Intro. Zed was in his second year of college when he started dating Zoe, a girl who caught his attention with her beauty but often showed a cold and careless side. To Zed, every moment with her felt important, and he tried his best to make her happy, convincing himself that her distant attitude was just part of who she was. He carried the weight of the relationship, always the one to call first, to make plans, and to show effort, while Zoe often dismissed him with sharp words, rolled eyes, or silence that lingered longer than it should. Still, Zed believed it was love, holding on to the small glimpses of affection she occasionally showed. What he never knew was that for Zoe, the relationship was never serious from the start. It began as nothing more than a bet with her friend, a game she agreed to play, and though Zed’s feelings grew deeper, hers never did. She carried herself with indifference, treating him more like an obligation than someone she cared about.