Chapter 2

The next morning we each left for work.

A delivery notification came through on my phone.

Earlier, my boss, Mr. Lawrence, had asked me to order a full set of the newest Apple products for him.

Cary and I worked at the same company but in different divisions.

The pickup point downstairs from my place had shut down, so I'd put in Cary's address instead.

I messaged him to sign for it when it came.

He replied with an OK.

Before the end of the day, I was idly scrolling my social media feed

when Cary's new post jumped out at me.

The photo was the set of Apple products I'd bought, but the caption read:

【Girlfriend just had to have it. What can you do? You pick your own little tyrant, and then you grit your teeth and spoil her.】

Below it were already a dozen likes and comments:

【Damn, Cary, big spender!】

【His girl's a lucky one.】

【So jealous. Bet tonight's gonna be a good one, huh?】

Cary replied, cool as anything: 【A woman's meant to be spoiled. As long as she's happy.】

Looking at that post, all I felt was sick to my stomach.

My things, used to prop up his image?

I messaged him right away: 【Delete the post.】

First he sent a few laughing stickers, then a voice message, laughing like it was nothing: “Come on, it's not a big deal.”

“I'm just showing off a little in front of my coworkers. Do you really have to make a federal case out of it?”

I replied: 【If you won't delete it, then pay me back for it.】

He gave a cold little laugh: “See, this is exactly why I say you're a gold digger.”

“You live in my place and I never asked you for rent, and now you want me to buy you something this expensive? You think you deserve it? You don't! What makes you think you do? What have you got?”

He was always like this, taking some tired joke he'd read online and turning it on me, then cracking up at his own words.

If I got angry, he'd say he was only joking, that I had no sense of humor.

He went on: “Other girls buy their boyfriends cars. Did I ever ask you for a car? I put up one post and you act like it's the end of the world. How can you be this petty?”

I looked at those voice messages and said it again: 【Delete the post. Give me the products.】

Grinning, he spelled it out one word at a time: “I'm not deleting it. And today I'm going to cure you of that selfish streak of yours.”

Staring at the phone, I wasn't the least bit surprised.

He'd pulled this same trick countless times before.

The moment I didn't go along with him on something, he'd switch straight to the silent treatment.

In his words, he was punishing me.

He said it was to teach me a lesson, to make me learn some manners.

Once in college, I was so worn out from studying for finals that I didn't go with him to eat in the dining hall and just had a piece of bread back in my dorm.

He gave me the silent treatment for a solid week.

In the end I had to grovel and apologize before he'd hold me and say, in that fake, tender voice:

“Do you have any idea how much it hurts me when you don't eat properly?”

“To make sure you remember this lesson, your penalty is to send me a $52 cash transfer.”

Back then my head must have been full of water, because I actually thought he did it because he cared about me too much.

When I got home from work, he was already back.

The full set of Apple products was sitting right there on the coffee table.

I walked over to pick it up, and he slapped my hand away.

“Go on, tell me. What did you do wrong today?”