Chapter 2

2 The voice on the other end of the line chuckled. "You were crazy about her in school, saying you'd only marry her. Now you're hesitating? Were you faking it all along?"

Chad sighed. "Who knows? I thought she was beautiful, a bright girl back then. But…" he paused, "now I'm bored. Even the thought of it makes me sick."

My excited heartbeat stopped instantly, like a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter, freezing my blood.

All my love became a joke.

The person on the other end laughed, their voice rising, "Then dump her already. Your assistant is young, pretty, and delicate. Don't tell me you haven't tried it."

Chad paused, looking into the distance. "It's nice having her around to keep me entertained."

"Don't blame me for this, it's the third time. What excuse will you use this time?"

"The excuse doesn't matter. She'll believe whatever I say."

The person joked for a few seconds before someone called them, ending the call with a jest.

Chad hung up and was about to leave when I ran to the bathroom.

I leaned on the sink. In the mirror, my makeup was perfect, but my eyes were dull, like a flower smashed by hail.

Everyone knew Chad's proposal was fake, the excuses were made up, and the assistant was his mistress.

Yet they greeted me warmly, calling me "sister-in-law."

I thought it was acceptance, but it was endless ridicule.

I was like a monkey they played with, a spectacle for their amusement.

I applied for a transfer abroad; my flight was in three days.

The next day, Anya's Instagram was full of intimate photos of her and Chad.

They were kissing on the beach, on a Ferris wheel, shopping for luxury goods…

Chad's Instagram, however, was filled with work photos, just like his excuses.

Anya commented with a dissatisfied emoji.

People only thought the CEO was working hard with his assistant.

They didn't know a young girl was unhappy that her boyfriend wasn't showing her off on social media.