Chapter 3

3

I remained completely silent, a sharp, suffocating pain crushing my chest.

Seven years of dating and marriage had boiled down to a ruthless betrayal.

And all my devotion earned me was her telling me to go die.

Had I not shielded her from enough storms and taken enough blame for her mistakes over the years?

On the day a hazardous radioactive vial shattered, she called me in a panic, crying that she had messed up.

A line of students was waiting outside the lab to enter.

They were terrified and kept quiet.

When I rushed inside, the dangerous chemical odor had already spread through the air.

I moved frantically, slamming down the emergency quarantine barriers and deploying the neutralizer.

I evacuated every single student from the danger zone.

Meanwhile, Selene clung to Rhett's waist, leaning against him and watching me do all the dirty work.

She then pushed Rhett to lead the students to decontamination, turning him into an instant campus hero.

I never got an explanation or a thank you.

Instead, in front of the entire faculty and administration, Selene pointed her finger at me.

She accused me of dereliction of duty and leaving my post unattended.

Her single accusation ruined my reputation, turning the entire university against me.

Meanwhile, the real culprit received glowing praise under Selene's careful cover-up.

"It was Professor Dalton who noticed the radioactive leak in time and evacuated everyone safely. We owe it all to him!" she had declared publicly.

Rhett accepted the leadership award with a modest, blushing smile.

And I became the convenient scapegoat who took all the blame.

Rhett even took over my spot as the keynote speaker at a major national conference, shooting to academic stardom overnight.

Perhaps noticing my prolonged silence, the icy tension over the phone finally registered with Selene.

Her tone softened slightly.

"Garrett, you are already established and successful. You don't need these minor competitions or speaking gigs, but Rhett does."

"He belongs on that stage more than you do. That is his strength, so please stop competing with him."

Her voice grew even gentler, carrying a manipulative, pleading sweetness.

"Just take down that post, okay? It looks terrible for everyone, and besides, we are―"

"Selene."

A man's voice suddenly cut her off in the background.

It was Rhett.

In a frantic rush, Selene stammered that we would talk tonight and abruptly hung up.

My eyes burned red, and a bitter, self-mocking laugh escaped my lips.

She had no idea that her precious flame had just sent me a photo.

It was a picture of a candlelit dinner, showing Selene's familiar silhouette leaning in across the table.

"Garrett, aren't you tired of this? Why keep clinging to Selene when she doesn't want you?" Rhett had texted me.

He did it on purpose, of course, just to rub it in my face.

My heart sank to the very bottom of the abyss.

In this silent war against Rhett Dalton, I had lost completely.

Yet, strangely, the pain began to fade.

Perhaps I had finally let go.

When you truly stop loving someone, heartbreak ceases to exist.