Chapter 3

From a distance, I snapped a photo of the two of them walking arm in arm, then watched them sit down in Room Six, a semi-private room that only VIP members could use.

"Excuse me," I asked a server, "is Room Seven taken? Can I move to a private room over there?"

The server went to check and came back a moment later. "Room Seven's empty, but you'll need to deposit 100 thousand dollars to become a member before you can use it."

I pulled out my bank card and spent all the savings I'd scraped together over the past year.

"Gavin, did you miss me?"

The semi-private rooms were separated by dividers, so I could hear every word from the next room.

"Of course I did. Especially the way you are in bed—" The man let out a filthy laugh.

Erin cut him off in a shy tone. "Stop it! You're so bad!"

She was calling him bad, but her voice was sickeningly sweet.

In the five years we'd been together, she'd never spoken to me in that tone.

The way they flirted with each other afterward made my stomach churn. I couldn't wrap my head around how the woman I'd treated like a treasure could lower herself so much in front of another man.

A wave of emotions hit me—disgust, anger, shame, and a sharp, lingering sadness.

Gavin Trent and I were coworkers, but we couldn't stand each other. Even basic courtesy felt impossible between us.

We used to be in the same department once. He was an arrogant show-off who loved throwing his weight around and bullying people at work. On top of that, he secretly harassed the new intern.

One night when I was working overtime, I happened to walk in on them. The new intern was on the verge of tears. She was furious but too scared to say anything.

I couldn't take it, so I got into a shouting match with him. We almost ended up throwing punches in the office.

Even though the incident was resolved, the intern was still pushed out by Gavin and a few others until she finally quit, and I got called in by management and was soon transferred to another position.

"Gavin, are you really into this woman? She's nothing special. There are tons of women chasing you who are way prettier than her."

"What do you know? I've got big plans for this one. You just sit back and enjoy the show."

After Erin left, Gavin and his childhood friends had started talking even more obscenely.

I really couldn't listen anymore, so I paid the bill and walked out.

That night, I called Erin several times, but she never picked up. A sense of unease lingered in my chest.

We'd been together for five years. Even though I was furious, I still hoped we could end things amicably. I didn't actually want anything bad to happen to her.

It wasn't until Erin came home looking completely normal after work the next day that I finally let out a breath.

I was just about to bring up breaking up when she spoke first.

"Honey, I want to go have some fun before I officially start work. Once I start, I won't have time anymore. You're busy with your job, so I already promised Lacey I'd go to Harvale with her. Is that okay?"

Harvale?

If I remembered right, Gavin was scheduled to go on a business trip to Harvale too.

She was already sleeping with another man and still wanted to keep me as a backup. She even asked me for money so she could go on a trip with him.

"But I want to go with you," I said. "Work isn't that busy these days. I can take some time off and go with you."

I picked up my phone, trying to be considerate as I started checking flights to Harvale.

The moment Erin saw that, she panicked and snatched the phone out of my hand.

"No way!"

Maybe she realized how sharp she sounded, because her tone softened right away.

"How could I let you skip work because of me? I already made plans with Lacey. Just focus on your job. I only need you to cover the trip for me, okay?"

Erin smiled and rubbed her thumb against her index finger in a little gesture to indicate she needed money.

Seeing her grin like that, I almost laughed out of sheer anger.

"Money's been tight for me lately..."

"Oh, come on, honey. You've still got 100 thousand in your bank account. Just transfer it to me for now. Once I start working and making money, I'll pay you back. Don't be such a cheapskate!"