Chapter 1

On my birthday, my girlfriend Kathleen Henson said she had a surprise for me.

I thought she was finally going to say yes to my proposal, so I showed up dressed for the occasion, nervous and thrilled.

Instead, at the restaurant, the brother I'd cut off years ago was sitting in my seat, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Grant Pruitt, long time no see. Happy birthday."

He winked at me, playful.

"Your taste in people's really stepped up this time, hasn't it~"

I knew it. He'd come to poach again.

I was about to have it out with him.

But Kathleen had already taken the flowers from him, and passed him a plate of peeled shrimp while she was at it.

Then she turned to me.

"Your coworker treated you to coffee this afternoon, so you can't be that hungry yet."

"Ned Fox hasn't eaten. Let me feed him first."

Ned's smile deepened.

"Aw, thanks, Kathleen~"

I smiled too.

If Ned liked collecting garbage, then this time, I'd hand it over myself.

01

I sat down across from the two of them.

Ned's hand froze halfway to his mouth with the shrimp.

He looked nervous.

"Grant, you're not mad, are you?"

"I reached out to Kathleen ahead of time and said I wanted to see you. I really just wanted to celebrate your birthday."

"We haven't seen each other in years. I've missed you."

I looked at him coldly and said nothing.

Kathleen was the one who couldn't hold back in the end.

"Grant, Ned came all this way to celebrate your birthday. Why are you still sitting there with that face?"

Every other word out of her mouth was a cozy little "Ned."

I raised my eyes to her.

"How do you two know each other?"

She frowned slightly.

"Ned's the new assistant who joined our department last month. We added each other on WhatsApp for work."

Kathleen's whole feed was nothing but me.

Every guy on her contact list knew she had a boyfriend who wasn't short on possessiveness.

She'd never once complained about it.

But right now she was watching me with impatient scrutiny, waiting for me to make my accusation.

I said nothing. I just lowered my head and started eating.

At the table, Ned and Kathleen chatted away happily.

You could tell this wasn't the first time they'd gotten together like this.

Whenever the conversation drifted to me, I only gave a cold word or two in reply.

By the time the meal was nearly over,

Ned suddenly pulled something out from beside him and set it in front of me.

"Oh right, this is the gift Kathleen picked out for you. See if you like it?"

It was the gaming console I'd mentioned once to Kathleen last month.

Now it lay in its fancy box, unwrapped and screen glowing, a little messy, the manual tossed carelessly aside and half fallen out.

I took it and slowly looked at the registration info on the screen.

A single name. Fox.

I glanced at Ned first, then turned to Kathleen beside him.

"My birthday gift, and you let someone else unbox it first?"

The woman's expression didn't change.

"Ned was just using his account to test the feel for you. You can just log his account out later."

I gave a soft laugh and set the gift aside.

Then I stood up.

"I'm full."

Ned grabbed my hand.

"Grant, did I go and overstep again without thinking? Let me apologize to you, okay?"

Looking at that sincere face of his, I was a little surprised.

Three years, and he hadn't stayed completely the same after all.

At least his acting had gotten a lot better.

He kept pleading.

"Don't go yet, okay? We haven't even had the birthday cake."

I glanced down at the hand he'd laid on my arm and coldly pulled it back.

"I can't eat another bite."

Sensing my mood, Kathleen stood.

She hung her bag on me with practiced ease, but her tone had gone cold.

"Let's go. Home."

Ned trotted after us, his voice careful.

"Kathleen, could I catch a ride with you two? It's so late, I'm a little scared to take a cab alone."

Kathleen looked at me.

"Ned scares easily. We really should drop him off."

I stopped and met her cold stare in silence.

She finally ran out of patience, her voice dropping a note.

"If you don't want to, then take a cab home yourself."

I handed her bag back to her.

"Fine. You go."

Without a moment's hesitation, I put out my hand.

A cab pulled up right in front of me, and the next second, I got in without a second thought.

Kathleen's voice came from behind me.

"Grant, can you not be so childish——"

The door shut, and everything cut off at once.

I wiped away the single tear that had just fallen, and yet my heart felt light.

What's mine, no one can take from me.

And what can be taken, no matter how much I like it, isn't worth keeping.

Ned might feel very pleased with himself.

But my world has never dimmed over losing a woman.