Chapter 3

3.

That evening, I showed up at the restaurant.

I checked my watch. It was five minutes to seven.

I looked out the window, feeling surprisingly calm. I wasn't even anxious for her to show up.

Seven o'clock passed. I signaled the waiter to bring the food.

I cut into my steak and enjoyed the meal by myself.

After dinner, I went to catch a movie.

For seven years, I had scheduled my entire life around Rowan.

Last year, I asked her to see a movie with me. She said she was too famous and feared being recognized in a theater.

The next day, paparazzi caught her at an amusement park with Ian.

I got home after the movie ended at eleven.

The lights were off. Rowan wasn't there.

I checked my phone after my shower and saw a trending photo of Rowan and Ian at a hospital.

Ian had been hit by a falling light on set.

Looking at the photo, he barely had a scratch, just a bit of swelling.

But Rowan looked terrified in the picture. Ian was holding her face, comforting her. The media was calling it the romance of the year.

Ian had even posted a tweet.

"No matter what happens, you're always the first one by my side."

I felt nothing. I turned off the lights and went to sleep.

Rowan didn't get back until the middle of the night.

She barged in and found the house dark.

Usually, I'd leave the lights on for her no matter how late it was.

I'd even have a warm bath ready.

She pushed open my bedroom door and shook me awake.

"Devon! I went to the restaurant to find you. Why didn't you wait for me?"

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" I asked, squinting at her.

I had waited for her a thousand times before.

Sometimes I'd wait until dawn, and she'd never show up.

Now that I was done, I wasn't going to waste another second on someone who wouldn't show up for me.

Rowan stuttered, trying to find an excuse.

"Ian got hurt on set. As his colleague, I had to be at the hospital. Plus, the cameras were everywhere."

I just gave her a flat "Okay."

This seemed to make her angry.

"Devon, are you really mad about a dinner? Ian is new to this. He can't handle those vultures in the media alone."

Last year, I was in a car accident. I called her from the ER.

She told me to handle it myself and not to bother her with every little thing.

I had to limp through my own discharge. She never showed up.

"Yeah, I get it. I understand," I said, rolling over.

"Devon, I haven't eaten anything yet."

Rowan had a sensitive stomach. I had spent years learning to cook healthy meals for her.

She expected me to get up and make her some artisanal porridge like I always did.

"I already ate. If you're hungry, there are frozen dumplings in the freezer. Cook them yourself."

Rowan froze. She couldn't believe I was refusing her.

A few seconds later, she slammed the door so hard the walls shook.