Chapter 2

2.

Kendra froze.

It was the first time I had ever spoken to her with such detached coldness.

Then, a knowing look appeared on her face.

"I get it. You're just trying to force me to cut him off, aren't you?"

I pulled up a screenshot on my phone.

In her group chat with her best friends, she had pitifully confessed that she couldn't forget Brock.

She even said that if given another choice, she would leave me behind and run after him.

Of course. He was her first love, her irreplaceable golden boy.

Even his stonewalling and cheating couldn't diminish that nostalgic filter.

"Breaking up now gives both of us some dignity."

Kendra still tried to defend herself. "I can't forget him because of the pain he caused me!"

She chased after me, trying to grab my arm.

"That chat history is so old! Garrett, what kind of ridiculous jealousy is this?"

I pulled out my suitcase and began packing my clothes.

Right beside it sat the crumpled shipping box of that designer belt.

I pointed right at it.

"Giving your ex a belt on the night of our engagement party―and you ask me what kind of jealousy this is?"

Every single detail proved Brock was still occupying her entire heart.

Blinded by love, I had believed every excuse she ever fed me.

Yet at our engagement party, she delivered a brutal slap across my face.

"It's just a belt! If you want one, I'll buy one for you right now!"

Saying that, she unlocked her phone to place an order.

I snatched her phone away and tossed it onto the side table.

"Save it. I'm not so broke that I can't afford my own belt."

It made me look like a pathetic beggar.

"Brock needs money. You'd better save it for him."

Over the past month, we had argued countless times because of Brock.

Disappointment accumulates drop by drop.

Kendra clearly couldn't comprehend my reaction.

"If you want it, I'll buy it for you. You're a grown man, constantly throwing petty tantrums."

Her last sentence was laced with blatant annoyance.

"I'm heading to the office. Stay home and clear your head."

She spoke like a proud peacock.

She was utterly confident that I was just throwing a temporary fit.

With a heavy slam of the door, silence reclaimed the room.

Beside my feet lay my half-packed luggage.

I let out a bitter sneer.

She tangled with her ex while keeping me on a leash.

In her eyes, I, Garrett Miller, was nothing more than a loyal dog.

And a dog had no right to question its master.

Zipping up my suitcase, I checked into a hotel.

Even though I paid for that condo, her name was on the deed.

And I refused to spend another second under the same roof with her.

My parents had already caught a flight back to our hometown the night before.

I didn't want to burden the few relatives around either.

Lying on the hotel bed, I deleted every trace of Kendra from my phone.

Including her contact information.

Surrounded by an unfamiliar environment, I actually felt a wave of relief.

In my groggy state, old memories drifted into my dreams.

Kendra and I met in college.

When I first saw her, she was crying her eyes out over Brock.

I was just a passerby, but I handed her a tissue.

From that moment on, there was no turning back.

She was the campus darling, surrounded by friends.

I was just the typical nerd from a humble background.

My working-class parents had drained their savings just to put me through college.

For Kendra, I learned how to dress stylishly.

Even though I had severe dust allergies, I would run to help clean the equipment room whenever she called.

After graduation, I thought our paths would never cross again.

To my surprise, she became my direct supervisor at my new company.

When I got promoted to manager, I gathered the courage to confess to her over drinks.

She told me her ex had given her the silent treatment and only wanted her money.

So I loved her twice as hard, even buying her a condo.

Even though she never actually needed it.