Chapter 1

Connor's POV

I got up, got dressed, and headed for the door.

Behind me, Jennifer called out, "Where are you going?"

I didn't answer. I bent down and put on my shoes.

Under Hunter's threatening stare, she finally forced out a reluctant apology. "What I said just now... I went too far."

I didn't stop. I walked straight toward the door, and Jennifer's patience finally snapped. "Are you done with this? Where could you possibly be going in the middle of the night? Just because of what happened with your dad, does the whole world have to accommodate you?"

Before I could answer, Hunter rushed over and grabbed my arm. His grip was so tight it hurt, and his eyes were red.

"Connor... I'll give you an explanation. Just don't do anything rash. Don't do anything stupid."

I glanced down at his hand and let out a short laugh before pulling my arm free.

My voice remained perfectly calm. "Hunter, the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life was letting you move into this house.

"Ever since we were kids, I've given you whatever you wanted. You said you liked my game console, so I bought you the same one. You said you wanted to get into the same university as me, so I risked a disciplinary mark to slip you the answers.

"Now, if you want my girlfriend and this bed, you can have those too."

Tears streamed down Hunter's face. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

I stared at him without expression. "Are you satisfied now? If you are, stop clinging to me. I have nothing left to give you."

With that, I pushed open the door and walked out.

The early autumn wind swept into the stairwell. I shivered but kept walking.

A streetlight shone overhead and cast my short shadow across the ground.

I lowered my gaze to the matching slippers Jennifer and I had bought as a couple. They were so filthy that I could barely recognize them.

My vision blurred with tears as the memories I had kept locked away began to resurface.

When Jennifer and I first got together, she had treated me well. She knew that ever since my father died beside me, I had been afraid to sleep alone or even turn off the lights. Because of that, she had deliberately bought a place in the same complex where Hunter rented his apartment.

Back then, Jennifer had told me, "Hunter lives close by. When I'm away on business, he can come over and keep you company."

Later, Hunter kept insisting that he wasn't comfortable leaving me alone. What began as the occasional overnight stay gradually became a visit every few days.

Eventually, he gave up his lease altogether and moved into the place Jennifer and I shared.

When Jennifer found out, she simply said, "It's better this way. No more running back and forth."

All that time, I hadn't thought anything of it.

I didn't notice when the matching couple's mugs in the living room somehow became a set of three. The toothbrush holder gained another slot. The pajamas, slippers, and even the new sheets I later switched to all matched Hunter's.

He would always sling an arm around my shoulders with an easy smile and speak as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Connor, let's just buy them together. Best friends should match."

Even our mutual friends used to joke about it. "Connor, you're so lucky. You got a girlfriend and a boyfriend thrown in for free."

I hadn't understood what they meant. I had genuinely believed I was lucky enough to have both love and friendship.

Only now did I realize that even they had seen the truth more clearly than I had. They had understood long before I did that there had always been a third person in my relationship.

I wiped away my tears, slipped off the slippers, and tossed them into the nearby trash can.

I stood there barefoot as the cold seeped through the soles of my feet and spread through my entire body.

I pulled out my phone, found the number I was looking for, and dialed.

"Uncle Jim, I've made up my mind. I'm willing to go abroad with you."