Chapter 3

In the morning, the door behind me suddenly flew open. I had slept on the cold porch all night. Unprepared, I tumbled backward into the apartment.

Logan yawned, looking down at me. "I want breakfast burritos. Hot ones. Go get them now."

His voice was raspy, like he had just woken up.

I quickly got up, wrapped my jacket tightly around myself, and walked to the diner down the street.

Logan's temper came and went quickly.

When I brought back the breakfast burritos, he turned back into a bright, cheerful boy. "Chloe, you're seriously the best person in the world to me. Even better than my own mom!"

Moments like this were when I felt most fulfilled.

As long as Logan was happy, I was happy.

I stayed home for a day, and Logan was clearly annoyed. "Why aren't you out looking for a job? How are you going to support me?"

The next morning, I went to the mall and got a job handing out flyers while wearing a heavy mascot suit.

During my lunch break, my phone buzzed repeatedly with notifications. Logan had spent over three hundred dollars on our shared Apple Pay account.

I stared at my phone in shock. My boss glared at me, so I quickly put my mascot head back on and went back to work.

During my thirty-minute dinner break, my phone buzzed again. It was a notification for Logan buying condoms.

My brain went completely blank.

I rushed home, but hesitated at the front door.

I kept telling myself it had to be a mistake. But the strange noises coming from inside made me open the door.

In the bedroom, Logan was on top of another woman.

My sudden entry interrupted them.

The plush toy I had hand-sewn for our third anniversary was lying discarded on the floor.

The woman rubbed her nose and slipped out from under Logan. "Who's this?"

I stared at Logan, my voice flat. "Who is she?"

Logan suddenly yelled, "Chloe, how dare you interrogate me! What right do you have to ask me that?"

The woman giggled. "Logan, where did you find this girl? She looks like a total loser."

Maybe because my gaze was too intense, Logan looked away first. "Why are you yelling? Nothing's happening. We're just shooting a video. This is my close friend, Ashley. We're filming a comedy skit."

Ashley jumped off the bed, completely shirtless, and looked at me.

She even offered her hand. "Hey there."

I walked right past her, straight to Logan. "Why did you buy condoms? Didn't you say you didn't believe in sex before marriage?"

Ashley burst out laughing, pointing at Logan. "What the hell? 'Don't believe in sex before marriage'? That is the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

I glared at her, and her laughter died down.

Logan crossed his arms, looking completely indifferent. "None of your business. I buy what I want. If you don't like it, unlink your Apple Pay. Plenty of girls want to spend money on me. I don't need yours."

The tension in the room was suffocating.

I was still wearing the bottom half of my mascot suit, holding the clumsy mascot head in my hands.

I had just caught my boyfriend cheating with his "close friend," and yet, I felt completely powerless.

I lowered my head and said softly, "Logan, let's break up."

The bedroom fell dead silent. Even my breathing sounded loud.

Then came the sound of Logan grabbing the bedside lamp and smashing it against my forehead.

"Chloe, who do you think you are? When did I ever say you were my girlfriend? You aren't even my girlfriend! How do you have the nerve to say that?"

Logan screamed at me, and my heart went completely cold.

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "How can someone change so completely in six years?"

Logan frowned, looking annoyed.

But none of that mattered anymore.

The way I treated him over the last five years was more than enough to repay him for saving my life back then.