Chapter 2

The first time they met was when I passed out from exhaustion and broke a rib.

Standing by my hospital bed, Maya had scolded Ethan.

"What kind of boyfriend are you? If you can’t take care of my Chloe, I’m going to take her away from you!"

Ethan had held my hand tightly, his eyes filled with guilt as he apologized over and over.

For the next month, they both bustled around my hospital bed, bringing me water, feeding me soup, and taking care of my every need.

Back then, even though my body ached, my heart felt so full of warmth.

So... they had fallen in love at first sight back then?

And I was the only fool kept in the dark.

A girl standing next to me nudged my elbow, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Are you here alone too? Gosh, I’m so jealous of that couple on stage! You can literally see the love in his eyes when he looks at her!"

"So sweet! I wish I could find a guy who loves me that much."

I stared at my boyfriend and my best friend on the stage, forcing a pale smile.

"Yeah, it’s beautiful. If only that guy wasn't my actual boyfriend."

"Wait, what?" The girl’s eyes widened in horror. "He's your boyfriend?! How are you not screaming at them?!"

After a long silence, I whispered, "He won't be for much longer."

Up on stage, they finally spotted me.

Maya waved excitedly, jogging down the steps to hand me a giant plushie they had won.

"Chloe! Happy birthday! This is for you!"

"Don't get jealous, okay? I only pretended to be Ethan's girlfriend so I could win this cute toy for you!"

Another thing she did "for me."

I looked down at the plushie. Its stitched mouth was grinning, as if mocking my stupidity.

They started walking ahead of me again, naturally leaving the left side open for me.

I stepped forward, grabbing the hem of Ethan's shirt. I said quietly, "Let's break up."

"What?" Ethan didn’t hear me. He leaned down, presenting his deaf left ear to me.

"I said, let's break up!" I raised my voice.

But Ethan still looked completely blank.

Before I could say it a third time, Maya called out softly, "The fireworks are starting! If we don't hurry, we won't get a good spot!"

Ethan immediately stood straight, grabbed Maya’s hand, and ran toward the viewing deck.

I was left standing alone in the crowd, my words choking in my throat. Nobody cared.

In the distance, under the glowing lights, I saw Ethan hoist Maya onto his back.

Brilliant fireworks exploded in the night sky, illuminating the entire park.

It was so bright that I clearly saw Maya lean in close to Ethan's right ear—his good ear—and plant a kiss on his cheek.

At that moment, the crowd cheered, but my world went completely silent.

My hand instinctively moved to my chest. There was no physical wound, yet it felt like a gaping, hollow hole had been torn open.

The cold wind blew right through it.

It was freezing.

I turned around, walked against the flow of the crowd, and headed toward the exit.