Chapter 2

Theo pressed down on my shoulder and forced me back into my seat.

"Don't be difficult."

"Finish having your fun before you go."

I looked at this person I had trusted without reservation for ten years.

The next second.

I pushed his hand away and sat back down.

Not because I couldn't bear to let go.

I just wanted to know

exactly how cruel this man I'd once loved so desperately could be to me.

Gayle's eyes filled with sympathy, and after hesitating a moment, she spoke.

"I wasn't foolishly waiting to be proposed to, not knowing it was never going to happen, and being made a joke of by everyone for three years."

The moment those words landed,

my breath stopped completely for an instant.

Rowena sat up straight in Theo's arms.

She touched her belly, smiling sweetly and smugly.

"So you really did break your own fingers, Beulah."

"Hehe, when I told you Theo had already agreed to my proposal, I was lying to you."

"Every year, all of us waited to watch you get played."

I blinked numbly.

Three years ago, Theo said he'd propose to me on our anniversary.

Told me to look forward to it.

And I foolishly believed him.

The first year, we set it at an amusement park.

I showed up all dressed up, and waited until the night session closed, but he never came.

Afterward he said he'd been so exhausted from filming night scenes that he'd accidentally slept through it.

The second year, it was a fancy restaurant I'd had to book six months ahead to get a table at.

Once again I waited from morning until night.

He said something had come up at the last minute and he was needed to save the day on set.

Before he hung up, he swore he'd never miss it again the next year.

The third year.

He booked my favorite restaurant well in advance.

He even made a point of telling me to wear the dress he'd given me.

I waited all night, full of hope, and all I got was a text from him in the early morning.

Something came up last minute, I didn't have a chance to tell you.

It wasn't until the next day that I saw it in the trending searches.

The night before, he'd been photographed on a luxury yacht, on a sweet date with Rowena.

That day happened to be our tenth anniversary.

I was so furious I gave him the silent treatment for half a month.

And yet, even so, I still handled the PR for him right away.

Because back then I thought

he'd only made a mistake, not that he didn't want me anymore.

Theo lit a cigarette and took a drag.

"The girl got a little carried away with her games."

"But surely you can be understanding about it."

"After all, you've been through plenty of hardship in this industry. A little thing like this shouldn't be much to you."

The bent fingers dug hard into my palm.

I slowly raised my head to look at him, my eyes going red.

"Just because I've been through hardship doesn't mean I deserve to be hurt by all of you."

"You could have just told me you wanted to break up."

"But you didn't."

"You chose to lie to me for three years, chose to let everyone watch me be a joke."

"Theo, this is humiliation."

Theo still lounged lazily against the sofa, with even a trace of exasperation in his eyes.

"I just got legally married to Rowena and made it public."

"I never broke up with you."

"If I wanted to humiliate you, I could have kicked you aside the moment I won Best Actor."

"But I didn't."

"Isn't that enough to prove I still have you in my heart?"

I looked at him, unable to say a single word.

So it turned out the most terrifying thing about a person isn't that they hurt you,

but that while they hurt you with total self-righteousness, they also believe they're being good to you.

He smiled faintly, thinking he'd won me over.

"Still, you broke three of your fingers."

"A bet's a bet, and you lost."

"You have to agree to one condition from Rowena."