Chapter 3

3

Unsurprisingly, the two of them won.

Sienna stood on the podium, clutching her precious plushie, leaning her head on the guy's shoulder with a radiant smile.

Suddenly, I remembered who he was.

Jasper Montgomery. A junior in the architecture department who spent his life bragging about being a trust-fund kid.

His family was in real estate, and he was only in school to eventually inherit the business. When he wasn't doing nothing, he was cruising around campus in his supercar.

He was the type of guy that shallow girls fell for instantly.

I had played a basketball game against him back when I was in grad school. That was the first time Sienna met him.

Later, he became the "little brother" she talked about every now and then.

The crowd was still chanting for one more kiss.

Sienna stood on her tip-toes and planted a shy, lingering kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Jasper pulled her in by the shoulder, deepening the kiss as if they were the only two people there.

The staff took a photo of them together. They looked like the perfect young couple.

The mall was buzzing with excitement, but I felt a bone-deep chill.

I had always given her whatever she wanted.

Even during the two hardest years of my life, I did everything to give her the best.

Now that my debts were paid and my business was thriving, I wanted to give her the world.

Was a stupid toy really worth all of this?

I couldn't wrap my head around it.

When it was over, I waited for her by the exit.

Sienna skipped over to me, shoving the plushie in my face.

"Silas, look! Isn't it the cutest thing ever?"

I kept my hands in my pockets and didn't say a word.

She grabbed my arm and shook it, pouting like a child.

"I'm hungry, Silas. Let's go home and cook. I want those garlic butter steak bites you make."

I looked down at her, my voice devoid of emotion.

"Sienna, let's just not get married."

I used to be so sure of her love. Now, I couldn't see anything but a stranger.

My mind was a chaotic mess.

Sienna immediately dropped my arm and snapped.

"Silas Sterling, don't you dare start with me. Are you really going to hold a grudge over something this small?"

I looked at her, stunned. Since when was cheating considered "something small"?

I didn't call her out on Jasper yet. I wanted to see if she had any honesty left.

But she didn't. She just kept piling on the lies.

Our relationship was already a shattered mirror, broken beyond repair.

But five years is a long time. It would be a lie to say I didn't feel the weight of the heartbreak.

The anger was bubbling up, ready to explode.

I forced myself to stay calm because I knew she used to be scared of my temper. I held it in for the sake of what we used to have.

I took her hand one last time and forced a sad smile.

"You said you'd love me forever. But you've already found someone else."

Jasper stepped up right then, sliding his arm around Sienna's waist. His eyes were full of malice.

"Babe, I've been waiting. Are you done talking to this old man?"

He looked at me with total disdain.

"Let's go eat. I booked a table at The Gilded Orchid. It has the best view in the city."

He leaned in, making sure I heard his next words.

"Some people probably can't even afford a glass of water there."

I felt a surge of self-mockery. Has the world changed so much that a thirty-year-old is an "old man" to a twenty-five-year-old?

Sienna's brow furrowed as she looked back and forth between us.

I sighed and let go of her hand.

"It's over, Sienna. I'll go buy the groceries and make you that steak one last time. After that, we're strangers."

I turned to walk away, trying to keep some shred of dignity.

But she called out to stop me.

When I turned back, she was interlacing her fingers with Jasper's.

"Silas, we can break up, but you don't get to dump me. I'm dumping you."

She had a cruel smile on her face as she poked my chest with her designer-manicured finger.

"You have no money, you're old, and you're a bore. Tell me, why should I keep loving you?"

I laughed out loud.

So, the truth finally came out.

I'm old? I'm broke?

That's not what she said when she was begging for my attention.

Now that she thinks she's snagged a bigger fish, I'm just garbage to be thrown away.

The promises of the past were nothing but smoke. Her words were daggers aimed at my heart.

The coldness in my soul spread to my very bones.

She had always been spoiled. Throughout our years together, if I ever disagreed with her, she'd throw a tantrum.

I was always the one who had to be patient and give in.

She knew I felt guilty about our age gap and my past bankruptcy. She used that guilt to stomp on me.

I didn't want to explain myself. She wouldn't understand anyway.

All I knew was that we were finished.

I gave her a pale, hollow smile and walked away without looking back.