Chapter 2

I left Ethan’s home on the night of our sixth anniversary.

Before leaving, I placed the diamond necklace by the entryway.

On the drive home, I opened Victoria’s Instagram.

Her Instagram was filled with snapshots of a rich girl’s everyday life. I deliberately scrolled through them.

One post showed Victoria bungee jumping. She had uploaded a selfie wearing sunglasses.

There was a very familiar reflection in the lenses. It was almost impossible to notice without looking closely. My hands trembled as I enlarged the picture.

There was no doubt about it.

It was Ethan.

That day, I had fallen off my bicycle and hurt my foot.

“Ethan, I’m in so much pain. I’m still getting an IV. Are you done with work? Can you come pick me up?”

“Baby, I had an appointment with a very important friend today. I probably won’t be able to make it.”

“It’s okay. You go ahead and take care of your business.”

Like any ordinary girlfriend, he was the first person I thought of when I got hurt.

And like any ordinary girlfriend, I had given him plenty of space instead of getting angry or making a scene.

I never imagined that Ethan hadn’t been meeting a client that day.

He had been meeting his old flame.

As I scrolled farther, I saw that Victoria had also posted pictures of a gold bracelet and a crystal necklace, with the caption:

【We really are on the same wavelength. I wanted it, and he just happened to give it to me.】

I studied the packaging in the picture carefully.

It was the exact brand I had once mentioned to Ethan.

By coincidence, Ethan had also given me jewelry from the same brand.

The only difference was that I had received a bracelet instead of a bangle.

When I received that gift, I had been so grateful that I nearly cried, completely immersed in my boyfriend’s affection.

I had no idea my gift had merely been an add-on.

After seeing that, I shut off my phone.

I couldn’t keep humiliating myself.

I opened the window and let the wind blow against my face, trying to let it sweep away the darkness in my heart.

“I mailed the apartment keys to your home. From now on, let’s go our separate ways.”

“Let’s go our separate ways” was the last bit of dignity I gave him.

After deciding to leave Ethan, I packed up everything and hired a moving company to empty the apartment.

“Okay.”

Ethan was a man of few words. He sent back only one word. I stared at the screen and felt a strange ache in my chest.

No matter how angry Ethan had been in the past, he would always start his messages with “Baby,” but this time, his pride remained intact.

He didn’t want to say even one extra word.

Maybe he had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Maybe the beginning of our relationship had been a mistake.

Not long after graduating, I settled in New York and became a yoga instructor.

The apartment was quiet and decorated in a simple, modern style, exactly what I wanted, so I decided that same day to sign the lease with the agent.

After I moved in, I always contacted Ethan whenever there was a problem with the water, electricity, or heating because the agent had given me Ethan’s contact information.

At first, I thought Ethan was a professional maintenance worker. Later, I found out that he owned the entire building.

His parents wanted to train him, so they made him handle all the building’s repairs and collect the rent.

“You’re amazing! You don’t look much older than me, so how do you know how to handle all these odd jobs?”

I sincerely admired Ethan’s practical skills, and I admired even more how hardworking he was despite coming from a wealthy property-owning family.

“It’s nothing. You get used to it after doing it enough times, and none of this is that difficult.”

Ethan’s bangs were damp with sweat.

The sweat trickled down his narrow eyes and high nose, making his fair skin look even brighter and more translucent, as though every pore were giving off raw hormonal energy.