Chapter 2

Carl clearly thought this was a great idea, for his eyes lit up.

"It's settled, then. Becca, we'll make it up to you and celebrate your birthday tomorrow."

He made the decision for me before I could speak up, not even asking if I consented to the plan.

Taking in the relieved look on his face, I suddenly found this entire situation rather ridiculous.

My birthday and Joanna's were only one day apart, so we had been celebrating together for the past few years. However, every time, my birthday celebration was delayed by a day so we could celebrate on the same day as Joanna's. It was as though I had lost the right to have my own birthday.

Nonetheless, Carl didn't notice my dark mood at all, turning to head off to class with Joanna.

That night, the same collage and joking comments appeared, just like in my previous life.

However, this time, I didn't keep quiet. Instead, I commented below the collage as well, "They do seem to be a perfect match for each other."

Within moments, Carl was calling me.

"Rebecca Jink, what nonsense are you blathering in the comments section below Joanna's post? Hurry up and delete it!"

I answered calmly, "Everyone is commenting about how you two are flaunting your love. I was just hopping on the bandwagon."

Carl's tone turned cold as he scolded me for being unreasonable. "Joanna only uploaded that on her social media because she wanted to document a part of her daily life. It's not her fault that others misunderstood the post. If she were to try and explain, it would only make her look petty."

A burst of mocking laughter left my lips. Even when I was furious and jealous, he still cared more about Joanna's reputation than me.

"If she knows that others will misunderstand, just don't upload such misleading photos."

Carl had no response to that.

I hung up.

A short while later, Joanna had deleted the post. For the rest of the night, she was quiet, not uploading anything more.

…

The next day, I finished packing my bag after class was over, only to spot Joanna and Carl waiting for me outside the door.

Joanna lunged forward to pull me into a hug, an apologetic expression on her face. "Becca, were you angry last night? I'm sorry. I was just too excited and let it get the better of me. Let's celebrate your birthday later so that I can make it up to you, okay?"

Extricating myself from her embrace, I said, "My birthday is already over, and I have no intention of celebrating it belatedly."

The smile on her face slowly vanished, replaced by a hint of dejection.

Immediately, Carl's expression darkened.

"Becca, could you stop being such a wet towel? Because of your temper tantrum last night, Joanna wasn't even in the mood for the concert anymore. She's been racking her brains the whole day for ideas on how to cheer you up."

A wave of bitterness surged through me. Every time I refused to go along with their wishes, they would call me a party-pooper or a wet towel.

In the end, I was still dragged away by Joanna.

However, I didn't know until we had arrived at the restaurant that we were having spicy food.

Even though I couldn't handle spicy food, Carl still ordered for the dishes to be extra spicy.

"Why are we having spicy food?"

Carl answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "Because Joanna and I love spicy food. Stop being so special. Besides, today is her birthday. Can't you just give in to her wants?"

Joanna piped up beside him, "Spicy food is like the soul of life. There's no life without spice."

They had clearly promised to make it up to me and belatedly celebrate my birthday, and they could have easily ordered me some non-spicy food as well.

Just the smell of the spices floating in the air had my stomach twisting in pain.

Once, I had forced myself to eat spicy food just to go along with them. However, I ended up having such terrible gastric pain that I had to go to the emergency room in the middle of the night.

Upon learning of it, not only did Caleb not show any concern toward me, but he even scorned me for having such a weak body.

"With you being so delicate, how are Joanna and I supposed to bring you along the next time we want to do something?"

Back in the present, I spoke up. "I don't want to have any spicy food."

My rare display of opinion caused Carl to pause momentarily, but ultimately, he still said, "We've already placed the order. If you really can't handle it, we'll just ask the restaurant for some water later, and you can wash your food in it."

A burning sensation pricked at my eyes, and I couldn't help but wonder just how blind I must have been in the past to not realize that my boyfriend had never once sided with me.

"Carl, let's break up."