Chapter 2

I picked up the walkie-talkie and requested to leave the game.

After Eric heard it, he came back looking very unhappy.

"If you hadn't held us back, we would've cleared it already. What are you complaining about now by trying to quit?"

I didn't answer, just looked at the blood pooling on the floor.

Eric followed my gaze and finally noticed the wound on my knee.

"Why were you so careless..."

"Eric, I can't solve this puzzle. Come take a look!"

Eric's words and the motion of wanting to hold me were both interrupted by Bella's voice.

"Lucy, wait for us at the entrance. Once we're out, we'll take you to the hospital together."

"We're just one final room away from clearing the whole thing. Don't worry, it won't take long."

After saying that, he turned and ran toward Bella.

But my eyes fell on his waist.

The cartoon-print bag Bella loved was slung across his shoulder, and the plush rabbit hanging from it hurt my eyes every time it swung.

We had been together for five years, and I had asked him countless times to help me carry my bag, but he always said it wasn't right for a grown man to carry a girl's bag.

Over time, I stopped caring.

A wave of bitterness rose in me. After a long while, I endured the pain and limped my way to the entrance.

At the same time, the two of them walked out side by side.

The escape room staff immediately surrounded them.

"Congratulations! You're the fastest players to escape this theme! Can you share your secret to clearing it?"

Bella leaned into Eric's arms, her face flushing slightly.

"He protected me the whole time, so I could focus on solving the puzzles without worrying about the NPCs."

The girl in charge of reviewing the security footage had envy all over her tone.

"Your boyfriend is really so good to you!"

"When that NPC suddenly jumped out just now, his first reaction was to use his own body to shield you!"

"If my boyfriend protected me like that on instinct, I'd probably be so moved I'd marry him on the spot!"

Bella smiled without explaining.

Eric glanced in my direction and said nothing, which counted as silent approval.

I lowered my head and looked at the blood that had already dried on my calf.

The interview with Eric and Bella was still going on.

"You two are basically the top players here. You also set the fastest clear record for the wedding dress theme last month!"

Bella leaned against Eric's shoulder and smiled proudly.

"Of course! We come here seven or eight times a month. We figured out your tricks ages ago!"

"I knew there'd be a lot of chase scenes in the new theme, so I even changed into flats!"

She lifted the brand-new shoes on her feet, drawing another round of admiration from the staff.

I had seen those shoes before. At the beginning of the month, Eric had sent me the link and asked if they looked good.

Back then, I thought they were a birthday gift for me, and I had looked forward to it for a whole month.

So the surprise was for Bella, and forgetting about me was real.

It felt like a huge stone had suddenly slammed into my chest, crushing the breath out of me.

Maybe I should have left this three-person relationship a long time ago.

My phone screen lit up, and a message from my boss appeared at the very top.

"Lucy, think carefully about the transfer to headquarters. Tomorrow is the last deadline."

A month ago, my boss told me he wanted to transfer me to headquarters as a project manager, basically a promotion.

But I didn't want a long-distance relationship with Eric, so I turned it down.

Now, I just wanted to get as far away from them as possible.

"I'll go."