Chapter 4

**Chloe's POV**

I slammed my heavy binder right at Melanie's feet, my voice cold and sharp. "Melanie, do you need me to help refresh your memory? Do you want me to pull up the records of how you were publicly replaced by the director because you were late to dress rehearsals and kept messing up the choreography? You have zero talent, so you rely on playing the victim to get sympathy. You've repeated that lie a hundred times, and now you actually believe it yourself, don't you?"

Melanie’s face turned paper-white. Shaking with anger, she screamed, "You're lying!"

"Enough!" Julian roared. "Chloe, do you have to be so malicious? Apologize to Melanie right now!"

There it was again.

Whenever Melanie cried, I was automatically the villain.

I looked at him coldly, pulled a set of keys out of my bag, and threw them right at Julian's chest. "Those are the keys to your studio. I'm returning them. Julian, we are over. We are breaking up."

Julian caught the keys, completely stunned.

He thought I was just blowing off steam. He never expected me to actually bring up a breakup.

"What do you mean?"

A flash of triumph crossed Melanie's eyes, though she kept up her good-girl act. "Chloe, don't be impulsive. Julian really cares about you..."

"Shut up, you manipulative snake!" I barked, cutting her off in disgust. I turned back to Julian. "Your 'sixty-six paybacks list' is short by three. Too bad, I'm not playing anymore. Enjoy your little game by yourselves."

The mention of the "list" hit Julian like a lightning bolt. He froze in place, utterly paralyzed.

Without giving him another second to process, I turned on my heel and walked briskly toward the subway station.

Julian instinctively tried to chase after me, but Melanie grabbed his arm tightly. "Julian, Chloe must have misunderstood something. Don't go..."

Julian stood frozen in the cold wind.

Under the bright neon lights of the subway station, I didn't look back even once.

**Julian's POV**

For the first time in my life, I felt a terrifying reality sink in: the Chloe who had always stood in the exact same spot waiting for me was completely gone.

"A breakup?! How could she possibly bear to break up with you?"

In the studio, Hudson listened to me and laughed so hard tears came to his eyes. "Julian, you're just taking her too seriously! She’s playing hard to get! Once she cools down, she'll come crawling back to you like a loyal dog."

I sat on the sofa, staring at the keys on the table, my mind in absolute chaos.

"The sixty-fourth payback is still on," Hudson suggested carelessly. "Doesn't she have that kids' recital at the end of the month? Let's steal her backup audio files and the lead dancer's costume. Let's see how she handles that disaster. When she has nowhere else to turn, she’ll come crying to you for help!"

I snapped my head up, my voice dangerously cold. "I told you, do not touch her recital! And do not touch those kids!"

Hudson gasped, startled by my outburst. "Are you crazy? We're only three steps away from finishing the list. Why are you suddenly feeling sorry for her?!"

Melanie walked over and pulled at my sleeve, looking incredibly sorrowful. "Julian, are you blaming me for making things difficult? If that's the case, let's just forget about her stealing my spot back then. I don't mind carrying the hurt..."

If this had been the past, I would have pulled her into my arms and assured her she didn't have to suffer.

But now, looking at Melanie's face, Chloe's words kept ringing in my ears: *late to dress rehearsals, replaced for messing up the choreography.*

A wave of disgust washed over me. I felt like I was being used as a weapon.

I shoved Melanie's hand off my arm. "Don't touch me. The game is over."

Melanie froze, a dark, vicious look flashing deep in her eyes.