Chapter 3

The moment the words "move out" left my mouth, Kyle completely lost his temper.

"I’m not moving anywhere! Serena, you have no right to kick me out!"

"This is my apartment," I said, locking eyes with him. "My name is the only one on the deed. I paid the down payment, and I pay the monthly mortgage. You’ve lived here rent-free for three years without contributing a single cent. Now that we’re broken up, telling you to leave is entirely legal and completely fair."

Kyle’s face turned bright red, his lips trembling with rage.

"What... what are you doing? Keeping score now?" he snarled. "What about my three years of youth? I’m twenty-six, and you’re thirty-one! I gave you the best years of my life, and now you’re throwing me out onto the street?!"

*The best years of his life.*

The sheer absurdity of it made me laugh out loud.

"Kyle, you lived in my home, drove my car, wore the clothes I bought you, and ate the food I put on the table. Your paycheck couldn't even cover your personal spending, so I had to subsidize you every single month! You gave me your best years? Tell me, what exactly have you brought into my life over the past three years?"

He was completely struck dumb.

The apartment hung in thick, suffocating silence.

Finally, he ground his teeth and spat, "I never agreed to a breakup, so we aren't broken up!"

Then he slammed the front door shut and stormed off.

For the next three days, Kyle didn't come back.

I knew exactly where he was.

Leo had posted a series of photos on his Instagram story. They were at a swanky VIP club downtown.

In the photos, Kyle had his arm draped snugly around Mia’s bare shoulders, grinning like an idiot.

I set my phone aside and continued packing Kyle's belongings into cardboard boxes.

He probably thought that by giving me the silent treatment for a few days, I would freak out like I used to—that I would crumble, text him frantic apologies, and beg him to come home.

What he didn't realize was that these three days were the most peaceful, relaxing days I had experienced in three entire years.

On the fourth afternoon, I was in the middle of a team meeting at work when the front desk paged me, saying a guest was waiting in the lobby.

I walked out to the reception area and saw Mia standing by the entrance.

She was wearing a pastel pink oversized hoodie, holding a branded paper bag from an upscale bakery, smiling like a harmless little angel.

"Serena!" she called out cheerfully, walking up to me. "I brought you a treat! Kyle mentioned you were craving cheesecake from this bakery, and I just happened to be passing by, so I grabbed a slice for you."

*Kyle mentioned it.*

*Kyle asked her to bring it.*

How utterly thoughtful.

"Thanks," I said flatly, taking the bag without opening it. "Is there anything else?"

Mia blinked, seemingly surprised by my icy indifference.

She bit her lip, took a step closer, and lowered her voice conspiratorially.

"Serena, honestly, I came here today because I wanted to talk to you about Kyle."

"Talk about what?"

"Well..." She put on a troubled, heartbroken expression. "Kyle’s been in such a terrible mood these past few days. He’s drinking every single night. It hurts my heart just watching him like that. Serena, why don’t you just forgive him? He really didn't mean what he said that night. He only said those things because he cares about you so much!"

Cares about me so much?

"You think I should forgive him?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course!" Mia reached out and grabbed my hand, her tone oozing sincerity. "Serena, you guys have been together for three whole years! Think about all that history! You can’t just throw it away over one little argument, right? Besides, all Kyle talks about is you! He acts tough, but he’s so soft inside. He keeps saying how much he loves your cooking, how you always bought him the coolest limited-edition sneakers, how sweet you were to him..."

Her voice trailed off, dropping lower.

"...And he said... you’re older than him, so you really should be the bigger person and let things slide."

*Be the bigger person.*

I saw right through it.

Kyle didn't want to swallow his pride to apologize; he had sent Mia as his little messenger to manipulate me into backing down.

He thought he knew me inside and out. He thought I was a pushover who would melt at the slightest appeal to emotion.

What he didn't understand was that my heart had already been smashed to pieces on that club floor.

"Mia, thanks for the errand," I said coolly, pulling my hand away from hers. "But whatever happens between Kyle and me is none of your business."

Mia's face stiffened for a second.

"Serena, you don’t think there’s something going on between Kyle and me, do you? We’re just friends, I swear! Please don’t get the wrong idea."

I stared straight into her eyes. "Whether there's something between you two has nothing to do with me anymore."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked back into the office.