Chapter 3

That evening, Miriam added me to a group chat. The group was named "How Long Can the Gold Digger Last".

There were over 20 people in it. All of them were Carl's friends.

The moment I joined, the chat was flooded with messages.

"I bet she'll apologize before midnight."

"Midnight is way too long. A poor woman like her won't risk losing her golden ticket."

"My money's on her begging Carl for forgiveness outside his office."

"Loser buys supper for a month."

Miriam sent a voice note. "You guys give her way too much credit. She's definitely sitting at home right now, waiting for Carl to come back. Packing bags, canceling the wedding, and returning gifts are straight out of the playing-hard-to-get playbook.

"People who actually want to leave don't make such a dramatic fuss. She just wants everyone to know because she's desperate for Carl to chase after her."

Someone asked her why she was so sure.

Miriam snickered. "How many times do I have to tell you? I used to play this game. A penniless woman landing a guy like Carl is like winning the lottery. Would a lottery winner tear up her ticket and skip cashing in? Who's that stupid?"

The chat erupted in laughing emojis.

Carl was in the group too. He didn't utter a single word, but he didn't put a stop to it either.

I left the group chat.

Less than ten seconds later, Miriam pulled me back in.

"Leaving so soon? Aren't you breaking up? Let us see how many days you can keep up the act. Why not place a bet on yourself? When are you going back to beg Carl?"

I left a second time.

Half an hour later, an unknown number called.

"Is this Mr. Carl Humphry's girlfriend? He was in a car crash. He's in the ER right now."

Three years ago, they played the same trick on me.

I was taking a professional licensing exam that day.

When I heard that Carl was in a crash, I walked out on the test without even submitting it and sprinted to the hospital like a lunatic.

I had burst into the ward only to find a table full of food and drinks.

They had laughed in my face, saying my panic proved I was just terrified of losing my meal ticket.

The second time, Mom fell ill and was admitted to the hospital.

They lied again, claiming Carl was in danger.

I left my feverish mother with a neighbor and rode a train for five hours to get back.

Yet, it was just another test.

They watched me sob while mockingly praising my realistic acting skills.

This time, I spoke calmly. "If you need someone to sign consent forms, call his family. We broke up."

Silence fell over the other end of the line, followed by a burst of laughter.

Miriam snatched the phone. "Getting smarter, aren't we? You figured out it was a test. Don't think that playing cold-hearted is going to scare Carl, though."

I hung up immediately.

At dawn the next morning, I dragged my luggage to the airport.

Right before security, my colleague called. "Mr. Humphry's assistant just asked me if you really resigned."

I stopped in my tracks. "What did you tell him?"

"Before I could say anything, a woman next to him piped up, saying you were just trying to force a proposal. Then Mr. Humphry hung up."

I didn't need to ask who the woman was.

At 8:40 am, the boarding announcement echoed through the terminal.

I glanced back at the entrance.

Carl wasn't coming.

My phone buzzed with a video from Miriam.

Carl was sitting in the private room with a glass of liquor in front of him.

The crowd was still waiting for me to cave.

Miriam's voice came from off-camera. "Relax, Reyna won't leave. She's probably hiding near the airport right now, waiting for you to rush over and beg her to come back. If you go, she'll use the breakup to hold over your head forever."

Carl looked up. "What if she actually leaves?"

Miriam didn't hesitate for a second. "If she actually has the guts to walk, I'll apologize to her in public."

The video cut off there.

I locked my phone and walked toward the gate.

I didn't care about her public apology. She could choke on it.