Chapter 2

The next morning, I was woken up by Chloe violently banging on my door.

"Open the door! Who do you think you are? How dare you post that on Instagram to threaten me!"

"It was such a small thing! My parents just called and screamed at me because of you. Are you happy now?"

The moment I opened the door, she furiously threw her designer bag right at my face.

The sharp pain brought tears to my eyes.

But she didn't care about my pain. The only person she ever cared about was her precious ex-boyfriend.

I wiped my eyes and looked at her coldly.

The hickeys on her neck were too obvious to ignore.

In the past, I would have lost my mind and started a screaming match.

But now, I just wanted to get this over with.

"I made myself very clear. We’ve both been exhausted for ten years. It's over."

"Since you and Julian love each other so much, I won’t stand in your way anymore."

Seeing how strangely calm I was, she finally realized she might have gone too far.

She touched her nose guiltily and softened her tone, which was rare for her.

"Okay, okay. I know I messed up yesterday, but it was an emergency."

"Look, I won’t go anywhere today. I'll stay home and keep you company, okay? Stop being mad."

"When we were in college, he was the one who defended me when those rumors spread. I always felt like I owed him."

I held my cold coffee mug and didn't say a word.

A person's patience has limits. I had told her that countless times.

Too bad she never listened.

Seeing that I was still silent, she resorted to her ultimate weapon.

She leaned in close, trying to press her lips against mine.

This was her go-to move. In the past, no matter how angry I was, as long as she kissed me, I would immediately back down.

But this time, it was different.

Right before our lips touched, I pushed her away.

I stood up, frowning.

"I told you, I've reached my limit. I loved you, Chloe, but that wasn't an open invitation for you to walk all over me."

"If you feel like you owe him, there are a million ways to repay him. Don't use that as an excuse for your own selfish desires."

This was the first time I had ever rejected her. Chloe froze in shock.

She stared at me in disbelief. Just as she was about to speak, her phone rang.

Julian’s voice whimpered from the speaker.

"Chloe... I finally get it now. My presence is ruining your relationship with Ethan. It's all my fault..."

"I'm leaving town. I called to say goodbye. Thank you for everything."

Chloe immediately panicked. She grabbed her bag from the couch and rushed to the door.

"What are you talking about! This has nothing to do with you! I don't even care about him that much anyway!"

"Don't do anything stupid! I'm coming to find you right now!"

I watched her run out, feeling absolutely nothing.

This exact scene had played out hundreds of times.

One call from him, and I was instantly abandoned.

She would never change.

Perhaps feeling a bit guilty, she stopped at the door and coughed awkwardly.

"Wait for me to come back, and we'll talk. I'm just worried he might do something reckless."

"You understand, right?"

I didn't say anything. I just gave her a slight nod.

She looked relieved, smiled, and ran out.

Where she went had nothing to do with me anymore.

We had already broken up.