splashed it violently toward the floating text.

After glitching a few times, the annoying comments finally vanished.