Chapter 2

2

Back home, I limped straight to the bedroom to sleep.

Jonas poked his head in. "Sadie, I will make you some hearty beef stew tonight to make it up to you, okay?"

I pretended to be asleep and gave no answer.

When I woke up, the apartment was pitch black.

I flipped on the living room light, but Jonas was nowhere to be found.

The kitchen was a complete mess, with half-prepped ingredients scattered everywhere.

A sticky note hung on the fridge in Jonas handwriting:

"Sadie, an emergency came up at the hospital. There is instant ramen in the pantry, please make do for tonight."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. It was always like this.

Over the years, whenever he offered to cook for me, a sudden emergency always pulled him away.

The excuse was always the same. Did he think I was blind, or did he simply not care about my feelings at all?

I checked my phone, and Maya had posted again.

"Almost got hit by a car just now, luckily it was only a scratch. The moment my boyfriend found out, he rushed straight over. Having him around makes me feel so safe!"

Tears streamed down my face.

Even though I had spent days convincing myself to let go, the truth still hit like a freight train.

When I fractured my bones in a car crash in his own hospital, he could not even be bothered to look at me.

Yet when Maya suffered a tiny scratch, he dropped everything to run to her side.

The contrast spoke for itself.

These past seven years had been nothing but a cruel joke.

I dialed my supervisor number.

"Gina, I will take the New York project."

This project was a crucial stepping stone for the company.

Earlier this year, Gina had offered me the lead role on the team.

She had made it clear that a successful launch would guarantee my promotion to Director upon my return.

I had turned it down immediately back then because it required relocating to New York for three years, and I could not bear to leave Jonas.

I had believed that no career milestone was worth more than our relationship.

I had been afraid that distance would ruin our bond.

Yet I had forgotten that when two hearts are truly aligned, even an ocean cannot pull them apart.

"Are you completely sure?"

Gina sounded thrilled, but her tone quickly turned cautious.

"What made you change your mind? Were you not saying just last week that you could not leave Jonas?"

"This is a massive project. Do not make an impulsive choice, only to back out after Jonas whispers a few sweet words to you!"

Her words made me chuckle bitterly.

"Gina, I have thought it through. I will not bail halfway."

"Besides, do you really think I am that unprofessional?"

Gina snorted. "Not for anything else, but when it comes to Jonas, you lose your head."

I smiled wryly. Had I really built a reputation as such a lovesick fool at work?

"Do not worry, not anymore. From now on, I am only looking out for myself."

For all these years, I had put Jonas first in everything.

Whenever he needed me, I was there. Whatever he liked, I learned to love.

Back then, I foolishly thought we would get our fairy-tale ending.

In my youth, I gave my all with reckless bravery, blind to how quickly human hearts could change.

Only now did I realize that the fairy tale was nothing more than my own delusion.