With its seemingly endless trail of celebrity breakups, 2016 has well demonstrated the impermanence of love. Zayn Malik has recognized love's fleeting force, too, and has quashed any future hopes of a possible Zerrie reunion somewhere down the line: It appears he's finally covered up his tattoo of former fiancee Perrie Edwards.

Girlfriend Gigi Hadid posted a Snapchat yesterday (August 4) of Zayn cooking up some fried chicken. To the untrained eye, there's little to see here other than a casual date night. But obsessive fans immediately zeroed in on a dark swath of ink where Perrie's likeness used to be, staring out from Zayn's right bicep:

Exactly when Zayn covered up the unsightly image (or what ink has replaced it) remains unclear, but his timing couldn't be more appropriate.

Zayn called off his engagement to the Little Mix singer on August 4, 2015, and debuted his Perrie-free arm one full year later, on August 4, 2016. Mere coincidence? Considering Zayn's affinity for bookending significant life events (he released his solo album Mind of Mine a year -- to the day! -- after he quit One Direction), it seems unlikely. But who knows? Gigi posted the image, and she's hopefully unaware of the exact timeline of his and Perrie's relationship.

Has Zayn learned his lesson about tattooing girlfriends' likenesses onto his body? Will he someday be forced to cover up a Gigi Hadid-inspired, Bratz doll-looking piece elsewhere? Is this truly the end of an era? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Celebrity Tattoo Fails

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