Chapter 2

Three years' worth of my belongings were piled haphazardly in the corner of the room like a mound of garbage.

What stung the most was the sight of a crushed, mangled fountain pen.

Three years ago, on the night I confessed my feelings, Wade pulled this pen out of his drawer.

His tone was as careless as if he were dismissing a subordinate: "Take it. For work."

But I had treated it like a priceless treasure for three years. I never even could bear to use it.

Inside the trash can, my diary had been ripped to shreds.

I crouched down and picked up a scrap of paper:

"Today Wade looked at me an extra second, I'm so happy..."

"Wade said he's coming over tonight, but I waited forever and he never showed up."

Every page was a testament to my pathetic, one-sided crush; every word screamed of my foolish sincerity.

Over the past three years, I had naively believed that as long as I let myself be trampled into the dirt, I could eventually warm his cold heart. Even a pitiful crumb of affection from him could keep me happy for days.

Wade walked up behind me. He casually glanced at the mess, his tone utterly weightless. "It's not anything important anyway. Just throw it out."

Right. Three years of our relationship—none of it meant a single thing to him.

I picked up the deformed pen, my fingertips lightly brushing against the faded engraving on the barrel. I had secretly paid to etch the letters "W&C" into it, genuinely believing it could carve us into eternity.

Looking back on it now, it was completely laughable.

I opened my hand. The pen dropped into the trash can.

"You're right." I looked up and gave a faint smile. "Unimportant things that are dirty and broken should be thrown away."

Wade's brow furrowed, as if he wanted to say something.

But I didn't give him the chance. I just grabbed the handle of my case and started walking out.

"I'll drop you off."

His sudden, uncharacteristic offer made my steps falter.

I was about to refuse, but he had already snatched the suitcase from my grip and loaded it straight into his car.

I didn't put up a fight. In silence, I got into the passenger seat.

Wade focused on driving.

A little while later, his phone rang. The screen flashed: Stella.

He answered, his tone instantly softening into something incredibly tender. "What's wrong?"

Stella's fragile, breathy voice filtered through the phone, loud enough for me to hear perfectly. "Wade, my foot hurts so much... Could you come get me, please?"

"Alright, wait right there. I'll be over soon."

He hung up the phone. When he turned to look at me, the tenderness had vanished from his face completely. "Get out."

I stared at him in disbelief, glancing at the torrential rain pouring outside the window.

"It's pouring out... Can you at least drop me back off at the villa first?"

"I said, get out."

He didn't even look at me, his voice thick with impatience.

"Stella is waiting for me."

I bit my lip, gripping my seatbelt tightly.

Before I could even finish my sentence, he was already out of the car.

He yanked the passenger door open, dragged my suitcase out, and hurled it violently onto the muddy pavement.

The impact popped the suitcase open. My clothes spilled out into the muddy puddles.

With bloodshot eyes, I stepped out into the storm, squatting in the downpour to gather my ruined clothes.

Wade didn't spare me a single glance. He got back in and started the engine.

The car sped off into the rain, splashing a harsh wave of muddy water all over my body.

The rain streamed down my face, mixing heavily with my tears.

The next day was the first day of my period.

The cramps were so agonizing I could barely stand up straight, but I forced myself to go to the office anyway.

My resignation handover wasn't finished, and I simply didn't want to drag it out over these last few days.

The moment I sat down at my desk, my phone buzzed.

A text from Wade: [Need sanitary pads and painkillers. Pick them up on your way and bring them to the party.]

I didn't need to guess. I knew perfectly well these weren't for me. He was ordering me to buy them for Stella.

I wanted to refuse. I typed out a few words, then deleted them.

Forget it.

It was only a few more days. There was no point in starting another conflict.

I bought the items at a convenience store and rushed to the party, gritting my teeth through the abdominal pain.

Wade stood in the center of the crowd. Stella had her arm looped gracefully through his, smiling like a radiant flower.

I walked up and handed him the plastic bag. "The things you asked for."

Wade took the bag. Without even looking at me, he turned around and handed it straight to Stella.

Just as I thought. They were for her.

Stella didn't take the bag. Instead, she suddenly raised the wine glass in her hand and threw the entire glass of red wine right in my face. "Why are you still lingering around him?!"

The dark red wine soaked my hair and dripped down my face. The agonizing cramps from my period had already left me feeling dizzy and hollow; at that moment, I could only stand there perfectly still like a numb, lifeless puppet, letting everyone in the room treat me as a joke.

Yet, Stella's eyes instantly turned red with tears. She whirled around and threw herself into Wade's chest. "How could you still let her stay by your side?"

Wade hesitated for a split second when he looked at me, then shifted his entire focus back to Stella. His large hand gently cupped her jaw, the pad of his thumb softly brushing away the tear sliding down her cheek.

"It's just her being desperate and clingy."

"You know you're the only one in my heart."