Chapter 3

It was eleven o'clock by the time I got home.

Celine had called me a few times, but I didn't answer.

Around two in the morning, I heard a key in the lock. Celine stumbled in, drunk and angry.

"Why didn't you answer my calls? Where were you?"

"Don't you know I'm drunk and need a ride? How could you leave a girl like me out there alone at night?"

I almost laughed. She was a master at turning things around.

No matter what she did, if she wasn't happy, it was always my fault.

Usually, when I heard her whiny complaints, I would pull her into my arms and apologize over and over again until she was satisfied.

But now, her accusations just washed over me. Without the weight of her emotions, I felt a strange sense of relief.

When I didn't respond, she threw her purse at me. "Leo! I'm talking to you! Why are you pretending you can't hear me?!"

"I swear, I'm going to ignore you in a minute!"

Maybe it was the alcohol, but she sounded like she was scolding a dog.

A dog that would come when called and leave when told.

If it misbehaved, it would be threatened with no treats.

I guess I had been too good to her, too indulgent. She had started to see me as a pet she could discard at will.

But love isn't a dog's bone.

A bone is a dog's life. Love was only a priority in my life for a short time.

I looked up at her, my face a blank mask. "Celine, do you remember what you said this morning?"

My parents had never approved of her, let alone our marriage.

This meeting was my last-ditch effort to win them over.

If she had just shown up, been polite, there might have been a chance.

I had stressed how important this was.

And she had promised, "Don't worry! I'll be there early and make a great impression on your parents!"

I hadn't turned on the lights, but I could see her freeze. Then she pretended to be unsteady on her feet and fell into my arms.

She shook my arm, her voice a seductive purr. "Oh, I had so much work at the office today. I just forgot..."

She leaned in to kiss me. The stench of alcohol and another man's cologne hit me, and I turned my head away, disgusted.

A flash of annoyance crossed her face. She was clearly surprised that I had rejected her.

She looked at me with her hazy eyes, pouting.

I pushed her away, my voice cold. "Did you forget because you were busy with work, or because you were busy having dinner and drinks with someone else?"

She froze for a second, then her voice turned sharp. "Are you accusing me of seeing someone else?"

I pulled out my phone and showed her the picture. She stared at it for a moment, then laughed dismissively.

"Leo, can you please stop being so childish? We're adults. Can't you be a little more mature?"

"I'm already exhausted from work. Do I have to come home and deal with your emotions too?"

Me, immature?

She had stood up my entire family on one of the most important days of our relationship, and she had the nerve to call me childish for being upset?

Looking at the drunken woman in front of me, I felt a wave of regret. It wasn't worth it.

I took a deep breath and made my decision. "Celine, we're through."