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I Confused a Lesson for a Soulmate
When red flags look like Cupid's arrow
It all started on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, when my umbrella collapsed in the middle of a downpour. As I grappled with the unruly thing outside my favorite bookstore, a striking woman appeared out of nowhere, offering me shelter under her oversized umbrella. Her name was Olivia, and from the moment she smiled, I knew the universe had finally answered my prayers.
We bonded over coffee and scones, discovering a shared love of obscure novels and terrible puns. Olivia appeared to be perfect—beautiful, charming, and with a wit to match mine. Our first date felt like something out of a romantic comedy: we accidentally locked ourselves in a botanical garden after hours and ended up dancing under the moonlight to the distant hum of city traffic.
Olivia and I were inseparable over the next few weeks. We binge-watched classic films, shared inside jokes, and even tried a couples' cooking class, which ended with us laughing hysterically over a burnt soufflé. It was the whirlwind romance of my dreams.
However, the cracks in our fairy tale began to show. Olivia had a tendency to turn every conversation into a monologue about her latest hobby or workplace drama. She never asked about my day, dreams, or fears. Her obsession with perfecting her "signature look"…
