Chapter 2

2

Chase paused, then replied carelessly.

"Don't you post photos of her on social media all the time? She is gorgeous. Hard to miss."

My grip on the bag tightened.

I didn't have a bad relationship with Chase, and we used to hang out for meals sometimes. I never expected him to be so cold-blooded about being the man to cuckold me.

He didn't intend to explain any further, perhaps fearing he would say too much.

Or maybe, he was waiting for me to find out the truth, since he was clearly eager to replace me.

He ignored me and put his headphones on, returning to his game.

I cleaned up and got into bed, checking my phone to see a message from Selina that had finally arrived.

"Bought you some snacks. Ran into your roommate, so I had him pass them to you. Did you get them? How do they taste?"

Reading those words, knowing what I had just seen, my heart stung with a sharp, suffocating pain.

Why? Why could they both act like nothing had happened?

I suppressed my anger and typed a reply.

"You never used to send things through others."

After a while, she replied, "I was just thinking of you."

"Thinking of me, but you didn't tell me you were here, choosing to hand it to my roommate instead?"

She went silent for a long time.

At this point, I expected her to confess.

Instead, she got annoyed. "Why are you being so difficult today? I won't buy you anything ever again!"

She stopped explaining and went to sleep.

I didn't chase after her to soothe her like I used to.

I put on my headphones and started listening to music.

I tore open the bag of gummies and ate one.

It tasted bitter.

"The secret crush is like a sour candy; I am hooked on the bitterness and the fleeting sweetness..."

The lyrics played, and I felt a lump in my throat.

Three years ago, freshman year, we met at a tea shop.

She was chatting with friends, and when she noticed me, she looked like she had found something fun to do.

Her gaze was so bright, it made me feel uncomfortable.

When I finished my tea and turned to leave, she blocked my path.

"Hey, handsome, are you seeing anyone?"

I shook my head, stunned.

She laughed, a bright, bold sound that blinded me.

She gestured at the tea in my hand. "My mistake! I thought you bought it for your girlfriend. This flavor is my favorite; we have such similar tastes."

I smiled shyly without responding, just handed my tea to her.

From that day on, she started pursuing me in a very public way.

She was very proactive. Even though we went to different schools, she would find excuses to come see me.

I fell for her quickly.

She always thought it was her chasing me.

But she didn't know that I had been secretly in love with her for three years back in high school.

I even applied to a university in the same city just to be near her.

We were in different classes, and she likely had no memory of me.

She was lively, always surrounded by guys.

After high school graduation, she changed boyfriends every few days.

To protect myself from getting hurt, I kept my feelings hidden, content to follow her shadow from afar.

I never imagined she would notice me, let alone pursue me.

The surprise had blinded me, and within days, I was all in.

Later, she would often show interest in other men, but she never crossed the line while I was around.

I had been jealous countless times, and after a few arguments, she seemed to tone it down.

I had thought I was the one who could make her change.

In the end, it was all just an illusion.

A total waste.