Chapter 2

Ten minutes later, Julian came down anyway.

I found out later that his mother had forced him to.

He held his car keys in his left hand and a slice of cake in his right. He walked up to me and sighed.

"Are you done throwing your tantrum?"

I looked at him. "What do you think I'm mad about?"

"What else could it be?"

He held out the cake.

"You're upset because Chloe got the bracelet."

"This is your favorite sea salt chestnut cake. No one touched it. I saved it especially for you."

It was always like this.

He would stab me, and then flawlessly offer me half a piece of candy.

He knew I loved chestnuts, he knew my stomach was weak, he knew how to warm my cold hands in winter.

But he didn't know I had dignity.

I didn't take the cake.

"Why has your mother believed Chloe was your girlfriend for seven years?"

Julian paused.

He probably didn't expect me to be so direct.

"When we started dating, you were still an intern."

"My mom visited the office a lot. I was afraid she'd slip up and affect your full-time offer, so I used Chloe as a shield."

"And after that?"

"After that, it was too complicated to explain."

He said it so casually, like it was the most logical thing in the world.

"My mom has a bad heart. If I suddenly introduced a different girl after seven years, wouldn't she think something went wrong in my life?"

I stared at him.

"So the easiest solution was to make sure I never showed up?"

"Here we go again."

Julian's eyebrows knitted together.

"As long as I know you're my girlfriend, isn't that enough?"

"I keep your stomach meds in my office year-round. I even paid the rent for your apartment."

"Harper, have I not been good to you? Do you not see that?"

"It's just a title."

"Why do you have to cling to it?"

I suddenly wanted to laugh.

"What about the family dinner next week?"

"What about it?"

"Your mom said she wants to finalize things between you and Chloe."

"It's just a dinner with the elders."

"The toasts?"

"We'll do them."

"The family photo?"

"We'll take it."

"What if she calls you her husband?"

Julian's face finally turned cold.

"Harper, are you interrogating me?"

I didn't stop.

"What about the ring?"

He stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly chuckled.

He reached out and pinched my cheek.

"Even if she wears a ring, so what?"

"I'm not signing a marriage certificate with her, and I'm not sleeping with her."

He leaned in close, his voice softening.

"You know who I'm actually going to marry in the end, don't you?"

If this were in the past, I probably would have softened because of this sentence.

Julian was the master of this.

He gave me no status.

But he promised me a future.

He gave me no respect.

But he told me I was the only one in the end.

As long as I still believed in that "future," he would never have to change the present.

"You think not sleeping with her makes you loyal to me?"

The smile on Julian's face completely faded.

"Fine."

"It's your birthday. Let's not fight."

He pulled a jewelry box out of his pocket.

Inside was a delicate platinum necklace.

The back of the pendant was engraved with *H & J*.

I had shown him this design last year.

I told him I wanted something to prove we were actually in a relationship.

He had called it childish back then.

Now, he finally bought it.

The moment my fingers moved, Julian smiled.

"You still like it, don't you?"

But his next sentence was: "Chloe went to three different stores to find it."

My hand froze.

He noticed nothing.

"She was also the one who suggested engraving the letters on the back so you could wear it at work without anyone noticing."

I snapped the box shut.

"I don't want it."

Julian's smile vanished instantly.

"Now what?"

"Since Chloe chose it, give it to her."

"She went out of her way to help me find a gift, and you're seriously jealous over this?"

He was clearly losing his patience.

"Harper, you didn't use to be like this."

I asked, "What was I like before?"

He answered without hesitation.

"Low-maintenance. Understanding."

I nodded slowly.

So that was what he loved most about me.

I didn't fight, I didn't ask, I didn't force him to make a choice.

That was what he called "low-maintenance."

My phone buzzed.

It was a text from Chloe.

She had sent it to Julian, but his screen lit up right in front of me:

"Julian, your mom wants me to wear a red dress next week. Can I wear the one you said looked good on me?"

Julian looked down and typed:

"Sure."

He paused, then added:

"Just don't wear it too short. There will be older relatives."

I stood beside him, watching him act like a real boyfriend, carefully considering what another woman should wear to meet his parents.

Strangely, I didn't feel a single spark of jealousy.

"Julian."

"Yeah?"

"I'm not jealous anymore."

He froze for a moment, and his tense expression finally relaxed.

He reached out to hold my hand.

"See? Isn't this much better?"

I took a step back.

He thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

But he didn't know.

I hadn't "figured things out."

I just didn't want him anymore.