Chapter 2

Vivian's POV

By the time I got home, my makeup was already ruined.

Rainwater dripped from the ends of my hair and fell with rhythmic plops against the floor.

I pulled out my phone and called my supervisor, Gloria Miller.

She picked up right away. "Vivian? What's the matter?"

I said, "Gloria, I don't want to go to Sunshire anymore. Is it possible to withdraw my application?"

Gloria answered, "I already submitted the applications before leaving work on Friday. But the department head probably hasn't approved them yet. If you clock in early on Monday and wait for him in the office, you should be able to make it."

I quickly thanked her.

After ending the call, I went to the bathroom and took a shower. When I came out, I accidentally caught sight of a crumpled piece of white paper in the trash can.

I picked it up and smoothed it. It was a payment receipt.

It was a purchase for a pair of emerald earrings and a vintage tea set, which cost 7,000 dollars in total.

The last four digits of the bank card used for the payment matched the date we started dating.

Callum and I had racked up the savings on that card together.

Back then, he had held my hand and said, "Let's contribute a little every month, and then we can use the money for our wedding. Once we save up ten thousand dollars, let's go on a nice vacation."

Whenever I got paid, the first thing I did was to deposit some money in that account.

After three years, we had already long surpassed the ten-thousand-dollar mark.

However, Callum never took me on a single vacation. Instead, he forked out 7,000 dollars just to make Sasha look good in front of his parents.

…

Callum only came home the next day.

When he saw me sitting on the couch, he tossed a gift card right into my lap. "Here, something from my parents for your first meeting with them."

The card felt unbelievably light on my lap.

I asked, "Did you use the money in our account?"

Frowning, he answered in a slightly annoyed tone, "She was getting gifts for my parents, but when she tried to pay for them, her card was declined. With all those people watching, I can't just leave her hanging, can I?"

When we opened that account, we had agreed that the money was off-limits.

A few months ago, Dad had fractured his bone, and he couldn't afford the medical bills. I hesitated for a long while before asking Callum if I could withdraw 3,000 dollars from the account for the medical emergency.

He had replied, "Didn't we promise that neither of us would touch that money? Vivian, are you going back on your word?"

What hurt more than the judging whispers of the passersby was the look in his eyes.

I froze on the spot.

Noticing that, he softened his tone. "Vivian, since we've decided to save up, we have to keep our hands off that money. If we withdraw it even once, it's only going to snowball."

With that, he pulled out his phone, tapped a few times, and transferred 300 dollars to me. "Here's something to tide you over. See if you can borrow the rest from your friends."

In the end, he simply watched as I sobbed and asked my best friend to lend me some money.

He couldn't bear to see Sasha embarrassed, but he had no problem letting me be humiliated.

I gripped the 7,000-dollar receipt so tightly that my palm felt like it was on fire. "That's not what you said when my dad fractured his bone."

My voice was shaking as I asked for an answer I already knew.

Callum looked offended. "What's the point of dragging up the past all the time? We already put that behind us!"

At that moment, I finally realized something.

I had brought it up because, deep in my heart, I still couldn't get over it.

I said calmly, "Callum, let's break up."

He stared at me for a while. Then, he said in an even more annoyed tone, "It's just money, isn't it? Fine. I'll put the money back in tomorrow."

Noticing that I wasn't talking, he put on a wry smile. "Besides, could you actually bring yourself to break up with me? Come on, stop sulking. You've met my parents and even accepted a gift from them. Do you know how damaging it is to our relationship when you keep threatening to break up?"

I got up and went back to my room. The gift card fell onto the floor, and no one picked it up.