Chapter 2

2

Was she working hard, or was she just working hard on her first love?

Ever since Gavin returned, they were together constantly. It was almost like they were living a double life.

Every time I brought it up, she used work as a shield.

Eventually, it got so bad that Gavin could call her away even on our anniversary.

The excuse was always the same: business requirements.

"Listen to me―" I started.

But she didn't wait. She slammed the door, leaving the room in a heavy silence.

I looked at the sunset outside and felt a strange sense of peace.

I knew exactly what was coming next. All I wanted was a clean break.

The problem was that Sienna didn't believe me.

She thought I was throwing a tantrum to get her attention.

Back then, I treated her like a goddess. I would have ripped my own heart out just to keep her warm.

Nobody would believe I actually wanted to leave her.

Looking back, I was such a pathetic fool.

The Sterlings and the Sutherlands had been close for generations. Our fathers were like brothers.

They even started a joint venture and handed it to us as a wedding gift.

Sienna was two years older than me. She had always looked after me like a big sister when we were kids.

We went to different high schools and lost touch for a while.

It wasn't until I started college that I heard about her and Gavin. Their relationship had been intense and messy.

They broke up because Gavin insisted on moving to Europe for his career.

After that, Sienna became a shadow of herself. She stopped studying, started drinking, and even talked about ending it all.

She wasn't the sweet girl I remembered anymore.

Her parents begged me to take care of her.

I would have done it anyway. I had been in love with her since I was ten years old.

She became volatile and pushed everyone away.

I was the only one who stayed. I drank with her, held her hair back when she was sick, and begged my own tutors to help her pass her classes.

I was terrified she wouldn't even graduate.

People told me to give up on her, but I was persistent. I brought her favorite food every day until she finally started to come around.

I had to play the bad guy sometimes too.

I told her if she didn't pass her exams, I'd stop taking her out and tell her parents everything.

By the time she graduated, she was finally back on her feet.

With both families pushing for it, our wedding was set in stone.

After graduation, she threw herself into the Sutherland Group.

I was still finishing my degree, but I was already learning the ropes and using my family's connections to help her.

We had beautiful moments back then. We would sneak away for late-night dinners and movies.

I thought the old Sienna was back. I thought we were going to be happy.

But then Gavin came back, and everything changed.

Sienna started coming home late, smelling like expensive cigars.

She didn't smoke, but I knew Gavin did. It was his signature scent.

She used to hate it when they were younger, but now, she didn't seem to mind.

One night, she came home looking exhausted, and I saw a red mark on her neck.

I lost it. I demanded to know if Gavin had marked her.

She looked at me with those icy eyes and said she had a headache. She claimed Gavin showed her a pressure point technique.

Supposedly, pinching your neck helped with migraines.

What a load of trash. Who pinches their neck hard enough to leave a bruise for a headache?

But she didn't bother explaining further. She just said, "I told you what happened. Believe it or not, I don't care."

The sweetness was gone. We barely spoke unless we were fighting.

I couldn't understand it. If she still loved him that much, why did she ever say yes to me?