Chapter 4

I lowered my eyes and kept my mouth shut, doing my best not to look so pathetic. Bitterness spread through my chest, and I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms.

When Nadine finally ran out of steam from all the screaming, the streamer I'd been battling couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up.

"Aaron, why are you simping for a woman like this? She's got nothing going for her, yet she acts like she's some princess. I'm honestly speechless. All she does is squeeze money out of you and gaslight you all day.

"Can you wake the hell up already? Don't make me lose respect for you. You're only 21, and you've already achieved more than almost everyone your age. You treat her like gold, but have you ever stopped to think about what you are to her? You're an ATM. That's it!"

Ever since Puffball died, I'd been pretending I was okay and acting like everything was fine, but I couldn't keep the mask on anymore.

I turned away, trying to hide how broken I felt. I looked at Nadine, silently begging her not to fight with me in front of everyone watching the stream.

She ignored me completely. Instead, she pointed straight at the camera and snapped, "Shut the hell up! I'm talking to my boyfriend. What does this have to do with any of you?

"Don't think I don't know what you guys are trying to do. All you care about is using people for attention. You're just a bunch of online beggars. Stop acting like you get to lecture me!"

Online beggars. The way she said it was vicious.

A relentless ache throbbed in my chest, so intense that I could barely breathe. Before I could say anything, Nadine turned her attention back to me.

"I swear these idiots have brainwashed you, Aaron. If you're not gonna listen to me, then get the hell out of my life. Now! Right this second! Get lost!"

She grabbed whatever was around her and started smashing everything. She smashed my stand, my speakers, and my audio interface.

This was our home and also my streaming studio. Now, in front of all these people, she was trashing the place piece by piece.

The livestream chat was exploding with comments, but I didn't read a single one. I simply ended the stream in silence.

"Nadine, why did Puffball die? Why was she covered in wounds? She was such a good girl. What did she do to get on your nerves? Why did you just toss her in the trash? You knew how much she meant to me. Didn't you promise you'd take good care of her?"

I threw out question after question, my eyes red-rimmed and gleaming with unshed tears. I still couldn't believe the person I loved most had destroyed what was most precious to me.

Nadine snorted. "It was just a damn animal, wasn't it? So what if I hit it a few times? So what if it died? What are you gonna do about it? Stop using that ball of trash as an excuse to pick a fight with me."

I loved cats. Like, really, really loved them. And Puffball had been like family to me. Nadine knew that.

My eyes were red and swollen, and every breath came out shaky. The pain was so sharp that it made me want to run from my own skin.

My silence only made Nadine double down. She yanked at my shirt over and over, cursing nonstop. "Get out! Just get out of my life! The farther, the better. I'm sick of looking at you!"

Then, she stormed off, slamming the door on her way out. She knew I was sobbing my heart out and falling apart, but she still didn't turn back to comfort me.

By now, I was used to it. Nine whole years separated us. To her, I was always the childish one, the dramatic one, and the one who was always making a fuss over nothing.

And to me, she was almost frighteningly composed. Most of the time, I couldn't even tell if she actually loved me.

Still, I was too far gone in my blind love and devotion to Nadine. Every time, I lied to myself, convincing myself that we had a great relationship, that she really did love me.

I switched off the lights and cried alone in the darkness for what felt like forever. I was a grown man, yet I was reduced to sobbing like a child.

Nadine didn't come home that night. Instead, I received a bunch of videos from other people. She was back at some club again, practically draped over some guy as she danced with him.

I sat there in the dark without moving, as if I'd turned to stone.

And when dawn finally came, I wiped my face dry. I told myself that some things had gone as far as they could go.