Chapter 2

2

I couldn't tell if the raging fire inside me was pure fury or sheer heartbreak.

All I knew was that my fingernails were digging into my palms so hard that my hands shook violently.

With trembling fingers, I pulled out my phone and dialed Ian's number.

He casually freed one hand from around Chloe's waist and glanced at the glowing screen.

The moment he saw my name, he declined the call without a second thought.

Refusing to back down, I waited a few seconds and dialed Chloe's number instead.

Her sultry voice came through the speaker.

"Hey, Nora! Did you make it to the lounge yet?"

Ian clearly hadn't expected Chloe to invite me. His face tightened instantly, and his posture stiffened.

Was he really still trying to hide this from me?

Suddenly, I changed my mind.

The explosive confrontation stuck in my throat turned into a calm, steady sentence.

"Chloe, something urgent came up at work. I can't make it to pick you up."

I saw the flash of frustration on Chloe's face. She wrapped herself tighter around Ian and put on a whiny tone.

"Come on! Aren't you my best friend? What could possibly be more important than my heartbreak?"

"Nora, I feel like I'm going to die. You have to come keep me company!"

She was desperate.

She wanted to use this drunken drama to force Ian into choosing between us right there.

I refused to give her that satisfaction.

Without another word, I hung up the phone.

The second the call ended, Ian pushed Chloe away, grabbed his jacket, and hurried out of the lounge.

I kept my distance and followed him into the cool night air.

Right then, my phone lit up with an incoming call from "Hubby."

I tapped to answer.

Ian's voice was as tender and affectionate as always.

"Babe, I'm so sorry. I was in a meeting and couldn't pick up right away."

"Is everything okay? Why did you call, sweetie?"

Every sweet pet name felt like a stab to my chest.

I tilted my head back and forced down the tears burning behind my eyes.

It took me a long moment to speak in a flat, neutral voice.

"Yeah, it's kind of urgent."

"Chloe had a bad breakup. She's completely drunk at the lounge and asked me to get her, but I'm tied up."

"Could you go pick her up for me?"

After saying that, I closed my eyes.

Both Ian and I came from completely shattered homes.

My father was a degenerate gambler. When I was in elementary school, he sold my mother to human traffickers overseas to pay off his debts.

A neighbor called the police, and my father fled the state. I never saw either of my parents again.

Ian's father was a violent alcoholic who beat his mother to death during his middle school years and received a life sentence.

When we were seventeen, we ended up in the same high school class. That was where our broken lives first crossed paths.

We saved each other. We became each other's only family and source of warmth in a cruel world.

We supported each other through our darkest days and got into the same top university together.

Before tonight, I believed that even if the entire world betrayed me, Ian Stewart never would.

He wasn't just the love of my life; he was my entire foundation.