Chapter 2

2

I said it calmly, but Chloe gave no immediate reaction.

She wasn't even listening to me; her attention was entirely on the man next to her.

Just as I was about to hang up, her sharp rebuke echoed through the speaker.

"Are you seriously starting this again? Another breakup? When have you ever meant it!"

"By tomorrow, you'll be crying and begging me to take you back. I'm sick of hearing it."

Her mocking words cut like daggers into my chest.

Only this time, my numb heart felt no pain at all.

I opened my mouth to tell her I was dead serious.

Before I could utter a word, Dawson's teasing voice chimed in from the other end.

"Hey Sean, sorry for ruining your family dinner with Chloe today."

"I just really missed Mrs. Holloway's cooking, so Chloe brought me along…"

The next second, my phone let out a dull beep and died completely.

Staring at the pitch-black screen, I felt a strange sense of relief.

Subconsciously, my mind was rejecting the garbage spewing from his mouth.

The storm raged on, practically flooding the gutters along the street.

I shivered against the damp chill, my legs swollen and numb from squatting for so long.

Another hour crawled by before the rain finally slowed to a drizzle.

I pushed myself up and trudged toward the main avenue.

I had worn the formal suit Chloe picked out for me, but to protect it from the storm, I had stripped it off and held it tightly against my chest.

The humid post-storm air felt stifling, making the chills and heat clash uncomfortably in my body.

I finally hailed a yellow cab and collapsed into the back seat, gasping for breath.

Having skipped meals all day, sharp pangs of hunger clawed at my stomach.

Thirty minutes later, the cab dropped me off in front of our apartment building, where Chloe was waiting.

"Why weren't you answering your phone?" she demanded. "I came to pick you up!"

I had already plugged my phone into the cab's charger, and there were zero missed calls from her.

She had become disgustingly good at lying through her teeth.

Before she could say another word, her phone buzzed with a call from Dawson.

"Hey, did you pick up your nerd boyfriend yet?"

Chloe glanced at me instinctively before turning away, her voice dropping into a gentle purr.

"Just found him. We're heading over right now, be there in a bit."

She hung up and grabbed my arm without another word, dragging me toward her sports car.

"Dawson organized an after-party at the lounge tonight," she said offhandedly.

She didn't even bother asking if I wanted to go.

Seeing my drenched clothes, she frowned in disgust and pointed to the back. "Sit in the back seat."

A wave of bitterness washed over me, my throat burning like dry sand.

"You didn't even ask if I wanted to come before dragging me along?"

"Can't you see I got soaked in the rain and feel sick?"

In my current condition, simply standing upright was a struggle, let alone partying at a lounge.

Chloe tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, her tone completely dismissive.

"Stop being so dramatic. Dry your hair and change into a clean shirt."

"Weren't you dying to celebrate the holiday? I'm bringing you along right now."

"Everyone there is from my racing circle, so don't give them that miserable face."

She tossed a dry towel over my head. Was I really the one being dramatic?

A lump formed in my throat, but I forced down the urge to scream.

I had zero energy left to argue with her over who was being sensitive.

All I wanted was a hot shower and a long, uninterrupted sleep.

"I don't want to celebrate anything. Pull over and let me go home."