Chapter 1

The day my dad was in critical condition, my girlfriend, Leighton, was at a luxury hotel celebrating her childhood friend Jaxon's birthday.

I called her a dozen times before she finally picked up.

"Leighton, Dad keeps calling for you. Can you please come and see him?" I pleaded.

She sounded incredibly impatient. "I just saw him yesterday, and now he's suddenly dying? Is he going to be dead tomorrow, then?"

"Stop being so dramatic. This is the 99th paper star I'm folding for him. I'll be back once this is finished."

Just then, Jaxon's voice echoed from the background. "Leighton, I'm already undressed. What's taking you so long?"

"Don't overthink it," she told me quickly. "We're just giving his dog a bath."

1.

The moment the call ended, the heart monitor flatlined, filling the room with a long, haunting beep.

After the funeral, I stood before his headstone, devastated.

Dad kept calling her name until the very end, so I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.

Jaxon was the one who answered.

He let out a smug chuckle before Leighton grabbed the phone from him.

"I'm going to hit the shower and wait for you," Jaxon whispered loudly enough for me to hear.

So, the birthday celebration at the hotel was still going strong the next day.

He certainly had stamina.

"What is it now?" Leighton's voice was as cold and annoyed as ever.

I realized she still didn't believe a word about my dad being in danger.

"Where are you?" I asked, my voice hollow.

"At the office. I'm slammed with work," she lied.

She must have stepped away because the sound of the shower in the background grew faint.

I looked at my dad's photo on the grave. He had told me, "Harvey, you can't force a connection that isn't meant to be."

I finally said the words I had been rehearsing in my head.

"Leighton, let's break up."

"Harvey, I'm busy. I don't have time for your little tantrums."

She paused, her voice dripping with irritation as she warned me not to push it.

"I'm serious," I said, and then I hung up.

A moment later, I saw Jaxon post a new photo on Instagram.

It was a shot of the hotel suite, with Leighton visible in the corner wearing a plush bathrobe while talking on the phone.

The caption read: "This birthday is officially the best one of my life."

I silently liked the post and put my phone away for good.

I went back to the house we shared once I calmed down, but Leighton wasn't home yet.

I packed my bags and moved back into the old house my dad had left me.

That night, lying in bed, I felt an overwhelming exhaustion, yet sleep wouldn't come.

I should have ended things a long time ago. Even my dad could see that Leighton's heart wasn't with me.

Ever since Jaxon came back with a jar of paper stars she had folded as kids, she was at his beck and call.

He demanded she help him complete 99 "wishes," and she agreed to every single one.

We fought about it constantly because I couldn't understand why she was prioritizing him.

But Leighton claimed he had saved her from a house fire when they were twelve.

She told me this pact had nothing to do with romance; she just didn't want to be a liar.

At the time, I didn't realize how deep the rabbit hole went, and I couldn't bear to lose our seven-year history.

So, I bit my tongue and accepted the 99-star agreement.

I put up with her bringing him breakfast and staying out all night because he was "feeling down."

One night, when things were getting heated between us in bed, Jaxon called saying he wanted to see the ocean.

Leighton didn't even hesitate. She got dressed and walked out the door without looking back.

That led to the biggest fight we had in seven years.

I screamed, asking her what I was even supposed to be to her.

"It's a childhood promise, Harvey. Why are you acting like a psycho?" she said dismissively.

Finally, she threw out a ultimatum: "If you can't handle it, then break up. I'd rather be single than a person who breaks her word."

That was when I backed down.

For the past two years, I swallowed every bit of resentment and endured countless sleepless nights.

I watched my own girlfriend cook for another man and spend all her free time with him.

If I showed even a hint of jealousy, I was labeled as "immature," "possessive," or "disgusting."

The joke was on me. I actually believed that once the 99 stars were finished, we would go back to normal.

I see now how wrong I was.

I wasn't submitting to her; I was clinging to the ghost of our seven years together.

But she never cared about those years, and I'm finally too tired to keep holding on.

If it's a mistake, it's time to stop making it.