Chapter 2

2

Even now, Valerie was still trying to gaslight me.

They had kissed in front of hundreds of people, and everyone saw it clearly.

The lingering, intimate gaze between them was definitely not acting.

Seeing me take the slap, Landon frowned and scolded her loudly.

“Valerie, today was just a misunderstanding! Garrett has every right to be upset, so why the hell did you hit him?”

“Apologize to him right now. I don’t want some stupid misunderstanding ruining our brotherhood.”

To my surprise, the notoriously stubborn and spoiled Valerie actually obeyed him.

With tears welling in her eyes, she took my hand.

“I’m sorry, baby... I just lost my temper for a second.”

“Garrett, please don’t be mad at me. If it bothers you that much, I’ll go home with you right now.”

In the three years we had been together, this was the first time Valerie had ever swallowed her pride.

Whenever we argued, her princess attitude always demanded that she be the one in the right.

A while ago, she had sold a vintage heirloom bracelet my late mother left for her on an online resale app.

She used that cash to buy a pair of limited-edition designer sneakers for Landon.

When I found out, Valerie didn’t care at all.

“It looked so old-fashioned anyway. I was never going to wear it, so selling it for cash made much more sense.”

“The sneakers were a birthday gift for Landon. What’s wrong with me making your best friend feel special on his birthday?”

At the time, I didn’t want to ruin the peace, assuming she had just made a thoughtless mistake.

I quietly bought the heirloom bracelet back and let the matter drop.

Looking back now, her feelings for Landon had never been innocent.

I had been an idiot to realize it only now.

“Garrett, I already apologized, so why are you still giving me that look?”

“Hurry up and book a nice restaurant. Landon needs to take his parents out for dinner, and since you’re here, you should at least show some hospitality as his best friend.”

Her shrill, demanding voice snapped me out of my daze.

“Oh, don’t trouble Garrett with that,” Landon chimed in smoothly. “You two should just go home. I can handle the rest on my own.”

I let out a cold laugh, pulled the ring from my finger, and shoved it straight into Landon’s palm.

“Since your parents are here, why don’t you two just announce your wedding instead? Consider this my early gift.”

The tension in the room snapped, and Valerie’s face instantly darkened.

“I already apologized and explained everything, but you refuse to listen! How long are you going to keep throwing this tantrum?”

Ignoring her completely, I pulled a custom-printed wedding invitation from my pocket.

I tore it to shreds right in front of their faces.

We were supposed to have our official wedding ceremony next month.

Now, I realized there was no point.

“Valerie, we are done.”