Chapter 3

I had been painting since I was a little girl.

Whenever my parents threw things and screamed, I would hide in my small studio. With the sounds of shattering glass outside, I painted a safe haven for myself, stroke by stroke.

Over the years, I won countless national art awards. Everyone called me a prodigy.

My parents' original plan was for me to study abroad under world-renowned masters and become a full-time artist.

Instead, I fooled myself into thinking Tyler was my sanctuary. I dropped my paintbrushes and picked up a frying pan, cooking three meals a day for him.

Thank God, it wasn't too late to fix my mistake.

I bagged up every single thing related to Tyler and threw it all into the dumpster. Looking at the suddenly clean, open space, I felt a weight lift from my chest.

I spent the entire night researching art programs and planning my next steps.

The next afternoon, I went to a flagship bookstore in the city center to pick up some prep books and reference materials.

Holding the heavy stack of books felt like holding solid, tangible hope. My heart felt grounded for the first time in years.

As I walked out of the store, I ran right into Vivian.

I tried to walk past her, but she stepped in my path:

"Chloe! What a coincidence! Oh, please don't get the wrong idea. This isn't a date! There's a trendy new bistro here, and I just begged Tyler to try it with me."

She blinked her doe eyes, looking timid.

"Chloe, are you still mad about yesterday? Don't worry, I gave him a stern talking-to! I told him he has to apologize to you properly."

Just then, Tyler walked up from behind.

His eyes were glued to Vivian. He didn't even notice me and naturally reached out to take her hand:

"Let's go, our table is almost ready. You said you wanted ice cream, so I grabbed you a Haagen-Dazs."

Following Vivian's gaze, he finally spotted me.

Panic flashed across Tyler's face. He yanked his hand away from Vivian's like he'd been burned.

"What are you doing here?"

I didn't answer. I just stared at the cup of Haagen-Dazs in his hand.

I used to love ice cream, too. Back when Tyler was broke in college, he refused to let me pay on our dates out of pride, so I always pretended I didn't want any.

Later, when he got a decent job and had disposable income, he would sneer at me:

"How old are you, Chloe? Stop craving kid stuff."

"Prep books for English and art?" Tyler noticed the titles in my arms, and his tone instantly turned condescending. "Chloe, stop embarrassing yourself. You've been out of school for years. Let's not pretend your academic skills were ever impressive."

Vivian let out a giggling snicker.

A wave of disgust washed over me.

When we took our college exams, he forgot his audio headset, so I gave him mine, barely passing the test myself.

When the finals came around, he made me run across campus in the pouring rain to deliver his interview portfolio, making me miss my own exam.

He conveniently forgot that before graduation, I was the one who tutored him through all his courses.

I stared at him in dead silence until his mocking laughter withered away under my icy glare.

Embarrassed, he snapped defensively:

"Drop the act, Chloe! You obviously saw my Snap story about this restaurant and stalked me here!"

"You're the one who walked out on our wedding yesterday! I'm taking Vivian out on a date, and if you think a casual apology will get me to forgive you like before, you're dead wrong—"

In the past, whenever he ditched me for Vivian, I would cry my eyes out, but I always ended up swallowing my pride and begging for peace.

This time, I looked at him like he was a total stranger. I brushed past his shoulder and said calmly:

"Have fun. You're newlyweds, after all. You should spend plenty of time with her."