Chapter 1

On Thanksgiving Day, my girlfriend of six years finally agreed to introduce me to her parents.

"Wear this suit and get that tattoo lasered off," she said. "My family is strictly traditional, and they don't like men with ink."

I put on the suit and sat in the tattoo removal clinic until closing time, but she never showed up.

Then, I saw her street-racer buddy's social media post.

"Meeting the girlfriend's parents! Her mom and dad love my sleeves~"

The photo showed him having Thanksgiving dinner with my girlfriend's entire family, smiling warmly under the festive lights.

In the past, I would have blown up her phone in a manic frenzy to demand answers.

This time, though, I truly just wanted to let go.

1

In the sweltering heat of early autumn, the small parlor of the removal clinic felt like a suffocating oven without AC.

Today was supposed to be the big day when Chloe took me home to meet her parents.

Last night, she claimed her parents were old-fashioned and couldn't stand tattoos.

So before sunrise, I took an early cab to the clinic to get the ink removed.

I did it even though the tattoo was a tribute to my love for her, and even though the laser hurt like hell.

Chloe promised she would pick me up for dinner as soon as it was done.

The procedure finished early in the morning.

Yet I waited ten agonizing hours in that shop, through a torrential downpour, only to be met with her unanswered calls.

Right before my phone battery died, I saw a new post from Dawson Reed, her close friend from the racing club.

The photo was a smiling selfie of him seated at the center of the Holloway family's holiday dinner table.

The caption read: "Meeting the girlfriend's parents! Her mom and dad love my sleeves~"

I looked down at the raw, blistering skin on my chest and felt pathetic.

Chloe was his girlfriend? What did that make me?

Did she upgrade to a new boyfriend without even notifying the old one?

I had laser-burned my skin just to meet her demands.

Meanwhile, on this crucial holiday, she brought another man home to meet her family.

It wasn't that her parents were traditional. They were only strict when it came to me.

My phone suddenly rang. It was Chloe.

"Are you on your way?" she asked casually.

"Dawson and I were hanging out near my parents' place, so I brought him over for dinner."

"Let's reschedule you meeting my parents for another time."

Her tone was unapologetic and commanding, treating me like an afterthought.

She sounded so entitled, as if she had reluctantly brought someone else home only because of me.

The last ember of hope in my chest died, replaced by overwhelming exhaustion.

Chloe and I had been together for six years, and things used to be sweet.

Everything shattered the moment Dawson reentered her life.

Chloe was obsessed with cars and co-owned a private track club with some friends.

Dawson was her childhood buddy and the one who got her into racing in the first place.

Ever since he returned from Europe, they had grown inseparable.

Chloe began neglecting me, ignoring everything that had to do with my life.

She would chat for hours in group chats with Dawson and attend every meet with him.

Yet she forgot to text me back and complained that having dinner with me was a waste of time.

She remembered Dawson's birthday and their friendship anniversaries.

She knew he had a sensitive stomach and made him specialized breakfasts every morning.

Yet she forgot that I was allergic to alcohol, and she forgot our six-year anniversary.

This time, just because Dawson craved a home-cooked meal, she threw away the family dinner I had anticipated for six years.

I stared out at the torrential rain and listened to the background laughter on the line.

Waiting for Chloe suddenly felt utterly pointless.

"Chloe, you probably forgot, but I've been waiting outside this clinic for ten hours."

Chloe didn't care in the slightest.

She snapped impatiently, "So what if you waited a day? I've waited for you before!"

"Besides, you haven't cared about holidays ever since your parents passed away."

"Something came up today. I'll take you to meet them next time, I promise."

Hearing her hollow excuses, a bitter smile spread across my face.

She had waited for me once.

That was after I begged her for months to take me to one of her track races.

Two weeks ago, she finally agreed to bring me to the club.

Yet on the day of the race, a single call from Dawson made her abandon me instantly.

I never knew what they talked about, but it was probably something trivial.

Maybe a new movie release they both wanted to catch, or Dawson's sudden craving for tacos.

Whatever it was, it left me standing alone in a brand-new racing jacket, looking like a total fool on the empty bleachers.

Her promises of "next time" were nothing but lies.

I was always waiting for her to keep her word, while she was always busy dismissing me.

The clinic was tucked in an old, remote district where finding a cab was nearly impossible.

The rain poured harder, drenching me under the narrow awning.

After a long silence, I finally spoke. "Chloe, let's break up."