Chapter 2

2 My best friend, Ashley, picked me up, and I still couldn't stop crying.

The news that the wedding was off spread like wildfire on social media, and everyone was asking what happened.

The most common comment was, "Jennifer, are you sure you and Mark haven't just had a misunderstanding?"

"He's such a great guy, you won't find another one like him."

Even my mom sided with Mark. "I talked to Mark. He said it was just a little thing, honey, don't let it get to you."

And Mark sent me three words: "Don't be silly."

Clutching my phone, I felt a wave of helplessness wash over me. No one understood. To everyone else, Mark was the perfect boyfriend. Handsome, successful, made good money, and hadn't cheated on me in ten years. His only flaw was his habit of putting me down.

We'd been childhood friends, practically raised together. He was the "golden boy," always excelling. But fate was cruel. He had a bad family. His mom died early, and his dad was a workaholic who barely paid him any attention except when he won an award.

As a result, Mark matured quickly. While the other kids were playing in the mud, Mark was competing in math contests and winning. His unhappy family life turned him cold. I was the only one he let his guard down with and showed his sharp tongue.

If I got second place, he'd knock me on the head and say I was "not smart enough." He'd point at my mistakes and scold me for "getting such easy questions wrong."

All through my childhood, my mom would always say, "Look at Mark! Always getting top marks, winning everything." I grew up in Mark's shadow. I hated the way he put me down and my mom's constant comparisons.

But during our awkward teenage years, people called us "frenemies." They said that Mark treated me that way because he liked me. Even when Mark confessed, he said, "Jennifer, if I didn't care, why would I push you so hard?"

It was the first time he'd spoken to me so gently, his eyes full of smiles. The others encouraged us, so I brushed my worries away. And so, I ended up dating Mark.

Ten years flew by.