Chapter 2

Percy was stunned by the slap. He clutched his face and stared at me in disbelief.

Since the day we met, I had never lost my temper. Especially with Percy, I had always gone along with whatever he wanted. So when I hit him, he froze.

"Are you insane? You actually hit me?"

He snapped back to himself and glared at me, rage written all over his face.

I was already done. I crouched down and went back to packing my suitcase.

When Percy saw that I wasn't responding, he grew even madder. He grabbed me, hauled me up, and slammed me against the wall, pinning me there with his stare.

"Stop dodging the issue. Sabrina was kind enough to bring my stuff over, and what did you do? You hit her without even asking what happened. She's just a college student.

"How's she supposed to face her classmates after this? You're going to her campus right now and apologize to her in front of everyone. If you don't, I'll never talk to you again."

"Fine. Then don't talk to me. That's exactly what I want."

Percy tightened his grip on my collar, as if I were the one making a scene. He stared at me for a long time before finally letting go, disappointment plain on his face.

"Maisie, you've really let me down. Being obedient and sensible is one of the few good qualities you have. If you keep acting like this, you're going to regret it!"

I couldn't have cared less. "Yeah? I'd love to see how you plan to make me regret it."

The veins on his forehead stood out, his teeth grinding. He spat out one last threat before storming off and slamming the door.

The second the door shut, I slid down and sat on the floor, tears streaming down my face.

Seven years together had turned out to be nothing but a ridiculous farce. From start to finish, I had been the only one who ever caught feelings.

I even began to wonder whether all of Percy's past kindness had been nothing more than an act. The home we'd shared for seven years suddenly felt unfamiliar.

I packed up everything in the house that belonged to me, including the gifts Percy had bought and our shared photo albums. I stuffed it all into a large bag and threw it into the trash bin downstairs.

By the time I was done, it was already past midnight. Percy still hadn't come home. I didn't need to think to know where he was.

I went back to the small apartment I'd bought two years earlier. It was small, but it felt like home.

It was late. I set my luggage in the living room, took a hot shower, and got ready for bed. Just as I lay down, my phone rang.

It was Julian Ripley.

"Maisie, what did that message you sent me mean? Are you messing with me?"

He sounded urgent, but I could hear the excitement underneath it.

"I'm not messing with you. Percy cheated. I'm not marrying him. I just want to ask you one thing. You said you'd wait for me. Does that still count?"

Julian said without hesitation, "It counts. Of course, it counts. It has always counted. I'm overseas on a business trip right now. I'll be back in two months. Once I'm done, we'll get married right away, okay?"

We talked for a long time. I didn't hang up until I was so tired I could barely stay awake.

But the moment I ended the call, my phone chimed with a new message. An unknown number had sent me a photo.

It was Sabrina and Percy, pressed together. She had my necklace around her neck.

It was the one Mom had left me. It meant the world to me. Back when Percy and I were head over heels, I'd already thought of him as family, so I gave him the necklace as a token of our commitment.

I never imagined that the necklace I'd treated like a treasure would end up around another woman's neck.

I called Percy right away and demanded, "Bring my necklace back. That belonged to my mom."

He answered with self-righteous calm. "You gave it to me, so it's mine. I can do whatever I want with it. And I'm doing this for your own good. Sabrina got slapped by you, and she's still mad.

"If I hadn't gone to smooth things over with her for you, she would've called the cops already. You should be thanking me."

His tone was completely matter-of-fact.

As he spoke, Sabrina's soft, syrupy voice drifted through the phone. "So what flavor do you want today? Strawberry or orange?"

Percy got flustered and hung up.

Any trace of sleepiness was gone. My fingers tightened around my phone.

I sent Percy a message.

"If you don't return my necklace tomorrow, I'll call the cops."